FAQs   Home > FAQ's

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Registration and Logging In


Why should I register?  
Registration allows you to fully participate in the Community. If you register, you'll be able to:

• Post new messages
• Post responses to existing messages
• Receive e-mail notification when someone responds to a specified post or thread
• Exchange Private Messages with other members
• Personalize your experience on the boards.

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What can I do if I don't register?
Even if you don't register, you can still browse and read messages as a "guest". You just can't interact with the other members or personalize the way boards are displayed.

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How do I register? 

• To register, just click the Register link and follow the prompts given.  
• As soon as you receive the confirmation e-mail, click the activation link. Once you do, you'll be able to post messages. Until then, feel free to read messages posted by other users.   Note: You must have cookies enabled in your browser to register and log into the Forum.
• Once your registration has been confirmed, you will then be prompted to fill out a member profile.  The profile will ask for further clarification on your areas of interest in an effort to provide you with the information and people that are most relevant to your specific needs.   The member profile will take less than 5 minutes to fill out however, if you are eager to post or otherwise engage in the community, you may wait to fill out the profile.  However, we strongly advise you to fill out the profile to receive the maximum benefits from the SRII community.

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How do I log in?
Once you've registered and confirmed your registration, you can log into the boards and begin personalizing your experience.

• At the top of any Forum page, click Login.
• Enter your login in the Screen Name field.
• Enter your password in the Password field.
• Click Login.

If you don't want to keep having to enter your password, and you're at a computer that other people can't get to, you can check the Save My Login check box before clicking Login.
If you forgot your password, click the link at the bottom to have it sent to your e-mail address.

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How do I get back a lost password?
If you've forgotten your password, you can have the system send it to your e-mail address.

• Go to the login screen.
• Click the link at the bottom of the page.
  You'll be taken to a screen that will ask for your e-mail address. The login and password associated with that e-mail address will be sent to the given e-mail address.

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Browsing and Searching

How are the message boards organized?
The community is divided up into 4 different areas of interest, for example “Customers and Markets”. Each category contains boards which get more specific about the topic or subject, for example “People”. Find the category and message board title that best describes your question or comment. For the examples provided, you could click on the “Customers and Markets” category and then connect with people in the “People” board who are interested in that topic or area of interest.

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How do I browse for information?
Many users like to get started by exploring the message boards. Choose a category that best fits your topic. Next, look over the list of boards, find one whose title pertains to your question or comment then click on its title. Take some time to read ones that look promising by clicking the message title, or subject. You can use the Previous/Next buttons to browse to other pages and messages.

If you can't find what you need by browsing, use the Search Forum tool, as described below.

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How do I search for information?
To search the Community, type keywords for your topic into the Search text box and click the search icon. This search box is specific to a broad message search—not a user or advanced search, which can be done with the links below the search box. The standard search box is found at the top right of most pages.  A page of search results will be displayed after the search button is clicked. Browse the search results in the same manner you would a message board.

To perform a more in-depth search, click the Advanced link. This search allows you to limit your query to a specific board, specific parts of the message (subject vs. body) and other advanced parameters.

You can also search for Community members by clicking the Users tab on any search results page and using the search options on this page.

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Personalization

How do I change the icon next to my name?
The icon (also known as an avatar) is a way to personalize your user name a bit. You'll get one as a default, but you can change it to something you like better.

1. Login to the Community.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Icons tab.
   A list of available icon categories will be displayed on the left side. When you click on a category, the icons in that category will display on the right.
4. Click on any icon to use it as yours. Your current icon always shows up at the top of the icons page.

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How do I create a signature for my posts?
Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of every message you post to the boards.

1. Login to the Community.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click on the Personal Profile tab.
4. On the Personal Profile tab, fill in the text you want for you signature in the Signature field.
   If the administrator allows it, you'll be able to use HTML in your signature. If not, you won't.
5. Click Save Changes.

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How do I tell other users about me?

1. Login to the Community.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Member Profile tab.
4. Find the Member Profile section and fill in any fields you want to share.

By default, any information you type in this section is shown to everyone. However, you can limit display to only members on your Friends List by choosing the Friends Only option in the Profile Privacy section at the bottom of the Preferences tab.

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What is my Friends List and how do I add users to it?
Your Friends List has three functions in the Forum:
If you have entered personal information on your Member Profile page, and if you have checked the Friends Only option for Profile Privacy on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see your personal information.

Similarly, if you have checked the Friends Only option for Online Status on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see when you are online or not.

When you send a message in the Private Messenger, all your friends will appear in a drop-down menu that you can select from. You can then send one of them a message without having to type their user name into the Send to field.

