New boards 101
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:25 pm
As you learn to use this spiffy new system we've got here, there are a few resources that might come in handy. These boards are pretty similar in a lot of ways to the old ones, but there are a few differences. The FAQ is incredibly useful, but to get you started, here's a rundown of some of the tools from the old system and their equivalents here.
Your profile
On the old boards, to change any of your settings (like time zone, location and whatnot) you would use the "my profile" button at the top of the page. In this new system, it's called the "user control panel" and it's linked at the top left corner of each page. It has a lot more options than in the old system, but all the same basics are there. Play around with the settings as you like, everything is very customizable. If you want more information, this is the place to start: User Control Panel Basics
Search
This one is pretty self-explanatory; the search function is up at the top right corner of every page right under the "donate" icon.
New topics
The "new topic" button is now in two places: at the top left corner and bottom left corner of every page. Other than that, creating a new topic is pretty much the same. Areas with unread topics or posts will have the icons outlined in pink (instead of blue) at the left side. (Personally I'm going to miss the old lightbulb system, but what can you do.)
There are also a few new features that are pretty cool.
Polls
You can add a poll to new topics by scrolling to the very bottom of the new topic page, where you should see two tabs: "options" and "poll creation". Click on poll creation, enter whatever question and possible answers you like, adjust the other settings and you're good to go.
Posting, Previews & Drafts
This system gives you the option of previewing your post before you submit it, and saving drafts so you can keep working on them later. To access a saved draft, go to the user control panel, and click on "manage drafts" in the overview tab. To finish and then submit a post, choose the "load draft" option. We've made a thread where you can play around with all the different posting options here: The Playground. There's a super detailed explanation of posting and all the different options with that here: Mastering the Posting Screen. To reply to a post, you can either use the "quick reply" button or choose "post reply" which will give you access to all the smilies and other bells and whistles.
Mobile version
Gone are the days of struggling to read the boards from your phone! If you're accessing the boards from your phone, the mobile version should load automatically, but you can switch to the full version if you like using the "switch to full style" buttons at the top and bottom of the page.
That's the big stuff, but if you have questions or something isn't working properly, please let us know: New Board Questions or Issues
We're new to this system too, so we may not be able to answer, but we'll do our best to figure it out. Thanks for your patience while we all get used to this new way of doing things!
Your profile
On the old boards, to change any of your settings (like time zone, location and whatnot) you would use the "my profile" button at the top of the page. In this new system, it's called the "user control panel" and it's linked at the top left corner of each page. It has a lot more options than in the old system, but all the same basics are there. Play around with the settings as you like, everything is very customizable. If you want more information, this is the place to start: User Control Panel Basics
Search
This one is pretty self-explanatory; the search function is up at the top right corner of every page right under the "donate" icon.
New topics
The "new topic" button is now in two places: at the top left corner and bottom left corner of every page. Other than that, creating a new topic is pretty much the same. Areas with unread topics or posts will have the icons outlined in pink (instead of blue) at the left side. (Personally I'm going to miss the old lightbulb system, but what can you do.)
There are also a few new features that are pretty cool.
Polls
You can add a poll to new topics by scrolling to the very bottom of the new topic page, where you should see two tabs: "options" and "poll creation". Click on poll creation, enter whatever question and possible answers you like, adjust the other settings and you're good to go.
Posting, Previews & Drafts
This system gives you the option of previewing your post before you submit it, and saving drafts so you can keep working on them later. To access a saved draft, go to the user control panel, and click on "manage drafts" in the overview tab. To finish and then submit a post, choose the "load draft" option. We've made a thread where you can play around with all the different posting options here: The Playground. There's a super detailed explanation of posting and all the different options with that here: Mastering the Posting Screen. To reply to a post, you can either use the "quick reply" button or choose "post reply" which will give you access to all the smilies and other bells and whistles.
Mobile version
Gone are the days of struggling to read the boards from your phone! If you're accessing the boards from your phone, the mobile version should load automatically, but you can switch to the full version if you like using the "switch to full style" buttons at the top and bottom of the page.
That's the big stuff, but if you have questions or something isn't working properly, please let us know: New Board Questions or Issues
We're new to this system too, so we may not be able to answer, but we'll do our best to figure it out. Thanks for your patience while we all get used to this new way of doing things!