For Total Newbies: How to use SEARCH and make a POST
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 7:06 am
Hi Newbie, and WELCOME to the IndianRingneck.com Forum!
Most recently EDITED August 20, 2013.
Several topics follow: How to use SEARCH, POST, (including NEW TOPICS and PRIVATE MESSAGES) and EDIT, as well as how to get back to the BOARD INDEX. You can read the whole thing, or skip ahead to the colour-coded bit you need. Some parts rely on you having read the parts before, though.
You'll find lots of swell folks here, willing to share information or just be a pal when you need one. I was skeptical when I was new here, but it's really true! The community here is Fantastic and lots of care has gone into making the forum! Take a minute to notice how remarkably well the pages are done, even down to the helpful and appropriate colour highlighting. It's IRN Gold.
You may find yourself wanting to get a FAST ANSWER, and so you can use the SEARCH FUNCTION to see what has been said before. Many times a question has been discussed, sometimes at great length, already. You can read the old conversation (aka "thread") and get all that information at once! Also, sometimes people get tired of answering the same question over and over, and so they might stop answering. You don't want your question to sit unanswered because folks have seen it before! Let's say you want information on TAMING. TRY the SEARCH function. Here's how:
To use the search function you click the word "search" at the upper right edge of this page. It's where the background colour goes from medium green to darkest green. Then just put taming into the first box and press enter. You'll get about 600 results (today....), which is a lot to read. Don't be discouraged. To read one of the results, see the line (for that one) that says "post subject". You click whatever title appears after those words.
If you are bewildered by so many choices, you can also put in a poster's name, in the second box in the search screen. If, for instance, you put in taming to the first box, my name to the second, and then hit enter, you will get about 36 choices (today....). These will be posts I made that contain the word taming in the title or text. Notice that there are multiple entries for the same thread, called "post subject". If you just click one then you can scroll around and read the whole thing at once, everybody's comments, and follow the conversation. No need to click on each single post one after the other that way. Just read all the threads that seem helpful. If you notice someone has posted in that thread, and you like what they have to say, you just might want to search again, for posts by that person. This is helpful because certain people may have a special interest in certain aspects of keeping IRNs, making them a little more experienced or knowledgeable there. Those are the people who will have made the most numerous and helpful posts on their particular favourite topic!
When you read the thread, you may find you have a comment or question. You can post it into the conversation (as long as you have registered on the forum) by clicking "post reply". That is located at the bottom left of the page, just above the first narrow, light green stripe. If you want to start a new conversation, you would use the "new topic" button instead. Type what you have to say into the large white box, with a fresh title in the narrow white box (if applicable) and then click "submit". You will find "submit" in a small white box below the large one, just above the black bar.
Please note, New topics should be posted in the corresponding section of the forum. The best way to do this is to start at the Board Index Screen If you are not in that screen, you can find it by clicking "Board Index" at the left of the narrow green stripe at the top of any page. This is also the way to get back to the Board Index screen in the event you get lost wandering around the forum and want to go back to start. From this screen, select the section for your post by clicking the name of the section, which is hilighted in blue. Here you will be able to read all the posts in this section, or make your own by clicking "New Topic" and following the POST instructions above.
Careful study of the buttons around the white box for each post will show you can contact posters directly about each single entry. That's the "pm" (private message) button. Use it for more private communication, for example if you want to give them your phone number, or just gossip. This is also helpful if you have made a post to a really OLD thread (each post displays the date it was made) and the person has not read it. They may not know your post was there if they are no longer interested in the old thread. So you make your post on the thread, and if a few days go by with no reply, you can consider sending a "pm" to say "I posted on this thread - please check it out?" You would usually want to be making your posts right on the thread, of course, because there is going to be someone later on who needs the same thing, and THEY will be searching YOUR post!
Now, sometimes it will happen that you desire to clarify or reword something you posted. In this circumstance, you can EDIT your own post. To do this, go to the post as normal and read the post, deciding what you want to change. At the bottom of the post, on the right, you will see "edit" in a small white box. You should find it easily, since you have already seen "pm" and "submit" on a similar line. Click "edit" and your original post will appear in a large white box. Proceed with caution, as any changes you make will become the new version of your post. Simply retype the part you want to change. When you're happy with the new post, you can click "submit". If you have made an edit, there will be a tiny note made automatically at the bottom of the post, but I think it's a good idea to make specific note of it at the top or bottom of your text at the time you edit. That way, people will have a better chance of noticing a change has been made. An edit is of no use if nobody sees it.
If you, like me, tend to make long posts, you might like to see how they are going to look before you submit them. That's part of editing, to be sure. You can click the "preview" button, which is located next to "submit", to see how your post will look. Be sure to scroll back down and hit "submit" before leaving this screen, however, or your entire post may be lost.
This should be enough information to get you making productive searches, posting, and contacting others as needed. Please remember, though, that everyone here is just like you, in the way they like IRNs, but are here for information and community. This forum isn't anyone's job. When someone helps you, they are doing it from the goodness of their heart, and no other reason.
