Help: CF "Did You Know?"

[Angie]

We will try and do a different "Did You Know?" topic for all things CycloneFanatic in this forum frequently. Let us know if there are any topics about which you have questions, etc.!

Our first topic will be the New Posts link. Do you ever get sick of sifting through the forums to try and find new posts, or want to see more than the Front Page shows?

On the userbar at the top of the screen you will see New Posts. Selecting this link will allow you to see a list of all threads in which there has been a new post since your last time viewing it. Use this link in lieu of the front page or forum list to quickly access hot-topic threads.

You can also start viewing a thread with the first unread post. In your forum list, the front page, or the New Posts screen, there is a green down arrow to the left of the thread name. Click on this to go to YOUR first unread post in that thread.

 

[Angie]

Yesterday we learned about using the "New Posts" and "Go to First New Post" features to streamline your viewing of threads. Here are a couple more tips to expedite your reading.

CycloneFanatic is set by default to show the oldest posts in a thread at the beginning, while later pages will be newer posts. By the time you get to the most recent post, you are at the bottom of your browser... so you have to scroll all of the way up to get back to the New Posts button (or to your desired method for getting to unread threads). Instead, simply click the Top button in the very lower right-hand corner of your CF page to jump to the top of the screen.

You can also set CF to show you the newest posts at the beginning of a thread (in reverse order of how it shows by default). To do this, go to UserCP in the upper left-hand corner of your screen. Select Edit Options in your Control Panel bar. You can set your Thread Display Mode from Linear - Oldest First (the default) to Linear - Newest First. You can also select Threaded or Hybrid viewing modes.

 

[Angie]

By default, CF will display 15 posts per page. You can increase or decrease this number to meet your needs. In the upper left-hand corner of your CF browser screen, click User CP. Select Edit Options from the bar at left. In the Thread Display Options section, you can change your Number of Posts to Display Per Page.

In this same panel, you can also choose to hide images to shrink the amount of room each post takes up per page. Simply uncheck Show Signatures, Show Avatars, and/or Show Images.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and Save Changes after making any changes.

 

[Angie]

Many of our members of CF know each other, or are friends on the site. You can see when your "buddies" are online by adding them to your Buddy List.

You can add a member to your Buddy List a few different ways. One way is by going to their profile page and clicking Befriend [username]. You will be asked additionally if you would like a friend request sent to that user - make sure the box is checked off, and click Yes.

You can also click on a user's name when you see it in a thread and click Add [username] To Your Contacts. You will be asked again if you want to also send that person a friend request - check that box, and click Yes.

All users who are on your Buddy List will now show on the left-hand side of your screen in the Buddy List when they are online. You can also see a list of all of your "buddies" by going to your profile page.

 

[Angie]

The user profile page contains all kinds of information about a user:

• You can see pictures they've uploaded to the CF Gallery in the Gallery Submission section.
• Mini-Statistics will display birthday (if the user chooses to show it), join date, and number of posts.
• Albums will display any photo albums a user has created.
• You can see to what groups a user belongs by looking in their Group Memberships section.

There is also a paneled section, which includes the Visitor Messages wall. You can view all of a user's messages left by users in this section. You can click on the About Me section to view any personal details shared by that user. On the Statistics tab, you can view all threads or posts by a user. The Friends tab will list all users listed as "buddies" of that user, and the Contact Info tab will allow you to private message a user or leave them a note.

 

[Angie]

We reviewed yesterday how to view the user profile, including the Visitor Messages.

It is very easy to leave a visitor message for another user - simply view their profile (either click on their name in a thread and choose View Profile from the drop-down list or view their name in the Members area). If they allow messages, a box will show up with "Message" and standard font/size editing features. You can simply click in that box and type your message, then hit Post Message to submit your message.

If you have received a visitor message, CF will inform you of this in your Notifications in the upper-right of your screen. You can hit the drop-down and view visitor messages.

It is easy to reply to a visitor message, as well. You can either go to their user profile and leave a message, or simply click View Conversation under the message that they left you. You will be able to view the history of your conversation, and can type in the Message box at the top of the screen - anything entered here will be posted in their Visitor Messages.

