Navigating The Site

You will see navigation icons near the upper right-hand corner of the community.

The first icon is for what’s new on the site.

Clicking on it, by default, will take you to new unread posts. You can also click on additional tabs on that page, such as Popular if you prefer to view active topics.

Clicking the list icon next to NEW will bring you to the full forum listing.

You can also navigate by clicking the Kebab menu (three vertical dots).

Clicking on your avatar will give you a drop-down menu for everything related to your account.

 

Navigating Thread Listing

• Clicking the thread title will take you to where you left off, the 1st unread post.
• Clicking the timestamp below the title will take you to the 1st post of the thread.
• Clicking the timestamp above the last poster takes you to the latest (newest) post.

 

How To Find New Posts

You will see navigation icons near the upper right-hand corner of the community.

The first icon is for what’s new on the site.

Clicking on NEW, by default, will take you to new unread posts.

You can click on additional tabs on that page, such as Popular, if you prefer to view active topics. You can also mark all as read.

 

How To Filter New Posts To Only Display Specific Section(s)

You can filter specific sections by setting a custom default filter on the new posts page.

Step 1 Navigate to the specific forum you want to focus on and click Follow Forum.

Step 2 From the navigation icons, click on NEW near the upper right-hand corner of the site.

This will open a new page of new posts for you. On the new page, click on filters.

You can adjust the filters to your personal preferences and save them as the default. Click the Filter button to save it at the bottom.

 

How To Keep Your Favorite Forum Sections at the Top

My Followed Forums

Go to the forum section and click Follow Forum for community sections that are particularly important to you.

You will see a list of options open for your preferences. First, add a checkmark to your preferred options. Then, click Follow at the bottom.

Your Followed Forums will display at the top of the full Forum Listing page.

 

How To Mark Forums Read

Navigate to the forum that you want to mark as read. At the top, you will see a button to Mark All Read.

If you want to mark all threads in the community as read, click on NEW near the upper right-hand corners of the site.

Click on Mark All Read.

You will then see a pop-up asking for confirmation that you want to mark all forums as read.

 

How To Find Your Profile

While signed in, click on your avatar near the upper right-hand corner of the site. Then, select My Profile from the drop-down menu.

 

Setting Your Location

Click on your avatar near the right-hand corner of the site and select account settings from the drop-down menu.

On the account settings page, scroll down to location.

As you start typing your city, it will offer you choices that appear in the drop-down menu. Click to select the one that displays your location.

If you prefer only to display your state for your location, enter your state and then click on it in the drop-down menu.

Your country's flag is displayed under your username within discussion threads.

User Location Privacy Settings

Click on your avatar and select Account Settings from the drop-down menu.

Your Account Settings page will open with more options. From the left-side navigation bar, select Privacy.

On your Privacy page, you will see options regarding your location.

Use the drop-down menu to select who can see your location information.

Click to Save your privacy settings at the bottom.

 

How To Find Account Settings & Preferences

From the navigation, near the upper right-hand corner, click on your avatar to open the drop-down menu and select Account Settings.

Once you have clicked on Account Settings, a new page will open. You can browse through the left-side column navigation for the specific settings you are looking for.

 

How To Change/Update Avatar

Click on your avatar near the upper right-hand corner of the site and select Account Settings from the drop-down menu.

That will bring you to the account details page. Scroll down to your avatar.

Once you click on your avatar, click to choose your file.

When you have uploaded your chosen image, click Okay.

 

How To Find Conversations (Private Messages)

Near the upper right-hand corner, click on your avatar to open the drop-down menu and select Conversations from the navigation menu.

 

How To Delete A Conversation (Private Message)

There is no limit to the number of conversations you can have. You can keep them indefinitely. If you choose to have one no longer displayed to you within your conversations, click on the Kebab menu (three vertical dots) to the far right of the Star at the top of the conversation. Select Leave.

Once you leave a conversation, we cannot restore your access to it unless you are invited back to it.

You can do the following for leaving conversations in bulk (full page).

Open your conversation box. Add a checkmark next to the conversation title.

That will open a drop menu near the bottom. Add a checkmark to Select All.

Although you can add checkmarks next to each conversation, a drop menu near the bottom will appear once you select any. Click Choose action. Add a checkmark to Select all if you want to leave conversations in bulk (such as a full page).

Click the drop-down menu next to Choose action and select Leave conversations. Click Go.

 

How To Find Subscribed Threads

Click on your avatar near the upper right-hand corner of the site. Then, select Following from the drop-down menu.

This will bring you to a page where you can click to view Followed Discussions, Followed Forums, My Discussions, and Participated Discussions.

 

How To Switch Between Dark Mode & Light Mode

From the navigation, near the upper right-hand corner, click on the Kebab (3 vertical dots) to open the drop-down menu. Next, click on Dark Mode or Light Mode.

