How To . . .

In this section we hope to be able to provide help for all of those little questions you might have.

How to copy a link into a post

Sometimes, links to other pages can be very long. If we just copy the link and place it in a post, a long link will make the message board expand and be difficult to read.  Because of this, Groupee has a tag that is used to add a link that will not show the entire ext of the link.  To use this, you will first need to open the post or reply window.  Now click the URL button in the toolbar and this button will expand

On the first line, place the website URL from your browser (note this must have the http:// included).  On the second line place a title that you would like to give it.  So instead of seeing something like http://www.expattalk.com/how.html you could have it show up as Our How To

How to display a photo in a post

You can upload any photo from your computer and have it appear in your post. A photo to be uploaded is called an "attachment".

• Use your photo editing software to size the photo. Most digital cameras take huge pictures and the files are huge. Set the resolution to 72ppi (this is what displays best on monitors) and size the photo to be around 400 pixels wide - this is a good display size and the file is small.
  CAUTION: Photos must be less than 100kb in size (I have told the message board to not accept files larger than this). I put this restriction to stop people uploading huge photos. Even 100kb is huge - really 50kb or under is best.
• Start a post on the message board (either a new topic or a reply). Type in your message, but before you hit Post Now, click the "Add Attachment" link in the posting window. A window comes up asking you to give a title for the photo and to locate the file on your computer (you can use the browse button to navigate to the file). Select the file and click the Upload button.
• Your message is posted and the image is displayed.

There are a few cautions with this feature

Do not overuse this feature. Every photo uploaded sits on the server and takes up space. They are also slow to download for people on dialup connections. Do not post inappropriate photos. Don't go overboard on posting photos - remember "less is more" or something like that. But, please do post photos!!

Note: Use the Image button on the post box to link to a photo on another website or server.

How to update your profile

You define your profile when you register on the message board. To update your profile at any time click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > PROFILE. You will see all the fields in your Profile. Click Edit Profile in the upper right to make any changes. Make your changes and click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the input box (you may have to scroll to see it).

NOTE: You may have to use the horizontal scroll bar to see the Edit Profile link.

Important fields in your profile

• Display Name - this is your name as displayed when you post. You can change this. Members cannot have the same display names, so the one you want may be taken. When you change your display name, all your old posts are changed to this new name.
• Display Email - if you want others to be able to email you, put your email here.
• Signature - this is the text that appears at the end of your post. To add a link, use the UBB code. For example: [URL=http://www.slowtrav.com]Slow Travelers[/URL] This is described in more detail below.
• Location- This is a requirement of our forum.  The location must be the City and State or Province that you live in.
  

How to add a URL in your signature

You can put a live link in your signature (to your website or blog). Follow these steps:

• Click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > PROFILE to see your profile. Click the link to EDIT your profile.
• In the Signature input box, put the following UBB code: [URL=http://www.expattalk.com/]Expat Talk[/URL]
• Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the profile box (you may have to use the box scroll bars to get to the bottom of the box.
• The code above will look like this in your signature line: Expat Talk. You can add text above or below it - or beside it.

When you change your signature, it is updated on EVERY post you have ever made on the board. But it takes a few minutes for this to happen. To force it to happen faster, post a reply - that usually makes the datebase update.

If you have any problems, contact us (there is an email link at the bottom of every message board page) or post in the Message Board Questions forum and one of the moderators will help you.

How to contact another member

There are two ways to privately contact any member:

• Click on the member name and select "View Public Profile". Each member decides whether or not they want to display their email address in their profile. If their email address is displayed, you can email them.
• If you are a Premium member you can contact anyone via a Private Message. Click on their member name and select "Invite to a Private Topic". If you see an icon of a head with a line thru it, this member is not a premium member and will not be able to reply to the private topic, but they will receive the private message, so include your email address so they can email you.

If they are a premium member, they will answer you in the private topic - which works just like a thread on the message board, except only the two of you can see it

How do I alert an administrator about a post

In every post you will have 2 or 3 special icons.  If it is a post you wrote you will have quote, edit and alert. If it is not one of your posts the edit icon will not appear.  These are the 3 icons.

If you click on the button that looks like this a new window will open up.  Just type in your reason for the alert (with as much detail as possible) and we will look into the problem.  If you require a response by our administrative team, please let us know.

How to find out more about members

If you click on a person's name in a post, a small submenu will open.  Through this you can go to their profile, add them to your buddy list, start a private message with them, view all of their posts or have a notification sent to you (more info below) via email whenever they post.

How to get notifications of posts

If you click on NOTIFY on the toolbar, you will get a popup window that looks like the following.  Here you can choose how you wish to be notified. 

How do I know when I get a Private Message

If you have an unread private message, there will be the following button in the main toolbar. 

A helpful hint: the best way to get PMs is via email.  By clicking GO > PERSONAL ZONE > NOTIFICATIONS you will get a new window where you can decide how you get notification.  Go to the Private Message section of this and click edit

This will bring up a popup menu where you can choose how to receive notification. 

Make sure you click Include Replies otherwise you will only get the initial post.

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