Cupcake Mafia: A guide to working the forum

Now that you've read the forum rules and know what we're about; here's a quick guide to how to do some stuff on the forum.

How to fill in your profile:
On the forum index, at the top of the page where you find your "log in" buttons etc; you will see a button that says "profile". Click this and you'll be taken to a page where you can fill in some info and let us know a little about you! Your name is pretty important. We are cosy and like to call each other by name or nicknames. You can also type in and share your location, likes and some other information.

How to upload an avatar:
Your avatar is a little picture which appears next to all of your posts. To upload one, you need to go to the profile section as above and while in this page, there are little links in the top right corner, one of which reads "Avatar". Click this and you'll find the upload page. Your selected picture needs to be a maximum size of 150x200pixels. It can be smaller but not bigger. Click browse to upload it from your machine and then upload!

How to edit your signature:
This starts the same as avatar; just click "Signature" instead. In the box given, you can type your signature or insert an image link from a site like Photobucket. Please be respectful with the size of your signature. Do not make images much bigger than about 400x400 pixels. Remember this appears under all of your post, so anything large or disruptive could annoy other members and you may be asked to remove it.

How to edit your preferences:
In the same page as above, you'll also see a preferences page. Here you can change your settings so you can hide your online status or how you are notified when you receive private mail. You can change this to how you like.

Private Messaging: The Facts:
Occasionally, myself or another member may choose to contact you via the private messaging on this site, or you may choose to contact someone else. So how do you go about it?
How do I know if I have a message?
You should receive an email telling you that you have receieved a private message on the forum. So you log on to check it. For me, my pop-up blocker blocks the message telling me I have a new PM, so that's how I know. If you don;t have that then you should get a pop-up saying "NEW MESSAGE!" On the top links bar, click on the messaging link and you will be taken to your inbox.

To REPLY to this message, there should be a big button that says reply. Click on this, type your message and click send!

To send a message... Under every post, there is a button which says "PM" which will take you to a private message which will be sent to this member. Alternatively, you can go to the "Memberlist" (top links bar), find who you wish to message and click the "PM" button next to their name there.

So now you have the basics which you should check out when you first start up.
Now you'll need to know all about posting!

How to post a new topic:
If you wish to create a brand new topic, firstly go to the section which it fits in. At the top left, there's a big button that says NEW TOPIC. CLICK IT! Type in a clear subject and the in the box, your text. Try to be as detailed as you can. Once you've finished it then click post! Simple!

How to reply to a topic:
When you read a topic and have finished all of the posts, you'll reach the bottom and find a small text input box. Type your reply into here and then click send. Again, nice and easy.

How to post a poll:
Occasionally, you'll want to post one of these to see what the ladies think. It's an easy way to find out if it fits. You can only post a poll if you're making a new post. So make a new one, type in your subject and text just as you would a normal post. Under the "Options" section, underneath the text box, you'll see "Add a Poll". Type in your poll question and then in the appropriate box, type your poll options. Put a new line between each of them. You can choose to make it mutliple choice or single choice only. Click send.

How to post an image:
Upload the image you wish to post onto a site like Photobucket. You can select either the HTML or BBCODE. BB is what the forum works in but html is accepted. The forum can be a little temperamental with BBcode though, so I would suggest clicking the html code.
FOR ALL IMAGES POSTED: The maximum size is approx. 640x480. This is the MESSAGE BOARD selection on Photobucket.
Any images larger than this or outsized in general WILL be edited into URL links by the appropriate Moderator and it's up to you to change them.

How to resize an image:
If you are posting images on the forum, then you're most likely using an editing program and should know how to resize them using that. Images usually come out of the camera at a size way to big for forum posting, so you MUST have resized somewhere. Just in case, here's a quick guide to photobucket editing:
1. Upload image to Photobucket.
2. On the links above the image thumbnail, click EDIT!.
3. This will open a new page with your image and a selection of function buttons. You can resize or rotate, so we can see your image properly.
4. Click on the RESIZE button and a drop down choice will appear.
5. Select the MESSAGE BOARD (640x480) option.

As above, anything larger or out-sized will be edited into url links by the mod.

How to post anonymously:
Many sections of the forum are private and this means that if you wish to post anonymously, you can't. However you can log into a special account. The information is located in theprivate "Girl Talk" section. Please be responsible. This is not for anonymous abuse/bitching or anything other than anonymous posts.

So I think that's everything covered that you would need to help you when you first join up!
I hope this guide helps you!