Forum and Blog Registration
To register as a Community Member for the forum and blog posting, please use the “Login/Registration” link from the top, left-side or bottom menu.
Logging In
- once registered, you may login to the website forum and blog using the “Login” page from the left-side menu
- you have the option to “keep yourself logged in” so that you will not need to log in each time you visit
- once logged in, your username will appear beneath the left-side menu along with links to your Profile and your Account.
Profile
- your Profile page has a header information area offering options for a large background photo, a bio photo and a brief tagline (180 characters maximum)
- underneath there are tabs for:
- About: (optional) more information about yourself
- Posts: a listing of posts that you have created in the blog area
- Comments: a listing of comments you have made on all blog posts
- My posts: an area where you can edit or delete your existing blog posts
- Add post: an area where you can submit a new blog post
- Forums: a list of topics you have created in the forum, the replies you have made to forum topics, your topics marked as ‘Favorites’ and to which topics you have subscribed
Account
Your Account page has areas to:
- edit your registration information
- note: your username can be changed by administration request only (contact administrator)
- change your password
- set your privacy as to whether your Profile is shown on the Members page
Members
- the Members page shows an alphabetically ordered grid of information cards for all current members (who have allowed viewing in their privacy settings)
- each card has a quick-key (the down arrow) to display preliminary information
- you may visit that member’s profile page by clicking their name or bio photo
- you may search for a member by using any of the criteria in the fields at the top of the Members page
Starting a Series of Blog Posts or a Forum Topic
If your intention is to start a two-way communication through messages and replies, then please submit a New Topic in the appropriate forum category.
If you have a theme for an ongoing series of articles for which you intend to be a type of one-way communication – a simple presentation of facts or opinions – then you may start a blog by submitting a post from the “Add post” tab on your Profile page.
All blog posts and comments are held in moderation for review before publishing.
If you wish to have commenting disabled on your blog posts please contact the forum administrator.
If you have further questions about blogging or using the forum please contact the forum moderator.