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Discussion Boards Help

Discussion Boards Tip: Help keep our Community safe by not submitting personally identifiable information (first and last names, phone numbers, addresses, and/or other forms of identification) in Posts and Topics. Discussion Boards public content is searchable by Internet search engines. Private Message content is not searched by Internet search engines, so you may exchange personally identifiable information here if you wish.

Discussion Boards Help Topics

Do I have to register to use the Discussion Boards?

Yes, in order to start a new Topic or add a Post, you must be registered. You can browse the Discussion Boards unregistered, however. If you choose to register, you will be able to edit your profile and preference and you will get the most out of the breastcancer.org Community.

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Why do you ask for my email address?

Your email address is used for email notifications, Discussion Boards communications, and to email you your password. We never publicize your email address as we realize that people don't want everyone to have this information. We need to know it in case you need to have a new password emailed to you, or to answer technical support requests.

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Help! I'm having trouble registering

This is usually because your browser is not set to accept cookies from our site. Cookies are used to track your user name, password and which content you have looked at in your current session. Without accepting cookies you may not be able to log in.

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How do I log in?

If you have registered with the Discussion Boards, you can then log in and begin starting Topics, adding Posts, and personalizing your experience. To log in, look in the pink area in the upper right-hand corner of your screen for the Log In link. This link will take you to a page where you can enter your user name and password. Keep in mind that the password is case sensitive. This means that S (capital) and s (lowercase) are not the same.
Once you have entered your user name and password, you'll be brought to the main Discussion Boards page.

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Help! I'm having trouble logging in

The following checklist may help you successfully log in:
  1. Make sure you are entering your password correctly. Passwords are case-sensitive.
  2. Ensure caps lock is not on.
  3. Ensure that your browser accepts cookies. High levels of security restriction in certain browsers will automatically reject cookies. In order to use the Discussion Boards, your browser will need to accept cookies.
  4. Completely logout by hitting the Log Out link at the top of the page, and then log in again.
  5. Click the reload/refresh button on your Web browser after entering your login information.
  6. If you continue to have problems, go to the login page and click the “Forgot your password?” link. Enter your user name or the email address you used to register for the Discussion Boards. A temporary password will be generated and emailed to you.

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What do all these new terms mean?

Our new Discussion Boards offers new terminology to help Community Members better use and understand the Discussion Boards. Here is an overview of our new terminology:
Categories – For example, “Not Diagnosed but Concerned” is a Category and holds Forums such as “Not Diagnosed but Worried” and “High Risk Women.”
Forums – Forums are subsets of Categories and provide specific topic areas for Community Members to submit content. For example, if you are a Community Member who is worried about breast cancer, but is not diagnosed, you would choose the “Not diagnosed but worried” Forum to submit your concern.
Topics – Topics are subsets of Forums. Once you have found an appropriate Forum to submit your content to, you can start a new Topic that details your question or concern.
Posts – Posts are subsets of Topics. Once you or another Community Member has started a Topic, Posts can be added to the Topic by you and other Community Members.

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How do I start a new Topic or add a Post to an existing Topic?

First, ensure you are logged in to the Discussion Boards. Once you are logged in, you can start a new Topic by navigating to an appropriate Forum. For example, if you are a woman who is concerned about breast cancer and you have a question, you would navigate to the “Not Diagnosed but Worried” Forum. Once there, click the “Start a new Topic” button to begin writing. When you are ready to post your new Topic, click “Submit”.
To add a Post to an existing Topic, navigate to the Topic you would like to add the Post to. Then, click the “Add a Post” link on the right hand side of the Topic/Post table. When you have finished writing your Post, click “Submit”.

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How do I change my password or update/edit my profile?

You may update your profile--including changing your password--at any time by clicking the "My Home" link found at the top of any page. To update your profile, click on the “My Profile” tab. Navigate through Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 of your profile to update your public information, your private information, or your diagnosis information, if applicable.
To change your password, click on the “My Profile” tab. Navigate to Step 2 of your profile (My Private Information) and find the password field. Click the “Change…” link to the right of the password field to change your password.

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How do I add an image to my message?

To add an image to a Topic or a Post, click the image icon in the Post/Topic toolbar. A popup will appear where you can enter the image’s URL (see note below), description, and dimensions. Click “Insert” to add the image.

Note: The image you wish to insert must be saved online somewhere, such as www.Photobucket.com or www.Flickr.com. Each of these sites explains how to share your images. You should select the HTML code option for the image you want, and paste it into the “Image URL” box.

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  1. Type the text you would like to make into a link.
  2. Highlight the text, and click the Insert/edit link icon .
  3. Enter the URL, select the Target window (same or new) it should open in, and give your link a Title, which shows up when your mouse if over the link.
  4. Click the “Insert” button and your link will be saved.
To edit your link, repeat Step 2.

To remove a link, highlight the linked text, and click the “Unlink” icon .

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How do I add an avatar to my profile?

