Miscellaneous - Computing Etiquette - NO Discussion

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General Posting Rules

These are the rules that are to be followed when posting.

When posting non facts, the use of IMO In My Opinion, JMHO Just My Humble Opinion or anything similar must be used at all times. We cannot determine if the content is fact, or just an opinion if it isn't stated.

When making a statement, ensure you have facts to back up your statement. Simply saying Mary doesn't have a job doesn't confirm one way or another if Mary in fact doesn't have a job, or does have a job. We have many eyes watching our forum, we do not want to be the source of non factual information and we want members to know what is fact and what is an opinion. Statements made without facts will be deleted.

Please refrain from posting lengthy posts. When there are several lengthy posts, they are often times skipped over, however Admin/Mods read every post which is very time consuming and often times it is off topic which isn't important to the topic title.

Stay on topic. Ensure you are posting within the topic of the thread.

Refrain from posting Religious or political opinions.

Any outside information, such a pictures from IG Twitter Facebook, etc information from links, must be accompanied by the source. The posters name, and comments, the article link etc must be included in the post. Quotes must be used at all times. Posts without source will be deleted. If you don't know how to bring a post forward from SM, there is a help section or ask on the open forum and someone will assist. Under no circumstances can a picture of any media magazine be posted. If it doesn't have a link, it's prohibited. This prevents consumers from purchasing the magazine, which is a copyright infringement.

Do Not under any circumstances post any pictures or information that was obtained by someone's SM that is set to Private.

Please use the "multi quote" when replying to more than one quote. When reading posts, if you feel you will want to respond to that post, but have not finished catching up on posts, click "multi quote" Maximum three times. When you are done, click "Post Reply" at the bottom of the reply box. All the posts will copy to your reply box. Insert your comments after the [/ quote] under the first post.

Do not quote the same picture over and over. There is no need to see the same picture several times on the same page. Threads only allow for 12 posts on each page. It's annoying to see the same picture with one simple line commenting on it. This uses an enormous amount of space which is wasted on repetitive pictures, and is strongly discouraged.

Do not post consecutive posts. Be considerate to other posters by giving others a chance to reply to posts. The only time this is tolerated is during episode nights.

Do not post on the open forum that you have sent a PM to someone, or want to confirm a person has received a PM. This is perceived that no one else is entitled to the information you are sharing. There is a detailed example on how to use the PM system. There is no need to mention on the open forum that a PM has been sent. If you are using the correct username, that person will receive it.  

If you posted, and forgot to add something, click the "Edit" button, add ETA: Edited to Add, then add your comments.

Refrain from being repetitive. The same information doesn't need to be repeated by the same poster in several different threads. This results in the same conversation going on in different threads. Choose the appropriate thread title.

If you are replying to a long post, at times it's not necessary to bring the whole post over again, especially when it has already been quoted a few times. Click "Quote", deleted unnecessary information, add "Snipped" to indicated you removed content, reply to the post.

No arguing or baiting others by posting sarcastic opinions inviting them to challenge you. Posting opinions of other posters thoughts are not tolerated. These type of posts will be deleted automatically with no explanation.

Use the Foe if you are annoyed by any posters. You will not see their posts if this option is utilized.

The default font is to be used at all times. The bold italic underline strikethrough and colours are to be used at a minimum.

If you are joining a topic, and have not read all the pages before the page you are reading, don't assume your thought's opinions sleuthing or suggestions haven't been discussed. Post must include an apology if discussed already. Example, I apologize if this has been discusssed...

Be humble and considerate. Give praise to fellow posters, and refrain from praising yourself.

Deleting and editing posts is a very time consuming process. We are trying to be patient and tolerant with editing and or deleting when necessary however we will initiate warnings followed by appropriate bans for repeat offenders.

Bold - is used to refer to part of a paragraph that you would like to comment or respond to. It is considered as "refer to this". It is not to be used to bring notice to what you are saying in a normal post within reason.

CAPITAL LETTERS

It is considered shouting to type IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

Refrain from over use of capital letters.

Colour - Color - is to be used within reason.

Font - Font must always be the default size 13. Rare exceptions for Admin or Moderators who might use a larger font at times for important messages.

Novels - Please refrain from typing novel type posts all the time. We understand you would like to get your point across however, most times the reader is lost, and will skim over your post anyway. Especially during busy seasons when there are pages of posts to catch up on, the long ones most likely are overlooked.

Spelling - Proper spelling must be used at all times unless using normal commonly used abbreviations, TY Thank you TYIA Thank you in advance LOL Laugh out loud. Shortcut version of words that are used in texting or chat are not welcomes. ex u cuz Clarity is important, and not everyone is familiar with these types of abbreviations. Proper grammar is expected in order to understand your post.