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How do I set my Forum viewing preferences?
There are a number of display preferences you can set for your Forum experience. These are described in the table below. To modify:

1. Log into the Forum.
2. Click the My Profile link.
3. Click the Preferences tab.
4. Make any changes you wish, as described in the table below.
5. Click Save Changes.

Display Settings
Time Zone Offset from GMT	Sets the default posting time for all messages. When a user views a message, the time and date it was posted is interpreted as the default time zone. If a user posts a message at 11 PM Eastern Time, for example, and the server is set to Central Time, the message will show up as having been posted at 10 PM CT. Registered users can change the default time zone for their view in their own preferences. The time is set as an offset from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also known as Universal Time (UT) or Zulu Time. Enter the number of hours your time zone is ahead or behind Greenwich, England. Pacific Time in the United States, for example, is -8. Eastern Time is -5.
Board Format	This option sets the default format for all boards in the community. This option can be overridden in individual boards and by registered users. Threaded - Traditional message board format. Replies to a message are listed under the original message, indented as in an outline. Good for picking individual messages out, not so good for following a particular thread. Linear - Only the original post in a thread is shown on the main screen. Clicking on the headline brings up a page with all the replies shown together. Good for reading a whole thread all at once. Split Screen - Shows the list of messages, in threaded format, in the upper half of the window and a message in the lower. Any message clicked on in the upper screen displays in the lower. Note: Split Screen format is only available in Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
In Split Screen Format, Collapse Threads by Default?	Only applies if you have set Board Format to Split Screen Format. In Split Screen format, threads show up in outline format. They can be expanded or collapsed by clicking the + or - symbol next to the thread. This check box indicates whether your default view is to have all the threads expanded or all the threads collapsed.
Menu Bar Display Style	You can indicate whether menu bar entries show a text label, an icon, or both.
Bandwidth Options	Sets the default bandwidth options for all boards in the community. Setting can be overridden at the board and user level. The Normal Bandwidth setting is good for users on high-speed connections or fast modems. Users on very slow modems may want to use the Low Bandwidth option, which reduces the number of images that are downloaded.
Messages Per Page in Linear Format	Indicates how many messages appear on each displayed page if the board format is set to Linear. If your users generally have larger display monitors, you can increase this number. If smaller, then you can decrease it.
Messages Per Page in Split Screen Format	Indicates how many messages appear in the top panel when you view the boards in split screen format.
Messages Per Page in Threaded Format	Indicates how many threads appear on each displayed page if the board format is set to Threaded. If your users generally have larger display monitors, you can increase this number. If smaller, then you can decrease it.
Automatic Message Marking Options	When you open (read) a message, it is automatically marked as read. Some boards have so much traffic that not all users can keep up, so there are other ways to have messages marked as read. Never (Manual) - This option, always available, leaves all messages you haven't already viewed marked as unread unless you have actually read them or specifically mark them as read. Mark by Days - All unread message older than the number of days indicated in the Auto Mark Read Days field are marked as read. Mark after Logoff - All messages you haven't viewed are marked as read whenever you log off.
Auto Mark Read Days	If you selected Mark by Days in the Automatic Message Marking Options radio buttons, you'll need to specify the number of days after which unread messages will be marked to read.
Show Confirmation Page on a Successful Post	Shows a post confirmation page on a successful post with links to the board and message. If this is unchecked, on a successful post a redirection to the board takes place.
Personal Privacy Settings
Profile Privacy	Lets you determine who can view your profile. All - Everyone can see your profile. Friends Only - Only people on your Friend List can see your profile. None - No one can see your profile.
Online Status	Lets you determine who can see whether you're online. All - Everyone can see when you're online. Friends Only - Only people on your Friend List can see whether you're online. None - No one can see whether you're online.

 

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Posting Messages

How do I post a message?
Go to the board you want to post on, and click the New Message link near the top of the message list.
On the Post Message page, you will see a Subject area and a Body area.

• In the first field, the Subject field, type a title for you message. This is the only part of the message that shows up on the message listing page, so try to make it something that will be clear and concise. Use keywords about your topic.
• In the second field, the Body field, type your message. Put details about your topic here. If you are posting on a technical topic, it is helpful to include all pertinent information regarding your inquiry in the body.
• You can use the controls to change the fonts, colors, and other aspects of your message. You can add smiley faces using the smiley menu. And you can format the text at the character or paragraph level. Note: the message editing controls are only available in Internet Explorer, version 5.5 or later.
• If you want, you can click Check Spelling to look for misspelled words, or you can click Preview Post to see what your post will look like on the boards. Note: the spell checking and preview features are only available in Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
• When you are happy with your message, click the Submit Post button.
  Your message will be added to board and everyone else on the board will be able to read it.

