STUDENTAWARDS FORUM FAQ

Scroll through the questions and if you still haven't found the answer you're looking for, email us at info.forum@studentawards.com


THE BASICS

What is the Studentawards Forum?
The Studentawards Forum is a virtual community where students, teachers, professors and parents gather to share their knowledge, insights, issues and ideas.

How does the Forum work?
The Forum is a place for online group discussions. Conversations on the Studentawards Forum typically take place over days, weeks, or even months. Forum discussions are posted in consecutive order, with the original message being displayed on the first page and more recent replies on the latter pages. The result is a linear dialogue that has the feel of a real-life conversation.

Do I have to register to use the Studentawards Forum?
Forum registration is required if you plan to post new topics or reply to existing topics. Registration is free, and you are not required to post your real name. You are required to submit a valid email address; however, it will be automatically hidden from the view of anyone except Moderators and Administrators. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email at the email address that you have provided; just follow the instructions in the email, and you're ready to go! To ensure that you receive all communications from the Studentawards team, please add info.forum@studentawards.com to your safe list.

Please note that the Forum software was updated on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. If you signed up for the Studentawards Forum before Tuesday, March 4, 2008, you are required to create a new profile in order to post messages on this Forum. Messages posted before March 4th can be accessed (read-only) through the "Archive" link located on the top navigation bar.

Do I have to register on the Studentawards scholarship site even though I'm a member of the Studentawards Forum (and vice versa)?
Registering for the Studentawards Forum does not register you for the Studentawards scholarship search service, and vice versa. Each service has its own registration and login process. If you are interested in accessing information on scholarships, bursaries, grants and other forms of financial aid, please visit www.studentawards.com.

If you have already registered on both the Studentawards Forum and Studentawards scholarship search service, you must log into the Forum and the scholarship site separately in order to move freely between the two.

What is my role in the Forum?
You are a valuable member of the Forum. By sharing your thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns, you help shape the Forum and make it a dynamic and evolving community. Your contributions are the foundation of our community.

How do I retrieve my user name and/or password?
In order to participate on the Studentawards Forum, you are required to login with a user name and password. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential. Do not share it. These unique identifiers are used to protect your personal information and ensure the security of your personal profile.

If you forget your password, we have a reset password feature located on the login page. Enter the user name and email address you registered with and we will email you a new password. It is recommended that you log in and change your password as soon as possible. It is important that you remember your login information.

Please note that the Forum software was updated on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. If you signed up for the Studentawards Forum before Tuesday, March 4, 2008, you are required to create a new profile in order to post messages on this Forum. Messages posted before March 4th can be accessed (read-only) through the "Archive" link located on the top navigation bar.

What are Moderators?
The Studentawards Forum is maintained by one or more Moderators, who are assigned the job of forum upkeep and are given a few special privileges to make that job easier. Moderators can keep topics lively, mediate or terminate disputes, and post useful information.

Who do I contact if I find a technical problem with the site?
If you find a technical problem with the site that is not addressed in this help file, please contact us at info.forum@studentawards.com.


USER PROFILES

What is a user profile?
A user's profile is a summary of his or her identity, role and activity in the Studentawards Forum.

How do I create my profile?
When you register on the Studentawards Forum you are only required to submit a user name, password, and email address. Only your user name and profile are displayed to the public. In your profile, you have the option of entering personal information, however we urge you to show caution when entering such information. It is recommended that you do not post your full name, your home address, email or your telephone number on the forums, and for your own safety, do not give out any information about yourself to anyone that you would not feel comfortable giving to a stranger on the street.

How do I edit my profile?
You may easily change any information stored in your registration profile. Simply identify yourself by logging in and clicking on “My Profile” in the top navigation bar. Then, on the left navigation bar, select “Edit Profile”.

Who can see my profile?
Everyone in the community can see your profile. Only you can edit your profile.

Can I send an email to other members of the Forum?
In order to protect our members' privacy and help in the fight against email spam, we do not display member email addresses. To contact another Studentawards Forum member, you can either go to “My Profile” and send a “New Message” to that member, or click on the private message “PM” button on any post made by that member.

What is private messaging?
Private messaging is a kind of board-based email system for members to send personal messages to other members without going through an outside email client. Each member has his or her own “Inbox” in which private messages are stored. Log into the Studentawards Forum and click on “My Profile” to access your inbox.

How do I get a picture under my user name?
The picture under your username, known as an “avatar”, is chosen by you and can be changed at any time. More than one person may have the same avatar. To choose one, go to “My Profile” on the top navigation bar, then select “Modify Avatar” and you will be taken to a menu of avatars. Simply click on the avatar you like best.

Can I make my own avatar?
At this point, the avatars in the current menu are the only available avatars.