Underline - Is used to bring emphasis to a word or a sentence. Italic is used for the same purpose.

It is very annoying to read a post that is over emphasized, filled with bold underline over use of exclamation marks emoji's smilies and colour. It takes away from the point that is being made in the post. In order to keep a unified and clean appearance, please adhere to the above rules. GIFS - are a fun way to express your opinion. Please do not use gif's to express your opinion towards another member or their post in a negative manner or overuse of gifs.

Frustration - If you are frustrated typically reading negative opinions of those contestants you like, we suggest you read your post a second time before posting. If you are not happy with the discussion or feel it is being harsh towards those that you like, please do not post comments such as, you need to get off the forum, or you need to take a break, conversations are too negative for you. Those are comments that are not within the forum rules since they would be directed at members. Simply leave and take the break that you need.

To Access your Private Messages.

Under the banner, next to "Profile", "You have no new messages". Click and it will take you to your In Box. Those are the PM's that you have received.  If you to have messages, there will be an indicator how many you have and a small rose icon.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Inbox Sentbox Outbox Savebox

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There is room for 200 Private Messages in each one of the boxes. Once the Private Messages are full you will no longer be able to receive/send Private Messages.

There is a % indicator underneath NewPM, top left hand corner to advise how much capacity your box has left. Pay attention and clean it out regularily. Don't forget to check your Outbox and Sentbox as well.

Inbox - Private Messages that are received.

Sentbox - Private Messages that have been read by the person you sent it to.

Outbox - Private Messages that have been sent but not read yet by the person you sent it to.

Savebox - Private Messages that you would like to save.

To send a Private Message you have several options.

If you are reading a post, and would like to PM that poster, you can click on the PM box under their username. It will take you directly to the PM box.

You can click "You Have No New Messages" in the title bar underneath the banner. That takes you to the PM's. Click on New PM. If you're not sure of the exact spelling of the person you would like to PM, you can insert the first two or three letters followed by a * and a choice of users will be made available.

You can click on a username which will take you to their statistics page. From there you can send a PM by clicking "Contact" then "PM" which automatically fills in the username.

You can also set up Notifications to send to your Notification tab at the very top right hand corner of any page next to your username. Once a PM is coming through, a box will pop up for a second or two to advise you have an incoming pm. This is handy if you're catching up on posts and don't notice a PM has arrived in your Inbox.

Profile - Notification Tab - The incoming of a private message - Check In the toolbar.

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Proper Typing

Please type proper for the most part in our posts. It can get challenging and unappealing to read a long post without paragraphs or any breaks.

Typing without ending sentances with a period, or the use of small letters mixed with captial letters or the lack of comma's makes it confusing to understand the content of the post.

Refrain from duplication of punctuation marks. Two or three at the most of ??? or !!! is sufficient.

Remember to use quotes at all times when you're posting something that YOU did not say. You can manually type [ quote ] and end with [/ quote] or you can click the Insert Quote button in the tool bar in the reply box.

Bringing Posts Over to Another Topic

If you simply want to bring a post from one topic to another, the best way to do this is, copy the link to the thread that you are in,  select "quote" or "multi quote" if there is more than I post, as if you were going to reply to the post.

Select post reply. All the posts will populate in the reply box.

Enter down to the bottom of the post, after [/  quote] and paste your link to where the post is coming from.

Highlight the whole post, right click, copy.

Leave by either selecting the back button, or click view new posts at the bottom or top of the screen. Go to the topic you want to post in.

In the reply box, paste. Everything is posted neatly along with the link providing the source and you don't have to worry about the quotes.

If you want to add comments, make sure you add them before [ quote] or after the [ / quote].

Remember bringing posts from a Fan Forum to a General Discussion thread must have been approved by the original poster.
All posts require a source/link as to where they came from.

Double Posting -

If you mistakely post twice, simply click the X button next to the Edit button. It will ask you if you want to delete the post. Click yes.

This deletes unnecessary space on the page and keeps everything looking neat and tidy.

Save Post In Progress NOT ACTIVATED

If you start a post, and for some reason want to go back to another page within that topic, or go to another topic all together, when you come back to the post you started it will still be there in the reply box.

If you start a post and change your mind and do not want to send, it will still be there unless you delete the post and refresh your screen, or delete the post and click view new posts at the top or bottom right hand of the screen.

Start a post in thread A, click view new posts, read thread B, click new posts again, go to the last page in the topic you started to post, it should still be there.

Or start a post, you were going to bring a post from somewhere else, lost the post, or got sidetracked, go find what you were looking for, go back to the last page of the thread where you started to post, it should still be there.

