Community Participation

• How does the Community Forum work?
• What is my role in the Community?
• What is my responsibility in the Community?

Registration and Logging In

• Why should I register?
• What can I do if I don't register?
• How do I register?
• How do I log in?
• How do I get back a lost password?

Browsing and Searching

• How are the message boards organized?
• How do I browse for information?
• How do I search for information?

Personalization

• How do I change the icon next to my name?
• How do I create a signature for my posts?
• How do I tell other users about me?
• What is my Friends List and how do I add users to it?
• How do I set my Forum viewing preferences?

Posting Messages

• How do I post a message?
• How do I reply to a message?
• What is a "thread?"
• How do I use macros?

Advanced Board Usage

• How do I use bookmarks?
• How do I use subscriptions?
• How do I use the dashboard?

Community Participation

How does the Community Forum work?

The Community Forum provides a place for customers to discuss support topics and learn. At its heart are the message boards, where members post questions and answers.

Guests (un-registered visitors) may browse or search the boards for information. Registered members can post messages, track discussions, and get email notifications on new posting activity.

What is my role in the Community?

You are essential to the Community. By posting questions and sharing answers, not only do you contribute to a unique, customer-built knowledgebase, but you also become part of a virtual support network extending across literally hundreds of thousands of potential users.

We encourage you visit often and participate. Come with your toughest issues- chances are, someone has a solution or can point you in the right direction. If you find a solution that works, let others know, and pass along your own tips and insights- you just may have the answer someone else has been seeking!

Please remember to thank fellow users who have assisted you. Show your appreciation by rating helpful messages, posting thank you replies, or sending positive feedback to Forum management.

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What is my responsibility in the Community?

We want the Community Forum to be appropriate, friendly, informative, and fun for all users. The Community Forum Terms of Service sets forth Rules and Guidelines so that you know what is expected of you, and what you can expect from other participants, when using the Forum.

Registration and Logging In

Why should I register?

Registration allows you to fully participate in the Community Forum. If you register, you'll be able to:

• Post new messages
• Post responses to existing messages
• Receive e-mail notification when someone responds to a specified post or thread
• Exchange Private Messages with other members
• Personalize your experience on the boards.

What can I do if I don't register?

Even if you don't register, you can still browse and read Forum messages as a "guest". You just can't interact with the other members or personalize the way boards are displayed.

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How do I register on the Forums?

To register, just click the Register link. The Registration page will be displayed.

On the registration page

1. Once you have created a SymAccount, please select a Screen Name. Your screen name is your Forum identity. It appears whenever you post to the message boards or send private messages. Most members create anonymous names for privacy: it helps them feel more comfortable participating. Be creative, have fun with it, but choose carefully- your screen name cannot be changed once registration is complete.

How do I log in?

Once you've registered and confirmed your registration, you can log into the boards and begin personalizing your experience.

1. At the top of any Forum page, click Login and enter your SymAccount user ID and password.

If you forgot your password, click the link at the bottom to have it sent to your e-mail address.

How do I get back a lost password?

If you've forgotten your password, you can have the system send it to your e-mail address.

1. Click "login."
2. Click the "forgot your password" link.
   You'll be taken to a screen that will ask for your e-mail address. The login and password associated with that e-mail address will be sent to the given e-mail address.

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Browsing and Searching

How are the message boards organized?

The community is divided up into different categories which are based on broad topics. Each category contains boards which get more specific about the topic or subject. Find the category and message board title that best describes your question or comment.

How do I browse for information?

Many users like to get started by exploring the message boards. Choose a category that best fits your topic. Next, look over the list of boards, find one whose title pertains to your question or comment then click on its title. Take some time to read ones that look promising by clicking the message title, or subject. You can use the Previous/Next buttons to browse to other pages and messages.

Use the Jump To a Message Board pulldown menu to go directly to boards in any category of the Forum. (This menu is found near the top of most Forum pages.) If you can't find what you need by browsing, use the Search Forum tool, as described below.

How do I search for information?

To search the Forum, type keywords for your topic into the Search Forum text box and click the search icon. (This text box is found near the bottom of most pages.) A page of search results will be displayed. Browse the search results in the same manner you would a message board.

To perform a more in-depth search, click the Advanced link found on the left side of most Forum pages. This search allows you to limit your query to a specific board, specific parts of the message (subject vs. body) and other advanced parameters.

You can also search for Forum members by clicking the Users tab on any search results page and using the search options on this page.

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Personalization

How do I change the icon next to my name?

How do I change the icon next to my name?
The icon (also known as an avatar) is a way to personalize your user name a bit. You'll get one as a default, but you can change it to something you like better.

1. Login to the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Icons tab.
   A list of available icon categories will be displayed on the left side. When you click on a category, the icons in that category will display on the right.
4. Click on any icon to use it as yours. Your current icon always shows up at the top of the icons page.

How do I create a signature for my posts?

Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of every message you post to the boards.

1. Login to the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click on the Personal Profile tab.
4. On the Personal Profile tab, fill in the text you want for you signature in the Signature field.
   If the administrator allows it, you'll be able to use HTML in your signature. If not, you won't.
5. Click Save Changes.

How do I tell other users about me?

How do I tell other users about me?

1. Login to the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Personal Profile tab.
4. Find the Personal Profile section and fill in any fields you want to share.
   By default, any information you type in this section is shown to everyone. However, you can limit display to only members on your Friends List by choosing the Friends Only option in the Profile Privacy section at the bottom of the Preferences tab.

