[GUIDE] Posting

[QueenB]

There are a number of different ways to make a post in response to a thread.

Different methods of posting:

QUICK REPLY
POST REPLY
QUOTE
MULTI-QUOTE
(EDIT)

To make it clear which 'button' on the forums does what, I've taken a screen shot and marked the relevant button/feature with the color of the feature as above:

[Only registered users can see links. ]


a) QUICK REPLY

To post using quick reply simply click the quick reply button which is the button circled in pink on the picture above. Click it and it will take you to the quick reply message editor (box that is outlined in pink above). Once you open up the quick reply message editor:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

To make your post simply type in your message in the blank area of the editor box (use editing features as you wish - take a look around the message editor to get a feel for it. I've posted a small guide at the end of this guide to help) and click POST QUICK REPLY. Your post will be made.



b) POST REPLY

You can also use POST REPLY to post in a thread. This method takes you to a more advanced message editor.To do this simply click the POST REPLY button which is circled in yellow on the first picture. This will take you to this advanced message editor:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

To make your post simply type in your message in the blank area of the editor box (again, use editing features as you wish - take a look around the message editor to get a feel for it) and click SUBMIT REPLY and your post will be made. Alternatively, you can click PREVIEW POST first for a preview of the post you made (then click SUBMIT REPLY when you are happy with your post).



c) QUOTE

You may wish to quote a single post (respond directly to one comment/post) that someone else has made. In this case you need to click the QUOTE button which is circled in orange on the first picture. This will take you to the message editor - please note that you need to press the QUOTE button that is next to the post that you wish to quote:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

As you can see, the post that you wish to quote is already posted in the message editor and you can go ahead and type your response under it, click SUBMIT REPLY and then, your post will be made.


d) MULTI-QUOTE

You may wish to quote more than one post (respond directly to multiple comments/posts) that someone else has made. In this case you need to click the MULTI-QUOTE button which is circled in green on the first picture. You need to click the MULTI-QUOTE button which is next to the post you wish to quote and on each of the posts you wish to quote. You then need to click POST REPLY (yellow in first pic). This will take you to the message editor:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

As you can see, the posts that you wish to quote are already posted in the message editor and you can go ahead and type your responses to them either under each quoted post or at the bottom underneath all the quoted posts then, click SUBMIT REPLY and your post will be made.


e) EDIT

If you make a mistake in your post or if you wish to go back to your post at any time and make changes to it you need to click the EDIT button which is shown circled in purple on the first picture. This will take you to the editing message editor:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

Here you can edit your original post. If you wish to give a reason for editing then you can do that by typing your reason in the "Reason For Editing" box Once you've finished editing, click SAVE and the changes will be made to your original post.


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Finally, I thought it might be useful for new members to have a quick run through of what the main features of the message editor are:

[Only registered users can see links. ]

RED BLOCK - This is where you change certain text features. From left to right the individual buttons do the following: Make your text BOLD (B), Puts your text into italic form (I) and underlines the selected text (U).

YELLOW BLOCK - This is where you can change the size (number) and color of your font (A). When posting, please don't post in huge colored letter - use these features sparingly as they can make your post hard to read.

ORANGE BLOCK - This is where you add smilies to your post. Click on the smiley of your choice and it should be added to the post automatically.

PINK BLOCK - This is where you insert a link into your post (please be aware of forum rules regarding linking to other sites).

GREEN BLOCK - This is where you add images to your post. Click on the image button and enter the URL (where the image is hosted/stored online eg: imageshack) of the image in the text box that pops up.






I hope that helps for anyone that isnt used to vBulletin forums, if you need more help post here or pm me.