You can also use the back button.

If you File - Exit - in your brower, upon re logging on, go back to the last page where you started to post, it should still be there.

If you click the X to close your browser, it doesn't look like it works.

Feel free to try it out in the Testing Thread. Let me know if you have any questions.

Uploading An Avatar For Your Profile

If you would like a picture above your username to show up this is done in Profile. The picture is called an Avatar.

You can either save a picture on your laptop/device/etc
You can copy a url from another site
You can copy from an offsite, such as photobucket or any file sharing program you have
You can use any picture in the gallery

Go to Profile (Underneath the banner)  - Avatar -

Choices:

Upload an Avatar from your computer: - click choose file and look for your avatar that is saved on your computer - click Save

Upload an Avatar from a URL : - If your picture is online or another website, right click on the picture, if you have the option of "copy image url", click that, and paste it in the box that says "Enter the URL of the location containing the Avatar image, it will be copied to this site"

If you don't have the option of "copy image url" then you can right click, choose "properties" Highlight the "url" address in full right to the end,  make sure you copy the whole line, sometimes part of the url is hidden, click copy. Paste that in the line that says "Enter the URL of the location containing the Avatar image it will be copied to this site." Click save

Link to an off-site Avatar : Choose the picture you want in your file sharing program. I use photobucket. Once you choose the picture, it will give you links. Choose the link you normal use to copy pictures. Copy the url and paste it in the "Enter the URL of the location containing the Avatar image you wish to link to." Click save.

Select your Avatar from our Gallery : These avatars are preloaded and comes with forumotion. There are some that were uploaded by the former Admin. Select the drop down menu and choose which category you would like to look at, click go. Choose your avatar by clicking on the circle above the picture.
Click save.

There are restrictions as to the size of Avatars that are allowed. 150x200 pixels and not larger than 64kb. If you are familair with looking for the size of a picture, this will help you with your choices. The system will automatically adjust the size if it can, if the file is too large you will get a message the file is too large.

You can make your own avatar using  Microsoft programs or any picture programs that will resize pictures,  or ask in the Need Help Topic for assistance.

Copy pictures from Instagram Twitter Facebook Articles

There are several different methods depending on your device, laptop, computer and what programs you have installed.

This is the simplest way to copy pictures from IG

Get the link from the picture. For example for IG, click/tap etc the picture. Copy the link in the address bar.

Go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Insert the link from your picture. Choose Generate embedded code.

Copy the whole code, paste it in your reply box.

Hit send.

If the IG pic has more than one picture in it, the above link won't work.

Work around:

Copy this code in your reply box starting at < iframe

Code:

quote="bluwavz"] Just replace the IG link with whatever link you want.

[code]<iframe src="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6gQGHmBDHL/embed/captioned" width="500" height="905" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>[/code]
[/quote]

Open the IG pic you want to embed. Copy the link in the address bar starting with https: and replace it with the existing https in the code ending up to /embed. Leave everything else. Do not delete " or anything else in the code.



Twitter

Next to the tweet you want to bring over, there is a drop down arrow. Choose Embed Tweet. Make sure include video is checked. Copy the whole code that is generated. Paste it into the reply box on our forum. Make sure any emoji's are removed. You can replace the with our own emoji's from our forum.

To bring a pictures over that you saved.

In the reply box click,  "host and image" 3rd icon before youtube

Click "select files"

Look for it where you saved it

Choose the arrow next to the picture.

You will see several url's, choose insert all.

This will post the picture directly into the reply box.

Click send

You can choose more than one file at a time. When you're done, choose "send all" or choose one at a time. Copy the 2nd link and paste it directly in the reply box.

Codes – All codes start with a bracket [ code ] and end with bracket forward slash [ / code] This starts the action and ends the action.

Quote must be used at all times if you are not the original author or poster.


To reply to a post-

Click Quote in the post you want to reply to

A Reply box will open, you will see the post in the box

Read the post to the end until you come to   [/ quote ] which is the end of the quote

Enter a line.  Always make sure you are typing after the [ / quote]

Type your response

Click Send


Multi Quote - When reading several pages and you’d like to reply to a post however you’re not finished catching up:

Click Multi Quote for each post you would like to respond to or think you want to reply to. Nothing will happen when you choose Multi Quote. The button turns red.

When you are ready to reply, scroll to the bottom left hand -  click Post Reply

All the posts will show up in one box

You will see the first post you clicked multi quote. Read the post until you come to the end [/ quote] for that person. Enter a line, and start your reply underneath. Do that for each post. Click send.

You can click multi quote for one post. When you get to the end of reading all the pages, and that’s the only quote you want to reply to, it still is functional for quoting for one post.