 

[Angie]

CycloneFanatic is primarily funded through private donations by its members. You can easily donate by clicking the Donate button in your menu bar at the top left of your browser window - simply select Donate Now from the drop-down list. You will now see this screen:

Select your amount of payment and the goal. You can select to donate either via PayPal or Google.

You can also select the My Donations option to keep track of all of your donations to the site. All donations in the past year or so will show in here.

Sponsors will receive a special user tag under their name when posting.

 

[Angie]

Oftentimes you will want to refer to one previous post when you are replying in a thread. To do so, click the Quote button in the lower right-hand corner of their original post. This will take you to the Advanced Posting screen, where their post will show inside of quote boxes.

You may also need to refer to several members' posts when replying. To do this, click the Multi-Quote This Message button (shown below) on each of the posts to which you'd like to reply:

Then, click Post Reply at the bottom of the thread in the lower left (next to to "New Thread"). The Advanced Posting screen will appear showing all of your quoted posts.

 

[Angie]

Private messages are a fast way for CF users to communicate with each other.

There are several ways to send a Private Message:

• If you are in a thread and see the name of a user to whom you would like to send a PM, click on their name and select Send a Private Message to [username].
• Go to a user's Profile page and click Send Message under their username. Again select Send a Private Message to [username].
• If a user is on your Buddy List, click the PM button off to the right of their name.

 

[Angie]

Yesterday we went over two of the more common ways to send a private message to another user through CycloneFanatic.

You can also use the AutoFill feature to send a message quickly. First click the Private Messages link in the upper right-hand corner of your CF screen. Select Send New Message from the Private Messages section at left (in Your Control Panel). You can now type the name of the user to whom you wish to send a message in the Recipient Username(s) box. You will notice that, as you type in the user's name, CF will provide you a list of all members whose username begins with those letters. As you fill in more of their name, your list will narrow. You can then highlight your desired username to save time.

The PM box looks much like an advanced posting box, allowing smilies, font editing, and more. There are additional Miscellaneous Options at the bottom of the screen:

• You can request that a user sends you a Read Receipt when they read your PM.
• As server space only allows for board members to have a finite number of PM's, it is often useful not to save a copy of this message in your Sent Items folder. Uncheck this box to not save a copy.
• You may elect to show your signature at the bottom of your PM.
• Links are automatically parsed in your text - uncheck this to have the entire URL show.
• You can also select to disable smilies in text.

You can opt to Preview Message, or click Submit Message to send it.

 

[Angie]

We've learned how to send private messages over the last several days, but how can you tell if you've received a private message?

One easy way to tell if you have received a private message is that the user notification in the upper right-hand corner of your CF screen will turn yellow, and the link normally reading Private Messages will now say Your Notifications. Click the dropdown to the left of your number of notifications, and select Unread Private Messages from the list (as shown below).

There are additional ways you can be notified when you receive a private message. Go to your User CP in the upper left, and select Edit Options from the list. There are many options under the Private Messaging area:

• You can elect to enable private messaging, or uncheck it to disable messages.
• You may select to receive private messages only from your contacts or moderators.
• If you would like to be e-mailed at your registration address every time you receive a Private Message (a feature I personally use), you can check off to receive e-mail notification of new private messages.
• You can also have a pop-up box show when you refresh your screen after receiving a private message by selecting to show new private message notification pop-up. Turn this off if you find this intrusive.

Make sure to scroll down and save your changes!

 

[Angie]

So, now you can send a PM and read it. How do you store and organize your saved messages?

CF makes this very easy by allowing you to create folders in which you can store your messages. To create folders, click the Private Messages link in your upper right. Your Control Panel will be displayed at left. Select Edit Folders under the Private Messages section, as shown below.

You will initially be given three folders to name. After you have entered names for these folders and clicked Save Folders, returning to the Edit Folders option will allow you to enter three new folders, and so on.

To move private messages into a folder, go to your Private Message link in the upper left to view all of your Private Messages. Click in the checkbox to the left of the PM you'd like to store, and then scroll to the bottom right of your CF screen. Make sure that the Selected Messages box is set to Move to Folder... and click Go. At the next screen, you can indicate to which folder you wish to move your messages, and then click Move Items.

