Post by Administration on Aug 7, 2007 11:03:14 GMT -5
The Advertising On Our Forum
For those who don't know, this forum is offered to us for free in exchange for the advertising displayed within; however, we do not choose or have anything to do with the ads that show up here.
The system is set up in a way that the ads you see correlate with the information you are reading. Each page will display different ads, according to what is being discussed in the threads on that page.
Please realize that any ads promoting a cure for Morgellons are not supported by this forum and the promoted products should be researched carefully. When a Morgellons cure is found, you can be sure it will be mentioned on the message board.
Reading the Main Page
In an effort to keep threads confined to their appropriate categories, we encourage all of you to review the Main Page from time to time. Scroll down and read the last posts responded to in each category; you might just find something that interests you or can help your situation in some way.
If you are going to post something but aren't sure to which category it belongs, checking this page out first will help prevent duplicate posts which serve only to confuse readers and hinder future searches on the subject. Many people like to send the URL of a specific topic to family or friends, and having all of the information about the topic in one continuous thread is a lot easier for everyone involved.
Accessing Your Personal Profile
To access your Profile, click on that term at the top of your page or you can also click on your Username from a post you have made. This brings you to your own Profile where you can edit many of the preferences you entered when first signing up - all you do is click on Modify Profile.
You can change your email address by entering the new address twice as requested and then scrolling down to Modify Profile at the bottom to complete the process. A confirmation email will be sent to the new address, and you will need to access the link included in this email before it is recognized.
Being an Invisible User is not the same as a non-registered member. Visitors to the board who are either not Members or Members not logged in will show up as being Guests. Everyone who is registered has the option to have their Username not show up when online - just check the box titled "Stay Invisible" (and be sure to click on Modify Profile at the bottom of the page to activate it). Many people have various reasons for taking advantage of this board function but it doesn't mean they have ulterior motives where posts are concerned.
If you want your name displayed as something other than your Username, put the new choice next to Display Name. Keep in mind that when others PM you, they will have to click on your current Username or else type in the original name that was used before you changed it. For example, if your original Username (log-in name) is Robert but you have decided to have Bob as your Display name, others will still have to address PMs to Robert in order for them to reach you.
If you choose to NOT display your age, just remember that your birthday will not show up on the Main Page to other Members.
The rest of the options are pretty obvious but a few will be explained below.
Using the Personal Text Function in Your Profile
Go into Modify Profile, then scroll down to Personal Text. Type in the quote or text you wish to show up beneath your Username and/or Avatar, keeping in mind you are only given 12 characters. When finished, scroll down to the bottom and click on Modify Profile.
Using the Signature Function
Go into Modify Profile, then scroll down to where it says Signature. You can place any type of text that you wish as long as it's 400 characters or less. Spaces and lines add up and as you type, you can see to the right how much room you have left. Then scroll down and click on Modify Profile.
Bookmarking
Many times there are posts we would like to keep handy for future reference and that is where Bookmarking comes in handy. Whenever you have a thread containing information you'd like to save, at the very bottom of the page just click on Bookmark and it will be saved to your Profile account.
To retrieve this information, go into your Profile by clicking on your name, then click on Bookmarks and it will bring up all the threads you have saved.
How To Use the PM Function
You can access your Personal Messages by clicking on the message at the very top of your page. It will say "Hey XXXX, you have xxxx messages, x are new", and clicking on the number of messages you have (even if zero) will take you to your own personal message account.
To read a message, just click on it as you would in any email account. To reply to it, just click on Reply (same as if you were replying to a post on the board).
When you are in your Inbox of Personal Messages, you will see the line of messages displayed and a closed yellow envelope to the left means you have not read that message yet, an open one means you have. Concurrently, your Outbox will display a closed yellow envelope next to each message you've sent that hasn't been read by the recipient yet.
There are two ways to send a Personal Message to a fellow board member (other than replying to one they sent you) - the preferred way is to click on their Username in a post they have made. This will take you to their Profile where you then click on Send Personal Message. This brings up your message window - type in a Subject, then your message, then click on Send Message.
The other way is to access your own message account by clicking on the number of messages displayed to you at the very top of your page. In the yellow box at the top you can click on "New Message" and it brings up your message window. Be sure you know the exact spelling of the Username you are writing to*, then proceed as above.
*Note: If a Member has changed their Display name from their Username, you must enter the Username in order for them to receive your PM. This is why it's best to just click on their name when you want to send them a message.
If you would like to Quote a message you are responding to, click on the Quote option at the top right of their message and a new window will open with their entire PM quoted. You can then place your curser after the last quote symbol and space down a couple times before beginning your response. Another way is to place your curser at the very beginning of the quote and space down, then take your curser back up to the top and the quoted PM will show up after your composed message.
