How to use Forumosa.com

Sometimes, the decisions or actions by our moderators and administrators may seem odd, harsh, or lackadasical. More likely, we may (sincerely) forget that - as a new member - you would not be familiar with 'the way things are done around here'. What seems blindingly obvious to me, may be quirky and not intuitive to you.

I hope the following notes help save you from feeling that 'the powers that be' don't like you. They probably will like you, especially if you take the time to review this Guide.

Forumosa is a free discussion forum focused on Taiwan. Although it is essentially a website, Forumosa has grown into a real, living community of residents, Taiwanese, Taiwanphiles and their friends.

This Guide is meant to help make your Forumosa experience a positive one.

Please suggest changes and improvements to this guide by writing to admin@forumosa.com

Forumosa.com today uses the phpBB 2 discussion board. More information about using phpBB 2 (and how to set up your own discussion forum) is found at www.phpbb.com

You can learn more about website online at the FAQ: forumosa.com/taiwan/faq.php or simply click Q&A at the upper right corner of the forums

A quick graphical guide to the posting form
How to make a new post
How to read the Printer Friendly versions of pages
How to use the short-cut keys
How to use the site map
How to send a PM
How to search effectively
How to build your favorites list
How to recommend a post for Classic Post status
How to change your flag
In topic threads, Forumosans have pictures below their names. How do I get one?
How do I post a link within a page?
How do I link to a specific post instead of a thread?
How do I add an image to a post?
How do I make longer URL links appear short and spiffy, e.g., like Forumosa instead of http://www.forumosa.com?
Can I post anything I want?
Can I start my own topic?
How do I start my own topic?
What are Emoticons?
What do I do if I see someone being rude or breaking the rules?
What does IGSIG mean?
And what is SEESIG?
Can I discuss sexual topics on Forumosa?
Can I post entire articles?
What is SQUEAL?
May I post a personals ad, job or employee wanted, or advertisement for my business?
Why does it say Ink Still Wet in Passport below my name? How do I change that?
How do I edit or delete a post?
How do I get a web address to become an active link?
How do I quote someone and have it appear in a neat white box?
What if the material I'm quoting is from another website?
What are Administrators?
What are Moderators?
Is there anything else I should know

A quick graphical guide to the posting form

Thank you for putting this together, Ironman!

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How to make a new post

Posting on Forumosa is a lot like writing an e-mail message. There is a subject line at the top, and a large writing area in the middle. At the bottom of the form are Preview and Submit buttons.

In between the subject line and the writing area are a set of formatting buttons ¡V cryptically known as 'bbcode'. These buttons will help you format your message you can bold, italicize and underline text ¡V and much more. But you can also live without them, and type the codes directly in the message. Try them out and see what what effect they have on your message by hitting the Preview button.

You can also see there are Emoticons. These are part of a special set of bbcode. Click on the face you want and you will instantly include it in your message.

Above the Preview and Submit buttons are the Calendar section and the Add a Poll section. The Calendar section is useful if you want to link your message to a specific date ¡V then, it will appear in the Forum calendar. The Poll section will be explained in another section.

You can ignore both of these sections when you post on the forums

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How to read the Printer Friendly versions of pages

How to use the short-cut keys

How to use the site map

How to send a PM

How to search effectively

How to build your favorites list

How to recommend a post for Classic Post status

How to change your flag

In topic threads, Forumosans have pictures below their names. How do I get one?

These pictures are called 'avatars'. Here's what you need to do:

First, make sure your chosen picture is not pornographic (like this) or otherwise objectionable. We also have a size limit of 150x150 pixels - the width in particular will be strictly enforced, since widths over 150 pixels stretch the margins of the forums.
- Your avatar must already be publicly available on the web somewhere - we do not permit you to host it on Forumosa. Make sure you know its URL (web address) so you can link it in.
- If you are not sure of the size and it's already online, in Windows, right-click on the file, and go to Properties, then look for the file size. If it's dimensions are too big, edit it in one of many image management software programs such as IrFanView, which you can download for free. While still in Properties, you can copy the URL (web address) of your chosen picture.
In your profile (Member Center, at the top right of every page), scroll down to the avatar control panel, and paste the URL under 'Link to off-site Avatar'. Note that if the webpage you took the picture from is not your own, the owner of the site and image may object to your 'hotlinking' to the picture. For bandwidth or copyright reasons, they may block this link, leaving you with a broken link icon instead

You are safer uploading your picture in your own webspace or on a picture hosting website like Flickr or ImageShack (these are free). On these sites, you can upload as follows. After you have uploaded them, follow step 2 above.

