Registering
Registration is only required if you plan to post new topics or reply to exisiting topics. Registration is free, and you are not required to post your real name. You are required to post your actual email address, however. At this time, you will be assigned a different password from your Auction password. We are working on integrating these two functions and appreciate your patience while we work out the kinks.

Smilies
You've probably seen others use smilies before in email messages or other bulletin board posts. Smilies are keyboard characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile :) or a frown :(. This bulletin board automatically converts certain smilies to a graphical representation. For example, if you type :o in your BB post, it will automatically be converted to - a shameful face. The following smilies are currently supported:

:)	smile
:(	frown
:o	embarrassment
:D	big grin
;)	wink

Using HTML and/or UBB Code
You may be able to use HTML and/or UBB Code in your posts, if your adminitrators and moderators have those options turned on for each forum. Some forums may have either HTML or UBB Code turned off, or both turned off. Only your bulletin board's leaders can set this. Every time you post a new note, you will be told whether UBB Code and/or HTML is enabled for that particular forum. If HTML is on, you may use any HTML tags, but please be very careful that you proper HTML syntax. If you do not, your moderator or administrator may have to edit your post. UBB Code is similar to HTML, but offers just a few basic functions, such as hyperlinking, image display, bolding and italizaizing. A complete list of current UBB Codes are listed here.

Moderators
Moderators control individual forums. They can edit, delete, or prune any posts in their forums. If you have a question about a partuclar forum, you should direct it to your forum moderator.

Changing Your Profile
You may easily change any info stored in your registration profile, using the "profile" link located near the top of each page. Simply identify yourself by typing your username and password and all of your profile information will appear on screen. You may change any items, except your username.

Customizing Using Preferences
As a registered bulletin board user, you may store your username and password in memory for up to one year at a time. This will prvent you from having to type your username and password every time ou post a note. You also have the option of changing the default number of days back to view topics. Just click on the "prefs" link and you can make either of these settings.

Cookies
This bulletin board uses cookies to store the following information: the last time you logged in, your username and password, and your preferred "topic view", if you set it in preferences. These cookies are stored on your browser. No cookies are used to track your movement or perform any other function other than enhance your use of the bulletin board. If your browser does not support cookies, or you have not enabled cookies on your browser, many of these time-saving features will not work properly.

Editing Your Posts
You may edit your own posts at any time. Just go to the thread where the post to be edited is located and yo will see an edit icon on the line that begins "posted on..." Click on this icon and edit the post. No one else can edit your post, except for the forum moderator or the bulletin board administrator. A note is generated at the bottom of each post that is edited so that every one knows when a post has been edited.

Adding Signatures
You may use a signature (commonly used in email meesages) on your posts. This is a new feature, so if you registered previously, you may not have been queried about storing a signature, but if you click on the profile link at the top of most bulletin board pages, you will be able to edit your profile, including your standard signature. Once you have a signature stored, you can choose to include it any post you make by checking the "include signature" box when you create your post. This bulletin board's administrator may elect to turn the signature feature off at any time, however. If that is the case, the "include signature" option will not appear when you post a note, even if you have stored a signature. You may also change your signature at any time by changing your profile.

Note: You may not use HTML in your signature file, but you may use UBB Code (except for the UBB Code Image tage).

Attaching Files
For security reasons, you may not attach files to any posts. You may cut and paste text into your post, however, or use HTML and/or UBB Code (if enabled) to provide hyperlinks to outside documents.

Searching For Specific Posts
You may search for specific posts based on a word or words found in the posts, user name, date, and particular forum(s). Just click on the "search" link at the top of most pages. Note: announcements are not included in the search returns.

Announcements
Announcements are one-way communications from either a forum moderator or a bulletin board administrator. No one may post replies to these announcements. If you want to talk about specific announcements, you will have to create a new topic in the appropriate forum.

Censoring Posts
The bulletin board administrators have the power to censor certain words that may be posted. This censoring is not an exact science, however, so certain words may be censored out of context. Please realize that the censoring, if any censoring is being performed, is being done by a computer based on the words that are being screened. Words that are censored are replaced with asterisks.

Lost User Name and/or Password
Retrieving your username and password is simple, assuming that email features are turned on for this bulletin board. All of the pages that require you to identify yourself with your username and password carry a "lost password" link that you can use to have your username and password emailed instantly to your email address of record.