Our discussion forums are pretty straight forward to use; they work much like any other forum out there.

Note that you have to be a registered user in order to be able to post in the forums.  Creating an account also gives you access to view members-only forums and send private messages (see below).

Private Messages

To send someone a private message, click on the "PM" icon located underneath their avatar.  I know it's not very obvious at the moment - when I get time I'll design a new one.

Alternatively you can click on the "Private Messages" link to the left of the page - this will take you to your inbox and you can compose a new message from there.

If you don't see these links then you're probably not logged in.

The recipient will receive an email if they are not logged in.  If they are currently logged in then a PM notification will appear in the module at the left of the page.

File / Image Uploads

We have applied some slightly strict limits to uploaded file/image attachments. These are subject to review so if it starts getting in your way we might think about changing them. If you resize your pictures and save them with sane compression settings prior to upload then you shouldn't have too many problems.

Currently the limit for image dimensions is 530x400 pixels due to the design template.  Anything larger can be uploaded as a file attachment but this will only appear as a link.  Also the file size limit for images is 150kb.  This is to keep page-load times under control in case someone posts a whole bunch of images.

Embedding Video

This is a bit of a pain, I'm not very happy with it.  But once you get the hang of it it's quite easy.

I anticipate that 99% of the time we'll be embedding YouTube videos.  Just click the icon at the bottom-right of the YouTube player and copy the URL (NOT the embed code!).  When writing your forum post, click on the Video icon in the toolbar.  Paste the URL into the "URL" field and press the "insert" button.

I haven't tested with other providers.  You may need to select the provider from the drop-list and enter the video code into the relevant box (you'll need to separate the code out of the URL).

How Do I Change My Password?

I've set up a link in the User Menu which appears at the left when you're logged in.  Click on "Update My Details" and it'll let you change your name, email and password there.

Can You Add A Forum For...

I'm open to ideas.  If you want a new forum added I'll definitely consider it.  What we have at the moment is only my best guess as to what you might want, so contact us to make any suggestions.

I Can't See Forum Xyz

At the time of writing we have one forum that's only visible to logged-in users, and we may add more as time goes by.  The only way to see these is to register as a user (there's a link just under the login form).

I Want To Change My Username

You can't.  If you really, really want your username changed I can do it for you but you'll need to have a fairly good reason as I don't want to have to do it too often.  Bribery will improve your chances.

I Keep Getting Logged Out!

Your session may have timed out.  The system default is quite short but it can be changed.  Complain and it may be reviewed.

I Have Another Question...

Sail on over to the contact page and drop me a line. I don't bite. I may even add your question and its answer to this page.