Forum Help and Information
Contents
Personal profiles
- You can easily change your details (e.g. username, password, location, profile image, contact preferences) any time via the Your profile link in the header.
- Your username can be up to 32 characters in length, and may contain alphanumerical characters of either upper or lower-case, plus spaces or hyphens.
- If you change your username at any time, all messages containing your old username will automatically be updated to your new one.
- The location can be up to 64 characters in length.
- You can, if you wish, have your own "Signature", which will display as a single line beneath your posts. This may be anything you wish, like a URL of your own website, for instance.
Private contacts
If you wish to privately contact another member via this forum, use the "Contact" button that appears beneath that member's profile on the left of any post, or from the right-hand column of the Member list page. However, this button will only be visible if both you and the person you wish to contact have selected 'Allow private contacts' in your profiles.
Posting messages
Starting a new topic or responding to a post
- To begin a new topic, go to the main Topic index page and click the "Start a new topic" link at the top or bottom of the page. Now select a suitable category for it (e.g. 'Memories and Nostalgia' or 'Sport and Leisure') and add a title that describes your subject.
- To add a response to a topic, click the "Respond" button at the top or bottom of any topic page, or use the "Respond to this topic" link on any post.
- Once you've typed your message into the text-box, posting it is a two-step process. This gives members a chance to check over or correct their message before posting.
- The first step is to press the Preview message button, which will take you farther down the page to show you how your message will look when posted. (Pressing this button will also use a cookie to save what you've typed so far, so if you get interrupted you can return to the forum later, press the "Retrieve saved message" button and continue without losing your post.)
- Just below that preview there will be either a Submit post or an Add new topic button, depending upon whether you've responded to another post or started a new topic. If you're happy with your message, press that button to enter your message onto the forum.
Responding to a 'quote'
- If you think your response will be clarified by quoting a previous message, then use the "Respond and quote this message" link. (If selecting this option, sections of particularly long quoted messages can be deleted inside the editing box in the usual manner. However do not delete the "<div class='quote'>" at the beginning or the "</div>" at the end of the quote. Also, please do not edit someone else's quote in a manner that will alter their original meaning!)
- Add your response in the text-box as normal, but make sure you type the whole of your message BELOW the final </div>. (Scroll down inside the text-box if necessary.)
Editing your posts
- It is possible to change or delete a post that you've submitted within the last two days, but a red
logo will appear to let other members know that your post has been altered.
- From time to time it might be necessary for a moderator to alter a member's post for various reasons, like helping to mend a link or insert an image. Please feel free at any time to write to the moderators if you have a query regarding post editing or any other matter.
Images & links
Adding a link
- Press the 'Link' button
, which will pop-up a small window where you can enter the web-address (URL) and, if necessary, a description of the link. If desired, the second box can be left empty and the URL will automatically show in place of a text description.
- If JavaScript is not enabled, paste this HTML into your message: <a href="ADDRESS" rel="external">LINK</a>
Then replace the word ADDRESS with the real web address that you've copied. It is also desirable to replace the word LINK with a better description.
- Please ensure that no external sites to which you link contain any inappropriate content.
Uploading an image
- Use the 'Upload image' link in the toolbar at the top or bottom of any page.
- Once on the 'upload' page, type in the verification code where shown, then tick the box below to verify that you either own or have permission to display the images that you wish to upload - then press the 'Verify' button.
- You will now be presented with 'Browse' button, which you can press to select an image from your own computer. Currently the three main types of image, 'JPG', 'GIF' and 'PNG', are supported.
- If you wish to give your image file a more meaningful name to make locating it easier in the future, you can type this into the next box. This is optional.
- Once you've chosen your image, you also have four sizes to pick from: Small (300 pixels), medium (500 pixels), large (700 pixels) or XL (1000 pixels). Any image uploaded will be given a maximum width or height of the size chosen. (Use the Display image sizes link below to see how each size will look.)
- Press whichever button corresponds to the image size you wish to display.
- Once your image has uploaded, you'll be taken to a page giving the option to either save the image as it looks, or edit it if you think it requires improvement of any kind. Editing gives the opportunity to crop, rotate or alter colours or contrast, and will take you to a new 'Edit' page where each control has an individual help box if required.
Adding an image that you've already uploaded
- This assumes that you are currently creating a post. (Quick tip: It is good practice to press the "Preview" button before and after adding an image, as it makes the page "remember" what you've done so far in case you lose your place.)
- Select an image that you've uploaded from the drop-down menu, which should automatically add the name of your file next to the
button above the text-entry box.
- Next, use your mouse to place the cursor in the place where you wish your image to occur in your text, then click that 'Insert selected image' button, which will insert the correct HTML into your message.
- (If the page does not automatically refresh and insert your image into the post, then press the 'Preview message' button after every image that you insert in this way.)
- Previously uploaded images can be selected from the menu - click 'Select' to load in the 'Selected image' then use the button as above to insert.
Adding an EXTERNAL image
- Use the 'Add external image' button
which will pop-up a small window where you can enter the web-address (URL) of the image from another website that you wish to display.
- If JavaScript is not enabled, paste the following into your message, then replace the word IMAGE with the URL of the external image that you wish to display: <img src="IMAGE" alt="">
Image usage, permission & copyright
- If the image to which you are linking is not your own, then please ensure that you have permission from the owner to link to their picture.
- The first obvious problem when using other people's images is copyright. It is important that the rightful ownership of any images used is respected, and even if permission is granted, appropriate credit should be given.
- Another major problem is usage of bandwidth. Importing an image that resides on another website is called "hot-linking", and every time someone on this forum views a page containing such an image, the bandwidth of both this and the host site is used. Website owners have to pay for this bandwidth, and many, like this one, have a monthly limit, which, if exceeded will cause the site to immediately go offline. This is plainly not acceptable, so permission must always be sought before linking to images on other websites, especially personal ones.
Terms & site information
- Email addresses are kept secure and never passed on, unless you wish to do so yourself.
- Cookies are used by this site, but no sensitive or tracking data whatsoever is stored. Only essential data necessary for the smooth running of the forum is stored on your computer; for instance a date-stamp, so you can see which posts have been added since your last visit.
- Any personal messages sent to other members are stored in the forum database. These are kept strictly private, but in the unlikely event of any unacceptable behaviour or misuse of this email system being reported, the site administrators do have the means to view all forum mail.
- When composing a message, please always bear these points in mind:
- It is a public forum, so always be aware that anything you post will be visible to millions of people around the world, therefore please be respectful at all times.
- This website is used extensively by teachers and schoolchildren for local history, so bad or inappropriate language is unacceptable and will be removed.
- If you are commenting on another person or their opinion, please put yourself in their position, re-read your words, and be certain that neither they, nor anyone else, will be offended by your comment before posting.
