Posted 2016-09-01 10:29 PM (#6) Subject: Forum Tips
Fujitsu 186
Posts: 7 Location: Hull, UK
Using the forum
This forum operates in much the same way as almost any other forum on the World Wide Web today. The majority of links and buttons are self-explanatory and their function is usually obvious - pressing Reply will load the Editing Box for replying to a thread, though you can use the Quick Reply Edit Box provided above the Submit button at the bottom of each thread. You will most likely use this method for convenience and to save time once you are comfortable with how the forum works. On rare occasions a thread may be locked and you will not be able to reply, a reason should be stated by an Administrator or Moderator at the end of the locked thread.
When typing a message, either starting a new thread or replying to an existing one, you can use Emoticons to express yourself in a lighthearted way. These can be seen in the full Edit Box if you press Reply or start a new thread and can be inserted into your post there simply by clicking on the emoticon you want to use, you can remember the code for them for future reference so you do not have to look at them in the full Edit Box in future.
You can also use MBBS Codes to add Links, Pictures, Color and more to your post if you think this is necessary. These codes can be seen in the full Edit Box at the lower left, if MBBS Codes are allowed - they generally are - you can click the blue Yes to see a list of them, or you can see them here. Yes, this link was inserted into the post using the same MBBS Codes that the page lists.
MBBS Codes which use a {param} will expect a parameter. For example, a URL will need this parameter. In this case, the URL you wish to link to would be inserted in place of the {param} in your post, for example This text will be a URL (obviously, not with accented L's) would link you to DXZeff.com. Text between the URL tags would appear as a link, much like this; This text will be a URL.
Any text between the URL tags would become a link to the address you specified.
Notes about posting YouTube videos
YouTube videos use the V MBBS Code, you can embed them in your posts easily. However, instead of typing the full video URL you would use the ID, for example V=_faGgDxwFvo would give you the following in your post;
[/V]
Any other video tags which are available will behave in the same fashion unless stated otherwise in this thread.
It is recommended that you write posts in the full Edit Box using the large Reply button until you are comfortable with operating the forum software, you can Preview a post from here before actually submitting it to the board, giving you time to correct any mistakes you have made. If you have any questions you can always ask them in an Off-Topic thread in the relevant section or else ask an Administrator or Moderator directly via personal messages, they should be happy to help. Generally, once you know how it works, you'll be fine.
Downtime and problems
Like many sites, DXZeff.com is not immune to downtime and the server occasionally has to be restarted or turned off, it may even need maintenance. When possible this will be made clear an hour in advance in the What you need to know board, it will be the top thread there so should be visible from the forum landing page. Downtime happens rarely, but it could last for anything from minutes to days depending on what is happening, generally rebooting the server takes a few minutes whereas a full disk clone (performed at certain intervals) can take a few hours. If there is a hardware failure it may take longer to restore the server, but DXZeff.com will still be online when possible and will state what the problem is. Hardware failures are rare, but I imagine they are inevitable at some point as the server is rather old, utilizes very cheap hardware and is operated by a blundering fool in his spare time. On the plus side, that blundering fool is me and I own the server as well as the connection, which means I can basically do whatever I want with it, if the site is running slow I've probably decided to randomly use it to render 3D graphics or something...
If the site actually is slow, it probably isn't that so much as the connection being simply rubbish. The city the server is hosted in is limited to dated DSL technology which is plagued with congestion and other issues. Sometimes the connection drops out or else runs very slowly, nothing can be done and you'll just have to wait. Other services are hosted on this connection and may also slow things down. If something really isn't working you can use the Statistics link at the top of the forum to contact the Administrator.
Attachments
You can attach files upto 1MB in size to your posts. This is, however, slow and not entirely reliable. This isn't a file sharing site, so we recommend you use one such as MediaFire or similar if you really want to post files. If you wish to post pictures you can upload them to a site like PostImg and share them from there, this is probably better than using the forum upload facilities as you can then post the pictures elsewhere too and it will be much faster if you want to upload a lot of pictures or larger images, you can even post larger images than the forum uploader allows by using an external site this way.
Be sure to read the rules before posting,, don't worry, they're quite lenient.
Forum Tips