Post by Admin Mal on Jan 17, 2007 17:57:06 GMT 1
Welcome to new members and readers of the Northmavine forum! We hope you enjoy using it! Please take the time to read this guide – it will make life a lot easier.
A Brief Guide to Get You Started
First find the correct place
The forum has a range of categories (boards) such as ‘Tourism’, 'Crofting' and ‘Gardening’. Just scan down all the categories and click on the most relevant one or one that interests you. Click on the board name and you’ll see the different ‘threads’ – or topics - on that board. Sometimes these threads run on for a number of pages. If there is more than one page in a thread, you’ll see the page numbers listed and you can click on them. Click on a thread name to take a look.
How to reply or have your say?
Once you are in a thread, simply click the ‘reply’ button which is at the top right and bottom right of the replies (posts) in the wide blue stripe across the page. You can also type straight into the ‘Quick Reply' box at the bottom of the page. (See also ‘How to reply on the forum.’)
To reply, you must first register. (See also ‘How to register - an easy-peasy guide’.) This is only to stop spammers and is completely free. The only reason we use registration is so we can manage the forum in the event of abusive posts and to stop spam. We may very occasionally use the email address you gave during registration to email you on forum matters. We do not share any information we receive from users, including email address and/or names. (See also the forum's privacy policy.)
Your email address doesn't have to be visible to the public unless you particularly want it to be. **Please ensure that you set your email address as 'hide email - yes' unless you want it to be seen publicly.** Members can add more information to their publicly viewable profile, but do so at their own risk. To hide your email address/change your profile - got to 'profile' (see top of page) -> 'modify profile'.
You can still read the things others have written without being a member or logging in.
Ask a question or start a discussion
Before you do that, do check your topic hasn’t already been covered, either by scanning through the threads or using the search function. (There is a ‘search’ button at the top of the forum page.) If you want to ask a question or make a comment related to an existing topic, then find that thread and reply there. **Please avoid starting a new discussion thread if there's already a relevant one.** This prevents the forum becoming confused when there are multiple threads dealing with similar or identical subject matter. It makes it easier for people to find posts on a particular subject.
If you do want to start a discussion, just find the relevant section and click ‘new thread' which is at the top right and bottom right in the wide blue stripe across the page – then you’re up and running. Please give new threads appropriate and descriptive names - it makes it easier for folk to find subjects they're interested in.
Use abbreviations sparingly & don’t use ‘text talk’ - The forums are for the use of a wide range of people, many of whom have no idea what abbreviated terms such as LMAO, LOL, see U l8ter, etc mean!
Don't use unnecessary and/or long quotes - When using the ‘Quote’ function, only include the parts of a previous post relevant to your reply. It breaks up the flow of the conversation to quote whole posts and makes page lengths excessive and unwieldy to navigate.
Rather than quote a long article which is online, include a short quote and the web address or just a description of the article and the web address.
Don't post very large images - it can affect the formatting of the forum page. Not everyone has massive computer screens to view huge images. (650 across x 800 high or so is a good maximum guideline)
Very large images can also slow the loading of the forum on the computer of someone with a slow internet connection. This isn’t so much of an issue nowadays with broadband becoming more widespread but could still affect some people. You can help by not making the physical dimensions of your image too big. If you can be bothered, you could also reduce the resolution of your image – 72dpi is adequate for viewing online.
Staying safe online
Please bear in mind that this is a public forum which anyone can read.
Recommendations, especially if you are young:
1. Don't give out detailed information about yourself, such as your age, your telephone or mobile number or your home address – even if people ask for it.
2. If someone asks where you're from, it's best only to say an area, town or village – don’t give anyone your home address.
3. Don't post your email address on the forums. The last thing you want is people hassling you with email messages or adding your address to their spamming lists!
4. Be careful who you trust online and don't believe everything people tell you. If all you can see is the words they are typing, you can't be 100% sure that they're who they say they are.
5. Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous.
FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Is the forum moderated?
Yes, the forum is moderated but we cannot guarantee that every single post will be monitored 24/7. Anyone who feels that a posted message (or hyperlink) is defamatory or otherwise objectionable is encouraged to notify us by emailing forum@northmavine.com. This is a manual process however, so please realise that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately but it will be dealt with as soon as possible.
Please help us keep the forum a nice place to be.
2. What is the star system?
The more you post (write or reply to messages) on the boards, the higher ranked member you become. There are 5 levels and at each you get another star and change of title.
0+ posts – 1 star
50+ posts – 2 stars
100+ posts – 3 stars
250+ posts – 4 stars
500+ posts – 5 stars
There are names given with each category - you’ll have to find out when you get there! 1 star is a ‘New Magnie' though. (Magnie is short for Magnus, a common name in Shetland, and nickname for a country person in Shetland. Although a Magnie would normally be found wearing a Fair Isle jumper, boilersuit and wellies, some people say that being a Magnie is a state of mind… )
3. How do I get help?
Read through the Forum Terms & Conditions, this Forum Posting Guide and other ‘Help’ guides in the ‘Northmavine Forum’ board on the forum. There is also a ‘Help’ button for Proboards Forum info at the top of the forum page. If your query hasn’t already appeared in the ‘Northmavine Forum’ board, then you could start a thread there asking for help. If you have a problem registering or you think there is a problem with the forum, please email forum@northmavine.com.
