| British Expat Magazine | British Expat World | British Expat Forum | British Expat Country Forum | British Expat Editor's Blog | British Expat Property | British Expat Shop | British Expat Newsletter | British Expat eCards |
 |
||
 |
BritishExpat Forum |
|
|
| Online advice, discussion and fun on British Expat! | |
||
|
|
||
| British Expat Forum | |||
Please note: this forum is for postings of general interest. For postings on country-specific matters, please visit the British Expat Forum - In-Country Experts Please also note that we have dedicated fora for the following countries:  Australia Forum  Bulgaria Forum  Canada Forum  France Forum India Forum  Malta Forum  New Zealand Forum  Spain Forum |
|||
|
|||
| Please READ OUR POSTING GUIDELINES before posting anywhere! (Postings which breach our guidelines may be edited, locked or deleted without explanation) |
|||
FAQ
Search
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in| British Expat Forum Index |
| Login and Registration Issues |
| Why can't I log in? Have you registered? Seriously, you must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the forum? (A message will be displayed if you have.) If so, you should contact the webmaster or forum administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. Usually this is the problem; if not, contact the forum administrator. Back to top |
 |
| Why do I need to register at all? You need to register in order to post messages (though not to read them). Registration will also give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing to fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so. Back to top |
|
| Why do I get logged off automatically? If you do not tick the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the forum will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, tick the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the forum from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc. Back to top |
|
| How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings? In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to forum administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user. Back to top |
|
| I've lost my password! Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time. Back to top |
|
| I registered but cannot log in! First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then try contacting the forum administrator. Back to top |
|
| I registered in the past but cannot log in any more! The most likely reasons for this are: you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the latter case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for fora to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions. Back to top |
|
| User Preferences and settings |
| How do I change my settings? All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile link (generally shown at the top of pages but this may not be the case). This will allow you to change all your settings. Back to top |
|
| The times are not correct! The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. So if you are not registered, this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun! Back to top |
|
| I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong! If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight saving time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The forum is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time. Back to top |
|
| Why can't I show an image below my username? We've chosen not to have them - they make the boards look a mess. Back to top |
|
| How do I acquire a rank? In general you can't. The only distinctive ranks we have are Site Admin and Spammer. Only Site Admins qualify for the first, and we're sure you don't want the second conferred on you! Back to top |
|
| Posting Issues |
| How do I post a topic on a board? Easy -- click the relevant button on either the board or topic screens. You need to register before you can post a message. The facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the board and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list) Back to top |
|
| How do I edit or delete a post? Unless you are a Site admin or board moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. However, if someone has already replied to the post, you won't be able to edit it any longer. If moderators or administrators edit the post they will generally leave a message saying what they altered and why. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied. Back to top |
|
| How do I add a signature to my post? To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add 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 box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form. Back to top |
|
| How do I create a poll? Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the forum administrator Back to top |
|
| How do I edit or delete a poll? As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or forum administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll Back to top |
|
| Why can't I access a board? Some boards may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorisation which only the board moderator and forum administrator can grant, so you should contact them. Back to top |
|
| Why can't I vote in polls? Only registered users can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights. Back to top |
|
| Formatting and Topic Types |
| What is BBCode? BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator. You can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page. Back to top |
|
| Can I use HTML? No. This is a safety feature to prevent people from abusing the forum by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems. Back to top |
|
| What are Smileys? Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether. Back to top |
|
| Can I post Images? Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility for uploading images directly to this forum. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag. Back to top |
|
| What are Announcements? Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the board on which they are posted. Whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions required, which are set by the administrator. Back to top |
|
| What are Sticky topics? Sticky topics appear below any announcements in the board view and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements the forum administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics on each board. Back to top |
|
| What are Locked topics? Locked topics are set this way by either the board moderator or forum administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons. Back to top |
|
| User Levels |
| What are Administrators? Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire forum. These people can control all facets of forum operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the boards. Back to top |
|
| What are Moderators? Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the boards from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material. Back to top |
|
| Private Messaging |
| I cannot send private messages! There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, you haven't been active on the fora for long enough to qualify for PM privileges, or the forum administrator has prevented you individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why. Back to top |
|
| I keep getting unwanted private messages! In the future we will be adding an ignore list to the private messaging system. For now, though, if you keep receiving unwanted private messages from someone, inform the forum administrator -- they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages at all. Back to top |
|
| I have received a spamming or abusive PM from someone on this forum! We are sorry to hear that. You should contact the forum administrator with a full copy of the PM you received. They can then take action. Back to top |
|
| phpBB 2 Issues |
| Who wrote this forum program? This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyrighted phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed; see link for more details Back to top |
|
| Why isn't X feature available? This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Group. If you believe a feature needs to be added then please visit the phpbb.com website and see what the phpBB Group has to say. Please do not post feature requests to the forum at phpbb.com, as the Group uses sourceforge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for features and then follow the procedure given there. Back to top |
|
| Whom do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this forum? You should contact the administrator of this forum. If you cannot find who that is, you should first contact one of the forum moderators and ask them who you should in turn contact. If still get no response you should contact the owner of the domain (do a whois lookup) or, if this is running on a free service (e.g. yahoo, free.fr, f2s.com, etc.), the management or abuse department of that service. Please note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this forum is used. It is absolutely pointless contacting phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpbb.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all. Back to top |
|
| All times are GMT |
All information, postings etc are copyright of British Expat Ltd © 2000-2010 or of the original author,
and may not be reproduced elsewhere without written permission of the copyright holder.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
