Help Topics

This page is intended to offer additional help
for posting at FreeConservatives.

Help Topics
Trouble Posting/Trouble Logging In
How do I navigate the forums?
How do I post?
Creating a Link
How do I post an image?
What are the buttons in the posts for?
How do I send a Private Message (PM)?
What else is the User Control Panel used for?
What do LOL, IMHO and other abbreviations mean?
Custom Editing of HTML Code (tags)
How Do I make ©(tm)®¢ etc.?

(more topics are covered on our FAQ page)

(PLEASE NOTE: This site uses different "skins" that change the way pages display
here. As such, the images, colors and icons displayed on your pages may be
somewhat different from those used in the examples on this page. However,
the functionality is the same, regardless of which skin you choose)

Trouble Posting/Trouble Logging In:
This site uses browser cookies. Please insure that your browser is configured to accept cookies. If you are having trouble posting, logging in, or any other type of odd behavior, it's probably a cookie related issue. The best solution is to delete your cookies and try logging in again.

How do I navigate the forums?
1.Every page on this site has a navbar at the top, including the home page. This helps you navigate to the different pages, forums and threads (topics) on the site, including a few functions.

2. Notice that some entries on the navbar have a small arrow to the right. That means there are additional functions that display in a drop-down list when you click those arrows.

3. You may also notice that the drop-down menu for Search has an Advanced Search link. That takes you to a new page where you can enter information to narrow down your search, such as maximum age of posts to search.

4. The site is divided up into numerous forums and sub-forums, which are viewable along with their descriptions on the main Forum List page. Each of the forums and sub-forums are comprised of various topics that are called "threads". The left side of the Forum List page contains the forum names, sub-forum names and a brief description of the main forums.

5. Descriptions of the sub-forums will be visible when you navigate to the respective parent forum. For instance, when you go to the Politics forum, you will see the description of the America's Culture of Death and Elections sub-forums.

6. The right side of the main Forum List page displays the name of the thread in that forum with the most recent post, the username of the member that made the most recent post and the date and time that post was made. There are also some statisctics for the thread such as how many threads are in the forum, number of posts in the forum and the Moderators for this forum. Moderators assist the Administrators of the site by insuring that content and decorum are in compliance with the site policy.

7. The Forum pages aren't much different from the main Forum List page. The left side of the Forum page contains the threads in that forum with the most recent threads at the top, along with the username of the originator of the thread. As you can see here, there are a couple of exceptions to that 'most recent' rule. Some forums have what is called Sticky threads. These are threads that always remain at the top of the forum due to their significance. Sticky threads may be permanent or temporary. Some forums also have announcements at the top. Announcements are temporary, and will disappear after they reach a certain expiration date. Threads with new posts in them that you have not yet read, including new threads you have not yet visited at all, will appear in bold print. These are called unread posts or unread threads, and they are based on the last time you visited the site.

8. Some threads have an image displayed in the column to the left of the thread title. These are Post Icons that are chosen by the originator of the thread when they first create it. Each thread with new posts will have a small image displayed directly to the left of the title, in this case a blue down arrow, that you can use to navigate to the first unread post in that thread. Be aware that the software sometimes gets confused as to which post is the first unread post, so clicking this button may not always reliably take you to it.

How do I post?:
Posting on FreeConservatives is quite simple. There are two methods to do post here. You can either create a new thread of your own, or reply to a topic or another post in an existing thread. At the top and bottom of every forum you will see a "New Thread" button.

That button is used to create a new thread (or topic). Clicking it will bring up the posting window, which looks like this:

Although this page is labeled "Post New Thread", you will find that the posting windows are practically identical for both new threads and replies, except for very minor details. To post a new thread, all you do is enter your text into the white box and click "Submit New Thread" at the bottom of the page. You must enter a "Title" for a new thread. Above the white box are several formatting options, some of which are self explanatory, and some of which are described below. Just keep in mind that any text formatting you do will apply to whatever text you have highlighted, and any inserting you do (such as links or images) will be inserted wherever you cursor is when you click the applicable button. To the right of the white box are some stock "smilies" in a block that we include on the site, such as and . Clicking on any of them will insert those smilies into your post wherever your cursor is located when you click the smilie. Additional smilies are available by clicking the "More" link at the bottom of that block. Underneath the white box are more "smilies" in a larger block. These are "Post Icons" that will appear at the top of your post, along with the title. For new threads, this "Post Icon" will also appear next to your thread on the forum page that lists all the threads in that forum.

