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ForumsThe Stellar Forum tool is a discussion board that facilitates online discussions. Online discussion boards can serve as an effective technology tool that can enhance the teaching learning process. When a new Stellar site is created the Forum tool is automatically made available.
How do I access Forums?Forum is a Stellar tool. To access a Forum, log into the Stellar site and click on the Forum link on the left hand navigation bar. Can I create separate Forums for sections?Yes. If you would like this enabled, please contact stellar-support@mit.edu. I was just added to a Stellar site but I am denied access to my site's Forum.The permission propagation from Stellar to the Forum tool could take up to five hours. If you are unable to get access within a day, contact stellar-support@mit.edu. I am denied access to my section ForumPermissions to the section Forum is controlled by the Stellar Section Membership. The permission propagation from Stellar to the Forum tool could take up to five hours. Thus, if you were just added to a section it could take up to five hours to get access. If you are unable to get access within a day, contact stellar-support@mit.edu.
How do I change my settings?If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the board database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link can usually be found at the top of board pages. This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences. How do I prevent my user name from appearing in the online user listings?Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences” tab, you will find the option /Hide my online status/. If you set this option to Yes, your user name will only appear to Forum administrators, moderators and yourself. The times are not correct!It is possible the time displayed is from a time zone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your time zone to match your particular area. Please note that changing the time zone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are not registered, this is a good time to do so. I changed the time zone and the time is still wrong!If you are sure you have set the time zone correctly but the time is still incorrect, then the time stored on the server clock may be incorrect. Please notify an administrator to correct the problem.
How do I post a topic in a forum?To post a new topic in a forum, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can post a message. A list of your permissions in each forum is available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens. Example: You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. How do I edit or delete a post?Unless you are a board administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post, sometimes for only a limited time after the post was made. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own discretion. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied. How do I add a signature to my post?To add a signature to a post you must first create one via your User Control Panel. Once created, you can check the /Attach a signature/ box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio button in your profile. If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form. How do I create a poll?When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes. Why can’t I add more poll options?If you feel you need to add more options to your poll than the allowed amount, contact stellar-support@mit.edu. How do I edit or delete a poll?As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll. What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?This allows you to save passages to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved passage, visit the User Control Panel. Why does my post need to be approved?The board administrator may have decided that posts in the forum you are posting to require review before submission. It is also possible that the administrator has placed you in a group of users whose posts require review before submission. Please contact stellar-support@mit.edu for further details. How do I bump my topic?By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can “bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then topic bumping may be disabled or the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be sure to follow the board rules when doing so.
What is BBCode?BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. The use ofBBCode is granted by the administrator, but it can also be disabled on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guidewhich can be accessed from the posting page. Can I use HTML?No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead. What are Smilies?Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. Can I post images?Wiki Markup | Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif ]. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode {code}[img]{code} tag. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are global announcements? Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are announcements? Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are sticky topics? Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the board administrator. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are locked topics? Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You may also be able to lock your own topics depending on the permissions you are granted by the board administrator. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are topic icons? Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the board administrator. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. User Levels and Groups {bgcolor} h5. What are Administrators? Administrators are members assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board. These members can control all facets of board operation, including setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc., dependent upon the board founder and what permissions he or she has given the other administrators. They may also have full moderator capabilities in all forums, depending on the settings put forth by the board founder. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. What are Moderators? Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. Private Messaging {bgcolor} h5. I cannot send private messages! The board administrator may have prevented you from sending messages. Contact [mailto:stellar-support@mit.edu] for further information. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. I keep getting unwanted private messages! You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, inform [mailto:stellar-support@mit.edu] they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. I have received spam or abusive e-mail from someone on this board! We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so e-mail [mailto:stellar-support@mit.edu] with a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail. The stellar staff will take action. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. Friends and Foes {bgcolor} h5. What are my Friends and Foes lists? You can use these lists to organize other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How can I add/remove users to my Friends or Foes list? You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. Searching the Forums {bgcolor} h5. How can I search a forum or forums? Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advance Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum. How to access the search may depend on the style used. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. Why does my search return no results? Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed by the Forum. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. Why does my search return a blank page? Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How do I search for members? Visit to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How can I find my own posts and topics? Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks {bgcolor} h5. What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing? Bookmarking in the Forum tool is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred method or methods. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics? To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic” link within the topic itself. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How do I remove my subscriptions? To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA} h3. Attachments {bgcolor} h5. What attachments are allowed on this board? Most common file formats including jpgs, doc, ppt and others are allowed. If you are having an issue with an attachment please send email to stellar-support@mit.edu [Back to Top|#Access Issues] h5. How do I find all my attachments? To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section. [Back to Top|#Access Issues] {bgcolor:#E6E6FA}"img" tag. What are global announcements?Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator. What are announcements?Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator. What are sticky topics?Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the board administrator. What are locked topics?Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You may also be able to lock your own topics depending on the permissions you are granted by the board administrator. What are topic icons?Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the board administrator.
What are Administrators?Administrators are members assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board. These members can control all facets of board operation, including setting permissions, banning users, creating user groups or moderators, etc., dependent upon the board founder and what permissions he or she has given the other administrators. They may also have full moderator capabilities in all forums, depending on the settings put forth by the board founder. What are Moderators?Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
I cannot send private messages!The board administrator may have prevented you from sending messages. Contact stellar-support@mit.edu for further information. I keep getting unwanted private messages!You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, inform stellar-support@mit.edu and ask to have the user blocked from sending private messages. I have received spam or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so e-mail stellar-support@mit.edu with a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail. The stellar staff will take action.
What are my Friends and Foes lists?You can use these lists to organize other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default. How can I add/remove users to my Friends or Foes list?You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.
How can I search a forum or forums?Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advanced Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum. How to access the search may depend on the style used. Why does my search return no results?Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed by the Forum. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search. Why does my search return a blank page?Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched. How do I search for members?Visit to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link. How can I find my own posts and topics?Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?Bookmarking in the Forum tool is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred method or methods. How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic” link within the topic itself. How do I remove my subscriptions?To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.
What attachments are allowed on this board?Most common file formats including jpgs, doc, ppt and others are allowed. If you are having an issue with an attachment please contact stellar-support@mit.edu. How do I find all my attachments?To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.
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