UBB.Dev
Posted By: JoshPet **What is this Forum For?** - 08/30/2002 8:03 AM
Greetings,
We set up this How To/Site Help Library forum here to provide a reference of user friendly, how to and site help documents that you can simply copy and paste to your own forums.

There are many "newbie" users on our boards, and all the great features of Threads can be overwhelming to them at times. They are not all message board junkies like us.

Something that I have done at my site, that has worked quite well, is created a "FAQ - Site Help" forum. As I get questions (some I have posted here) I create a thread with a detailed answer.
Then, I have set up a second forum, where I post periodic tips, tricks and how to type instructions for various features. The users love it, and even long-time users discover a new "favorite" feature of Threads.

You may wish to combine these forums... or you may wish to periodically post a "how to" type message in your main forums. When the "tips" are released in this way (slowly), they are not overwhelming to newbie users. They can learn the features gradually.

In all of the posts here, I have written up the posts to be as user friendly and as pleasing to the eye as possible. I used UBBCodes to add bold and sometimes colored text. And at times, for clarity, I inserted inline images.

The first post in the thread here will show you how it looks when it is finished.
The second post in the thread will be in plain text format, with all the UBBCode in place. You can copy and paste it, just like this, into the new post window on your site. When inline images are uses, you need to substitue your domain name in, making sure the URL links to your images directory.

These how-to documents are copyright 2003 by Joshua Pettit - You are free to copy and paste these to your own sites, provided a link to www.ubbdev.com is included in the post. You may not use them in any other way without my permission.

If you have any questions, submissions, corrections or ideas for this forum, please let me know. I am told I have a "knack" for writing clear, newbie user type instructions. So if you'd like to see me write up instructions to a feature, please let me know.

Hope this helps!
Posted By: JoshPet Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 01/12/2003 2:52 PM
I have updated a good number of these for version 6.2, and added a few to cover new features/functionality of 6.2.

Feel free to copy and paste these into your forums.

I recommend posting them at your site a little at a time. Let the users learn and master a new trick before throwing more toys at them.
Posted By: Ian_W Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 01/13/2003 3:12 AM
Thanks for the updates
Posted By: Kristina Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 01/21/2003 11:56 PM
Josh, these are awesome! Thanks so much!
Posted By: JoshPet Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 01/22/2003 12:03 AM
Glad you found them useful. Thanks.
Posted By: Poacher Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 05/11/2003 3:57 PM
Josh. . . just completed a set of these topics in a special help forum on my site. here . Sorry, you have to be a member to read them!

This is for a 6.2 threads board and I found all the info here REALLY useful. All I had to do was slightly customise the text for my particular site and turn it into 'English'

Now. . . when I get annoying mail from members with problems I just point them to this forum saving me loads of time!

Posted By: JoshPet Re: **What is this Forum For?** - 05/11/2003 8:02 PM
Very nice.
Glad all the stuff I've put here has proved useful. More motivation for me to put together some more.
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