TSG Posting Basics
From TSG Library of Knowledge
- This page is part of the Tech Support Guy FAQs.
Why can't I post questions about P2P (Kazaa, etc)?
If you read our site rules, you'll discover that you may not post questions on how to use Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing networks such as BearShare, Kazaa, and the like. Although these programs, in and of themselves, are NOT illegal, they were designed and are used almost exclusively in an illegal manor. We do not support the illegal distribution of copyrighted material and will not answer questions regarding software designed to do so. For more information about copyrights, visit www.StealingIsIllegal.com.
How do I mark a thread solved?
Problems that have been solved have the "Solved:" text in front of the title so that other users can easily see that a solution exists in that thread. With the exception of Moderators, only the user who started the thread may mark it solved. To do so, choose "Thread Tools" just above the first post of the thread. Then, choose "Mark Thread Solved."
Are there any special codes/tags I can use to markup my posts?
For the most part, your posts will contain plain text, but on occasions, you may want to emphasize certain words or phrases by making them (for example) bold or italic.
Due to previous mis-use by some members, you may no longer use HTML code to produce these effects. However, you can instead use vB Code: a special set of tags which you can use to produce the most popular text-effects. vB code has the advantage that it is very simple to use, and is immune to malicious javascripts and page layout disruption.
You may also use smilies, which allow you to use small icons to convey emotion, and the [img] code, which allows you to add pictures to your message.
For more information about vB code, click here.
What is email notification?
If you post a new thread, or reply to an existing thread, you can choose to be notified by email when someone else replies to that thread. You can also choose to receive email notifications of new posts in a thread without posting in that thread, by clicking the 'Subscribe to this thread' link displayed in the thread page.
If you choose to stop receiving email notifications from a thread, you can turn off the option by either editing your post, or by unsubscribing from the thread here.
Only registered users may receive email notification, and they can set whether they want to receive email notification by default by editing their options.
Email notification is also referred to as 'Thread Subscription'.
What are smilies?
Smilies are small graphical icons which you can insert into your messages to convey an emotion or feeling, such as a joke or embarrassment. For example, if you entered a sarcastic comment, rather than type 'that was a joke', you could simply insert the 'wink' smilie.
If you have used email or internet chat systems, you will probably be familiar with the concept of smilies already. Certain combinations of text characters are converted into smilies. For example,:) is converted into a smiling face. To understand smilie codes, tilt your head to the left and look at the text: you will see that :) represents two eyes and a smiling mouth.
For a list of the smilies currently used by this forum, click here.
On occasions, you may want to prevent the text in your message being converted into smilies. You will see a checkbox which you can select when you make a new post, which will allow you to 'Disable Smilies'.
How do I create and vote in polls?
You may notice that some threads on this forum also include a section where you can vote on an issue or question. These threads are called 'polls' and this is how to create them:
Creating a new poll
When you post a new thread, you may have the option to also create a poll.
This function allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread.
An example poll might be:
What is your favorite color?
1. Red
2. Blue
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Sky-blue pink with yellow spots
To create a poll when you post a new thread, simply click the 'Yes! post a poll' checkbox at the bottom of the page, and set the number of possible responses you want to include.
When you click the submit button, you will be taken to the poll creation page, where you can specify the question and the list of responses you want to include.
You may also want to specify a time limit for the poll, so that (for example) it only stays open for voting for a week.
Voting in and viewing a poll
To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the [Vote!] button. You may view the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link. Voting in a poll is entirely optional. You may vote for any of the available options, or cast no vote at all.
Generally, once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote later, so place your vote carefully!
What are Attachments?
The attachment feature of this forum gives you the ability to attach files of certain types to your posts. This could be an image, a text document, etc. There will be a limit to the file size of any attachments you make, as the forums should not be used as an extension of your hard disk!
To attach a file to a new post, simply click the [Browse] button at the bottom of the post composition page, and locate the file that you want to attach from your local hard drive.
After posting, the attachment will show up in the body of your message. To view the contents of the attachment (if it is not already displayed) simply click the filename link that appears next to the attachment icon.
Can I edit my own posts?
You may edit and delete your posts, but we have implemented some some limitations: (1) you have only 24 hours to edit or delete a post before it becomes permanent, and (2) you may not delete the first post of a thread, as this may effectively delete another user's post.
To edit or delete your posts, click the Edit button by the post you want to edit.
After you have made your modifications, a note may appear, which notifies other users that you have edited your post. Administrators and moderators may also edit your messages if you post something that violates a rule.
Why have some of the words in my post been blanked/starred?
Certain words may have been censored by our system. If your posts contain any censored words, they will be blanked-out with asterisks like this: ****.
The same words are censored for all users, and censoring is done by a computer simply searching and replacing words. It is in no way 'intelligent'.
