Rules and guidelines .... and FAQs

[Admin]

Rules and guidelines

• All users are required to register in order to post; a necessary inconvenience to minimise unwanted content.
• Good natured humour is welcomed but offensive content will be removed - you know where the line is! Repeat offenders will be blocked and their account removed.
• Please use the appropriate Board and obvious Titles for your threads. This may seem an unnecessary request but it's a common problem!
• Check before you start a new thread to avoid duplication and please keep on topic; if you feel you're wandering too far off start a new thread - with an obvious Title!
• Private messaging - it's down to you. If you don't wish to engage, ask the person not to contact you again and/or use the available tools to block them.
• For your own security don't publicise personal information such as your address, phone number, e-mail etc.
• No advertising of goods or services for commercial gain please. If you have Cotton relevant items for sale please contact the Cotton Pickins editor for inclusion in the newsletter and website.
• The Forum is open to owners and enthusiasts and whilst the general intent is to give helpful advice, the Club does not accept responsibility for the outcome of any advice followed.
  
• This forum is moderated by volunteers; time (and knowledge?!) is limited so please help where you can by alerting us to spam, inappropriate content etc. and have a little patience.

    Thank you

How do I register?

1. Select ‘Register’ then enter your e-mail and click ‘Continue’
2. Create/enter a password then verify it
3. Enter your name - this is your real name not a user name
4. Enter your birthday – to receive birthday greetings!
5. Enter your gender and select ‘Continue’
6. Enter a user name – this can be your actual name or a pseudonym if you prefer. Spaces and special characters are not allowed eg. ‘FrankWCotton’ not ‘Frank W. Cotton’
7. Tick the ‘terms and Conditions’ box assuming you’re happy with them
8. Tick ‘I’m not a robot’ and select ‘Submit’ whereupon you will be notified that your registration is pending
9. You will also receive an e-mail to complete your account activation. Click the link in the e-mail to create your account with ProBoards (the forum host). Note, this will not yet complete your registration to the Cotton Forum.
10. Once your application to register on the Cotton Forum has been approved you will be notified by e-mail. This step requires a Cotton Club Forum administrator to accept your application and may take one or two days – please bear with us.
11. Once you have received this e-mail notification you will be able to fully participate in the forum
12. The e-mails will contain links to the Cotton forum but once this process is completed the easiest way to access the forum will be via the menu link in the website: www.cottonowners.club.wordpress.com

How do I read posts?

1. Select and enter the Board – eg. ‘New Members’
2. Select the subject – eg. ‘Welcome to the Forum : Hello from Canada!’

To reply either

1. Enter your text in the ‘Quick reply’ box and pick ‘Post Quick Reply’ or
2. Select ‘Reply’ on the right hand side, enter your text and pick ‘Create Post’

A ‘Quick Reply’ does not allow text formatting, links, attachments etc.

How do I post/start a thread?

1. Select and enter the Board – eg. ‘Pre-War’
2. Select ‘Create Thread’ on the right hand side
3. Enter an appropriate subject title followed by your main text in the area below
4. Pick ‘Create Thread’

How do I insert images into a post?
Via a URL link from an image stored online

1. The image URL can usually be found from the share options when stored on a third party host such as Flickr or you could use a URL generator such as PostImage or ImgBB
2. Pick the ‘Insert image’ icon from the icon bank below the Subject line
3. Paste the image URL and then select ‘Insert image’. You should see a reference to your image in the message area of your post
4. Once your post is made, the image will display directly in your message

To upload an image from your computer

1. Image size is limited to 1Mb; if your file is too big you will not be able to upload it. See ‘How do I resize images?’ to resolve this
2. Pick ‘Add Attachment’ in the top right hand corner of your thread
   
3. In the pop up window select ‘+ Add files …’ and locate the image/s on your computer
   
4. Once the image is uploaded select ‘Insert’ for it to appear inline in your thread whilst creating or select ‘Done’ for the image to appear at the end of your thread when it has been made