 

How To Reply To A Discussion Thread

Near the bottom of every page within a thread, you will see a content box to enter your comments. Then, once you are done, click Post reply.

 

How To Start A New Discussion Thread

Navigate to the forum or subforum where you want to start your new discussion thread. Then, click on Create Post, located to the far right of the forum title.

Once you click Create Post, a new screen will open. Now you can add your title, content, and any images you may want to add to your thread discussion. Click on Post Thread when you’re done.

Alternatively, there is a Quick Thread option at the top of every forum section.

 

How To Quote/MultiQuote

When you see a post that you want to quote, click the reply button on that post. It will automatically add the quoted content to the content area, where you can add your reply/comments following the quote coding.

How To Multi-Quote

Step 1: Click the multi-quote icon at the bottom of each post you want to quote.

Step 2: Scroll down to the text editor, where you will write your post. Click Insert Quotes.

Step 3: A small window will pop up for you to verify (or delete) quoted content that will be added to your post. Click Quote messages if everything is correct.

Final Step: The quoted content will automatically be added to the text editor. Add your comments and click to post your reply.

Added Notes: You can multi-quote from more than one discussion thread in the forum. You can also highlight the part of the text you want to quote. A small popup will allow you to choose the multi-quote option using just the selected content.

 

How To Upload Images To Posts

Start your post as usual, and click on the insert image icon.

A pop-up screen will allow you to drag and drop an image from your computer device to where it says Drop image.

You will now see the picture displayed in the content area of your post.

If instead of dropping an image, you decide to click on the (Or click here) text, a new window will open, allowing you to select your photo using the following steps.

Click the image so it adds the file name for you, then click on open.

If you want to reduce the size of the image displayed, click on the image. A small box will appear on each corner of the image. Click and hold your cursor over one of the boxes to drag the image to the dimensions you prefer.

Finish adding any content to your post, and then click Post reply.

 

How To Display A Video In Your Post

If you want to display a video from a site such as YouTube, you can add the share link directly into the content area of your post, and it will display automatically.

To get the share link, navigate to the video. Near the title, you will see a share link. Click it.

A small window will open to provide you with a URL. That will be the URL you need to copy and paste into your content.

 

How To Post A Poll

Navigate to the forum section where you would like to start a poll, and then near the top right of it, click Create post.

Start your post as you usually would, including text and any images you might want to add.

Scroll down to Add a Poll and click to view the options

Enter your poll question and begin to add possible responses. Once you add one poll response, another will open to add multiple choices.

Select how many possible responses members can choose and select any options you want to add, including closing the poll after a certain number of days. Click to Post Thread.

 

How To Edit Your Post

Click on the Kebab (three vertical dots) to the far right of the timestamp of your post. Select Edit.

Members have unlimited editing of new posts for the first 24 hours after posting. After that, up to 10 existing posts (older than 24 hours) may be edited per week. Additional editing will be allowed as each of those 10 edits expires every 7 days. Some communities may have custom settings. Please check with your site Admin/Mod Team to verify.

 

How To Delete A Post

Only moderators and admins can delete a post. If a thread is deleted, it removes all of the responses, including other members’ posts. Removing a comment (post) when members have already responded impacts the understanding and flow of the discussion. For situations such as duplicate posts, report the post for moderator assistance.

 

How To Find Your Content

From the navigation, near the upper right-hand corner of the site, click on your avatar to open the drop-down menu and select My Profile.

Click on the number below, Discussions Created, to view discussions you have started.

Alternatively, you can click your avatar near the upper right-hand corner of the site and select Following.

On the Following page, click on My Discussions.

 

How To Save (Bookmark) Threads Or Posts

This is an excellent option when you want to save a thread to come back to later. At the bottom of the post, you will see Save. Click on it.

Once you click on Save, you can add any notes to remind yourself and then click to Save.

When you are ready to find the saved bookmarks later, from the navigation, near the upper right-hand corner, click on your avatar to open the drop-down menu and select Bookmarks.

 

How To Search The Site

Near the top of the community, you will see a search bar.

Enter a search term or phrase and click enter on your keyboard or click the magnifying glass.

Search Specific Forum

If you want to search for a specific section, navigate to the forum section before entering your search term in the search bar, and then select this forum.

Search Specific Discussion Thread

If you want to search for a specific discussion thread, navigate to it before entering your search term in the search bar, and then select this thread.

Advanced Search

You can select Advanced Search instead of clicking the magnifying glass after entering the search phrase.

This will allow you to choose to search the titles of specific discussion threads, add the username of the community member who posted it, or even select a particular forum to search from.

Enter your search criteria and click Search at the bottom.

You can also access advanced search by clicking the Kebab (3 vertical dots) near the upper right-hand corner of the site and selecting Advanced Search.