Either way, you have the option to send the message with the quote included, or if you are just needing it as a guide for responding, you can go in and delete the entire quote after responding but before sending the message.
In that same yellow box at the top of your Personal Message account, you have the option to do many things in addition to sending a New Message: Delete All, Mark as Read, View your Outbox (messages you've sent out), Backup your messages, and change Preferences.
The Backup function produces a Zip file anywhere on your computer that you choose, but you are allowed to do this only once every 30 days. There doesn't appear to be a specific amount of messages that your account will hold, but we would advise you to do a Backup pretty regularly if you have messages that are important. The process is pretty well self-explanatory but you may contact us if you have any questions.
In Preferences, you can block another Member by entering their Username in the box provided; have an email sent to you when a new message appears in your account; and have an alert box pop-up when you Log-in, notifying you of a new message.
One last reminder: Please do not post on the boards that you have sent someone a PM and ask them to read it - people know to check their messages without you having to tell them. If everyone did this, imagine how much wasted space would be taken up with these personal messages that do not belong there.
How To Find All Posts By A Specific Member
Click on their Username and you will be taken to their personal Profile. Scroll down and you will see their previous messages displayed - the default option is 10 but you can backspace over that and enter as many as you like, on up to the total amount of messages this person has posted so far. Click on Submit and wait for the page to load with all of their messages lined up.
Users Online in the Last 24 Hours
This function shows most registered Members who have visited the forum within the last 24-hours. One exception would be those who sign in with the invisible mode, as their names would not be displayed here.
If you do not see your name here yet have been to the forum within the last day, there could be several reasons for this.
If you use the board only once a day, it more than likely is just the time frame. It does take awhile for the cache to restore itself and show online users, it won't always show up immediately - this is a built-in function so as not to overload the Server.
If you have a shortcut set to go right to the Morgellons board (bypassing the Main Page), this could explain why your name will often not have a chance to be cached.
Another reason is that you might not have your Java Script settings enabled:
Tools>Internet Options>Security tab>custom level
Using the Preview Function When Posting to the Boards
(This function is not available to those who use the Quick Reply box at the bottom of each thread.)
After clicking on Reply and typing your message, click on Preview and you have the option to read your message as it will appear on the board, correcting any errors in the window below that you may find. When you have finished, click on Post Message and it will be displayed onto the board.
We highly encourage everyone to use this function. It saves time in the long run and alleviates the need to keep going in and editing your post after you read it on the board.
For those who don't know, this forum is offered to us for free in exchange for the advertising displayed within; however, we do not choose or have anything to do with the ads that show up here.
The system is set up in a way that the ads you see correlate with the information you are reading. Each page will display different ads, according to what is being discussed in the threads on that page.
Please realize that any ads promoting a cure for Morgellons are not supported by this forum and the promoted products should be researched carefully. When a Morgellons cure is found, you can be sure it will be mentioned on the message board.
Reading the Main Page
In an effort to keep threads confined to their appropriate categories, we encourage all of you to review the Main Page from time to time. Scroll down and read the last posts responded to in each category; you might just find something that interests you or can help your situation in some way.
If you are going to post something but aren't sure to which category it belongs, checking this page out first will help prevent duplicate posts which serve only to confuse readers and hinder future searches on the subject. Many people like to send the URL of a specific topic to family or friends, and having all of the information about the topic in one continuous thread is a lot easier for everyone involved.
Accessing Your Personal Profile
To access your Profile, click on that term at the top of your page or you can also click on your Username from a post you have made. This brings you to your own Profile where you can edit many of the preferences you entered when first signing up - all you do is click on Modify Profile.
You can change your email address by entering the new address twice as requested and then scrolling down to Modify Profile at the bottom to complete the process. A confirmation email will be sent to the new address, and you will need to access the link included in this email before it is recognized.
Being an Invisible User is not the same as a non-registered member. Visitors to the board who are either not Members or Members not logged in will show up as being Guests. Everyone who is registered has the option to have their Username not show up when online - just check the box titled "Stay Invisible" (and be sure to click on Modify Profile at the bottom of the page to activate it). Many people have various reasons for taking advantage of this board function but it doesn't mean they have ulterior motives where posts are concerned.
If you want your name displayed as something other than your Username, put the new choice next to Display Name. Keep in mind that when others PM you, they will have to click on your current Username or else type in the original name that was used before you changed it. For example, if your original Username (log-in name) is Robert but you have decided to have Bob as your Display name, others will still have to address PMs to Robert in order for them to reach you.
If you choose to NOT display your age, just remember that your birthday will not show up on the Main Page to other Members.
The rest of the options are pretty obvious but a few will be explained below.
Using the Personal Text Function in Your Profile
Go into Modify Profile, then scroll down to Personal Text. Type in the quote or text you wish to show up beneath your Username and/or Avatar, keeping in mind you are only given 12 characters. When finished, scroll down to the bottom and click on Modify Profile.
