You've managed to become a RingMaster now we must mold you into a Master of your Forum. Forums are optional accessories that may be useful to your WebRing. Not everyone will have a reason to create and maintain a Forum, but others may find a Forum to be a perfect companion to their WebRing.
If you encounter any problems with or develop questions about your Forum at any time, please document them in the Member Resources & Technical Support Forum.
Once you decide you want to try starting a Forum, you must first create the Forum.
Now come all the options....choice, choices, choices! Let's discuss your Forum Management Toolbar, located at the top of the Forum.
- Active Messages
This allows you to view up to 25 accepted messages (from newest to oldest) in full and delete selected messages.
- Pending Messages
This allows you to view up to 25 messages awaiting approval (from oldest to newest) and approve or deny them
- Manage Members
This allows you to view up to 25 active members (from newest to oldest) and delete selected members.
- New Applications
This allows you to view up to 25 members awaiting approval (from oldest to newest) and approve or deny them
- Email Forum Members
This allows you to email members in the same manner as the Email Ring Members selection does, by group or en masse.
- Invite Others
This also works like the Ring Invitation email and allows you to invite people to join you in the Forum.
- Global Settings
This page gives you many options, including:
- Describe Your Forum - 800 characters worth of space to place a description on the Forum Hub page
- Helpers - Enter USER IDs, separated only by commas (no spaces) of members you trust to handle pending and active message monitoring. In moderated post forums, helper posts will post directly.
- Listing - Select whether your Forum should be promoted pubically or kept private
- Post Visibility - Designate whether posts can be viewed by anyone looking around the Forum or only to approved members.
- Who can participate - concerns who can post in your Forum
- Anyone
- Any person who happens upon your Forum, whether logged into a User ID or not, whether holding membership in that Forum or not (as shown at WebRing General Discussion)
- WebRing Members
- Any person logged into a WebRing User ID (as shown at Member Resources & Technical Support (HELP))
- Forum Members
- Any person who has been approved to hold membership in that Forum (as shown at WebRing Managers)
- Manager/Helpers
- Only yourself and those you designate as Helpers
- Who can approve - Concerns approval of pending posts in a moderated Forum
- Anyone
- Posts do not require approval and are posted immediately (as shown at WebRing (General Discussion))
- Members
- Posts can be approved by anyone already on the membership list of that Forum
- Manager/Helpers
- Posts can only be approved by the Manager and designated Helpers (as shown at Member Resources & Technical Support (HELP))
- Join Settings
This page gives you many options, including:
- Announcement Email - Select whether you wish to be notified when someone is awaiting approval to join your Forum
- Open/Closed - Designate whether the Forum is open to applicants or if membership is by invitation only
- Application Instructions - Anything you want known before the applicant joins the Forum
- Application Email - Customize what is sent to them via email just after submitting an application to join your Forum
- Permanent Posts
This page gives you many options, including:
- Show Messages on Ring Hub - Designate what to show, if anything, in the left column of the RING Hub with regards to your Forum. You can show up to three specified 'permanent' messages, the three most recent posts, or nothing at all. You can also customize the header preceeding the selected posts.
This page gives you many options, including:
- Show Messages on Forum Hub - You can choose whether or not to display permanent messages in the left column of the FORUM Hub. You can also customize the header preceeding the selected posts (as shown at Member Resources & Technical Support (HELP)).
- Permanent Posts - Select the posts to be considered "permanent", by post #.
- Delete Forum
Using this link instead of simply toggling OFF the Forum in your Global Settings will then purge the Forum from members' My Forums page
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