To login into the Community you must use the Username and Password that you entered when registering for the Community. If you have not yet registered then you must first do so in order to login. If you have registered and still are unable to login then first check that you have all cookies enabled on your web browser, you may need to add this web site to your browsers list of trusted web sites. If you are banned from the Community then this may prevent you form logging in, in which case check with the Community Administrator!
Do I need to register?
You may not need to register to post in the Forums, it is up to the Community Administrator as to whether they allow you to post in the Forums as an unregistered user. However, by registering you will be able to use additional features. It only takes a few minutes to register, so it is recommended that you do so!
Lost Passwords?
If you have lost your password then don't panic! Although passwords can not be retrieved they can be reset. To reset your password click on the Login button and at the bottom of the login page you will have a link to the lost password page to request that a new password be emailed to you. If this option is not available or you do not have a valid email address in your profile then you need to contact the Community Administrator or a Moderator and ask them to change your password for you!
I registered in the past but can't login!
It could be that you haven't posted anything for a while, or never posted anything. It is common for the Community Administrator to periodically delete users from the database to free up usernames and reduce the size of the database.
User Preferences and Community Settings
How do I change my Community settings?
You can change your Community settings, profile information, registration details, etc. from your Member Tools, once you have logged into the Community. You will be able to control many aspects and access member features from this central menu!
Community time is not set to my local time!
The time used in the Community has been set by the Administrator. To change the Times and Dates to your own local settings then simply edit your 'Community Preferences' through your Member Tools, and set by how many hours the time is offset from your own local time. The Forums are not designed to adjust between standard and daylight saving times, so you may need to adjust the time offset in your Community Preferences during these months.
What does my rank indicate?
Ranks in the Community indicate which user group you are a Member of and to identify users, for example, Moderators and Administrators may have a special rank. Depending on the setup of the Community you may be able to use different features of the Community depending on which rank you belong to!
Can I change my rank?
Normally you can not, but if the Community Administrator has setup ranks using the ladder system you may be able to move up groups in the Community by the number of posts you have made!
What web browser can I use for this Community?
You can use this Community Application with almost any web browser that supports XHTML and JavaScript. For full functionality we recommend that you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Netscape. Safari and versions of Internet Explorer prior to version 7, will run but with reduced functionality.
Posting Issues
How do I post a message in the Forum?
To post a message in the Forums click on the relevant button on the forum or topic screens. Depending on how the forum administrator has setup the forum depends if you need to login first before you can post a message. The facilities available to you in each of the forums are listed at the bottom of the Topic screen.
How do I delete Posts?
Unless you are a Moderator or an Administrator you can only delete your own posts and only if the Forum has been setup with the relevant rights for you to be able to delete your post. If someone has replied to your post then you will no longer be able to delete it!
How do I edit Posts?
Unless you are a Moderator or an Administrator you can only edit your own posts and only if the Administrator has created the relevant rights for you to do so. When you edit your posts depending on the Forum setup, it will display the username, time, and date of when the post was edited at the bottom of the Post.
How do I add a signature to my Post?
If the Administrator has allowed the use of signatures in the Forums you can add a signature to the bottom of your posts. To do so you need to first create a signature in your 'Profile Information' through your Member Tools, once you have done this you can add your signature to the bottom of your posts by checking the 'Show Signature' checkbox at the bottom of the posting form!
How do I create a Poll?
If you have sufficient rights to create a Poll in a Forum you will see a 'New Poll' button at the top of the screen on the Forum and Topic screens. When creating a Poll you need to enter a Poll Question and at least two Options for the Poll. You may also select whether people can vote multiple times or just once in the Poll!
Why can I not view a Forum?
Some Forums are setup to allow only certain users or groups of users to access them. To view, read, post, etc. in a Forum you may first need permission which only a Moderator or a Administrator can grant you!
My post is not displayed, is 'Hidden', or 'Pending Approval'?
This means that you have submitted a New Post or Topic to a Forum that requires the a Moderator to approve your post before it is displayed to other Members or the general public. The Post is still available for the Member who submitted the Post to edit or delete during this time.
Rich Text Editor posting issues!
