Help for the computer illiterate

Discussion in 'Forum Announcements and Feedback' started by belinda, Mar 30, 2005.

  1. Is a thread a 'message'? If so I did push the correct button to send an note as an introduction. I am a brand new member and have a question on Celastrus scandens but need to know what button to push to get the question in the correct place.

    Help please, Belinda
     
  2. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Hi Belinda, welcome to the Forums. I know the Forums seem confusing at first. I will try to make the basic points to get you started.

    A thread is a series of messages on a topic. Someone starts a thread with a question or comment and others reply to the thread creating an online conversation. In this instance, for example, you started the thread and I have posted this reply. Others may follow with more replies if they have comments or more questions about this topic.

    The Forums are broken down into several categories, which are separated by green bars. Each category is broken down into forums and some forums are further broken down into sub-forums. To get the question in the right place you simply go to the appropriate forum and click New Thread, fill in your message and click submit. If you have a reply to an existing thread just click the Reply to Thread button and enter your message. (Note: I moved your question from the Introductions Forum to the How to Use the Forums Forum.)

    Deciding where to put your post (Individual messages in a thread are often called posts) can be a little tricky. Just put it where it seems best. Some people feel that there are too many categories. Having designated categories allows people to search the forums for their particular interests and keeps conversations on track to a particular topic.

    It can be very helpful to read through the first section in the Forums, About The Forums. There is a lot of information to get you started there. Also take a look at the FAQ (found on the green bar at the top of the main Forums page).

    I hope this helps out. If you have questions or comments about this, feel free to reply to this thread.
     
  3. whistler

    whistler Member

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    Hi there,
    I too am having problems. My 1st questions went in the wrong forum. Can I put it somewhere else? Help! Thanx
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    whistler - I think we've moved it for you.
     
  5. I still can't find a New Thread button, I only see a Post Reply & Quote button.

    Also, what does "Parse a link" mean?
     
  6. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Hello AHTumbleweed, sorry to take so long getting to this. I was out of town for the long weekend.

    The New Thread button is at the top left of any forum, below are all the threads in that forum. When you open one of those threads, you see the individual posts in that thread and your option then is to Reply to the thread. (Above the green bar at the top of the page you can see your path. You are reading a post in the thread "Help for the computer illiterate," in the "How to Use the Forums" forum. If you click on "How to Use the Forums," you will jump to the forum level and you will see a New Thread button at the top of the list of threads.)

    To parse a link means that the forums software will automatically put the mark-up code around the url (link address) that you are posting, so that when people click on it they will be taken to that page.

    As an example:

    Parsed: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/research/
    Unparsed: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/research/
     

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