To add and avatar to your profile, navigate to the “My Home” link found on any page. Then navigate to “My Profile”. Click “Edit Profile” and navigate to the Upload Avatar field at the bottom of the page.

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Is there a limit to avatar image size?

We ask that you keep your images relatively small. As a rule, please do not exceed 125 x 600 pixels and/or 35k for your avatar image. This will ensure that the Discussion Boards load quickly for all Community Members.

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Can I attach a file to my Topics or Posts?

No. For security purposes, file attachments are not allowed.

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What are the Discussion Boards rules?

The Discussion Boards rules are the rules Community Members agree to when they sign up to use the Discussion Boards. You can find a link to the Community Rules in the pink navigation area at the top of all Discussion Boards pages.

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How do I edit my time zone and email preferences?

You can edit your email preferences by clicking the "My Home" link found at the top of any page. Then navigate to the “My Preferences” tab to edit time zone preferences, email preferences, and image display preferences.

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Why is a Topic’s subject so important?

The first submission of a Topic establishes the subject by which all subsequent Posts will be known. Make Topic subjects as descriptive and as specific as possible. For example, 'LCD burn-in questions', is much better than something completely generic, such as 'Newbie needs help!'. Not only is it more likely to elicit a response, but it'll also make it much easier for all Posts in the Topic to be found.

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How do I find Topics that may already have the answer to the question I have?

One of the key features of our new Discussion Boards is the Search. Before starting a Topic, it is always worth checking to see if your concern has already been submitted. You can do this via the “Search Discussion Boards” field below the pink login section in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

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How can I ensure my Posts and Topics have white space in them?

Hit the carriage return twice at the points where you want to insert a blank line.

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Is there a spell check function?

Yes, there is a spell check to use when you are starting Topics, adding Posts, and sending Private Messages. To use the spell check, click the spell check icon from the message toolbar. The spell check function will underline any misspellings it finds in red. Left-click the misspelled word to learn suggestions for correction.

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How do I edit my content?

To edit your content, click the "Edit" link within the Post or Topic you wish to change.

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How do I delete my Post?

First, ensure you are logged in to the Discussion Boards. When you are logged in, you can delete your own Posts by clicking on the Delete link to the right of the Edit link below the Post text. From there, you will be taken to a confirmation screen that asks you to confirm or cancel your deletion. When you have deleted your Post, a placeholder for that Post will still exist showing that you have deleted the Post. Remember, you can only delete your own Posts.

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What if I submit content to the wrong Forum?

Let the Discussion Boards Administrator know - he/she will be able to move it for you.

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How do I add a Topic to My Favorite Topics?

To add a Topic to your favorites, click the “Add to Favorites” link at the bottom left of the Topic you wish to add.

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How do I send a Private Message?

There are two ways Community Members can send Private Messages. The first way is from the Discussion Boards / Topics pages:
  1. Click on the user name of the community member to whom you would like to send a Private Message.
  2. Click on "Send user name a messsage".
  3. Fill in the Subject line and message body.
  4. Click the "Send Message" button.
The second way is from the My Home area, which is limited to your Favorite Members:
  1. Click the "Send Private Message" button.
  2. Next to "To", you will find a menu of your Favorite Members. Select the Member to whom you would like to send a Private Message.
  3. Fill in the Subject line and message body.
  4. Click the "Send Message" link.

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What are Active Topics?

Active Topics are Topics that have had Posts submitted to them within the last 24 hours. When you click the Active Topics link, you will see a table of all Topics that Community Members have added Posts to. The table is in reverse chronological order and lists the Topic’s topic, when it was created, and who submitted the last Post. Click on the link in the Topic column of the table to go to your first unread Post of that Topic.

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How do I report spam or Community abuse?

First, ensure you are logged in to the Discussion Boards. Click on the Report this Post link found on the upper right-hand side of the Post to report Community abuse. Community abuse includes:
  1. spam
  2. solicitations to buy products
  3. threatening, abusive, or hateful comments
Community abuse does NOT include:
  1. comments which simply have a different viewpoint than yours
  2. moderator-approved solicitations for interviews or events
Community Members who abuse the Community by submitting spam or other abusive content will have their account temporarily banned. Community Members who report Community abuse when the content does NOT qualify for Community abuse will also have their account temporarily banned. Repeated offenses of Community abuse or reporting abuse will result in a permanent ban.

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How do I block Posts and Private Messages from another Community Member?

There are two ways to block or ignore content from other Community Members. First, ensure you are logged in to the Discussion Boards.
From the Member's profile page, you can click the link labeled "Ignore this Member" to stop receiving Private Messages from that Member. Posts from the blocked member will be suppressed, showing "This Post is suppressed because you are ignoring [Member Name]." with an "Unblock [Member Name]." link.
You may also block a Community Member directly from a Private Message sent by that Member by clicking the "Ignore this Member" link.
Unblocking a Community Member can be accomplished from suppressed Posts, the Member's profile page, your Ignored Member list, or from within a Private Message sent by that Member.

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