Topic: Forum FAQ

[SteveD CB500F]

What is my Member Number?

If you hover your cursor over your name above your avatar, the site index for your membership appears in the Status Bar at the bottom left of your screen. In my case it reads:

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=15

where 15 is my member number.

[Glenn Stauffer]

The ranking and star system is based strictly on the number of posts made to the forums.

Rankings & Stars

This is how it works:
New Member: 0 posts; 1 star
Full Member: 5-100 posts; 2 stars
Enthusiast: 101-250 posts; 2 stars
Hot Shot: 251-750 posts; 3 stars
Expert: 751-1500 posts; 4 stars
Master: 1501-2500 posts; 5 stars
Old Timer: 2501-5000 posts; 6 stars
Really Old Timer: 5001+ posts; 6 stars

[SteveD CB500F]

Posting Pictures

When you post, there is a link called "Additional Options..." to the bottom left of the text box.  Click on this.

Now you can attach a file (usually a .jpg for a picture, but any standard file format can be added to your post) by clicking on the "Browse..." button and selecting the file from your PC.

To add more files, click on "(more attachments)"

Files must be <256kb to upload so please cut those pictures down using a graphics or photo programme.

A maximum of 1024kb or 5 images allowed per upload.


Hosted Image files

There are a few different ways to do this:

If you host you pictures (on photobucket for example), you can insert them into the text field of your post which makes narratives much easier to read. Use the "Insert Hyperlink" button (the one with the globe) and post away!

You can use the "Insert Image" button:

• Post your pictures at a site like photobucket, Picasa Web or any of a number of free sites.
• Go to the site where your pictures are hosted (Photobucket, Picasa Web, etc.), view your picture, hit Right-click on the picture.  Select "Copy Image Location".  The "image location" is now on your clipboard.... (clipboard is that magic, invisible "holder" that allows you to copy and paste).
• Go to your "Post Reply" window.  Once there, click on "insert image" (that's the third icon from the left just above the smiley's).  When you click there, it will put some special characters in your post ( it'll look like this with no spaces and no asterisk: [img ]*[/ img] )  The asterisk is where you put your cursor  (should be there by default) and hit "paste" (CTRL-V, Rt-click - paste, or Edit Menu / Paste)
• Repeat these steps as many times as you want for as many pics as you want to post.  Also note that you might want to create a blank line between your photo posts so as not to "cram" them one after another

Or, if you are more familiar with images and don't want to use the clipboard method:

• Put your curser on the pic and underneath you will see "direct link", "html code" and "IMG" code.
• Left click on "IMG" code and it automatically copies the link, then paste into your thread, you will only see the code in your post until you actually post it, this is the easiest way to do it.

Resizing Images for Upload (Windows XP)

Here's a question that is asked a lot!  Go to Microsoft Downloads and search for "Resize Picture" - It'll be in the "Power Toys" section. I can't post a direct URL as it moves around.  Download the application and anytime you right-click a picture file (or files) it will allow you too resize them.  Easy.


Uploading an Avatar

You need to be in your "Profile"

In the "Modify Profile" box on the left, click on "Forum Profile Information".  Specify a URL location for your avatar picture or upload it from your PC by using the "I will upload my own picture" radio button.  Anything you type in the "Personal Text" box will appear under your avatar.  Avatar pictures must be no larger than 150 x 150 pixels.

While you are there, fill in the rest of your bio - especially your location.

Also fill in your signature - this will appear at the bottom of every post.  Current bikes, past bikes and a link to your gallery are all good. Big pictures are not so good...

Adding www links to your posts

Anything you type that begins with "www." or "http/:" will automatically be converted into a link.

You can also cut and paste links from the address bar of you browser.

To be really cute, you can use HTML text to post a link with a much more descriptive label (as opposed to an eBay address which stretches across the page and means nothing)

Type this:  [ =http://www.ebay.com]THIS[/ ] where   = "url"

Which comes out like THIS:   Cool eh?  (Thanks Gordon for the instructions)


[/list]

[SteveD CB500F]

UPDATE MAY 2008

Glenn wrote:


I just added a new feature to the site that lets you now embed videos without using tags.