Inside each thread you will find the initial post, followed by reply posts from other members (unless no one has replied yet). These threads sometimes span many pages. If there is more than one page, you'll see the page numbers on the right, at the top and bottom of each page.

Just as you saw with new threads on the forum pages, at the top and bottom of every thread page you will see a "Post Reply" button.

The "Reply to Thread" page will come up, and as noted before, it's practically identical to the "Post New Thread" page seen above. You do not need to enter a "Title" for a new post, but you can if you want. "Post Icons" that will appear at the top of your post, just as they do when creating a new thread. One difference with the "Reply to Thread" page that does not show up in the "Post New Thread" page, is that there is an additional link to more smilies. You will find that just below the whit text box, labeled "Warlady's Smilies".

There is also a quicker and easier way to reply to a thread. At the bottom of every thread page you will find a "Quick Reply" window.

This window functions exactly the same as the "Reply to Thread" page, just with fewer formatting functions. It's quicker to use because it doesn't require opening a new page. If you start entering text here, and then decide you need more formatting functions, all you have to do is click the "Go Advanced" button. That will open the "Reply to Thread" page, but it will preserve whatever text you have already entered in the "Quick Reply" window.

Creating a Link
Creating a link is very similar to creating an image. A link must have the entire URL enclosed within the [url] tags. You can enter these tags manually, or you can use the link icon to enter links automatically.

However, using the link icon results in a popup window almost identical to the popup window for images. When you click the link icon, the popup window will appear asking you to input the URL of your link.

That's the internet address where the web page is located that you are linking to. Just paste in the URL and click "OK". The link and [url] tags will automatically be inserted into your post.

You have two options here. You can simply leave the text an vB code as is, and the link will display as the URL address, or you can enter text for the link, such as "click here for more".

Once you are done, click "Submit Reply" on the bottom of the page.

You can also enter your link tags manually, as shown below.
Example: [url] http://www.freeconservatives.com">[/url]
(The bold and red text are added for emphasis only)

How do I post an image?:
Images can be used on this site in different ways. You can use an image in your post (explained further below) or upload it for your signature or avatar image.

Images in signatures and avatars
There are size limits for signature and avatar pictures.

An image must normally exist on the web somewhere in order for it to work here. If it already exists on the web, that's great. If it doesn't already exist on the web, there is a method to upload it to this site from your hard drive, so that it remains available to you here. You can click on "UserCP" at the top of any forum page. That will take you to your User Control Panel.

You can also go to your User Control Panel by clicking here. On the left side of that page you will see links to edit your signature and avatar.

The Signature and Avatar pages that those links go to have instructions for including and/or uploading images. The signature image upload page looks like this:

You simply enter the internet location where your desired image exists, or you can click "Browse.." to upload an image from your computer.

The avatar image upload page looks like this, and functions the same as the image upload page:

Images in posts using tags
Ther are two ways to put images in a post, by using tags or by uploading them as attachments. Using tags requires that the image be on the internet somewhere and using attachments uploads images from your computer. We'll start by explaining images using tags.

An image that you wish to be visible in a post using tags must have the entire path to the image enclosed within the [img] tags. You can enter these tags manually, or you can use the image icon to have them entered automatically, as shown below.

When you click the image icon, a popup window will appear asking you to input the URL (the internet address) of your image.

That's the web address where the image is located. Just paste in the address and click "OK". The image address and [img] tags will automatically be inserted into your post.

You can also enter your image tags manually, as shown here.

[img] http://www.website.com/myimage.jpg[/img]

(The bold and red text are added for emphasis only)

The most common mistake people make in posting images using tags manually is allowing a space into the above string. If you feel you've followed the instructions and your image does not appear, then recheck for spacing, and address typos. Preserving the original case (lower or upper) can also be important in some instances (UNIX servers).