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How do I reply to a message?
Use the Reply button in a message to write a response to a particular post. You'll see a screen similar to the Post Message screen. There are a few differences:

• When you reply to a post, the subject line will be filled in for you automatically. You can change it if you want.
• You can use the Quote Post button to paste the message to which you are replying into the body of your reply.

Also, when you post a message as a reply, it will be added to the existing thread. It won't create a new thread.

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What is a "thread?"
When one or more people reply to a particular message, a "thread" is created. A thread is a series of posts that go together. If you've ever heard of someone "following the thread of a conversation," you get the idea.

If you post a new message, then that starts a new thread. If you reply to an existing message, then that message becomes part of the original message's thread.

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How do I use macros?
The Macros feature allows you to create boilerplate text that you can paste into any message with the click of a mouse. Note: macros are only available in Internet Explorer, version 5.5 or later.

To set up a macro:

• Log into the Forum.
• Click the My Profile link.
• Click the Macros tab.
  Fields for entering up to nine (9) macros will be displayed.
• In the Macro 1 Title field, enter a short title for your first macro.
  The title should be short because it will show up in a pull-down menu. Make sure it is distinctive enough that you will remember which title belongs with which macro.
• In the Macro 1 field, enter the text you want to be able to paste. If your boards allow HTML, you can use HTML tags in the field.
• Enter any other macros you wish.
• Click Save Changes.
  Your macros will be saved to your profile in the database.

Note: If there is particular text that you wish to appear at the bottom of every message you post, put the text in a signature instead of a macro.

To use a macro

• Log into the Forum.
• Navigate to a board where you want to post a message.
• Click New Message.
  (Or, you can reply to an existing message by opening that message and clicking the Reply button.
• Once the post message window has loaded, you will see a Macros menu.
• Click in the Body field where you want to paste your text.
  If the text is short, you could also paste it in the Subject field.
• Click on the Macro menu to open it.
• Select the macro you wish to paste.
  The text of your macro will paste where you have your cursor.
• Type any other text you wish in the message body.
• Click Submit Post.

Note: If there is particular text that you wish to appear at the bottom of every message you post, put the text in a signature instead of a macro.

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Advanced Board Usage

How do I use bookmarks?
Bookmarks allow you to list boards, threads, and individual messages on a special page so you can easily find them again.

To Favorite a Board:

• Log into the Forum.
• Go to the board you want to bookmark.
• Open the Board Options menu and click Add this board to my bookmarks.

 

To add a thread or message to your bookmarks:

• Log into the Forum.
• Open the message you want to bookmark.
• Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread/Message to my bookmarks

To view your bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab.

To delete any of your Bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab. Place a checkmark in the bookmark you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

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How do I use subscriptions?  (Need clarification around this area)
If you add a board, thread, or message to your subscriptions, the system will send you an e-mail every time someone posts to the board, or replies to the message or thread.

To add a board to your Subscriptions

• Log into the Forum.
• Go to the board to which you want to subscribe.
• Open the Board Options menu and click Add board to my subscriptions.

 

Add a message to your Subscriptions

• Log into the Forum.
• Open the message to which you want to subscribe to.
• Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread to my subscriptions or Add this Message to my subscriptions.

To view or delete your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscriptions tab.

To delete any of your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscription tab. Place a checkmark in the subscription you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

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How do I use the dashboard?
Your Dashboard is a little window that displays a lot of information. It is launched when you click your boldface screen name (link) that appears near the top of most Forum pages. The Dashboard displays:

• Your current icon.
  Click on it to choose another one.
• Your current statistics.
• A link to the Web Private Messenger.
  Click the envelope to launch the Private Messenger and reply to your messages.
• Your Subscriptions and bookmarks, including recent activity.
  Click on a Subscription or bookmark to see what's new in those areas.
• Quick links to Search, Chat, your Profile, and other things.

To launch your Dashboard, log in, then click on your username in the header bar, or click on Dashboard.

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What is RSS and how do I use it?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It is a way for you to get the latest content from this community, along with many other sites that you visit, all in one place. With an RSS feed reader, you subscribe to Web sites, and those sites feed you headlines so you can stay up to date. To use RSS, you'll need a feed reader, such as Bloglines, MyYahoo, or the Live Bookmarks feature of Firefox. There are many free options.

Once you have your feed reader set up, you can find RSS feeds in the community by going to a board, blog, thread, or message and selecting Subscribe to RSS Feed from the options menu. There you will see a preview of the feed. Most RSS readers give you a button to click at this point. Once you click it, the RSS feed will appear in your reader, and you will see new content from that section of the community whenever it becomes available.

