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1. Register! Go to the registration page. Once you've read over the terms of use and agree to them, you'll need to create your user name and fill in the short questionnaire. Be sure to fill in your e-mail address. If you don't provide your e-mail, we won't be able to send you your password. 2. Get into the Discussion! From the Discussion Forum's main page, choose between the General Discussions and Outreach Discussions categories. Underneath the categories, you will see the names of forums open for discussion. Click on the forum that interests you. The next page will show you a series of forum topics for discussion, represented
by small folders to the left side of the topic title. When you click on one of
the folders, you'll be opening what is called a discussion "thread." The thread
represents a discussion between people who have posted comments on a given topic.
Once you have clicked on the topic folder, you will be in the thread and will
see the posts already made by other users on that topic. 3. Post a Reply! To add a general comment, simply click on Post a Reply at the top of the page. You'll be presented with a page that asks for your user name and password and gives you a blank comment field. Put your thoughts in the comment field. When you're done typing your reply, just click on Submit Reply. If you'd like to comment on a specific post and have the text of that post
included in your comment, click on the icon with the paper and arrow. The comment
area will also have the entire text of the posting you're replying to. Type in
your reply in the space below. When you're done, just click on Submit Reply.
Your browser will automatically send you back to the topic page. 4. Create a New Topic! If you want to talk about something new, you can create a new topic. From the topics page, click on Post a New Topic. You'll be asked to fill in your username and password, and a subject heading for your topic. Think of the subject line as a headline. It will be what people first see, and the subject line will become the link people use to reply to your new topic thread. Be sure you start the discussion off by typing your comments into the comment box. PLEASE DO NOT POST A NEW TOPIC IF YOU FIND A SIMILAR ONE ALREADY LISTED.
That will weaken and confuse the discussion. Multiple topics on the same
subject will not prompt users to post comments because the discussion will be
spread too thinly across too many areas. 5. Learn About Other Users! If you want to find out who's made a particular post, or if you want to e-mail that person privately, you may click on the icon of a person with a question mark. You'll get the user profile, which may or may not contain personal information about the author. 6. Jazz-Up Your Post! If you want to emphasize certain words, or make your post appear a certain way, you can use html commands or UBB commands. To learn more about UBB, click
here. You can also emphasize your thoughts by using SMILIES.
If you'd like to link to a helpful or interesting site from your post, you
may either use an HTML link or a UBB link. HTML: <a href="http://www.yourlinkURLhere.com"> yourlinkURLtext
</a> 7. Change Your Mind! If you want to change one of your past posts, simply go to that post and click on the paper-and-pencil icon at the top of the entry. Fill in your user name and password, and then edit your old post as you like. When you're done, just click on the Submit Now button. Remember, only the original authors of posts and the forum moderators can modify
a post. If you want to comment on an error or suggest a change in an existing
post made by someone else, click on the Reply to Post button, or the paper-and-arrow
icon. 8. E-Mail a Friend to Widen the Conversation! If you have a friend you think could add some thoughts to the discussion, you can e-mail them the topic thread's URL using our simple UBB friend link at the top of the page. Just click on the letter icon link, and fill in your name, and the name and e-mail of your friend. They'll receive a mail with your note and the URL of the discussion topic you're interested in. 9. Bookmark! Don't forget to bookmark the discussion forum pages you like. Then you can go back and add your thoughts often! |