Another error in posting images, manually or by using the image button, is that some web sites block the use of their images on other sites. In this case, you will most often see the common little box with the red X indicating the image is not available, shown here.

A less common reason why an image doesn't show up is when the server on which the image resides uses a script to generate the page which contains the image, and that script will not work in a post. Usually you will see a "?" in the address.

Images in posts using files from your computer as attachments
In addition to using tags for images that are on the internet, you can also use attachments to place images in your posts. Attachments in posts are created in the Options area beneath the Reply window.

The major difference between internet images and attached images in your posts is that you are only allowed so many attachments. As you add new attachments, some of the older ones will eventually begin to drop off the server. So if you have an image that you plan to use often, or if you want it to remain available for an extended period, you should post it somewhere on the internet if possible. You may also request we put it on our server, if you have no place on the internet to upload it to. Simply PM (Private Message) Rhino, Suzie or DoctorDoom and attach the image to the PM. The image path to insert into your avatar, signature or post will be sent back to you.

What are the other buttons in the posts for?:
You'll discover that there are some buttons in the bottom right hand corner of every post. These start with the "Edit" and "Quote" buttons.

You can't edit a post unless it is your own post, or unless you have special privileges here, such as with our Moderators and Admins. If you decide to edit one of your posts, an editing window very similar to the "Quick Reply" window will appear. You can also click the "Go Advanced" button in that window to get more formatting functions if you desire.

You can reply specifically to a post by clicking the "Quote" button within that post. If you click the "Quote" button, a posting window will come up that quotes the text of the original post. For instance, if you wanted to respond to this post...

...all you would need to do is click the "Quote" button in it. That will come up with the standard reply window, but with the original text contained within quote "tags", like this:

So if you wanted to reply after the quote, you would just enter your text after those tags, like this:

Now when you click "Submit Reply", you will see the result below. The text from the original is contained within a quote 'block' and your text is shown below it.

The next two buttons are the "Multi-Quote" and "Quick Reply" buttons, although they don't say that unless you hover your mouse cursor over them. The "Quick Reply" button just brings up a "Quick Reply" window like the one described in the topic above. The "Multi-Quote" button is a somewhat advanced feature that is not often used, but it allows you to quote multiple posts, so you can reply to each of them with just one reply post. To use it, you just click the "Multi-Quote" button for every post that you want to reply to. For this example, I'll use both the original example 'socks' post above, along with the reply I just demonstrated. You click the "Multi-Quote" button in both of those posts. You'll note that nothing actually happens, except that the "Multi-Quote" button in each of those posts will change color. Then you click the "Quote" button in any of those posts where you just highlighted the "Multi-Quote" button. That will bring up a reply window with both of those posts quoted.

Now you can reply individually to each of those posts.

This is the result you will get:

How do I send a Private Message (PM)?:
You can send a PM (Private Message) to any member on this site by clicking their username in any post and selecting "Send a private message to..." in the drop-down menu, or you can go to your Send New Message page to compose a PM to any member. Send New Message is also a link in the menu on the left side of your User Control Panel page.

What else is the User Control Panel used for?
Stated simply, you can do a bunch from the User Control Panel

There are a number of functions you can accomplish in your User Control Panel besides those mentioned above. The most obvious feature is the list of threads you have previously posted in, but only the ones with new posts since you last visited that thread. These are threads that you have 'subscribed' to. A subscription is automatic anytime you post in a thread. This list looks just very much like the thread lists displayed in each forum. The difference here is that it only displays the threads you have posted in.

Viewing all subscriptions
You can also display all threads you have subscribed to, even if they have no new posts, by clicking View all Subscribed Threads at the bottom right corner of the thread list.

The User Control Panel looks very much the same when all threads are displayed, with a few minor differences. You now have a list of all of the threads you have subscribed to, and not just the ones with new posts. Those with new posts are displayed in bold. Also, on the right hand side there are a couple of different columns in this view, the Notification column and a column with checkboxes. Those are used to delete subscriptions and to control your notifications.

