The Help Thread / FAQ

[Laura (Lori)]

If you have any questions about the technical aspects of posting, navigating, or reading this board, ask them on this thread!

If we see that certain questions are being asked over and over, we'll modify this initial post to include answers to those questions.

[bp]

How do you post photos?

[mtnme]

Jan 29, 2009 17:33:46 GMT -8 bp said:

How do you post photos?

First you need to set up an account at a photo hosting area like photobucket (it's free!) Here is the link:

photobucket.com/

Click on the 'join now' tab and fill out the pertinent information.

Once your account is set up, you can upload photos or videos (of a limited size- the videos) from your computer or from the web.
You will need your name and password to enter your area. It's also a good idea to lock your account so not everyone on the web can view everything in your photobucket area.

You have 3 options:
But for your first time, will show you the easy way. Once you've got that down, we'll take you through the bulk uploader.



Click on Old uploader
1) you will see several boxes that allow you to browse your computer. Click on 'browse' and this will bring up the files on your computer to browse through. Once you click on the file that holds your photos - click on the individual photos one at a time you want to upload for each box. Once you've filled the boxes with the photo info, click the 'upload' Button. (notice it says add more if you have more than a couple photos to upload. You can click on that for more boxes to pop up and fill)

2) Once the photos are uploaded, you will see them on a page. When you mouse over a photo, a series of boxes will appear. Go to the last box that says IMG code next to it. Click on it to highlight it, then right click an the box and then left click on 'copy'. (if you have a Mac, that will require you to go to the toolbar after you have highlighted the box to click and copy it)

3) go back to your dialogue box on BB and 'right click' and 'Paste'
You will see coding that looks like this:


[IMGhttp://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd5/mountain_me/EMOTIES/applause.gif[/IMG]

But if you did it right, what you will see on the completed post is a picture of what the code corresponds to, which in this case, is this little clapping hand emotie.
(you can click on the preview button to make sure it posted right before you hit the 'post' button)

Clear as mud? Don't worry, it sounds a heck of a lot more complicated than it really is, and after you've posted a few photos, you'll be zipping through those pics like a pro without even thinking about it.

pm me if you're still having trouble. After you master a couple of uploaded photos, we'll tell you how to bulk upload, which will make your life SOOOO much easier if you have a lot of photos to post.

[musicalmom]

How do you add a signature picture and statement that will come up to help identify you when you post?

[mtnme]

Aug 22, 2009 21:56:36 GMT -8 musicalmom said:

How do you add a signature picture and statement that will come up to help identify you when you post?

Good question!

1) After you log in, notice that there is a bar that is just under the box that says 'Boots & Blades Speedskating Forum'

2) On the right hand side, next to the 'logout' botton is one that says 'profile'. Click on that.

3) It will then pull up a page that says 'members bio'. Next to that it says 'modify profile'. Click on that.

4) Scroll down to 'Personal Information' until you see the box 'avatar URL'. If you have a photobucket account and have photos loaded up to it, run your curser arrow over the photo you want to use. there should be 4 boxes of links that drop down when your curser scrolls over the picture. Choose the second box down that says 'Direct Link'. Highlight that coding next to it and right click and click 'copy', just like you would if you were posting photos on the forum. Then go back to the 'avatar URL' box, and paste that coding into the box.

5) right under that, are boxes that say avatar width and height. Type 100 into each box, as that is the maximum size avatar it will take. (If the photo won't load, the original photo you are trying to load may be too big. You can edit the photos in photobucket by hitting the edit button just above the photo. The new screen that pops up will allow you to crop and resize your photo. make sure to do the new avi photo as a copy so it doesn't ruin your original. )

6) To type a little blurb under your avi, type in a few words in the box next to the words 'personal text'. You're limited to only a few words in this area, so you'll have to be brief. If you have something to say that is longer than that, you can write it where it says 'signature', like Lori has done. It will come up at the bottom of your posts. (I think it's the Woohoo, what a ride' quote that is there now) You can also post photos there, be we request that you keep them small. Most people find scrolling through HUGE, repetitive photos when trying to read through posted information very tedious, so we'd like to keep that section of the forum a little more tidy. (I didn't even post my Cheshire Cat Sigie here)

7) Scroll down to 'account preferences' and make sure it says 'yes' next to 'show avitar', 'signatures' and 'images' if you intend to use those functions'

8) after your done with that, hit the button on the bottom - far left that says 'modify profile'.

That should do it, unless you haven't used photobucket or posted photos before, in which case, that's another set of instructions, which is on reply #2 of this help/FAQ thread.

PM me if you have any trouble with the directions. (You do get to the point where you've done these so often they become second nature, and you forget to tell people key little bits of info that could be the difference between success and failure. I know that happened to me when I first started)

[musicalmom]

Thanks for the instructions. You are a great teacher. Now when I have a moment I will try them out and post a siggie picture. Being new, I'm still trying to figure out the basics. Thanks for your patience.

New Question: How are posts counted?