ImageShack.com: click Browse, find the file on your computer and click Host It!. Then copy the 'Direct Link' URL, which you may have to access via 'Get Links'.
Flickr: click Upload Photos, Browse, UPLOAD, then Save. The next page shows your uploaded pic. Right-click on it, go to Properties at the bottom, and this will open a window with the URL address near the middle. Select that URL address. OMIT ANYTHING WHICH FOLLOWS THE .JPG OR OTHER EXTENSION.

How do I post a link within a page?

To link to a web page, including the page for a Forumosa thread, open in a separate browser window the web page you want to link to, and simply copy the URL (web address) for the page from your browser's Address or URL window. Paste this in the appropriate location within your post. Then select (highlight) exactly the URL you've just posted, and click the far right URL button which appears below the Subject line window and above the main text window. This should bracket your URL in [url] and [/url] (like bookends). If this fails, you may instead type these bookends manually. Hit Preview to see if it worked.

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How do I link to a specific post instead of a thread?

This is similar to linking to a thread, except that once you open the Forumosa thread as a separate browser window, you must click on the small white rectangle to the right of the user name and to the left of the 'Posted: date'. This will seem to refresh the page, but the result is that the browser URL will become specific to the post in question rather than the whole thread. Copy the post's URL, and paste it and bracket it within [url] and [/url] as above.

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How do I add an image to a post?

To post an image, you need to find it on the web or upload it to the web first, for example via ImageShack.com or Flickr (which are free). You'll then copy and paste the uploaded pic's web address (URL) into your Forumosa post, highlight the pasted URL, and click the 'Img' button below the Subject line window (2nd from right). This should bracket your pic's address in [img] and [/img], like bookends. If that fails, you may instead type these bookends manually.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Pornographic (like this), sexually explicit pictures (like this), and pictures depicting graphic violence, including cartoons, are strictly prohibited on Forumosa, and can be cause for banning.
Please exercise caution when posting pictures, as other viewers may open the page at work or in the presence of sensitive company. Be sure to use obvious NSFW (not safe for work) labels and/or emoticons, including in the subject line if appropriate, when posting such material.
Please do not post overly wide pictures, as these disrupt the text on the page, forcing subsequent readers to use the horizontal scroll bar when reading each line of text in other posts on the page. Overly wide pictures may be removed at the moderators' discretion.

How do I make longer URL links appear short and spiffy, e.g., like Forumosa instead of http://www.forumosa.com?

Type this code: [url=RealAddress]VisibleLink[/url], pasting the web address (URL) and inserting the word(s) you wish the link to appear as.

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Can I post anything I want?

No, you cannot! Civility and respect are required of members of the Forumosa community. Bigotry, personal attacks, and advocating illegal activities are prohibited. Do not divulge personal information about other posters, something we call 'Outing'. Please check the rules for guidance - but here's a tip - if you aren't sure you should post something, consider this a clue that it's probably better not to post it. This may make for less interesting reading for the rest of us, so we are counting on your judgement here. If there is something controversial you want to discuss, be sensitive to those who might be offended by acknowledging their concerns in your post. Choose to help make Forumosa the best that it can be

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Can I start my own topic?

Before you do, please be sure to use the Search function to check whether the topic has already been posted, and attach your comments to an existing thread wherever possible.

If you are simply 'bumping up' a topic from the distant past to the top of the forum list, and not adding any new question or insight to the topic, you might be accused of 'gravedigging', which is against the rules. PM the moderators or email admin @ forumosa.com for guidance about this if you are confused

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How do I start my own topic?

First, do a Search to see if an appropriate topic already exists. Look carefully at the various forums to decide which would be the most appropriate for your topic. Please do not post the same thing in more than one forum - this is considered 'spamming' and moderators may remove your topic, or even warn you of misusing the website.

Once you have determined the best location, click 'NEW TOPIC' to begin the process. Think of an appropriate and descriptive title to pique the interest of other Forumosans. Don't forget that moderators may rename your topic at their discretion

Examples of ineffective titles include: 'Help me!', 'I'm stuck!', 'Don't know what to do!',

These are better titles: 'Help me! My language school won't refund my tuition', 'I'm stuck! My software won't display Chinese characters', etc.

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What are Emoticons?

Emoticons are small graphical imagess that you insert in posts to add flavor, and express, well, emotions . Emoticons should be considered the spice and not the substance of posts. Posts that consist mainly or exclusively of emoticons will probably be moved to the Temporary Forum or deleted outright.

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What do I do if I see someone being rude or breaking the rules?

If you see something that is against the rules, PM the moderator of the forum in question, or hit the SQUEAL button to alert the admins.

