How do I make a Message Board Post or Reply
If you wish to add to a topic of discussion you will see beneath the very last post on the right hand side one choice which is underlined: Post Reply. Click on this option to add a post to the current discussion. A box will open containing a row of seven icons, a big box and two buttons.
Beneath the row of icons is the main message box. Simply type your message into this box, or if you have prepared a message earlier on a Word document, you may paste it here-although please note some messages created this way cause what we term number junk (errant ASCII numbers) because our program sometimes does not recognise certain fonts that your PC may be using. This often occurs when using punctuation marks. If you are going to copy and paste your message, this number junk can be avoided by preparing your message on Notepad.
To emphasise aspects of your post there are seven icons just above the message box. There are two main methods depending on which browser you are using:
If you wish to use bold, italics, or underlined text, simply click and drag the cursor over the line of text or double click on a single word (much the same as you would if editing a Word document) then click on the relevant icon and you will see the selected text is now surrounded by codes like this - [u ]Your Underlined Text [ /u].
Some browsers will send all the codes to the end of the message no matter where you place the cursor. You will then need to cut and paste them at the begiining and end of the relevant text making sure the code with the / is at the end . The text should now be sandwiched between codes as shown above.
The fourth icon is to highlight quotations you may wish to use from books, another post or from other sources. Again, simply select your text and click on the Quote icon or position the cursor and click the icon at the beginning and end of the text.
The fifth icon is for making a URL into a link and is slightly more complicated.
Click on the URL icon and a a url link code appears at the end of your text. Somtimes a double click is needed. Move the link by copying and pasting (remember to delete any superfluous link left at the end of the text) or click and drag the link to where you want it to appear and then type the URL address between the link brackets after http:// (making sure you place it before the [ and it will become an active link when posted. Replace the words 'Link title' with what you want the link to be called. [link']URL[/link'][title']what you want to call it [/title'] Be sure to remove any leading or trailing spaces from the URL address.
The sixth icon is for checking the spelling of a word. At present this is a rudimentary spellchecker and after clicking the spellchecker icon copy the queried word into the box and click the check icon, repeating for each queried word. Future expansions may include a Tolkien Lexicon and ultimately a full text spellchecker.
The seventh icon allows you to place smilies in your message. These allow other readers to see your mood, whether you are joking, sad, happy etc. and can be important to avoid misunderstandings. When you click the icon a small window will appear with the smileys and the codes. Clicking one of the smilies will automatically place the code for the relevant smiley to appear at the bottom of your message. You can also copy the code and place it directly into the message. Please be aware that excessive use of smilies can be annoying to other readers.
Again remember that some browsers will send all the codes to the end of the message no matter where you place the cursor. You will then need to cut and paste them where you want.
Once you are happy with your post, click the Post Reply button under the box and your post will appear as the latest post in the thread. It will now be visible for all to view and only editable by yourself or a Council Member. If you decide not to post the message click the cancel button.