Message (request) to Moderator(s)

[Paul Bulpit]

In the V9 section of the forum there is a 'Sticky' about searching before asking daft questions - could this be copied (amended) and stickied in the V10 section please?

Otherwise we'll get back into that situation of a few years ago....

None of the regulars bothered to answer "Images in the sidebar" until a newish member took pity four days later.

This post is not intended to provoke discussion.

Paul

[Duncan Rounding]

Good point Paul.
I've copied the New User post into v10. If you can think of anything more to add to it please let me know.

[Paul Bulpit]

Suggested re-write:

I have removed the link to the vBulletin search page as the Google Search is better (?), and changed the KB link to the current location.


Before Posting a New Thread, Please Read This First....

Getting The Most Out Of The Actinic Community

Please remember that Community members are business people who give their expertise and time freely, but they are not a substitute for your own basic research on simple & common issues. BEFORE you ask a question, please make sure you have looked at the available sources of help that already exist:

• The Getting Started Guide that comes with Actinic - available via 'Help | Starter Guide'.
• The main help file in the program - available via 'Help | Help Topics' - and the [How Do I?] buttons;
• The Knowledge Base, where many common issues are documented;
  
• The Advanced User Guide* - a useful collection of tips and tricks
• Searching the Community (see below) - the issue may have been discussed before.

If you do not receive a reply to your Thread, it is probably because the answer is easily found in one of the above areas.

Members welcome the opportunity to discuss new issues and enjoy developing solutions to assist you. These solutions often lead to other members implementing improvements to their own websites.

In the unlikely event that no member is able to assist, after a few days your question should be spotted by an Actinic staffer. Should your issue be beyond the scope of the Community, a member will advise that you should register an email support query at http://www.actinic.co.uk/support/register.htm


Searching the Community

When searching the Community, try a variety of search terms - for example, if you have a question about search engine optimisation, don't just search for 'Google' - try searching for "search engines" or 'SEO'. Linking common words into a phrase with "inverted commas" will find only that phrase and not references to 'inverted' and 'commas' separately.

The [Search Community] button at the top of each page is very powerful, or you can use the smaller 'Search' link beneath it to search specific areas of this forum.


Asking a Question

To ask a new question, click the 'New Thread' button at the top of the list of questions in the relevant Forum.

Please give your question a descriptive title e.g. 'My products stretch too far across the page' rather than 'Help Me Please'. This will enable others to find the issue raised when they search for the same problem later.

When asking a question, please ensure that you include the following:

• If it's a layout or design issue, or odd behaviour on your site, please include a URL that shows the problem.
• If it's a problem with Actinic not uploading, please include your settings from the 'Network Setup' screen. You can get these easily by clicking the 'Export' button. Please make sure you remove your FTP username and password from the post though!
• If something strange is happening within your copy of Actinic then please include a screenshot that shows the problem. You can take a screenshot by pressing the 'PrtScn' button on your keyboard and then pasting it into a graphics program, or Microsoft Word. Then use the 'Manage Attachments' button to add it to your thread.

If you don't want to leave your URL/Network Settings on the thread forever, then you can click the 'Edit' button to remove them once the problem is solved.

* Advanced User Guides, basic User Guides, previous software versions and more can be found in the Actinic Downloads area.

[Paul Bulpit]

'New Thread' page

Currently:

[Submit] [Preview]
Before you post, please check:
Have you looked in the Actinic help ('Help | Help Topics') in the software?
Have you tried searching for an answer?
Are you definitely posting in the correct forum?
Have you mentioned the version of Actinic you are using (from 'Help | About')?
Have you provided a URL?

Amended:

Before you submit this new thread, please check:
Have you read the 'Before Posting a New Thread, Please Read This First' sticky?
Have you tried searching the Community as your question may have been asked before?
Have you read your User Guide ('Getting Started'), and the Advanced User Guide? Have you tried the 'Help' button in the software?
Have you used a title relevant to the issue & provided sufficient information (and a URL) to explain clearly?
Are you posting in the correct forum for the software version/topic?
[Confirm and Submit] [Preview Post]

[Duncan Rounding]

...

Before Posting a New Thread, Please Read This First........

I have incorporated amny of your comments into the new sticky.

The New Thread page is more in the depths of the forum software and will take a little more effort.

[Paul Bulpit]

Don't do it just for me - it was only a suggestion!

[Duncan Rounding]

There's no harm in making things clearer - regardless of who suggests it. I'd welcome comments from others too...