Responding in kind tends to escalate the situation, and won't make you feel any better. If you find someone to be consistently irritating, but who conducts themselves within the scope of our rules, consider using the 'Ignore' button so you can easily avoid reading what they post.

Avoid being a 'back seat moderator', that is, citing the rules to fellow Forumosans within the topic threads. We want you to be familiar with the rules, and to notify us when you see something amiss. You'll behelping the moderators keep things in order. If you are particularly adept at doing this, these moderators may recommend you to the admins as potential moderators in the future.

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What does IGSIG mean?

IGSIG stands for IGNORE SIGNATURES AND AVATARS - when you press it, the avatar and signature of that particular Forumosan disappear when you are logged in. After you click on it, you are returned to the beginning of the topic you were looking at

On the posts of Forumosans you IGSIG, the link changes to SEESIG, so you can easily undo this effect

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And what is SEESIG?

SEESIG is the opposite of IGSIG (above) - you will only see it on the posts of Forumosans whose signatures and avatars you are already ignoring. Click it to undo this effect

It is also a popular 'pica-pica' found in the beer gardens of the Philippines - pork ears and face sizzled with garlic and chili peppers (completely irresistable with a San Miguel Pale Pilsen)

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Can I discuss sexual topics on Forumosa?

Yes, but please exercise an appropriate level of maturity and sensitivity. Many of us check the website while we are at work or from our family computer. Do not post sexually explicit images or messages (PM those to me instead - just joking)

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Can I post entire articles?

Please avoid posting whole articles - link to them instead. Limit quotes to one paragraph in length, or less, if possible. Try to quote only the the text that is directly relevant to the topic at hand. If you quote an entire article from a source that is under copyright, and we are asked to remove it, we are obligated to edit your post.

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What is SQUEAL?

SQUEAL is a convenient way for you to contact the administrators when you see something objectionable on Forumosa, such as personal attacks, bigotry or pornography (like this). Please try to be as specific about the problem as you can - cite the rule that is broken, or explain what you see is wrong. This helps us speed up our judgement.

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May I post a personals ad, job or employee wanted, or advertisement for my business?

Yes, but not in the forums - we have a special area for classified ads. It's called Taiwanted.com and you can follow the tab at the upper left of the screen to get there. Banner advertising can also be arranged by contacting admin @ forumosa.com and reviewing the How To guide. If you place a small advertisement in your signature, please limit the signature (including the image) to no more than the height of six lines of regular sized text. In other words, if you place a horizontal banner there instead of a signature, it should not exceed 468 wide x 60 pixels high.

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Why does it say Ink Still Wet in Passport below my name? How do I change that?

Below each name is an automatically generated rank, based on your number of posts. These are just for fun, and no, you cannot change it manually. The administrators also use this rank to identify themselves and to indicate who are suspended from the forums

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How do I edit or delete a post?

If you have just made a post and change your mind before anyone answers to it, you may click the EDIT link, and replace your post with 'please delete'. However, note that once someone else has replied, it is strictly against the rules to edit a post in such a way as to render subsequent posts meaningless. Posts in the Temporary forum may not be edited.

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How do I get a web address to become an active link?

Paste the URL (web address), then highlight it (being careful not to include any leading or trailing spaces), and click the URL button which is just above the message posting window. This will bracket your URL like this:

[url]webaddress[/url]

Alternately, you may type this code manually.

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How do I quote someone and have it appear in a neat white box?

Go to the post you want to quote from
Click the QUOTE link there. This will open a reply window, including a quotation of the entire text from that post
Please delete any irrelevant parts (those which you do not need to quote)
Add your reply, and submit your post

What if the material I'm quoting is from another website?

Copy and paste the quoted material, then highlight it and hit the Quote button above the message window. This will bracket your URL like this:

[quote]quoted material here[/quote]

Alternately, you may type this code manually.

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What are Administrators?

Administrators control all facets of the forum's operations, including setting user permissions, suspending Forumosans, creating usergroups, and elevating Forumosans into moderators. They have full moderator capabilities in all the forums. If you wish to change your username or have a complaint about a moderator's actions, send a PM to an administrator (usually Maoman). Suggestions, as well as complaints and concerns about Forumosa, should be discussed in the Feedback Forum

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What are Moderators?

Moderators are volunteers who look after the upkeep of the forums from day-to-day. They are appointed by the administrators, and have the power to edit or remove posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forums they moderate. Generally moderators are here to keep topics orderly and react against abusive posting or offensive material. If you have any questions about a moderator's decision, send them a PM (private message). Remember that they already do a lot for our website, so please respect the time they can give to Forumosa

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Is there anything else I should know

Further Q&A can be found via the Q&A link at the upper right hand corner of the forums

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