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How To ...

Some notes about features of the forums and how to use them. Click on the How To link and you will go to the answer.

Contents of this page:

How to copy a link into a post

To copy a URL of a website into a post:

  • Go to the web page that you want to link to. Click once in the address bar (where the URL for the page is displayed). The complete address is highlighted.
  • Put the cursor over the highlighted text, right click and select "copy". The text is placed in your clipboard.
  • Go to the forums and start your new message or reply. Move the cursor to where you want the URL, right click and select "paste". The contents of the clipboard are put into the message.

Note: You can copy and paste using the right click or shortcut CTRL characters. To copy to the clipboard, highlight the text, hold down the CTRL key and press C (copy). Release both. To paste from the clipboard, CTRL V (paste). This CTRL C and CRTL V work in most applications throughout windows.

Note: Instead of pasting directly into the post box, you can click the URL button on the post box, paste the link into the URL field and type text into the text field. This will display the linked text in the post.

How to copy text from Word into a post

If you are writing a long post, it is good to write it in Word then copy it to your post. Here is how to do this:

  • Open the document in Word.
  • Pulldown on Edit and select "Select All". The content of the document is highlighted. (Or use your mouse to drag and select the text to be copied.)
  • Right click on the page and select "copy". This copies all highlighted text into the clipboard.
  • Go to the forums and start your new message or reply.
  • To insert the text, move the cursor to where you want it to be inserted, right click on the input box and select "paste". The text from the clipboard is pasted into the post.

Note: You can highlight only certain parts of a document by clicking and dragging - whatever is highlighted is copied into the clipboard.

Note: You can copy and paste using the right click or shortcut CTRL characters. To copy to the clipboard, highlight the text, hold down the CTRL key and press C (copy). Release both. To paste from the clipboard, CTRL V (paste). This CTRL C and CRTL V work in most applications throughout windows.

How to display a photo in a post

You can upload any photo from your computer and have it appear in your post. A photo to be uploaded is called an "attachment".

  • Use your photo editing software to size the photo. Most digital cameras take huge pictures and the files are huge. Set the resolution to 72ppi (this is what displays best on monitors) and size the photo to be around 400 pixels wide - this is a good display size and the file is small.
    CAUTION: Photos must be less than 100kb in size. I put this restriction to stop people uploading huge photos. Even 100kb is huge - really 50kb or under is best.
  • Start a post (either a new topic or a reply). Type in your message, but before you hit Post Now, click the "Add Attachment" link in the posting window. A window comes up asking you to give a title for the photo and to locate the file on your computer (you can use the browse button to navigate to the file). Select the file and click the Upload button.
  • Your message is posted and the image is displayed.

There are a few cautions with this feature

Do not overuse this feature. Every photo uploaded sits on the server and takes up space. They are also slow to download for people on dialup connections. Do not post inappropriate photos. Don't go overboard on posting photos - remember "less is more" or something like that. But, please do post photos!!

Note: Use the Image button on the post box to link to a photo on another website or server.

How to update your profile

You define your profile when you register on the forums. To update your profile at any time click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > PROFILE. You will see all the fields in your Profile. Click Edit Profile in the upper right to make any changes. Make your changes and click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the input box (you may have to scroll to see it).

NOTE: You may have to use the horizontal scroll bar to see the Edit Profile link. See screen snap below.

The red arrow marks the link to click to edit your profile.

Important fields in your profile

  • Display Name - this is your name as displayed when you post. You can change this. Members cannot have the same display names, so the one you want may be taken. When you change your display name, all your old posts are changed to this new name.
  • Display Email - if you want others to be able to email you, put your email here.
  • Signature - this is the text that appears at the end of your post. To add a link, use the UBB code. For example: [URL=http://www.slowtrav.com]Slow Travelers[/URL] This is described in more detail below.
  • Avatar - If you want to have a photo added, you can upload it from your computer to your profile on the My Profile page (see below).

How to upload a photo to your profile

You can have a photo in your profile. These are called "avatars".

To upload or change your avatar:

  • Click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > PROFILE.
  • In the upper right corner, click Edit Profile.
  • Scroll down and click Edit your avatar.

You have an option to upload a photo from your PC. If you upload a picture, it must be 50kb or smaller. We recommend sizing the picture 200 pixels wide.

To upload a picture,

  • Click Upload Custom Avatar and browse to the picture on your local PC, select and then click Upload Avatar.
  • Once it is uploaded, click Select This On.
  • Click Submit at bottom of Profile Page.

How to add a URL in your signature

You can put a live link in your signature (to your website or blog). Follow these steps:

  • Click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > PROFILE to see your profile. Click the link to EDIT your profile.
  • In the Signature input box, put the following UBB code: [URL=http://www.slowtrav.com/]Slow Travel[/URL]
  • Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the profile box (you may have to use the box scroll bars to get to the bottom of the box.
  • The code above will look like this in your signature line: Slow Travel . You can add text above or below it - or beside it.

When you change your signature, it is updated on EVERY post you have ever made on the forums. But it takes a few minutes for this to happen. To force it to happen faster, post a reply - that usually makes the datebase update.

If you have any problems, contact Slow Travel (there is an email link at the bottom of every forums page) or post in the How Do I ? forum and one of the moderators will help you.

How to snap pictures from a webcam

STEP 1: GRAB THE IMAGE FROM THE WEBCAM

  • Start the webcam in your browser.
  • When you see the image you want, change the setting in the dropdown list at the bottom of the page to "off". (Not all webcams have this feature - with some you just take your luck at grabbing the shot.)
  • Right click on the picture and choose "Save Picture As...". A dialog box will come up.
  • Note the folder listed in the Save in box at the top of the dialog box so you will be able to find the picture later. (On IE and Windows, it defaults to My Pictures in your My Documents folder.)
  • Click Save.
  • Go to the folder listed in Step 4 and find the picture, probably titled "untitled.bmp."

STEP 2: MAKE THE IMAGE SMALLER

  • Use your photo program to change the image to JPG format. The size must be under 100kb to a post on the forums.
  • Save the new format of the image.

STEP 3: POST THE IMAGE

  • To post your image on the forums, start a post and click the "Add Attachment" link in the post box. A dialog box lets you browse on your computer to the image file and upload it.

How to view other messages when writing your reply

When you post a message or reply, you post it in a popup window. The original thread is displayed in another browser window. You can go back and forth between the two. You can even move to a new thread without affecting your reply.

How to contact another member

There are two ways to privately contact any member:

  • Click on the member name and select "View Public Profile". Each member decides whether or not they want to display their email address in their profile. If their email address is displayed, you can email them.
  • If you are a Gold Star member you can contact anyone via a Private Message. Click on their member name and select "Invite to a Private Topic". If you see an icon of a head with a line thru it, this member is not a Gold Star Member and will not be able to reply to the private topic, but they will receive the private message, so include your email address so they can email you.

If they are a Gold Star Member, they will answer you in the private topic - which works just like a thread on the forums, except only the two of you can see it.

How to know when someone replies to my post

When you're interested in "following" a topic, click on "NOTIFY" at the top left of the topic thread. You'll have the following options:

  • Receive an email immediately when someone posts in that topic
  • Receive a daily update
  • Receive a weekly update

Or when you post in the topic, in the post box, you will see a NOTIFICATIONS button. Click that and you can set your notifications for the thread.

To turn off notifications, click GO > PERSONAL ZONE > NOTIFICATIONS. There you see a list of all your notifications.

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