On the Internet, discussion forums, also known as discussion boards, and online forums, are the social media meeting places. Briefly, they are online bulletin boards where people with similar interests can discuss different topics. It is a powerful tool that can enhance communication and the exchange of knowledge between you and other members of MAARC. Let us go through a brief introduction on how to use this tool.
The main Forum page displays a list of the available discussion Topics under the Forums tab. These all have sub-topics. A Topic is a place where a topic or a group of related topics are discussed. The Members tab lists all the club members and their Forum activity. The Recent Posts tab lists all the recent Posts. You can edit your own profile on the My Profile tab. Take a quick glance at the Main Forum Page to better understand its structure.
Access to the forum is limited to MAARC Members, providing access to features such as definable avatar images. Members can read and make their own Topics and Post comments to existing Topics. To do so, Click on the Forum and Sub-Forum area of interest so that you can read the Topics and Posts under it, and make Posts of your own on each open Topic, or even open a new Topic. Click the Recent Posts tab to see what folks are talking about on the Forum.
Within each Forum there is a list of posted Topics (each Topic is the first Post subject) and within each Topic a list of Posts (besides the first Post you will see all reply Posts). To enter a Topic and view respective responses, click on the Topic name. Also, you can create a new Topic by clicking on the “Add topic” button. You can comment on a Post by typing your reply in the “Leave a reply” text box and clicking on the “Add Reply” button. Once you have accessed a Forum and its Topics, you can reply to anyone who has posted to that Topic. You can also subscribe to a topic by checking the “Subscribe to this topic” box. You will get an email to verify your desire to monitor that topic, and be notified via email of updates.
To create a new Topic, go to the specific Forum/Sub Forum you want. Click “Add topic” button to open the Topic page. Once on the page:
a) Type your Topic Title. The text entered in this field will appear as the name of the topic.
b) Type your message.
c) Attach a file if desired. A photo for example.
d) Check the “Subscribe to this topic” check box if desired
e) Click “Add topic”.
Note: Topics and Posts you create can be edited. Look for the control below and to the right of your Topic/Post.
To reply to a Post, click the Post to which you want to reply.
a) Type your reply in the “Leave a reply” text box.
b) Include attachments if desired.
c) Check the “Subscribe to this topic” checkbox if desired.
d) Click “Add Reply”.