You can delete any posts you no longer want to respond to, however ensure the posts you do want to respond to starts with [q uote ] and ends with [/ quote].

When replying to a quote where a lot of the information isn’t necessary, especially where there are pictures or text that doesn't relate to your response, delete whatever you don’t want before the quote up until the end of the post. If you want part of a post after [ quote = username ] and up to [/ quote ] delete what you don't want. The post will show the poster's name so you can give them credit for the post. The word Snipped should be inserted to indicate to others that isn’t the whole post. This makes for good computing practices doesn’t waste space and helps the forum as a whole loading faster. Always make sure you are within
[  quote] and [ / quote ]

**Snipped**  All codes start with a bracket [ code ] and end with bracket forward slash [ / code] This starts the action and ends the action.

There may be several posters within that quote and you may not want that post. Delete the [ quote = username ] and their post all the way to [ / quote ] to remove anything you don't want.

Remember to always look for the [ quote ] to ensure you are replying in the right area, with the ending of [ / quote]

Type
[  quote] and end [  / quote    ] when needed.

Practice in the “About this Site” - Testing

(Note there cannot be any spaces between the brackets.[ quote ] The spaces are here for demonstration purposes, otherwise the text will be quote]

Excessive mutli quote should be avoided.

It is considered bad manners to continuously post one after another. Maximum 2 posts only if it's warranted. example, you are bringing your own post forward to the discussion from another page.

If you posted a comment, and realized after you clicked send, you forgot to say something, click Edit, Type ETA (= Extra To Add) and add whatever comments you wish to add. Click send. This avoids another post in a row.

Quoting

Replying to a long post when you simply want to respond to a sentence or paragrah can be annoying and wastes space on the page.

Simply click quote - Leave the poster's name for example [quote='GuardianAngel' ] delete anything that is not relevant to your response, insert "snipped" after the posters name,  to indicate you have deleted the original post - Add comments after [/quote ] Click send.

This also applies to those who simply want to say great post. Rather than quoting the whole post, simply delete most of it, type snipped as above and add your comment.

Quote must be used for anything that is not said directly by you. All pictures must include the source.

This includes IG twitter facebook our fourm, or any comments that were not spoken/typed by you. If you post a picture from IG Twitter Facebook etc, you must include the comments and the username of the person who is posted the picture. If taking a picture from Facebook, the name of the owner of the picture and the link to the Facebook along with any comments made must be inlcuded. This all needs to be in a quote. You can use the Insert Quote icon or type [quote ] insert the comments, enter two lines, click insert an image, paste the url, click send, end the whole post with [/quote ]

If you are just posting a link to Instagram or Twitter because you are unable to bring the picture over, due to the device you are using, you must advise what the content of the link consists of.

If posting a screencap that was made by the poster, it should be indicated, for example, "screencap from preview".

Copying and posting copyrighted information online, even for instructional purposes, can violate the legal rights of copyright owners. Therefore it is important we all ensure we are copying information properly.

Copying information directly from an article or any source online.

Type [ quote ] Copy a minimum of at least one paragraph from the article that you are referring to in your post
At the end of the paragraph, enter to leave a line,  post the url under the paragraph (Universal Resource Locator)
End the quote with [ / quote]

Or you can also simply click the Insert Quote icon in the tool part and paste your quote, in the box (Author options) click insert.

NOTE: To post a url - Copy the URL, click Insert a Link icon, the one before youtube. Past the link in the URL: box.  In the Description box, give it a name. This is much cleaner looking rather than having a long link across the page.

Type any comments you would like to add before the quote or after the quote. The source of your information must always be included. Example the link where you obtained the information from. This is to give the reader the option of visiting that particular link which earns revenue for that source.

By posting information on to our forum, without quoting or without providing the source may prevent the source from obtaining the revenue.

Do not post whole articles, as this prevents consumers from purchasing the magazine. If the information was obtained by a link online, then post the link and pics. If there is no link to the pictures then you cannot take a picture of the magazine and post it online.

RS - This forum has taken the position not to post RS's link at any time. It is a known fact that he obtains much of his information from this site, without giving credit where it is due. It is also a known fact he has in the past used name calling to describe sleuthers. Therefore we are not interested in RS earning revenue from this forum.
Any information obtained from his site, must have credit to RS, or add a statement that the information was obtained from RS's site. Quotes must be used for the information that was obtained from his site.

Other sites - We do not post links to other forums, forums that have advertising for profit, or links to "This site is prohibited from posting the link".

The posting of links for the purpose of earning income, or to solicit a product or another site is prohibited.
Subject posts will be deleted and may be cause for the user to be banned permanently.