A Brief Guide to Get You Started
First find the correct place
The forum has a range of categories (boards) such as ‘Tourism’, 'Crofting' and ‘Gardening’. Just scan down all the categories and click on the most relevant one or one that interests you. Click on the board name and you’ll see the different ‘threads’ – or topics - on that board. Sometimes these threads run on for a number of pages. If there is more than one page in a thread, you’ll see the page numbers listed and you can click on them. Click on a thread name to take a look.
How to reply or have your say?
Once you are in a thread, simply click the ‘reply’ button which is at the top right and bottom right of the replies (posts) in the wide blue stripe across the page. You can also type straight into the ‘Quick Reply' box at the bottom of the page. (See also ‘How to reply on the forum.’)
To reply, you must first register. (See also ‘How to register - an easy-peasy guide’.) This is only to stop spammers and is completely free. The only reason we use registration is so we can manage the forum in the event of abusive posts and to stop spam. We may very occasionally use the email address you gave during registration to email you on forum matters. We do not share any information we receive from users, including email address and/or names. (See also the forum's privacy policy.)
Your email address doesn't have to be visible to the public unless you particularly want it to be. **Please ensure that you set your email address as 'hide email - yes' unless you want it to be seen publicly.** Members can add more information to their publicly viewable profile, but do so at their own risk. To hide your email address/change your profile - got to 'profile' (see top of page) -> 'modify profile'.
You can still read the things others have written without being a member or logging in.
Ask a question or start a discussion
Before you do that, do check your topic hasn’t already been covered, either by scanning through the threads or using the search function. (There is a ‘search’ button at the top of the forum page.) If you want to ask a question or make a comment related to an existing topic, then find that thread and reply there. **Please avoid starting a new discussion thread if there's already a relevant one.** This prevents the forum becoming confused when there are multiple threads dealing with similar or identical subject matter. It makes it easier for people to find posts on a particular subject.
If you do want to start a discussion, just find the relevant section and click ‘new thread' which is at the top right and bottom right in the wide blue stripe across the page – then you’re up and running. Please give new threads appropriate and descriptive names - it makes it easier for folk to find subjects they're interested in.
Use abbreviations sparingly & don’t use ‘text talk’ - The forums are for the use of a wide range of people, many of whom have no idea what abbreviated terms such as LMAO, LOL, see U l8ter, etc mean!
Don't use unnecessary and/or long quotes - When using the ‘Quote’ function, only include the parts of a previous post relevant to your reply. It breaks up the flow of the conversation to quote whole posts and makes page lengths excessive and unwieldy to navigate.
Rather than quote a long article which is online, include a short quote and the web address or just a description of the article and the web address.
Don't post very large images - it can affect the formatting of the forum page. Not everyone has massive computer screens to view huge images. (650 across x 800 high or so is a good maximum guideline)
Very large images can also slow the loading of the forum on the computer of someone with a slow internet connection. This isn’t so much of an issue nowadays with broadband becoming more widespread but could still affect some people. You can help by not making the physical dimensions of your image too big. If you can be bothered, you could also reduce the resolution of your image – 72dpi is adequate for viewing online.
Staying safe online
Please bear in mind that this is a public forum which anyone can read.
Recommendations, especially if you are young:
1. Don't give out detailed information about yourself, such as your age, your telephone or mobile number or your home address – even if people ask for it.
2. If someone asks where you're from, it's best only to say an area, town or village – don’t give anyone your home address.
3. Don't post your email address on the forums. The last thing you want is people hassling you with email messages or adding your address to their spamming lists!
4. Be careful who you trust online and don't believe everything people tell you. If all you can see is the words they are typing, you can't be 100% sure that they're who they say they are.
5. Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous.
FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Is the forum moderated?
Yes, the forum is moderated but we cannot guarantee that every single post will be monitored 24/7. Anyone who feels that a posted message (or hyperlink) is defamatory or otherwise objectionable is encouraged to notify us by emailing forum@northmavine.com. This is a manual process however, so please realise that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately but it will be dealt with as soon as possible.
Please help us keep the forum a nice place to be.
2. What is the star system?
The more you post (write or reply to messages) on the boards, the higher ranked member you become. There are 5 levels and at each you get another star and change of title.
0+ posts – 1 star
50+ posts – 2 stars
100+ posts – 3 stars
250+ posts – 4 stars
500+ posts – 5 stars
There are names given with each category - you’ll have to find out when you get there! 1 star is a ‘New Magnie' though. (Magnie is short for Magnus, a common name in Shetland, and nickname for a country person in Shetland. Although a Magnie would normally be found wearing a Fair Isle jumper, boilersuit and wellies, some people say that being a Magnie is a state of mind… )
3. How do I get help?
Read through the Forum Terms & Conditions, this Forum Posting Guide and other ‘Help’ guides in the ‘Northmavine Forum’ board on the forum. There is also a ‘Help’ button for Proboards Forum info at the top of the forum page. If your query hasn’t already appeared in the ‘Northmavine Forum’ board, then you could start a thread there asking for help. If you have a problem registering or you think there is a problem with the forum, please email forum@northmavine.com.