I have posted several times already and am still listed at 0 posts. It doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things because that's not why I post, but I just wondered. I did check to be sure that I was logged in under my name musical mom.

[mtnme]

Aug 26, 2009 18:27:21 GMT -8 musicalmom said:

New Question: How are posts counted?

I have posted several times already and am still listed at 0 posts. It doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things because that's not why I post, but I just wondered. I did check to be sure that I was logged in under my name musical mom.

They aren't actually, LOL. Lori nuked that feature. Along with the smite/karma feature as well.
Our general consensus is that they can create an atmosphere of bad feelings either way. ;D

Oh, and thank you for the kind words. I hope my directions work! LOL

[Laura (Lori)]

Aug 26, 2009 18:27:21 GMT -8 musicalmom said:

Thanks for the instructions. You are a great teacher. Now when I have a moment I will try them out and post a siggie picture. Being new, I'm still trying to figure out the basics. Thanks for your patience.

New Question: How are posts counted?

I have posted several times already and am still listed at 0 posts. It doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things because that's not why I post, but I just wondered. I did check to be sure that I was logged in under my name musical mom.

To add to what Mtnme already said:

MM - post counts are totally disabled at BB. I don't know how to eliminate the '0' tally, but I would if I could. So until that day, it will alway show '0'.

IMO, we're all 'equals' here - no Rankings per post count, no Karma, no Smiting (if you like somebody - or if you're mad at them - you've gotta 'own' it)

We're so happy you're here! ;D

And one other thing - I'm trying to set limits on 'siggie' photos (still trying to figure out the coding on that one) - but a good rule of thumb is to keep 'em SMALL - certainly no bigger than the GOTW banners at GA - like, maybe 100 high by about 500 wide)

[Laura (Lori)]

Arrrggghhh!!!

I have to apologize, MM - I was meaning to 'quote' you in this reply, but I must have hit the 'modify' button instead.

As a result, I lost your comment... so sorry. That's a good wakeup call for me to be more careful in the future.

Anyhow, you were asking how you could tell if you were posting as a Member or as a Guest, and my answer is:

If you're posting as a Guest, you'll have to enter one of those cryptic security words before your post will go through. And you won't be able to comment at all on some boards. (Currently guests are blocked from posting on the Skaters Board and Short Track USA, but are able to post on all others).

In addition, member comments will show the poster's name in bold blue, followed by the word 'Member'. Guests' names will be in plain black text followed by the word 'Guest'.

Hope that clears it up a bit - and again, I'm sorry that I effed up your post...

[Laura (Lori)]

Do you wonder where to look for new posts/info on BB when you visit? Here are some hints to make your browsing here a bit more efficient:

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1) If you visit fairly frequently, the EASIEST way to see what's new is to view the 50 most recent posts. To do this, scroll down to the Info Center on the home page. The first box will show Forum Statistics. Click on the blue link where it says "View the 50 most recent posts of this forum". This technique works for both members and guests. (Note that sometimes I'll change the number of recent posts to something other than 50)

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2) Alternatively, if you are a member, and are signed in, each board will show a difficult-to-miss 'NEW' icon on each thread where there are new, unread posts.

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If you are a registered, logged-in member who regularly uses 1) above, you'll still notice the 'NEW' icon when you visit individual boards. If you feel that you've read everything, you can get rid of this icon by clicking "Mark As Read", either on the home board (gets rid of it on ALL boards), or on each individual board.

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Remember: All text in BLUE on Boots N' Blades is a clickable link, as is the thick white lettering. Play around with these links and it will help you learn. And please ask questions here on this thread - it's open to both members and guests!

I'll try to note other hints and tips here periodically...

[Laura (Lori)]

I've sent PM's (personal messages) to new members from time to time that have never been read - so it occurred to me that many new members may not even know about the PM feature, and I think it's time to do a tutorial.

The Personal Message (aka 'PM') is a valuable tool whereby members can send private messages to each other without making the content public. It's like an email account within the BB forum.

How do I know if I have a PM from someone?

First, you must be a registered member, and you must be logged in.

Look in the upper right corner of any page on the forum - you'll see something like:

Hey, Laura (Lori), you have 581 messages, 1 is new.

If you see in the above line that you have a new message, click on the blue link (in this example: '581 messages'), and it'll take you to your inbox.

Click on any message to read.

You can also set preferences, such as getting a notification on Boots & Blades (and/or an email) when you have a new PM waiting. Simply click the 'preferences' word in the messages toolbar to see your options.

Note that you also have an 'outbox' in the toolbar, where you can keep track of whether PM's you've sent have been read by your recipients.

Your inbox and outbox do have limited space, so if your messages get up over 1000 or so, you might want to delete some, or copy/save important ones to a Word file outside of BB. I've never been able to get the 'backup' feature to work, but more power to ya' if you can do it.

Can admins/moderators read my PM's?

Absolutely not. When I was a member of a different Proboards forum, I always wondered that myself - but now that I'm an admin, I know that there is no way that anyone on the board can read your PM's unless they have your password.

Hope this helps y'all! If you have any other questions, please post them here!