TUTORIALS Latest Topicshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/forum/19-tutorials/TUTORIALS Latest TopicsenQuick Linkshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/87-quick-links/Section 9 contains some useful links to help you enjoy THE FORUM:

]]>87Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:47:55 +0000Board Statisticshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/86-board-statistics/Section 8 shows statistical information about THE FORUM. You can learn how many members there are, who the most recent member to join is and when THE FORUM had its greatest number of visitors. ]]>86Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:45:23 +0000Active Usershttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/85-active-users/Section 7 of THE FORUM will show you the names of those users who are currently online. You can click on a user's name to view their profile. You can also view a list of current users along with the area of THE FORUM that they are currently using by clicking on the Last Click or Member Name links. ]]>85Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:43:44 +0000Forum Linkshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/84-forum-links/Section 6 contains the forum links. Using these links will take you to a list of posts on that topic or it will show you the list of subforums found within that forum. ]]>84Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:41:54 +0000Last Post Infohttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/83-last-post-info/The links found in Section 5 of THE FORUM will take you directly to the last unread post in the given thread. This link appears in the same line as a forum link.

]]>83Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:40:09 +0000Quick Searchhttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/82-quick-search/Section 4 of THE FORUM is the quick search bar. By typing some text in the box and clicking on the GO button, you will be taken to a list of posts containing the text that you entered. ]]>82Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:37:54 +0000Control Panelhttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/81-control-panel/In Section 3 of THE FORUM, you will find the control panel links. From left to right, those links are:

  • My Controls—clicking here will take you to your control panel which will allow you to change your user settings, signature or even to send personal messages to your friends.
  • View New Posts—this link will take you to a list of the posts that have been created since the last time that you visited THE FORUM.
  • My Assistant—use this link to go to a page that is specially tailored for you to keep track of content on The FORUM.
  • # New Messages—if you have any unread personal messages, this link will tell you how many are waiting to be read. Clicking here will take you to your personal message center where you can read/send messages from/to your friends.

]]>81Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:35:34 +0000Forum Barhttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/80-forum-bar/In Section 2 of the forum, you will see the forum bar. This bar will tell you which forum and subforum you are currently in. By clicking on any portion of the bar, you can either refresh the topic list that you are viewing or you can rise to a parent forum.

]]>80Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:33:09 +0000Main Linkshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/79-main-links/Section 1 of this forum contains the forum main links. These links are as follows:

  • Home—this link takes you to the main page of the forum. From here you will see a list of the available forums as well as other useful links.
  • Members—this link takes you to a list of all of the members of the forum. Here you can search for a specific member or you can sort for a list of members based on a certain criterion.
  • Search—this link takes you to the forum search page. You can specify a set of criterion to be used in searching this forum.

]]>79Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:28:41 +0000Post and Preview Buttonshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/78-post-and-preview-buttons/Section 13 contains the Post and Preview buttons. It is highly recommended that you preview your post before making it permanent. When you are finished typing your post, use the Preview button to see what your post will look like to others. This is your chance to review your post for spelling and formatting errors. You can preview your post as many times as you like.

Clicking the Post button makes your post permanent. You will not be able to change your post after clicking the Post button.

]]>78Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:20:59 +0000Text Boxhttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/77-text-box/In Section 12 you will type the body of your post. Keep in mind that 4AynRandFans is a public forum connected to the internet. The content that you add to this site has millions of potential readers.

There are several general rules to remember as you write:

  • Be sure to accurately identify your source(s) when quoting the words of other users. The 4AynRandFans Forum automatically makes these attributions when you reply to a post. However, you must take care not to alter the attributions made automatically by the BBS in such a way that it renders the quoted text inaccurate.
  • Do not quote excessively. Too many quotes make for hard reading. Choose the essential line(s) from the post that you respond to and quote nothing more. (Readers can easily read the original message in full using the snapback post_snapback.gif feature.) If you feel the need to respond to every line of a post, line by line, chances are that the post you are replying to is poorly written. Your use of quotations should be dictated by the standard of the minimum amount needed to establish the context for your reply.
  • Adhere to the rules of proper writing. At a minimum, you should spell your words correctly and use appropriate punctuation.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with THE FORUM guidelines before adding to the site.

You may also wish to learn more about netiquette.

]]>77Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:18:13 +0000Code Buttonshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/76-code-buttons/In Section 10 of THE FORUM, you will find a set of buttons and options aimed at giving you more control over the content of your post. You will notice that when you click on one of these buttons, a tag will be added to the content of your post. Tags are special formatting elements specified by a specific word enclosed in brackets. You can manually add tags to your post once you learn how to use them or you can use the code buttons to add them for you.

The first time that you click on a code button, you will see an open tag added to your post. If you click the same code button a second time, you will see a close tag added (close tags begin with a backslash). If you are unsure whether you need to add a close tag to your post, then you can click the Close all Tags button and THE FORUM will do it for you.

You can find a full list of tags along with explanations and examples here.

]]>76Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:12:43 +0000Postinghttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/75-posting/So you're ready to enter the discussion? You can find information about each element involved in creating a post right here. Just refer to the below image and click on the links that follow in order to learn more about it.

Post1.jpg

Section 10: Code

Section 11: Smilies

Section 12: Text Box

Section 13: Post and Preview Buttons

]]>75Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:09:31 +0000Forum Home Pagehttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/74-forum-home-page/If things are a bit confusing to you, don't despair. You've come to the right place! Let's break down THE FORUM section by section. If you want to learn more about a section, simply click on the links below in order to learn more about that feature.

Home1.jpg

Section 1: Main Links

Section 2: Forum Bar

Section 3: Control Panel

Section 4: Quick Search

Section 5: Last Post Info

Section 6: Forum Links

Section 7: Active Users

Section 8: Board Statistics

Section 9: Quick Links

]]>74Tue, 08 Feb 2005 01:06:39 +0000Smilieshttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/10-smilies/There are times when words alone aren't enough. Perhaps you want to underline a clever remark with a wink. You can embellish your posts by using one of a variety of special characters known as smilies. Some smilies express laughter while others express dismay or even anger. Used correctly, smilies can add color and extra meaning to your posts. Used carelessly or excessively, they can lose their meaning. Beware, there are no firm rules concerning the use and interpretation of smilies. You can actually introduce ambiguity into your post by using smilies if their intention is not made clear.

Some examples of smilies in use:

"Glad to see yah back, Bob! :)"

"I just got a new job. B)"

"I can't believe you interpreted my words that way. :o"

"Your tantrums are unacceptable. :angry:"

]]>10Mon, 31 Jan 2005 23:57:57 +0000The Lingohttp://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?/topic/9-the-lingo/Before you begin your intellectual adventures at the XXX forum, you should become familiar with several concepts (additional information provided by NetLingo):

  • Forum—a meeting and announcement system for carrying on discussions, uploading and downloading files, and generally obtaining online information and services; an online collection of user-created content organized by subject.
  • Post—an individual, public message created by a user and stored in a thread.
  • Thread—a chain of postings on a single subject.

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