Using the Signature Function
Go into Modify Profile, then scroll down to where it says Signature. You can place any type of text that you wish as long as it's 400 characters or less. Spaces and lines add up and as you type, you can see to the right how much room you have left. Then scroll down and click on Modify Profile.
Bookmarking
Many times there are posts we would like to keep handy for future reference and that is where Bookmarking comes in handy. Whenever you have a thread containing information you'd like to save, at the very bottom of the page just click on Bookmark and it will be saved to your Profile account.
To retrieve this information, go into your Profile by clicking on your name, then click on Bookmarks and it will bring up all the threads you have saved.
How To Use the PM Function
You can access your Personal Messages by clicking on the message at the very top of your page. It will say "Hey XXXX, you have xxxx messages, x are new", and clicking on the number of messages you have (even if zero) will take you to your own personal message account.
To read a message, just click on it as you would in any email account. To reply to it, just click on Reply (same as if you were replying to a post on the board).
When you are in your Inbox of Personal Messages, you will see the line of messages displayed and a closed yellow envelope to the left means you have not read that message yet, an open one means you have. Concurrently, your Outbox will display a closed yellow envelope next to each message you've sent that hasn't been read by the recipient yet.
There are two ways to send a Personal Message to a fellow board member (other than replying to one they sent you) - the preferred way is to click on their Username in a post they have made. This will take you to their Profile where you then click on Send Personal Message. This brings up your message window - type in a Subject, then your message, then click on Send Message.
The other way is to access your own message account by clicking on the number of messages displayed to you at the very top of your page. In the yellow box at the top you can click on "New Message" and it brings up your message window. Be sure you know the exact spelling of the Username you are writing to*, then proceed as above.
*Note: If a Member has changed their Display name from their Username, you must enter the Username in order for them to receive your PM. This is why it's best to just click on their name when you want to send them a message.
If you would like to Quote a message you are responding to, click on the Quote option at the top right of their message and a new window will open with their entire PM quoted. You can then place your curser after the last quote symbol and space down a couple times before beginning your response. Another way is to place your curser at the very beginning of the quote and space down, then take your curser back up to the top and the quoted PM will show up after your composed message.
Either way, you have the option to send the message with the quote included, or if you are just needing it as a guide for responding, you can go in and delete the entire quote after responding but before sending the message.
In that same yellow box at the top of your Personal Message account, you have the option to do many things in addition to sending a New Message: Delete All, Mark as Read, View your Outbox (messages you've sent out), Backup your messages, and change Preferences.
The Backup function produces a Zip file anywhere on your computer that you choose, but you are allowed to do this only once every 30 days. There doesn't appear to be a specific amount of messages that your account will hold, but we would advise you to do a Backup pretty regularly if you have messages that are important. The process is pretty well self-explanatory but you may contact us if you have any questions.
In Preferences, you can block another Member by entering their Username in the box provided; have an email sent to you when a new message appears in your account; and have an alert box pop-up when you Log-in, notifying you of a new message.
One last reminder: Please do not post on the boards that you have sent someone a PM and ask them to read it - people know to check their messages without you having to tell them. If everyone did this, imagine how much wasted space would be taken up with these personal messages that do not belong there.
How To Find All Posts By A Specific Member
Click on their Username and you will be taken to their personal Profile. Scroll down and you will see their previous messages displayed - the default option is 10 but you can backspace over that and enter as many as you like, on up to the total amount of messages this person has posted so far. Click on Submit and wait for the page to load with all of their messages lined up.
Users Online in the Last 24 Hours
This function shows most registered Members who have visited the forum within the last 24-hours. One exception would be those who sign in with the invisible mode, as their names would not be displayed here.
If you do not see your name here yet have been to the forum within the last day, there could be several reasons for this.
If you use the board only once a day, it more than likely is just the time frame. It does take awhile for the cache to restore itself and show online users, it won't always show up immediately - this is a built-in function so as not to overload the Server.
If you have a shortcut set to go right to the Morgellons board (bypassing the Main Page), this could explain why your name will often not have a chance to be cached.
Another reason is that you might not have your Java Script settings enabled:
Tools>Internet Options>Security tab>custom level
- Make sure the box next to Disable Java is not ticked.
Using the Preview Function When Posting to the Boards
(This function is not available to those who use the Quick Reply box at the bottom of each thread.)
After clicking on Reply and typing your message, click on Preview and you have the option to read your message as it will appear on the board, correcting any errors in the window below that you may find. When you have finished, click on Post Message and it will be displayed onto the board.
We highly encourage everyone to use this function. It saves time in the long run and alleviates the need to keep going in and editing your post after you read it on the board.