Tips on how to use the Grannynet Forum
Forums provide a great place to meet like-minded and interesting people who are currently going through what you are going through - being a grandparent! A forum is constantly live so you can catch up whenever you want to and you can contribute as little or as much as you like to some really interesting discussions.
So to get you using the forum as seamlessly as possible, we thought a few tips would prove to be useful. As with all grannynet areas, please let us know if you think you can add any pointers by going to the let us know area in the using this site section. There is also an FAQ section on the forum, which has a search function so you can go there for information too. Happy chatting!
- Registering
Before you start using the grannynet forum, you will need to enter a few details on the grannynet website in the Members area. Then when you have done that you will be directed to the members benefits page. You can get to the forum from there by clicking on the "Go to the forum" on the left hand side of the page. You then need to "register" which is highlighted in purple. You will need to choose a user name, you don't have to use your real name, but make it something you will remember, and remember to keep your password safe. You can choose to use the same username and password as you did to become a grannynet member.
You will then be given the option of receiving emails from administrators and other members. We suggest that you definitely tick the first box so that we can keep you up-to-date on any grannynet news! - Your profile
If you have time it would be great to get a few more details about you into your profile. The forum is all about getting to know people who are in a similar situation to you, so it is always good to let them know what your hobbies and interests are. Also, we will be sending you occasional emails with tailored offers that would be of interest to you, so the more we know, the more we can help. - The structure of a forum
At the top of the forum heirarchy is the main category. An example of this would be the "Grannynet awards" category. These are created by the administrator (that is us!), but you can always leave suggestions on the "let us know" area of the "using this site" section if you want to suggest new categories. Next is the forum itself. This is the more specific area of the category, this is also suggested by the administrator, but as with the category, you can suggest new ones whenever you like! The next level is the thread, then the post. - What is a thread?
A thread is a conversation. These are sorted into different categories that go with the structure of the grannynet website. So all you need to do to create a new thread (i.e. start a conversation) is to go to the forum that covers your topic, then select "New thread". You can also join in a conversation by going to a forum, then clicking on an existing thread that interests you, these will be in purple and underlined. You then post a reply. - What is a post?
A post is your part of the conversation, a comment if you like. - Knowing where you are
You can see where you are in the forum by looking at the top light purple bar. If you get lost, just click on Forums and you will return to the main page you need to be on. Below this is the top menu (darker purple). Here you can see some of the most important areas of the forum. The User CP stands for User Control Panel. This is where you can edit things like your username, password and profile. You will also see 'subscribed threads' here. If you post a new thread, or reply to an existing thread, you can choose to be notified by email when someone else replies to that thread. You can also choose to receive email notifications of new posts in a thread without posting in that thread, by clicking the 'Subscribe to this thread' link displayed in the thread page.
Sometimes you may just want to see who is "out there", you can do this by clicking on the Members lists area. You can also ask frequently asked questions in the FAQ area and search the forum for anything of interest to you using the Search function.