Discussion board Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Here is a brief explanation of some of the questions you may have about the discussion board.

• How do I post a message?
• How do I post a follow up message?
• What do I have to do to enable E-Mail response to my messages?
• How do I subscribe to the E-Mail notification of all new messages?
• How do I search for messages?
• How do I set my preferred viewing preferences?
• Why is there a "NEW" before some of the messages?
• What is the "Top 10" link for?
• How do I request a message to be removed from the board?
• How do I delete a message I posted?
• Can I use HTML tags anywhere in my posts?
• Why are there colons in the message section when I try post a followup?
• Why didn't my post show up?
• Why has my message been removed?

How do I post a message?

• On the front screen click on Post message. This will take you to the message form.

The following fields must be filled in for the message to be posted.

• Name
• Subject title (This will be displayed as the title on the message board).
• Message contents

The other fields can also be filled in and will do the following: -

• E-Mail Address - This will provide a link in the message to your personal E-Mail address. If you selected to have E-Mail notification of responses, the notification will be sent to this address.
• Optional Link URL - This will provide a link in your message to a suggested Web Site.
• Link Title - A description of the Optional Link URL
• Optional Image URL - This will provide a link in your message to a suggested Image.
• Password - If at a later date you wish to delete your message you will be required to enter the password.

When you are ready to send the message.

• Click on the preview message button to view your message before you post it.
• Click on the post message button to post your message.

Your message has now been posted and will appear on the message board when you return to the index. If it does not, click the REFRESH button on your browser. Please do not repost it, as it will appear twice.

How do I post a follow up message?

• Select from the message board the message you wish to reply to by clicking on the Subject name.
• When the message appears click on Post a follow up. - This will take you to the message form. The subject box will already be filled in. All you have to do is fill in the other required fields (as indicated above) including your message.
• Click on the preview button to view your message before posting.
• Click on the post button to post your message.

Your Follow up message has now been posted and will appear on the message board when you return to the index. If it does not, click the REFRESH button on your browser. Please do not repost it, as it will appear twice.

What do I have to do to enable E-Mail response to my messages?

There are two things you need to do: -

1. Enter your email address in the E-Mail address field when you post a message.
2. Ensure the "E-Mail notification" tick box is ticked.

How do I subscribe to the E-Mail notification of all new messages?

1. On the links along the top and bottom of the main index page click on the link "(Un)Subscribe"
2. When the new page appears enter your E-Mail address and select whether to add or remove your address from the subscription list.
3. Click the Send Address button.

How do I search for messages?

1. On the links along the top and bottom of the main index page click on the link "Search"
2. When the new page appears you can enter your search preferences. You can search on:
   1. Messages that contain certain words in the title.
   2. Messages posted by a particular person.
   3. You can search on for messages that have been posted during the last Twelve hours, Day, Two days, Week, Two weeks, Month, or search All messages.

How do I set my preferred viewing preferences?

1. On the links along the top and bottom of the main index page click on the link "Set Preferences"
2. When the new page appears you can enter your viewing preferences.You can view
   1. All messages posted within the last Twelve hours, Day, Two days, Week, Two weeks, Month, or All messages.
   2. You can view the messages in various ways; select your preferred method. A description of the view is described on the Preferences page. The default view is "By Threads Reversed"

Your settings will be saved if your Browser allows cookies.

Why is there a "NEW" before some of the messages?

This only works if your browser supports "Cookies"

Your cookie records your last visit to the message board so when you come back you will be told when you were last here and how many new messages have been posted since. All new messages will be marked by "NEW"

You will not see the "NEW" indication if you have subscribed to E-Mail notification of all messages.

What is the "Top 10" link for?

Click on this to see the top 10 prolific posters to the message board

How do I request a message to be removed from the board?

• Send an email to boardmaster@differentstrokes.co.uk with the following information:
  • The Subject title of the message
  • Your Name
  • Your E-Mail address


• Upon receipt of this information, if we agree the message should be removed we will remove it and send an E-Mail to tell you of its removal.

How do I delete a message I posted?

You can only do this if when you posted the message you entered a password in the password field.

1. Go to the required message to delete.
2. Enter the password and click the "Delete this message" button.

Can I put HTML tags anywhere in my posts?

No. You can not use HTML tags in any field except body of the message. The maintainer of the script has the option of allowing or disallowing any HTML in the Message part of your posting. If they disallow it, the script will just throw out everything in <>'s. If they allow it, your HTML markup will appear in the posting. It can't hurt to try.

Why are there colons in the message when I try to post a followup?

Colons appear in the message dialog box when you try to followup up on a message to indicate that those lines are quoting the previous document. The owner of the message board can decide whether to enable or disable the quoting of previous messages. The Different Strokes message board does not enable this option.

Why didn't my post show up?

Your post most likely did not show up, because your browser did not reload the page, it simply pulled it out of cache. Please reload (Click on REFRESH) your browser and it should then appear.

Why has my message been removed?

The message board provides stroke survivors a medium to share experiences and obtain information regarding Stroke from other stroke survivors; this is a valuable resource for recovery and understanding of Stroke.

In order to keep the message board within the constraints imposed by the technology and as a valuable resource of information to both new and regular visitors, it is important to keep it maintained. As part of the message board maintenance, we may remove all messages that are not stroke-related after a short period, and some messages or threads when the capacity limitations are exceeded.

If you have an issue with the message board, or any other section of the website, that is not answered in the FAQ then please email the Different Strokes head office: - info@differentstrokes.co.uk