Newcomer Topics/FAQs

What is the purpose of the statistics block below the first post in each topic?

Under the first post in a topic is Detail Bar, that provides interesting information on the topic. Going from left to right:

• The date the topic was created and by whom
• The author and time of the last post
• The number of posts in the topic
• The number of views the topic has received
• The number of distinct members that have posted in this topic
• The number of likes the posts in this topic have received
• The number of links that can be found in the topic

At the far right is an arrow, that expands the bar. The newly exposed lines contain the avatars for the posters and any links in the topic. Clicking on an avatar filters hides all posts not created by that member, with the exception of the topic’s starting post. The number next to the link is how many times it has been clicked.

How do I reply to topics or posts?

There are three ways to reply to topics. First, reply as a new topic by using the “Reply as a New Topic” button found in the upper right corner of the posts (1). This will allow you to start a topic, that is linked to the old topic, without disrupting the original topic. The second option is to reply to a single post by using the reply button in the bottom right corner of the post (2). Your reply will be added at the bottom of the topic, and the original post and reply will have links to one another. Please avoid using this method for Run-Ons or Fiction topics, as it might distract from or disrupt the flow of the story. The last method of replying, and the one that is preferred for Run-Ons, is to use the reply button at the bottom of the topic (3). This will simply add your reply to the bottom of the topic.

How do I create posts?

After clicking on one of the reply buttons, two boxes will appear on the screen. The one on the left is where you type your message. The formatting buttons, which resemble the formatting buttons of most word processing programs, are located on top of this box. The right box is a preview box. As you type and format, your changes will automatically appear here. If this box is too distracting, you can temporarily close it by the hide preview button on the bottom right. Always remember to preview your work before submitting it.

How do I format my posts?

Every webpage has their own special codes or characters, we are no different. Our forum is set up to allow you to use Markdown or BBCode to help format your post. We encourage you to use Markdown, and if you are not familiar with it, we have two courses written to introduce you to it. I suggest looking over Markdown 101 before trying Markdown 201. Another special feature is the @mention feature, which allows you to reference a member in the post, similar to Twitter. The mentioned member will then be notified that someone is talking to or about them.

How do I quote another post?

Every once in a while you will find it necessary to reference someone else’s work. We do not allow plagiarism on our site. To avoid problems, please, follow these simple rules. Always give credit where credit is due. Provide links in your work. If you want to quote something from our forums, we have two methods to assist you. For a partial quote of a post, highlight the quote and reply to it using the reply button that will appear over it. The second option is to reply to the post as normal. In the toolbar above the typing window is an icon that looks like a cartoon speech bubble. If you hover your mouse over it, the option to quote the entire post will appear.

Why are topics not paginated? How do I navigate within topics?

If you take a look at the topics, you will notice that there are no page numbers next to them. We use a feature that loads the page as you read. At the bottom right of the topic page, there are numbers with an arrow pointed up. Clicking on it will bring up a window, which acts as a shortcut to the top or bottom of the topic, or specific posts in the topic. As new posts arrive, they are added to the bottom of the page.

What are Trust Levels and what do they do? Why can’t I send Private Messages? Why is my ability to do [feature X] limited/disabled?

There are 5 trust levels for the forums. Everyone starts at level 0, and the levels go up to Level 4. Each higher level grants more privileges associated with an increasing level of trust and familiarity with the forum. More information on the technical details of Trust Levels and the reasoning behind them can be found on the Discourse Forums.

Level 0 - New: This is the initial level for all members. Being the most restrictive of all trust levels, it still allows members to create, read and reply to topics, but restricts the maximum number of links and mentions per post to 2. Members at this trust level cannot post images or attachment, and cannot send private messages to other users.

Level 1 - Basic: This trust level removes the restrictions from Trust Level 0, and enables members to send private messages. To reach this level you must: enter 5 topics, read 25 posts and spend 5 minutes reading.

Level 2 - Regular: To reach this level, you must enter 20 topics, read 100 posts, read for 60 minutes, visit 15 days, receive and give 1 like and reply to 3 Topics. This level gets to use the ‘invite others to topic’ button and make group PMs (private topics).

Level 3 - Leader: Level 3 is the first level that is time sensitive. In the past 100 days, you must have visited 50 days, start 5 topics that generate replies, reply to 10 Topics, and have less than 5 flagged posts. They can recategorize and rename topics, and have their own personal lounge.

Level 4 - Elder: is Invite Only. They have the same permissions as the moderators. They can edit any post, pin or unpin topics, close, archive, split or merge topics.

This needs an update. The Arrow is on the right side of the stat bar…

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