 

[Angie]

If your private messages are of a personal or important nature for some reason, you may want to track when they are read by the recipient.

We reviewed in Pt. 2 of the Private Messaging series how to request a Read Receipt when you send a private message. There are two different ways you can track when that receipt is sent back. Both start by clicking the Private Messages link in the upper right.

The first method appears in the Private Messages section of Your Control Panel at left - you can select Track Messages to view all messages you are currently tracking.

You can also simply look at your Folder Controls at the top of your inbox, as shown in the first picture below. This will tell you how many of your tracked messages have been confirmed (0 have been confirmed of 1 outstanding tracked messages, in our example). This link is clickable, so it takes you to the same screen that the above step is (shown in the second picture below).

The confirmation screen will list all messages being tracked, and will indicate whether a message has been tracked or not, as shown below. You can click to the left of the message tracker and delete it when you no longer wish to track it.

 

[Angie]

Did you know that you can hover over the folder icon to the left of any thread listed to see if you've posted in that thread?

If you see the icon shown below (a folder with a little circle in it), it indicates that you have posted in a thread. Hovering over that icon will tell you how many times you have posted in that thread, and the date of the last post.

 

[Angie]

Did you know that people who have you listed on their Buddy List show you as active for 15 minutes after you close out of your CF browser window?

 

[Angie]

I'll try and provide a help topic to which everyone has access today!

There are times when a poster crosses the line in his or her posting, violates site rules, posts spam, and more. Moderators try to read every post on the site, but sometimes do not catch everything.

To bring these posts to our attention more quickly, we encourage posters to report questionable posts. These posts are then brought up for review by moderators.

To report a post, look in the lower left-hand corner of a post. As shown below, one of the options is a red X. If you click on this button next to the questionable, a box will appear in which you can type your issue with that post. Type your desired text, and submit the report.

 

[Angie]

Do you ever wonder on what all you have betted?

To see all of your open and previous bets, click the CyBookie linkon the Cyclone Fanatic toolbar. Across the top of the next screen, you will see an option for Your Bets. A list of all events on which you have betted will appear. Items with a number in the Amount Won (whether it's a 0 or a credit amount) have been settled. Items still waiting to be settled will have a hyphen (-) next to them.

 

[Angie]

Cyclone Fanatic currently has over 6000 registered users (this does not factor in visitors to the site who view without registering). The Members List is a good way to view all members, and to find a certain member.

To view the Members List, click the Members link at the top of your page. You will now be presented with an alphabetical list of all CF users. You can click the individual letters of the alphabet (listed across the top of the screen) to jump to that part of the alphabet.

You may also sort some of the columns. By single-clicking on the Posts heading, for example, it will list users organized in descending order by number of posts. Join Date, Credits, and Reputation work similarly. Click a heading again to put it in reverse order.

 

[Angie]

When you start a new thread on Cyclone Fanatic, you can elect to add a poll to it.

First create your new thread using the New Thread button in your desired forum. Type in the text of your first post. Before clicking Submit New Thread, scroll down to the Post a Poll section (as shown below). Check off the option Yes, post a poll with this thread. If you know how many poll options you will have, you can indicate that at this time. Submit your thread, and then you can add your poll options.

Some useful tips:

• You will not be able to add your poll until after you have submitted the thread. Conversely, you will not see a poll added to a thread until the original poster is done adding his or her poll.
• If you are the one who started a thread, you can add a poll after the fact by going to Thread Tools and selecting to Add a Poll to this Thread.
• You can earn credits by voting in polls.

 

[Angie]

We've decided to make the CF "Did You Know?" topics weekly.

There have been several requests lately to block another user's posts. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do.

In the upper left-hand corner of your CF screen, click User CP. In the Your Control Panel bar, select Edit Ignore List under Settings & Options. You can now type in the name of the user you'd like to block, and click Okay.

CF will now hide all posts by that user. It is important to note that, if another user quotes the blocked user's text, it will still show on your screen.