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Discussion Boards Help

Discussion Boards Tip: Help keep our Community safe by not submitting personal identity 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. Internet search engines cannot search Private Message content, so you may exchange personal identity information in PMs if you wish.

Discussion Boards Help Topics

Do I have to create an account to use the Discussion Boards?

You can browse the Discussion Boards without an account, However, in order to start a new Topic or add a Post, you must have an account. If you choose to create an account, you will be able to edit your profile and preferences, send Private Messages (PM) to other members, be notified of responses, and you will then 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, to help you recover a lost password, or to answer technical support requests. We never publicize your email address, as we realize that people don't want everyone to have this information.

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Help! I'm having trouble creating an account.

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 what content you have looked at in your current session. If your browser is not set to accept cookies, you may not be able to log in.
Your selected user name must be unique and not previously used. A red banner will advise you of this. You need to enter your password identically, and you must select the option to agree to follow Community Rules and select that you are human in order to eliminate spam-bots.
You will then be sent an email to verify your account. Once verified, it will be possible to login and use your account.

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How do I log in?

You must have an account with the Discussion Boards in order to log in and start topics and posts, contribute to others’ posts, and personalize your Discussion Boards experience. The link to log in is the right hand link in the gray bar at the top of the Discussion Boards website. Clicking 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 will be entered on to the main Discussion Board’s 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 be set to accept cookies.
  4. Log out completely by hitting the Log Out link in the gray bar 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? Recover it." link. Enter the email address you used to create your account 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 – A Category is a grouping of Forums. For example, "Not Diagnosed but Concerned" is a Category that holds Forums such as "Waiting for Test Results" 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 waiting for breast cancer test results, but is not diagnosed, you would choose the "Waiting for Test Results" Forum to submit your concern.
Topics – Topics are subsets of Forums. Once you have found an appropriate Forum in which to submit your content, you can add your post to an existing Topic or start a new Topic that details your specific question or concern.
Posts – Posts are subsets of Topics. Once you or another Community Member has started a Topic, you and other Community Members can add Posts to the Topic.

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What are Community Rules?

When you created your account, you agreed to abide by the Discussion Forum Community Rules which cover the conditions under which you may continue using the forum. Continued infringement of these rules can lead to temporary or permanent bans, so they must be followed and respected.
Community Rules can be checked anytime easily by clicking the link in the gray area at the base of every page. These Rules are to protect you and our other members and are to be followed in all posts.
Moderation – These Forums are continually monitored by both automatic systems and a team of real people (called Moderators) who carefully observe, investigate, and validate, violations to the Community Rules, then take appropriate action to ensure the safety of these Forums.

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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 concerned and have a question about breast cancer, 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 to which you would like to add the Post. Then, click one of the "Post a Reply" links. When you have finished writing your Post, click "Submit".

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Can I start a new Forum?

Members cannot start new Forums but may suggest one be created by the Moderators by sending them a Private Message (select Moderators from address pull-down box, or click the link in the signature line at the bottom of any Moderators’ post).
Your request will then be considered and you will be notified of the decision.

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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 logging in, and then clicking the "My Profile" link found at the top of any page, in the gray bar.
To change your password, click on the "Settings" tab. Click the "Edit" link next to the Password field, and make your updates. Be sure to click "Save" to save your changes.
To update your profile (avatar, occupation, etc.), click on the "Settings" tab on the "My Profile" page. Make your updates, and click the "Save" button after each item is updated. You can also change your user name this way. Please edit your profile if you want to change your user name. Do not make another identity as multiple identities or user names are not allowed, and additional user names will be removed.

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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 either:
  • click the LINK button, then enter the image’s Internet Link or URL (see note below) Click "Insert" to add the image,
  • or load from your computer by clicking on the "Choose File" button and find the photo on your computer. You usually should decrease the picture size first down to under 800 pixels wide, (about 400 is often better),as it will load faster for others and not need re-sizing.
Note: To use the URL option, 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.
To re-size a photo, click once in the photo then grab the bottom right corner black square and drag that to the size you want. However, you cannot crop an image – that needs to be done before inserting.
To Edit the photo, you click inside the photo, on the EDIT button. Here you can give the photo a Title, insert a link to a website (that can open a new Tab) and choose to have the image on the right or left side.

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  1. Type the text you would like to make into a link. It is not suggested that you use the entire link as the linked text.
  2. Highlight the text, and click the Insert/edit link icon .
  3. Click the "Insert Link" link.
  4. Enter the URL, Email or Anchor, and you can edit your link Text, which shows in your post as the underlined link to the link.
  5. 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 "Link" icon , then select Unlink.