If you are using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, or Netscape, and if the Administrator has enabled it you should have a Rich Text (WYSIWYG) Editor to type your messages with. If you find that you are having problems posting using the WYSIWYG editor then you can disable this WYSIWYG Editor by simply editing your profile and selecting to turn off the WYSIWYG Posting Editor.
Message Formatting
What are BBcodes?
Forum BBcodes allow you to format the messages you post in the Community. BBcodes are very similar to HTML except tags are enclosed in square brackets, [ and ], rather than, < and >. You can also disable BBcodes when posting a message. Click here to view BBcodes that are available in the Forums.
Can I use HTML?
HTML cannot be used in your posts, this is done for security reasons as malicious HTML code can be used to destroy the layout of the Community or even crash a web browser when a user tries to view a Post.
What are Emoticons?
Emotions or Smilies are small graphical images that can be used to express feelings or show emotions. If the Administrator has allowed Emotions in the forums then you can see them next to the posting form when posting a message. To add an emoticon to your post then simply click on the emotion you would like to add to your Post!
Can I post Images?
Images can be added to your posts, if the Administrators have allowed uploading of images you can use this to upload an image from your own computer into your message. However, if image uploading is not available then you will need to link to the image that needs to be stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.mysite.com/picture.jpg.
What are closed Topics?
Closed Topics are set this way by Administrators or Moderators. Once a Topic is closed you will no longer be able to post a reply in that Topic or vote in a Poll.
User Groups
What are Community Administrators?
Administrators are people who have the highest level of control over the Community, they have the ability to turn on and off features on the Forums, ban users, remove users, edit and delete posts, create users groups, etc.
What are Community Moderators?
Moderators are individuals or groups of users who look after the day to day running of the Community. They have the power to edit, delete, move, close, unclose, topics and posts, in the Forum they moderate. Moderators generally are there to prevent people from posting offensive or abusive material.
What are User Groups?
User Groups are a way to group users. Each user is a Member of a usergroup and each group can be assigned individual rights in Forums, to read, view, post, create Polls, etc.
Private Messaging
What is Private Messaging?
If the Community Administrator has enabled Private Messaging you can use the Community built in Private Messaging System to send Private Messages to other Community Members. The system works very much like email, but within the Community!
I cannot send Private Messages!
There maybe several reasons for this, you are not logged in, you are not registered, or the Administrators have disabled the Private Messaging system.
I cannot send Private Messages to some users!
This maybe because the person you are trying to send a Private Message to has blocked you from being able to send them Private Messages, the persons 'Inbox' is full, or you have exceeded the number of Private Messages you can send in this hour. If any of these are case you should receive a message informing you of this if you try to send the Member a Private Message.
How can I prevent someone from sending me Private Messages?
If you do find that you are getting unwanted Private Messages from a user you can block them from sending you Private Messages. To do this go into the Private Messaging system and go to your buddy list. Go to add the user as a buddy, but instead choose the option from the drop down list 'Not to message you', this will prevent this user from sending you anymore Private Messages.
RSS Feeds
What is an RSS Feed?
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is a technology using XML that allows web sites to syndicate web site content. If the Community Administrator has enabled RSS Feeds you can subscribe to any of the RSS Feeds available in the Community so you are always up to date with the latest Posts or Calendar Events.
How Do I Subscribe to the Community RSS Feeds?
There are many ways you can subscribe to one or all of the RSS Feeds available within the Community. Either using a Web Browser that supports Live RSS Bookmarks or by using an online RSS News Reader. Using Windows Vista Sidebar, installing an RSS News Reader on your computer, or using an email program that supports RSS like Mozilla Thunderbird!
Calendar System
What is the Calendar System?
There is a built in Calendar System that works very much like a normal calendar or diary, with Week View, Month View and Year View. You can select what Week, Month or Year, you wish to view and see Calendar Events and Member birthdays for your selected date!
How do I create a Calendar Event?
If the Community Administrator has granted a Member or Group Permission to create a Calendar Event you can select an 'Event Date' when creating a 'New Topic'. This Event can then be viewed in like any other Forum Topic or through the Calendar System where it is displayed under the date the event occurs on.
About
What software is used for this Community?
The software used to run this Community Application is called, Betamakers Community. It is a Social Network Application written using Microsoft Active Server Pages technology.
Registration and Logging into the Community