How To Write A Post - A Step-by-Step Primer for New Users

[DonRocks]

This will have you posting in less than one minute!

Starting A New Topic

 
1) Go into the forum where you want to write the topic, e.g., "Restaurants and Dining."
2) Click on the "Start New Topic" button towards the top-right of the screen
3) Write your Title Topic Title (and, optionally, Topic Tags) in the boxes provided (Don't worry about the exact wording of these; I usually change them)
4) Write your post in the blank rectangle
5) When you're finished, scroll down and click on "Post New Topic"

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Replying To An Existing Topic

1) Click on the topic.
2a) Click on the "Reply to this Topic" button towards the top-right of the screen
2b) (Alternatively to 2a, if you want to quote someone else's post, and then reply underneath, click the "Quote" button on the bottom-right of the post.)
3) Type your reply in the blank rectangle
4) When you're finished, scroll down and click on "Post"

Now click here on the Please Introduce Yourselves thread, and put your new knowledge into action! 

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Replying to an Existing Topic While Quoting Multiple Posts (the "MultiQuote" feature):

 
1) Go to all the posts that you want to quote. For each, click the "MultiQuote" button (do it in the order that you want them presented).

2) The quoted posts can be from different topics. The pop-up box on the bottom-right will stay around if you bounce between threads.

3) When you're finished quoting, get to the thread you want to post in, and click on "Reply to "x" Quoted Posts" on the bottom-right.

4) You'll be automatically taken to the box where you type your post, and the quoted posts will all be there for you.

5) Continue as usual. You can edit the quoted text, and pretty much do whatever you want. Send a PM to "DonRocks" if you have any questions!

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Making a "Soft Link" our of a "Hard Link" (This should ALWAYS be done - it makes my life SO MUCH easier, and it's simple!)

If you have a link in your post like this:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ <--- This is a "hard link"

you can turn it into a "soft link" as follows, and I'll love you forever if you do this:

1) Highlight the text with your cursor

2) Click the "link" icon (if you're editing a post, it's the top line of icons, #5 from the left, that looks like a two-link chain

3) Substitute "National Geographic" in the bottom line, the one that says "Link Text." 

4) Now you have a soft link that looks like this:

National Geographic

NOTE - There's an easier way to do this: Just type in "National Geographic," click the icon, and when the pop-up screen comes up, type in the URL nationalgeographic.com on the top line - you'll get the exact same result.

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Uploading Pictures

Okay, this is complicated, but if you follow these directions, it's simple. You have to be in the "Full Editor" (not that "Quick Editor" down at the bottom of the page - if you're there, click on "More Reply Options" and you'll be in the Full Editor).

1) Put your cursor down at the bottom of your text (the photo will appear wherever your cursor is - you can add multiple photos in a single post using this method, and they'll all show up where your cursor is at the time)

2) Down beneath where you're typing, on the left, there's a whole section called "Attach Files." This is where you want to be.

3) Click "Choose File" which will bring up a list of files on your own computer

4) Choose the file you wish to attach (hopefully .jpeg or .pdf, but a couple other file types are allowed also)

5) Click on "Attach This File" and it will show up (sort of) on the line above

6) Place your cursor at the point in the post where you want the photo to appear.

7) Click on "Add to Post" and it will appear in your post at full-size.

8) Double-click on the photo, and change the LEFT figure to 1/10th of its size to make a thumbnail. That thumbnail is expandable by readers just by clicking on it, and I use this method for every single photo I upload.

Repeat steps 3) through 6) for any photos you wish to add (I think the limit is about 10 per post).

It's a cumbersome process, but once you've done it a few times, you know it, and it's not that bad. Please let me know if I can improve this explanation. For a non-computer-person, this is something of a nightmare.

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Accessing The Dining Guide
To access the AMAZING, life-changing Dining Guide, all you have to do is post ten times [*], i.e., follow the instructions above.

Why don't you introduce yourselves in this topic right ----------> HERE <----------

Or maybe write about a recent dining experience you've had? The Dining Guide will be your index to find every major restaurant in the area - even though I'm the author, I use it myself almost every single day. If you don't have access to it yet, and are looking for a specific restaurant, the best way to do it is through Google, like this:

"donrockwell citronelle"

If you search on that (or whatever other restaurant you're looking for, alongside of donrockwell (with no spaces)), it will come up #1.

And even if you can't find the exact topic, I'll make sure it gets in there for you - my organizational skills are supremo (except when I'm trying to find my car keys).

Have at it, and welcome!

Cheers,
Rocks.

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[*] - Note: As of October 25, 2014, the requirement to access the Dining Guide has increased from 1 to 10 posts. The Dining Guide is intended to be a reward for active members who contribute to this community. Please PM me directly, or send me an email to donrockwell@dcdining.com, if you have any questions about obtaining this free resource.