To embed a YouTube video, just paste the url http://youtube.com/.... into your message and the video will appear inline.

[SteveD CB500F]

For those of you who keep forgetting!

http://partnerpage.google.com/sohc4.net

[SteveD CB500F]

Here's How to Put Yourself on the Google Members Map

• Go to the Google SOHC Member Map
• Log into Google, which you can do right on the map page. If you don't have your own Google/Gmail account, you can use this account:
      Username: sohc4membermap
      Password: sohc4member
• Find your location on the map
• Click the "Edit" button (found to the left of the map at the top of the member list)
• Locate the "Push Pin" icon at the top of the map
• Drag the icon to where you live
• Add details

.

Tips:

• A fast method to find your location is to enter it in the search box
• Some members have suggested putting your push pin over the center of your town if privacy is desired. If so, simply enter your city and state (or equivalent) in the search box to find it
• You can easily move the push pin or change the details after you place it on the map

[SteveD CB500F]

Glenn wrote this:

This is a tip primarily aimed at those who have recently come over from the mailing list and are looking for a way to stay in touch with the forums through email.  Each of the forums here has an RSS feed - the little orange icon next to the forum name points to the feed url - and the site as a whole has a feed for all of the new messages.

This service - http://www.rssfwd.com - allows you to get the forum messages in your email, both as individual messages and as a daily digest.  I'm testing this service, but the first digest I received looks good.

You can also subscribe to a forum through email, but the email you get just gives the message subject and a link which means you come back here just to see if the message is of interest to you.  Personally, I find it much easier to keep up with things here through the rss feeds.  I subscribe to all of them through Google Reader.

Now, if everyone just subscribes to the feeds, site traffic will go down and the revenue from the Google Ads will drop off as well.  But, there are a lot of people who find forums a bit too time intensive who would have a lot to offer to the conversation if they had a better way to stay in touch.  Hopefully having the ability to connect to the forums from an rss reader like Google's or through email will be of benefit and grow our community.

--Glenn

[SteveD CB500F]

From fang:

If you do not like something in someone's signature , or someone's goofy boobie-shaking or flashy-blinky animated avatars.... or any 'banner ad' or picture anywhere, it is easy take control of your Internets and make them all go away in 10 easy steps.  Why get offended if you can just make it go away? 

Ok.  Here's how to quickly and easily never have to look at another annoying image on the internet (twice) again:

1.  Browse with Firefox (or SeaMonkey 1.1, Flock 1.0, K-Meleon 1.1, Songbird 0.7, eMusic Remote 1.0, Prism 0.9 -- but if you use one of these 'alternative' browsers, you probably don't need my help Cool).

2.  Select and install the following Firefox Add-Ons:
    * Adblock Plus 1.0,
    * Adblock Filterset.G Updater 0.3.1.3,
    * and the fine text element blocker, Adblock Plus: Element Hiding Helper 1.0.5.

3.  After all three are "installed," restart Firefox.

4.  When Firefox restarts you will have a window pop open to set your preferences for the Adblock Filterset.G Updater.  If you live in the USA, then just select the list for people in the USA, save, and close the window.

5.  Like magic, you will automatically have most of your pop-up ads blocked for now on.

6.  Now, to get the pesky ads that slip through, or to block someone's annoying image that you don't want to see (like an avatar or a McCain image in their signature), simply:
  1.  right click on the annoying ad or image
  2.  select  "Adblock Image..."
  3.  select the last of the several options, "Custom."
  4.  then click the "add filter" button at the bottom of the window.
  5.  more advanced users will figure out how change the url so you can block a single image, or a whole series of images/ads from the same source.

7.  If you ever block something that you wish you had not, it is easy to undo it:
  1.  left(normal) click Tools at the top of the page
  2.  select  "Adblock Plus Preferences..."
  3.  under the "My Ad Blocking Rules", usually the first part of the list of blocked sites, simply look for the URL you blocked,
  4.  delete it, and click "OK" at the bottom of the page.

8. That's that.  All the little annoying things that used to really bother you all go away.

9.  But 10 easy steps is much more cool than 7 easy steps, so I need to include some more slipshod syntax here.

10.  There!  Now that really is all you need to do.

peace and grease.
-fang