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Return
to November 2002 Newsletter
New
ARC Network Discussion Forum
By The ARC Network
The ARC Network is currently working on a new discussion forum.
The ARC Network discussion forum is one of the most visited and
popular sections of our web site. Experts from all over the world
view, post, and reply to questions on a dialy basis. Over the
last year the ARC Network has nearly doubled in size in terms
of users to the site and traffic to the web site.
Although
the current format of the discussion forum is easy-to-use and
functional, lately we have been having some problems with it.
For example the search function keeps breaking for no apparent
reason. Users have also been asking for the ability to edit their
posts and replys.
The
ARC Network has spent about 4 months researching the different
options for a new, cutting-edge discussion forum. This new forum
fits in perfectly with the reason the ARC Network exists - better
communication and networking of experts. You will now have the
ability to edit your posts, list additional
information about yourself (profile), connect via instant messaging,
insert images to your posts, email a post to a friend, print a
post, and much more.
With
that said, please check out the new discussion and provide us
with any feedback (good and bad) about the functionality. We do
understand there will be a learning curve with this new forum,
but we believe the benefits far outweigh the time it takes to
get familiar with it.
Please
note, the discussion forum is still in testing mode and may be
modified over the next couple of week.
www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum
Below
are the FAQs to help you get familiar with the new discussion
forum:
| FAQ
Table of Contents |
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Registering |
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Registration
is not required to view current topics on the Forum; however,
if you wish to post a new topic or reply to an existing
topic registration is required. Registration is free and
only takes a few minutes. The only required fields are your
Username, which may be your real name or a nickname, and
a valid e-mail address.
The information you provide during registration is not outsourced
or used for any advertising by ARC Network Discussion Forum.
If you believe someone is sending you advertisements as
a result of the information you provided through your registration,
please notify us immediately.
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Smilies |
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You've probably seen others use smilies before in e-mail
messages or other bulletin board posts. Smilies are keyboard
characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile
or a frown .
This bulletin board automatically converts certain text
to a graphical representation when it is inserted between
brackets []. Here are the smilies that are currently
supported by ARC Network Discussion Forum:
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smile |
[:)] |
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big
smile |
[:D] |
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cool |
[8D] |
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blush |
[:I] |
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tongue |
[:p] |
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evil |
[}:)] |
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wink |
[;)] |
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clown |
[:o)] |
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black
eye |
[B)] |
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eightball |
[8] |
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frown |
[:(] |
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shy |
[8)] |
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shocked |
[:0] |
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angry |
[:(!] |
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dead |
[xx(] |
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sleepy |
[|)] |
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kisses |
[:X] |
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approve |
[^] |
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disapprove |
[V] |
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question |
[?] |
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Creating
a Hyperlink in your message |
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You
can easily add a hyperlink to your message.
All
that you need to do is type the URL (http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/),
and it will automatically be converted to a URL (http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/)!
The
trick here is to make sure you prefix your URL with the
http://, https:// or file://
You
can also add a mailto link to your message by typing in
your e-mail address.
This
Example:
admin@accidentreconstruction.com
Outputs this:
admin@accidentreconstruction.com
Another
way to add hyperlinks is to use the [url]linkto[/url]
tags
This
Example:
[url]http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/[/url]
takes you home!
Outputs This:
http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/
takes you home!
If
you use this tag: [url="linkto"]description[/url]
you can add a description to the link.
This
Example:
Take me to [url="http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/"]ARC
Network Discussion Forum[/url]
Outputs This:
Take me to ARC
Network Discussion Forum
This
Example:
If you have a question [url="admin@accidentreconstruction.com"]E-Mail
Me[/url]
Outputs This:
If you have a question E-Mail
Me
You can make clickable images by combining the [url="linkto"]description[/url]
and [img]image_url[/img] tags
This
Example:
[url="http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/forum/"][img]/images/arclogo.gif[/img][/url]
Outputs This:
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How
to format text with Bold, Italic, Quote, etc... |
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There are several Forum Codes you may use to change the
appearance of your text. Following is the list of
codes currently available:
Bold:
Enclose your text with [b] and [/b] . Example:
This is [b]bold[/b] text. = This is bold
text.
Italic:
Enclose your text with [i] and [/i] . Example:
This is [i]italic[/i] text. = This is italic
text.
Underline:
Enclose your text with [u] and [/u]. Example: This
is [u]underline[/u] text. = This is underline
text.
Aligning
Text Left: Enclose your text with [left] and [/left]
Aligning
Text Center: Enclose your text with [center] and [/center]
Aligning
Text Right: Enclose your text with [right] and [/right]
Striking
Text: Enclose your text with [s] and [/s]
Example: [s]mistake[/s] = mistake
Horizontal
Rule: Place a horizontal line in your post with [hr]
Example: [hr] =
Font
Colors:
Enclose your text with [fontcolor] and [/fontcolor]
Example: [red]Text[/red] = Text
Example: [blue]Text[/blue] = Text
Example: [pink]Text[/pink] = Text
Example: [brown]Text[/brown] = Text
Example: [black]Text[/black] = Text
Example: [orange]Text[/orange] =
Text
Example: [violet]Text[/violet] =
Text
Example: [yellow]Text[/yellow] =
Text
Example: [green]Text[/green] = Text
Example: [gold]Text[/gold] = Text
Example: [white]Text[/white] = Text
Example: [purple]Text[/purple] =
Text
Headings:
Enclose your text with [hnumber] and [/hn]
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Example: [h1]Text[/h1] = |
Text
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Example: [h2]Text[/h2] = |
Text
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Example: [h3]Text[/h3] = |
Text
|
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Example: [h4]Text[/h4] = |
Text
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Example: [h5]Text[/h5] = |
Text
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Example: [h6]Text[/h6] = |
Text
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Font
Sizes:
Example: [size=1]Text[/size=1] =
Text
Example: [size=2]Text[/size=2] =
Text
Example: [size=3]Text[/size=3] =
Text
Example: [size=4]Text[/size=4] =
Text
Example: [size=5]Text[/size=5] =
Text
Example: [size=6]Text[/size=6] =
Text
Bulleted
List: [list] and [/list], and items
in list with [*] and [/*].