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Private Messenger

What is the Private Messenger?
The Forum Private Messenger allows you to send private notes to other members of the Forum. Private Messenger has two big advantages over e-mail:

• You don't have to know the other member's e-mail address to send the note. (Also, you don't have to reveal yours.)
• Private Messenger is more interactive than e-mail. It's easier to hold a quick conversation through it.

To use the Private Messenger, you have to have an account and you have to be logged in. If you're logged in, a Messages link will appear on the top of your page. If you have any new messages, a yellow envelope icon will appear next to the link and the number of new messages will be indicated.

If you click on the link, the Private Messenger window appears.

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How do I send a private message?

• Log into the Forum.
• Click the Messages Link
• In the private messenger window, click Send a New Message.
• If you have created a Friends List, and you want to send the message to a listed friend, select the friend from the Send to Friend pull-down menu.
• If you want to send to someone not in your Friend List, type the person's user name in the Send to field.
• Type the subject of your message in the Subject field.
• Type the body of your message in the Note field.
• Click Send Message at the bottom of the page. The message will be sent to the other user. The message will also appear in your Outbox.

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How do I read a private message?

• Log into the Forum.
  If you have any new messages, a yellow envelop icon will appear next to the Messages link and the number of new messages will be indicated.
• Click the Messages Link.
  The Private Messenger window will be displayed.
• Click the Inbox link.
  Your Inbox will be displayed.
• Click the Subject of the message you want to read.
  The full message will be displayed.
• After you have read the message, you can click on links to Reply to the message or Delete the message buttons at the bottom of the page. You can also click on the Add User to Friends List link to add the sender to your Friends List. Or, if you don't want this user to send you any more messages, you can click on the Add User to Ignore List link to add the person to your Ignore List.

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How do I reply to a private message?

• Log into the Forum.
• Click the Messages Link.
• Click the Inbox link.
  Your Inbox will be displayed.
• Click the Subject of the message you want to read.
  The full message will be displayed.
• Click the Reply link at the bottom of the window.
  The Send Message window will be displayed with the Send to and Subject fields pre-populated.
• Enter your message in the Note field.
• Click Send Message.

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How do I delete a private message?
While reading a message, you can click the Delete link at the bottom of the window to delete the current message.
While viewing your Inbox, you can delete several messages at once by checking the check boxes next to the messages you want to delete, then clicking Delete Checked.

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How do I see private messages I've sent to others?
When in the Private Messenger, click the Outbox link to see all the messages you sent to others.

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What is my Friends List and how do I add users to it?
Your Friends List has three functions in the Forum:

If you have entered personal information on your Member Profile page, and if you have checked the Friends Only option for Profile Privacy on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see your personal information.

Similarly, if you have checked the Friends Only option for Online Status on your Preferences tab, then only people on your Friends List will be able to see when you are online or not.

When you send a message in the Private Messenger, all your friends will appear in a drop-down menu that you can select from. You can then send one of them a message without having to type their user name into the Send to field.

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What is my Ignore List and how do I add users to it?
Most users in an online community get along very well. Sometimes, however, you might encounter someone you consider a nuisance. If such a user is sending you messages and won't stop when you ask them, you can tell the system to not deliver their messages to your Inbox by adding them to your Ignore List.

To add someone to your Ignore List:

• Log into the Forum.
• Click the Messages Link.
  The Private Messenger window will be displayed.
• Click the Find Users link.
• Enter the user's screen name in the Search box.
• Click Search.
• When the user's name is displayed, click the Add to Ignore List link on the same line as the user's name.

You can also click the Add User to Ignore List link in any message the user has sent you to add that person to your Ignore List.
To see who's on your Ignore List, click the Ignore tab in your Private Messenger. You can remove them from your Ignore List if you've changed your mind.

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Live Forums (Chat)

What are Live Forums?
Lithium Live Forums (Chat) allows users to directly interact in real-time with site staff or with each other. Read below for answers to some common issues related to Lithium Live Forums.

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How do I find and join a Live Forum?
While browsing community pages, such as the front page, you will sometimes see a "Live Forum" link. Click the link to enter the Live Forum (chat room). If the link is not clickable, then the room is closed. In most cases you will need to sign in before being allowed into the Live Forum. Once you've signed in using the e-mail address or login and password associated with your community account (the details of how to log in depend on the site), agreed to the Terms of Service and the User's Guidelines, you may enter the Live Forum. Lithium Live Forums Service uses Java applets technology which runs in a secure environment within your web browser. Answer "Yes" if your browser prompts you for authorization to install the Java applet.