All subscribed threads have notifications. These are set to none unless you change the options in your control panel. However, you can also control subscriptions for individual threads. If you check any of the threads using those checkboxes, or even multiple threads, you can change the notification for that thread to instant e-mails, daily e-mails or monthly e-mails by selecting one of those options in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. You can also delete subscriptions in the same manner.

Creating a signature
In the menu listing on the left side of your User Control Panel, click "Edit Signature". You can also edit your signature by clicking here

In the "Edit Signature" block you'll see where your signature text and/or BB code is entered. This window is practically identical to the posting windows in the forums.

You may enter whatever text you wish in the signature block. You may wish to use BB code to create bold print and italics, and the icons at the top of "Edit Signature" block will allow you to do that. Subject to certain rules, you can also use BB code to put links and images in your signature, just like in the posting instructions above. If you wish to enter BB code manually, or if you want to customize some editing, the BB code available to you is listed here.

Once you have entered the signature text you want, scroll to the bottom and click "Save Signature". Your signature should then appear at the bottom of each post, unless you uncheck the box labeled "Show your signature" when you are posting, or if you have signatures turned off in your Control Panel.

Most of the other functions you can accomplish in your User Control Panel are self explanatory, such as changing your e-mail address on the Edit Your Details page, and checking your Private Messages.. There are far too many to cover them all here. We suggest you navigate through the options from the menu going down the left side of the User Control Panel screen, just to get an idea of what is available to you.

What do LOL, IMHO and other abbreviations mean?
LOL is a chat acronym. You can use acronyms instead of typing out a string of words.
Below is a list of chat acronyms, supplied by Warlady.

2U2 = To You, Too
AAMOF = As A Matter Of Fact
AFAIK = As Far As I Know
AFAIC = As Far As I'm Concerned
AFAICT = As Far As I Can Tell
AFK = Away From Keyboard
ASAP = As Soon As Possible
BAK = Back At Keyboard
BBL = Be Back Later
BITMT = But In The Meantime
BOT = Back On Topic
BRB = Be Right Back
BTW = By the way
C4N = Ciao For Now
CRS = Can't Remember "Stuff"
CU = See You
CUL(8R) = See You Later
CWOT = Complete Waste Of Time
CYA = See Ya
DITYID = Did I Tell You I'm Distressed?
DIY = Do It Yourself
EOD = End Of Discussion
EZ = Easy
F2F = Face To Face
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FBOW = For Better Or Worse
FOAF = Friend Of A Friend
FOCL = Falling Off Chair Laughing
FWIW = For What It's Worth
FYA = For Your Amusement
FYI = For Your Information
GA = Go Ahead
GAL = Get A Life
GBTW = Get Back To Work
GFC = Going For Coffee
GFETE = Grinning From Ear To Ear
GMTA = Great Minds Think Alike
GR&D = Grinning, Running & Ducking
GTG = Got To Go
GTGTTBR = Got To Go To The Bathroom
GTRM = Going To Read Mail
HAND = Have A Nice Day
HHOK = Ha Ha Only Kidding
HTH = Hope This Helps
IAC = In Any Case
IAE = In Any Event
IC = I See
IDGI = I Don't Get It
IMCO = In My Considered Opinion
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO = in My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO = In My Opinion
IMPE = In My Previous/Personal Experience
IMVHO = In My Very Humble Opinion
IOTTMCO = Intuitively Obvious To The Most Casual Observer
IOW = In Other Words
IRL = In Real Life
ISP = Internet Service Provider
IYKWIM = If You Know What I Mean
JIC = Just In Case
J/K = Just kidding
KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid
L8TR = Later
LD = Later Dude
LOL = Laughing Out Loud
LTNS = Long Time No See
MorF = Male or Female, or person who asks that question
MTCW = My Two Cents Worth
NRN = No Reply Necessary
ONNA = Oh No, Not Again!
OTOH = On The Other Hand
OTTOMH = Off The Top Of My Head
OIC = Oh I See
OTF = On The Floor
OLL = Online Love
PCMCIA = People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
PLS = Please
PU = That Stinks!
REHI = Hello Again (re-Hi!)
ROFL = Rolling On Floor Laughing
ROTF = Rolling On The Floor
ROTFL = Rolling On The Floor Laughing
ROTFLMAO = Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
ROTFLMBO = Rolling on the floor laughing my butt off
RSN = Real Soon Now
RTDox = Read The Documentation/Directions
RTFM = Read The Frickin' Manual
RUOK = Are You OK?
SNAFU = Situation Normal; All Fouled Up
SO = Significant Other
SOL = Smiling Out Loud (or You're Out of Luck)
TANSTAAFL = There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TAFN = That's All For Now
TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It
THX = Thanks
TIA = Thanks In Advance
TLK2UL8R = Talk to you later
TMK = To My Knowledge
TOS = Terms Of Service
TPTB = The Powers That Be
TSWC = Tell Someone Who Cares
TTBOMK = To The Best Of My Knowledge
TTFN = Ta-Ta For Now
TTYL(8R) = Talk To You Later
TWIMC = To Whom It May Concern
Txs = Thanks
URL = Web Page Address
w/b or wb = Welcome Back
w/o or wo = Without
WRT = With Regard To
WTG = Way To Go
WU? = What's Up?
WWW = World Wide Web
WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get
Y2K = Year 2000
YGIAGAM = Your Guess Is As Good As Mine
YGWYPF = You Get What You Pay For
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary
ZZZ = Sleeping