Ordered
Alpha List: [list=a] and [/list=a],
and items in list with [*] and [/*].
Ordered
Number List: [list=1] and [/list=1],
and items in list with [*] and [/*].
Code:
Enclose your text with [code] and [/code].
Quote:
Enclose your text with [quote] and [/quote].
Images:
Enclose the address with one of the following:
- [img]
and [/img]
- [img=right]
and [/img=right]
- [img=left]
and [/img=left]
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Moderators |
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Moderators control individual forums. They may edit, delete,
or prune any posts in their forums. If you have a question
about a particular forum, you should direct it to your forum
moderator.
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Cookies |
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These Forums use cookies to store the following information:
the last time you logged in, your Username and your Encrypted
Password. These cookies are stored on your hard drive. Cookies
are not used to track your movement or perform any function
other than to enhance your use of these forums. If you have
not enabled cookies in your browser, many of these time-saving
features will not work properly. Also, you need to have
cookies enabled if you want to enter a private forum or
post a topic/reply.
You
may delete all cookies set by these forums in selecting
the "logout" button at the top of any page.
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Active
Topics |
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Active
Topics are tracked by cookies. When you click on the "active
topics" link, a page is generated listing all topics
that have been posted since your last visit to these forums
(or approximately 20 minutes).
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Editing
Your Posts |
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You may edit or delete your own posts at any time. Just
go to the topic where the post to be edited or deleted is
located and you will see a edit or delete icon ( )
on the line that begins "posted on..." Click on
this icon to edit or delete the post. No one else can edit
your post, except for the forum Moderator or the forum Administrator.
A note is generated at the bottom of each edited post displaying
when and by whom the post was edited.
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Attaching
Files |
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For security reasons, you may not attach files to any posts.
However, you may cut and paste text into your post.
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Searching
For Specific Posts |
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You may search for specific posts based on a word or words
found in the posts, user name, date, and particular forum(s).
Simply click on the "search" link at the top of
most pages.
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Editing
Your Profile |
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You
may easily change any information stored in your registration
profile by using the "profile" link located near the top
of each page. Simply identify yourself by typing your Username
and Password and all of your profile information will appear
on screen. You may edit any information (except your Username).
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Signatures |
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You
may attach signatures to the end of your posts when you
post either a New Topic or Reply. Your signature is editable
by clicking on "profile" at the top of any forum
page and entering your Username and Password.
NOTE:
HTML can't be used in Signatures.
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Censoring
Posts |
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The Forum does censor certain words that may be posted;
however, this censoring is not an exact science, and is
being done based on the words that are being screened, so
certain words may be censored out of context. By default,
words that are censored are replaced with asterisks.
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Lost
Password |
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Changing a lost password is simple, assuming that e-mail
features are turned on for this forum. All of the pages
that require you to identify yourself with your Username
and Password carry a "lost Password" link that
you can use to have a code e-mailed instantly to your e-mail
address of record that will allow you to create a new password.
Because of the Encryption that we use for your password,
we cannot tell you what your password is.
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Can
I be notified by e-mail when there are new posts? |
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Yes, the Subscription feature allows you to subscribe
to the entire Board, individual Categories, Forums and/or
Topics, depending on what the administrator of this site
allows. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of a post
that has been made to the Category/Forum/Topic that you
have subscribed to. There are four levels of subscription:
- Board Wide Subscription
If you can subscribe to an entire Board, you'll get a notification
for any posts made within all the forums inside that board.
- Category Wide Subscription
You can subscribe to an entire Category, which will notify
you if there was any posts made within any topic, within
any forum, within that Category.
- Forum Wide Subscription
If you don't want to subscribe to an entire Category, you
can subscribe to a single forum. This will notify you of
any posts made within any topic, within that forum.
- Topic Wide Subscription
More conveniently, you can subscribe to just an individual
topic. You will be notified of any post made within that
topic.
Each
level of subscription is optional. The administrator can turn
On/Off each level of subscription for each Category/Forum/Topic.
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe from any level of subscription,
you can use the "My Subscriptions" link, located near the
top of each page to manage your subscriptions. Or you can
click on the subscribe/unsubscribe icons ( )
for that Category/Forum/Topic you want to subscribe/unsubscribe
to/from.
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What
is COPPA? |
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The
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and Rule apply
to individually identifiable information about a child that
is collected online, such as full name, home address, e-mail
address, telephone number or any other information that
would allow someone to identify or contact the child. The
Act and Rule also cover other types of information -- for
example, hobbies, interests and information collected through
cookies or other types of tracking mechanisms -- when they
are tied to individually identifiable information. More
information can be found here.
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to November 2002 Newsletter
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