Note, if you are replying to a post

1. Select ‘Reply’ in the blue box in the right hand corner. This opens the full editor that enables text formatting, links, attachments etc.
2. You will not be able to insert images if using the ‘Quick Reply’ option

How do I resize images?
Using an online tool

1. The easiest way is to use an online image compression/resize tool such as IMG2GO
   
2. ‘Drag and drop’ or find your file as indicated and ‘Start’
3. Once the image is compressed it will be downloaded to your computer

For Windows

1. Before you start make a copy of your original image file to prevent unwanted changes to it
2. Find the image you want to resize in My Computer/Explorer etc., right click and choose ‘Edit’ from the pop up menu. This will open the image in Paint
3. Select ‘Resize’ from the top menu bar
4. Select ‘Pixels’ and ensure that the ‘Maintain aspect ratio’ box is ticked
5. Enter 600 for the longest edge and select ‘OK’
6. Go the ‘Paint’ menu icon at the top left of the screen next to ‘Home’, select ‘Save’

For Mac

1. Before you start make a copy of your original image file to prevent unwanted changes to it
2. Find the image you want to resize in Finder, right click on the copy and choose ‘Open with’ then ‘Preview’ from the pop up menu
3. Go to the top menu, select ‘Tools’ and ‘Adjust Size’
4. Select ‘Pixels’ next to width/height and ensure that the ‘Scale proportionally’ box is ticked
5. Enter 600 for the longest edge and select ‘OK’

How do I create and assign a cartoon avatar/profile icon?

1. Once you’re logged in, select ‘Profile’ from the top menu
2. Select ‘Edit Profile’ on the right hand side then ‘Avatar’
3. In the ‘Default Avatar’ window select ‘Edit Avatar’ and follow the instructions
4. To the left, pick the ‘Use only your Default Avatar’ then ‘Save Avatar Changes’

How do I create a custom avatar/profile icon?
Most systems have pre-installed software for basic image editing but if yours doesn’t there are many free online options available.
For Windows

1. Before you start make a copy of your original image file to prevent unwanted changes to it
2. Find the image you want to resize in My Computer/Explorer etc. , right click on the copy and choose ‘Edit’ from the pop up menu. This will open the image in Paint
3. Ideally the avatar image needs to be square so go to the ‘Home’ menu at the top left of the screen and pick ‘Select all’ then pick the ‘Crop’ button next to it
4. Click on the image and drag the handles to include the area you want to crop. Keep an eye on the ‘Image size’ at the bottom of the screen and make sure both figures are the same. Pick ‘Crop’ again to complete the crop
5. Select ‘Resize’ from the top menu bar
6. Select ‘Pixels’ and ensure that the ‘Maintain aspect ratio’ box is ticked
7. Enter 150 in either ‘Horizontal’ or ‘Vertical’ and select ‘OK’
8. Go the ‘Paint’ menu icon at the top left of the screen next to ‘Home’ and select ‘Save’

For Mac

1. Before you start make a copy of your original image file to prevent unwanted changes to it
2. Find the image you want to resize in Finder, right click on the copy and choose ‘Open with’ then ‘Preview’ from the pop up menu
3. Ideally the avatar image needs to be square so click on the image and drag the handles to include the area you want to crop. Keep an eye on the ‘Image size’ next to your cursor to make sure both figures are the same
4. Go to the top menu, select ‘Tools’ and ‘Crop’
5. Go to the top menu, select ‘Tools’ and ‘Adjust Size’. Select ‘Pixels’ next to width/height and enter 150 in either and click ‘OK’. As long as ‘Scale proportionally’ is ticked the other dimension will automatically change

How do I assign a custom avatar/profile icon?

1. Once you’re logged in, select ‘Profile’ from the top menu
2. Select ‘Edit Profile’ on the right hand side then ‘Avatar’
3. In the ‘Uploaded/Linked’ window select ‘Upload/Link’ and under ‘Upload’ pick ‘Select Image’
4. Locate your avatar image and it will show in the ‘Uploaded/Linked’ window
5. To the left, pick the ‘Use only the Uploaded/Linked’ then ‘Save Avatar Changes’