Custom Editing of HTML Code (tags):
FreeConservatives allows the use of HTML code (tags) in posts and in some other areas. The following information is provided for anyone wishing to use and/or edit HTML on this site.
Font Size: Size options are: -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4

Colors:
#000099 =this shade of blue
#FF0000 = this shade of red
#006600 =this shade of green
#FF6600 =this shade of orange
#FFCC00 =this shade of yellow
#CC33CC =this shade of lavendar
#E940F7 =this shade of pink
NOTE: The Pound # sign MUST remain in place.

Click here to use a special web utility that generates a cut & paste code.
Also, below is a color chart from which to obtain your desired color code.

How Do I make ©(tm)®¢ etc.?:
These special keyboard characters can be easily done if you know a few simple tricks. First, you need to know a few things about keystroke combinations. A keystroke combination consists of pressing 2 or more keys, where the first or first 2 keys are held down while the last one is struck. Most people are familiar with the CTRL-ALT-DELETE keystroke combo which pops up the "Close Program" or "Task Manager" dialogs in Windows, and will even reboot your computer if done twice. So you see that if it is a 2 keystroke combination, the 1st key is held down, while the 2nd key is struck. A 3 or more key keystroke combo requires you to hold down the first 2 keys while striking the 3rd or more subsequent keys.

Just so you'll know, most Windows installations have a special program just for viewing and copying all keystroke combos. You'll probably find it under ACCESSORIES as Character Map (some may need to look in System Tools as well). Alternatively, you can click the START button, then click RUN, and type in CHARMAP. Then click the OK button. This program will allow you to see all the available characters for the selected font. Holding the mouse down on a character will enlarge it so you can better view it. Double-clicking a character will toss it up into the copy window. When you have the character(s) you wish to copy in the window, click the COPY button, so that you can paste it into your post. You should choose commonly used fonts or you will post something that only you and whoever else happens to have that font character on their computers, can see. Times New Roman and Arial are safe bets. Below is a snapshot of Character Map:

Please note that the keystroke combination is also shown right here ^. This stroke combination indicates that by holding down the ALT key, and then sequentially striking 0169, then letting go of the ALT key, will produce the © special keyboard character.

Now that you know how to use keystroke combinations, here a few of the more common ones:
(all font characters require you hold down the ALT key while striking 4 numbers)
©   Alt+0169
®   Alt+0174
(tm)   Alt+0153
¢    Alt+0162
¿    Alt+0191
¼ Alt+0188
½ Alt+0189
¾ Alt+0190
°    Alt+0176
±   Alt+0177
²    Alt+0178
³    Alt+0179
¹    Alt+0185

(more topics are covered on our FAQ page)