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How do I add an avatar to my profile?

To add an avatar to your profile, navigate to the "My Profile" link found at the top of any page, in the gray bar. Then navigate to the "Settings" tab. Find the Avatar field and click "Edit" to choose a new graphic file from your machine. Note: see "Is there a limit to avatar image size?" below.
Make sure to click "Save" to save your changes. You can also choose to delete your current avatar.

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Is there a limit to avatar image size?

Please do not exceed 125 x 300 pixels and/or 35k for your avatar image. We ask that you keep your images relatively small. 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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How do I edit my time zone and email preferences?

You can edit your email preferences by clicking the "My Profile" link found in the gray bar at the top of any page. Then navigate to the "Settings" tab to edit time zone preferences, email preferences, and image display preferences. Be sure to click "Save" to save your changes.

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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, "DCIS Treatment 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 will make it much easier for all Posts in the Topic to be found, especially from a site search.

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

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" link in the left side navigation. On mobile devices, you will find "Search" by clicking the "Menu" button at the top of the screen.

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

Hit the carriage return (or enter button) 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 basic active spell checker when you are starting Topics, adding Posts, and sending Private Messages. The spell check function will underline any misspelled words it finds, in red.

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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.
Remember to click "Save" to complete the edit.

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How do I delete my Post?

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 a Discussion Boards Moderator know by sending them a Private Message - they 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 My Favorite Topics" link at the top or bottom left of the Topic you wish to add.

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How can I be notified about activity in My Favorite Topics?

You will see a red number beside "My Favorite Topics" in the blue navigation bar when logged in.
You may choose to receive email notifications when other users post replies to your Favorite Topics by navigating to the "My Favorite Topics" page and clicking the "Add email notification" link for each Topic.
Conversely, you can turn off notifications by clicking "Remove email notification" next to each topic.
A count of your active notifications is displayed on your Settings page in the "My Profile" area.

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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 member a private message".
  3. Fill in the Subject line and message body.
  4. Click the "Send Message" button.
The second way is from the "Private Messages" area, which is limited to your Favorite Members and the Moderators:
  1. Navigate to the "Private Messages" area by clicking the link in the left side menu (or under the "Menu" link for mobile devices).
  2. Click "Compose New Message".
  3. Next to "To", you will find a menu of your Favorite Members. This menu also contains Discussion Board Moderators, should you need to send them a message. Select the Member to whom you would like to send a Private Message.
  4. Fill in the Subject line and message body.
  5. Click the "Send Message" link.

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How can I be notified when I receive a new Private Message?

When you are logged in, and you have received a Private Message, you will see a red number next to "Private Messages" in the blue navigation bar.
You may choose to turn on Private Message notifications in two places:
  1. Navigate to the Private Messages Inbox where you will see "Email Notification of New Private Messages" near the top, with a link to turn the setting on (or off if it is already active).
  2. On the Settings page in the "My Profile" area, you will find a section labeled "Email Notifications" with a "New Private Message" item. Turn the setting on (or off, if it is already active) using the 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 the Topics to which Community Members have added Posts. The table is in reverse chronological order and lists the Topic's title with the number of unread replies, Forum title, who submitted the Latest Post and when, and who Created the Topic. Click on the Topic title link to go to your first unread Post of that Topic (you need to navigate manually to the last post).

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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
Note: Newer members may not see the "Report this Post" button as this privilege is reserved for longer-term members with proven good standing. If you see a post that you'd like to report, and you don't have a "Report this Post" link, you can always feel free to send a PM to the Moderators and select Moderators in the To: pull-down selection. (See How do I send a Private Message?)
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 erroneously 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 "Block User" 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 "Block [Member Name]" link.
Unblocking a Community Member can be accomplished from any suppressed Post, the Member's profile page, your Blocked User list (accessible from your "Dashboard" in the blue navigation bar), or from within a Private Message sent by that Member.
You may also Block whole Topics by selecting the "Block Topic" at the top or bottom of each Topic thread of Posts. You may unblock topics by going to your "Dashboard" in the blue navigation bar, and scrolling down to the "Blocked Topics/Forum" area where you can elect to "unblock."

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How do I delete my Identity if I want to leave BCO?

To delete your Profile and Identity, you would need to send a PM to the Moderators asking to remove the Identity/Profile.
Please note, once your account has been deleted, all posts you have made the forums will also be removed. If you are a member with many posts that may continue to help other members, we suggest that instead of removing your account, you instead edit your profile to remove all identifiable information and details including user name, avatar, birthday, diagnosis and treatment information, and signature line.

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