How do I unsubscribe from the Studentawards Forum?
Users may unsubscribe to delete their Forum user profile in its entirety by clicking here. In deleting your profile, the messages you have previously posted will remain on the forum (to maintain the continuity of the Forum structure), however your profile will be deactivated and you will not be able to post any new messages. Also, you will no longer receive communications from the Studentawards Forum.

Do I have to log out?
In order to protect our members’ privacy and help in the fight against email spam, we advise our members to completely close their session to prevent other users from viewing and accessing private profile information. You can do this by simply clicking on “Logout” in the top navigation bar.


FORUMS, TOPICS, AND POSTINGS

What are Forums?
Conversations are grouped by broad subject area into forums. For example, our current forums fall under the titles College & University Life, High School Hang Out, Life in General, and Money Management and Scholarships. The Studentawards Forum Administrators determine what the forums shall be.

What are Forum topics?
Within each forum are lists of topics. A topic is a discussion about a more specific subject. For instance, the College & University Life forum might include topics on dorm life, peer pressure, choosing classes, etc. Each topic has a title identifying its subject.

What are "threads"?
A thread is composed of numbered posts, each written by an individual participant. You participate in each thread by reading its posts through to the end, at which point you have the option of making a post of your own.

How do I start a "thread"?
To start a thread, click on the “New Topic” button located near the top right corner of the page.

How do I post a response?
To post a reply to a thread, click on the “Add Reply” button located at the top right corner of the thread page. You may also use the "Quick Reply" function at the bottom of the thread page, however, you will only given the option of submitting your response in simple text (no formatting options).

Can I delete or make changes to my post?
You may edit or delete your own posts at any time. Just go to the post you want to edit and you will see the “Edit Post” and “Delete” buttons on the corner of your post. No one else can edit your post, except for the forum Moderator or Administrator. Please note, you may not delete a post that is a thread starter, however you are able to edit the post as you see fit.

How do I search for specific posts?
You may search for specific posts based on key word(s), and username. Just click on “Search” located on the top navigation bar.

How do I know if someone has replied to my post?
If you would like to keep track of a particular thread, you can subscribe to the thread to receive email notifications when new posts or edits are made. To subscribe to a thread, find the one you are interested in and click on "Options" located in the top right corner of the purple title bar. Select "Watch this topic". To unsubscibe, repeat the steps and select "Unwatch this topic" or go to "My Profile" and select "Subscriptions" on the left hand side. Select the threads you no longer wish to receive notifications on.

You may also subscribe to a Forum by clicking on the "Watch Forum" link listed at the bottom of the selected Forum page.

Why have some words in my post been replaced?
The Forum Administrators have the power to censor inappropriate text with substitute words. We reserve the right to censor all content, at our discretion.

How do I add a signature?
You may use a signature on your posts. Click on “My Profile”, and then “Signature” to add or modify your signature. Your signature may be a quote, an identifying saying, a small image, or any sort of identifier; however, we ask you to please limit the size of your signature. Moderators and Administrators reserve the right to edit your signature if it is too large or is inappropriate.

How do I attach files?
For security reasons, you may not attach files to any posts. You may cut and paste text into your post, or hyperlink to outside documents.

What are archives?
Archives are read-only areas that contain topics that were previously posted on our forum.

What are ranks?
Ranks are titles that measure how many posts you have contributed to discussions on the Forum. The more you participate on the Forum, the higher your rank. It’s our way of recognizing active participation and rewarding those who contribute regularly to the Studentawards Forum.

Ranks
0-50 posts: Frosh
51-300 posts: Senior Student
301-500 posts: Student Council
501-700 posts: Valedictorian
701-999 posts: Student Body Vice-President
1,000-9,999 posts: Student Body President
10,000+ posts: Grand Poobah

TECHNICAL STUFF

What do the icons and symbols mean?
Descriptions of icons and symbols can be seen by placing the cursor on them for a few seconds.

Smilies
You've probably seen others use smilies before in email messages or other bulletin board posts. Smilies are keyboard characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile or a frown .

Announcements
Announcements are one-way communications from either a Moderator or an Administrator. No one may post replies to these announcements. If you want to talk about specific announcements, you must create a new topic in the appropriate forum.

Sticky
Administrators and Moderators have the ability to designate threads as "sticky". Sticky threads remain at the top of the thread listings and can only be moved by Administrators and Moderators.

Locked
When a thread is marked as "locked", members will only have read-only access to it.

Quote
This function allows users to reference other users' messages while making it distinct from their own. To post message with a quote, find the message you would like to quote and click on the quote button.



Code

The code function allows users to post code without affecting the current application.


Do you use cookies?
This bulletin board uses cookies to store your username and password. These cookies are stored on your browser. Cookies are not used to track your movement or perform any function other than to enhance your use of the bulletin board. If your browser does not support cookies, or you have not enabled cookies on your browser, this time-saving feature will not work properly.

Once again, should you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at info.forum@studentawards.com