This page introduces use of the 761st.com Forum.  The steps explained on this help page are (1) how to post a reply to an existing message on the Forum, (2) how to post a new message in a new topic on the Forum, and (3) how to register as a Forum member.

(1)  How to reply to a Forum message
 

Messages on the 761st.com Forum are organized by category, forum and topic.  The picture to the left below shows the first page of the Forum (the index page) with three forum names listed under the Discussion category.  Each of the forum names can be clicked to reach a forum page with one or more topics that contain posted messages.  The picture to the right is an enlargement of the Discussion category, showing the list with the three forum names (Guestbook and Greetings, Human Rights Discussion and Looking For -- please note that forum names may change from time to time, so consider this picture as just an example.)  Clicking on the Guestbook and Greetings forum name will open the first page of that forum, as shown below.

 

This picture shows the first page of the Guestbook and Greetings forum, and a topic with the same name is the only topic shown in that forum.  This page was reached by clicking the Guestbook and Greetings forum name on the Forum index page.  Messages in this fourm can be seen by clicking the name of any topic shown on the forum page. Note there is a New Topic button above and below the forum area, on the left side -- this button is used to post a message in a new topic on the Forum, as discussed below.  For now, we will just be concerned with posting a reply to an existing message.   To return to the main Forum index page, click the rectangular button that says Forum at the top of the page, on the left, at any time.

 

This picture (right) shows the list of messages posted in the Guestbook and Greetings forum.  Note there are two buttons on the left side above (and below) the forum message area -- the New Topic button used to start a new topic on the Forum, as discussed below, and the Post Reply button that is clicked to post a reply to the messages in this topic.  To add a message to this topic, clicking the Post Reply button will lead to a window where you can type your message. To the left is a picture of the window where you type a message (in the box with a light blue backrgound.)  It is just the same as typing an email message, except that the message gets sent to the forum.  At the very top of this page is a place for you to type in a name, if you are posting as a guest (if you do not enter a name, the message will be posted with the name Guest.)  There is also a box for a typing in a subject.  Just above the message area there are formatting functions --  for example, to make part of your text appear in bold text, use your mouse to highlight that part of your typed message and then click the b button in the formatting area.  To the left are face graphics that can be placed in the message by clicking on any chosen face at any place in the message.  When your message is typed, you can click the Preview buttton at the lower edge of the screen to see how it looks.  Click the Submit button to post the message on the forum.

(2)  How to post a message in a new topic
 

First, please read the description above about posting a reply message.  As shown there, the first forum page after the index lists the topics in the forum.   Clicking the New Topic button located to the left above and below the list on this page allows you to to post a new message in a new topic that you create on the Forum.  The same window that is used to post a reply message is used to post a new topic message.  However, in the case of a new topic, it is necessary to type something in the subject box above the message area (while a subject is merely optional in the case of a reply message.)  The subject you type there becomes the name of the new topic.  .

(3)  How to register as a Forum member.
 

The Forum feature of this website welcomes new members. However, because of recent abuse of the automatic registration process by people being disrespectful of this website and its Forum, a new member screening process has become necessary. If you wish to join the Forum as a registered member, please click here to send an email to the Forum administrator. In the email, please say that you wish to join the Forum and provide your name and location (city, state or province and country). (If you are an existing member trying to edit your profile, please click here to send an email to the Forum administrator. In the email please provide your registered Forum user name.) We regret the need to add this screening step. You will be sent an email in reply to your request telling you how to proceed with the next registration step. Registering as a member is easy.  To begin, click the Register button at the top of any page.  You will then see a page with terms (prepared by the people making this forum software) that you must agree to by clicking the I Agree button. The following page asks you to type in the user name you wish to register (it can be your first name, your full name, or any name you wish that has not already been registered), and an email address (to confirm the registraton) and the password you want to use.  There are a number of optional items on the regiatration page.  Please note that the next to last item on the page allows you to enter your timezone relative to GMT.  The forum default is GMT - 4 hours (the U.S. Eastern Time zone.)   An email message will be sent to the address you enter to confirm the registration (and to keep as a reminder of the user name and password you registered.)  In the email message will be a link for you to click to confirm the registration.  Please be sure to click the link, as that will activate your registered name and make it possible for you to subsequently log in with your user name and password.

 

As a registered member, your user name is not available for anyone else to use.  You can still post as a guest, if you wish, or you can login by clicking the Login button and entering your user name and password. Hint: you can always click the Memberlist button at the top of any page to confirm the spelling of your user name.  There are a number of special features available to members that your can explore and experiment with.  One significant feature is that members can delete or edit their messages (but guest messages cannot be edited) using links that appear in the upper right corner of your messages when you are logged in.

 

Additional information about using the Forum can be found by clicking the FAQ (frequently asked questions) button at the top of any page.  If you have any problems and need some help, please send an email to forum@761st.com.