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What is my Friends List and how do I add users to it?

Your Friends List has three functions in the Forum:
If you have entered personal information on your Personal Profile page, and if you have checked the Friends Only option for Profile Privacy on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see your personal information.

Similarly, if you have checked the Friends Only option for Online Status on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see when you are online or not.

When you send a message in the Private Messenger, all your friends will appear in a dropdown menu that you can select from. You can then send one of them a message without having to type their user name into the Send to field.

How do I set my Forum viewing preferences?

There are a number of display preferences you can set for your Forum experience. These are described in the table below. To modify:

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Preferences tab.
4. Make any changes you wish, as described in the table below.
5. Click Save Changes.

Posting Messages

How do I post a message?

Go to the board you want to post on, and click the New Message link near the top of the message list.

On the Post Message page, you will see a Subject area and a Body area.

1. In the first field, the Subject field, type a title for you message.
   This is the only part of the message that shows up on the message listing page, so try to make it something that will be clear and concise. Use keywords about your topic.
2. In the second field, the Body field, type your message. Put details about your topic here. If you are posting on a technical topic, it is helpful to include all pertinent information regarding your inquiry in the body.
3. You can use the controls to change the fonts, colors, and other aspects of your message. You can add smiley faces using the smiley menu. And you can format the text at the character or paragraph level. Note: the message editing controls are only available in Internet Explorer, version 5.5 or later.
4. If you want, you can click Check Spelling to look for misspelled words, or you can click Preview Post to see what your post will look like on the boards. Note: the spell checking and preview features are only available in Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
5. When you are happy with your message, click the Submit Post button.
   Your message will be added to board and everyone else on the board will be able to read it.

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How do I reply to a message?

Use the Reply button in a message to write a response to a particular post. You'll see a screen similar to the Post Message screen. There are a few differences:

When you reply to a post, the subject line will be filled in for you automatically. You can change it if you want.

You can use the Quote Post button to paste the message to which you are replying into the body of your reply.

Also, when you post a message as a reply, it will be added to the existing thread. It won't create a new thread.

What is a "thread?"

When one or more people reply to a particular message, a "thread" is created. A thread is a series of posts that go together. If you've ever heard of someone "following the thread of a conversation," you get the idea.

If you post a new message, then that starts a new thread. If you reply to an existing message, then that message becomes part of the original message's thread.

How do I use macros?

The Macros feature allows you to create boilerplate text that you can paste into any message with the click of a mouse.

Note: macros are only available in Internet Explorer, version 5.5 or later.

To set up a macro:

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Macros tab.
   Fields for entering up to nine (9) macros will be displayed.
4. In the Macro 1 Title field, enter a short title for your first macro.
   The title should be short because it will show up in a pulldown menu. Make sure it is distinctive enough that you will remember which title belongs with which macro.
5. In the Macro 1 field, enter the text you want to be able to paste. If your boards allow HTML, you can use HTML tags in the field.
6. Enter any other macros you wish.
7. Click Save Changes.
   Your macros will be saved to your profile in the database.

Note: If there is particular text that you wish to appear at the bottom of every message you post, put the text in a signature instead of a macro.

To use a macro

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Navigate to a board where you want to post a message.
3. Click New Message.
   (Or, you can reply to an existing message by opening that message and clicking the Reply button.
4. Once the post message window has loaded, you will see a Macros menu.
5. Click in the Body field where you want to paste your text.
   If the text is short, you could also paste it in the Subject field.
6. Click on the Macro menu to open it.
7. Select the macro you wish to paste.
   The text of your macro will paste where you have your cursor.
8. Type any other text you wish in the message body.
9. Click Submit Post.

Note: If there is particular text that you wish to appear at the bottom of every message you post, put the text in a signature instead of a macro

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Advanced Board Usage

How do I use bookmarks?

Bookmarks allow you to list boards, threads, and individual messages on a special page so you can easily find them again.

To Favorite a board:

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Go to the board you want to bookmark.
3. Open the Board Options menu and click Add this Board to my bookmarks.

To add a thread or message to your bookmarks:

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Open the message you want to bookmark.
3. Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread/Message to my bookmarks

To view your bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab.
To delete any of your Bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab. Place a checkmark in the bookmark you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

How do I use subscriptions?

If you add a board, thread, or message to your subscriptions, the system will send you an e-mail every time someone posts to the board, or replies to the message or thread.

To add a board to your Subscriptions

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Go to the board to which you want to subscribe.
3. Open the Board Options menu and click Add board to my subscriptions.

Add a message to your Subscriptions

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Open the message to which you want to subscribe to.
3. Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread to my subscriptions or Add this Message to my subscriptions.

To view or delete your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscriptions tab.

To delete any of your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscription tab. Place a checkmark in the subscription you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

How do I use the dashboard?

Your Dashboard is a little window that displays a lot of information. It is launched when you click your bolded screen name (link) that appears near the top of most Forum pages. The Dashboard displays:

• Your current icon.
  Click on it to choose anther one.
• Your current statistics.
• A link to the Web Instant Messenger.
  Click the envelope to launch the Instant Messenger and reply to your messages.
• Your Subscriptions and bookmarks, including recent activity.
  Click on a Subscription or bookmark to see what's new in those areas.
• Quick links to Search, Chat, your Profile, and other things.