Now you are ready to type questions or comments to other people who are in the same Live Forum.

Your presence in a Live Forum will be indicated in the control window on the right-hand side. Of course, you do not have to participate in the chat and may choose to only watch the conversations as they happen.

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What are the System Requirements for using the Live Forums? (Java)
Lithium Live Forums Service is a Java-enabled application that is designed to work across many browsers and operating systems. When you first try to enter a live forum, your browser may ask you if you want to install the Java applet. This is a security measure created by the developers of java and your browser to ensure that you know a new program is being installed. The download is completely free and should take only a few seconds depending on your connection speed. If prompted, answering "Yes" is a requirement to use the applet and begin chatting.

Java 1.4 (and up) and JavaScript 2.0 (and up) work satisfactorily for Internet Explorer 5.0 (and up) and Netscape 4.7 (and up). Most computers manufactured in the last few years will be able to run this configuration. The Java applet will work on the latest Safari browser and Java version on the Mac as well, which you can get on OSX through "Software Update".

Java will not automatically install on Windows XP. If you are on Windows XP, or are having trouble with the automatic install on any Windows platform, you can download the latest version of Java at www.java.com. This is a free download.

Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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What about security in Live Forums?
We take your security seriously and strive to provide the most secure possible environment. The only piece of Lithium-specific information that is ever seen by other users is your personally selected community login/nickname, which is also viewable in your user profile. Items that you have chosen to make public in your profile may also be seen by other users. On some forums, anonymous watching or chatting is permitted; in this case if you are not logged in you will be assigned a name automatically such as "Anonymous-42" for the duration of your chatting session.

At the same time, there is no expectation of privacy for any form of communication that is provided to you on the Live Forums, and you should assume that the content of your conversations within the Live Forums is not private. In particular, never disclose your personal contact information, credit card numbers, or other personal information via the Live Forums Service.

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Who am I interacting with in Live Forums?
You are chatting with site staff (such as moderators or support engineers) and your fellow community members. Everyone has the same user name and icon in Live Forums as they do on the rest of the community site.

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When are Live Forums available?
Hours of operation vary depending on the particular community site. From time to time, we take down the service in order to perform regular maintenance or to upgrade features. In addition, certain popular rooms may be unavailable if they are already full.

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What are the Terms and Conditions of Use for Live Forums?
All customers using Lithium Live Forums must first read, understand, and agree to abide by the site's Terms of Service and the User's Guidelines. Violations of these terms may be reported to the site administrators. Please include the login of the participant you're reporting, the name of the Live Forum you were in when the incident occurred, the date and time of the incident, and any other details you feel may be relevant. We will take appropriate action; however, for reasons of account privacy, we cannot notify you of the outcome.

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I'm having trouble using Live Forums, what do I do now?
Please check the System Requirements for using the Live Forums.

Blank frames, no applet appears, a large grey box (the applet background) remains but no chat window appears: You may not have the right version of Internet Explorer or Netscape, Java or JavaScript, or you may have disabled Java or JavaScript. Try enabling these features and/or upgrading your browser and/or Java versions.
"Connection refused" messages: Your company or ISP may have a firewall that limits the kinds of connections your computer can make to the outside world. Try accessing the Live Forums Service from somewhere outside the firewall.

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Tagging

What is a tag?
A tag is a single keyword applied to a post that describes a topic, theme, or category of the post. Each post may have multiple tags. For example, a post about a mouse might have the tags, mouse USB optical wireless DPI. If you enter multiple words separated by spaces you will create multiple tags, not a phrase.

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What is a tag cloud?
A tag cloud displays tags used frequently within an area of a community. Tags applied frequently will appear in a larger font. A tag cloud can give you a sense of what the hot topics are in a given area.

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What can I do with tags?
Tagging items helps other users discover interesting posts. Tagging can also help you bookmark related items.

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Why do people tag?
Some users will tag posts for their own convenience in finding them later. Other users enjoy helping categorize interesting posts for the benefit of the community. Users who tag lots of posts gain status by appearing on Tag Leaderboards.

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How do I tag?
You can use tags to bookmark, categorize, or identify a post. A well chosen tag will also help other users find interesting content.

• Navigate to an interesting message or comment. When you're at a place where you can read the whole message, you'll see the Tags area, in the left column.
• Type a single-word topic into the Add Tag field. You can type more than one tag - just type a space after each.
• Click the Add Tag button.

The Tags area updates with your new tags!

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Where are my tags?
Find messages you've tagged by visiting your profile and choosing the tag. You can also click on the tag on any cloud and look for the My Most Tagged Messages section.

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