Enjoy the Forum!
Most recently EDITED August 20, 2013.
Several topics follow: How to use SEARCH, POST, (including NEW TOPICS and PRIVATE MESSAGES) and EDIT, as well as how to get back to the BOARD INDEX. You can read the whole thing, or skip ahead to the colour-coded bit you need. Some parts rely on you having read the parts before, though.
You'll find lots of swell folks here, willing to share information or just be a pal when you need one. I was skeptical when I was new here, but it's really true! The community here is Fantastic and lots of care has gone into making the forum! Take a minute to notice how remarkably well the pages are done, even down to the helpful and appropriate colour highlighting. It's IRN Gold.
You may find yourself wanting to get a FAST ANSWER, and so you can use the SEARCH FUNCTION to see what has been said before. Many times a question has been discussed, sometimes at great length, already. You can read the old conversation (aka "thread") and get all that information at once! Also, sometimes people get tired of answering the same question over and over, and so they might stop answering. You don't want your question to sit unanswered because folks have seen it before! Let's say you want information on TAMING. TRY the SEARCH function. Here's how:
To use the search function you click the word "search" at the upper right edge of this page. It's where the background colour goes from medium green to darkest green. Then just put taming into the first box and press enter. You'll get about 600 results (today....), which is a lot to read. Don't be discouraged. To read one of the results, see the line (for that one) that says "post subject". You click whatever title appears after those words.
If you are bewildered by so many choices, you can also put in a poster's name, in the second box in the search screen. If, for instance, you put in taming to the first box, my name to the second, and then hit enter, you will get about 36 choices (today....). These will be posts I made that contain the word taming in the title or text. Notice that there are multiple entries for the same thread, called "post subject". If you just click one then you can scroll around and read the whole thing at once, everybody's comments, and follow the conversation. No need to click on each single post one after the other that way. Just read all the threads that seem helpful. If you notice someone has posted in that thread, and you like what they have to say, you just might want to search again, for posts by that person. This is helpful because certain people may have a special interest in certain aspects of keeping IRNs, making them a little more experienced or knowledgeable there. Those are the people who will have made the most numerous and helpful posts on their particular favourite topic!
When you read the thread, you may find you have a comment or question. You can post it into the conversation (as long as you have registered on the forum) by clicking "post reply". That is located at the bottom left of the page, just above the first narrow, light green stripe. If you want to start a new conversation, you would use the "new topic" button instead. Type what you have to say into the large white box, with a fresh title in the narrow white box (if applicable) and then click "submit". You will find "submit" in a small white box below the large one, just above the black bar.
Please note, New topics should be posted in the corresponding section of the forum. The best way to do this is to start at the Board Index Screen If you are not in that screen, you can find it by clicking "Board Index" at the left of the narrow green stripe at the top of any page. This is also the way to get back to the Board Index screen in the event you get lost wandering around the forum and want to go back to start. From this screen, select the section for your post by clicking the name of the section, which is hilighted in blue. Here you will be able to read all the posts in this section, or make your own by clicking "New Topic" and following the POST instructions above.
Careful study of the buttons around the white box for each post will show you can contact posters directly about each single entry. That's the "pm" (private message) button. Use it for more private communication, for example if you want to give them your phone number, or just gossip. This is also helpful if you have made a post to a really OLD thread (each post displays the date it was made) and the person has not read it. They may not know your post was there if they are no longer interested in the old thread. So you make your post on the thread, and if a few days go by with no reply, you can consider sending a "pm" to say "I posted on this thread - please check it out?" You would usually want to be making your posts right on the thread, of course, because there is going to be someone later on who needs the same thing, and THEY will be searching YOUR post!
Now, sometimes it will happen that you desire to clarify or reword something you posted. In this circumstance, you can EDIT your own post. To do this, go to the post as normal and read the post, deciding what you want to change. At the bottom of the post, on the right, you will see "edit" in a small white box. You should find it easily, since you have already seen "pm" and "submit" on a similar line. Click "edit" and your original post will appear in a large white box. Proceed with caution, as any changes you make will become the new version of your post. Simply retype the part you want to change. When you're happy with the new post, you can click "submit". If you have made an edit, there will be a tiny note made automatically at the bottom of the post, but I think it's a good idea to make specific note of it at the top or bottom of your text at the time you edit. That way, people will have a better chance of noticing a change has been made. An edit is of no use if nobody sees it.
If you, like me, tend to make long posts, you might like to see how they are going to look before you submit them. That's part of editing, to be sure. You can click the "preview" button, which is located next to "submit", to see how your post will look. Be sure to scroll back down and hit "submit" before leaving this screen, however, or your entire post may be lost.
This should be enough information to get you making productive searches, posting, and contacting others as needed. Please remember, though, that everyone here is just like you, in the way they like IRNs, but are here for information and community. This forum isn't anyone's job. When someone helps you, they are doing it from the goodness of their heart, and no other reason.
Enjoy the Forum!