For the most part, your posts will contain plain text, but on occasions, you may want to emphasize certain words or phrases by making them (for example) bold or italic.

vB Code is a special set of "tags" which you can use to produce the most popular text-effects. vB code has the advantage that it is very simple to use, and is immune to malicious javascripts and page layout disruption. Don't worry too much about vB codes - you'll figure them later when you're more comfortable posting messages.

For more specific information on vB code, click here.

You may notice that some threads on this board also include a section where you can vote on an issue or question. These threads are called 'polls' and this is how to create them:

Creating a new poll

When you post a new thread, you may have the option to also create a poll.

This function allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread.

An example poll might be:

What is your favorite color?

1. Red
2. Blue
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Goldfish Orange

To create a poll when you post a new thread, simply click the 'Yes! post a poll' checkbox next to the Subject.

When you click the submit button, you will be taken to the poll creation page, where you can specify the question and the list of responses you want to include.

Also, once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote later, so place your vote carefully!

If you have registered, you will be able to edit and delete your posts.

To edit or delete your posts, click the button by the post you want to edit.

Certain words may have been censored by the administrator. If your posts contain any censored words, they will be blanked-out like this: ••••.

The same words are censored for all users, and censoring is done by a computer simply searching and replacing words. It is in no way 'intelligent'.

If you post a new thread, or reply to an existing thread, you can choose to be notified by email when someone else replies to that thread. You can also choose to receive email notifications of new posts in a thread without posting in that thread, by clicking the 'Get updates to this discussion!' link at the bottom of the page.

To stop receiving email notifications from a discussion, either click the 'Unsubscribe' link in the emails you received, or unsubscribe from the thread from your "MyBowl" page.

Only registered users may receive email notification, and they can set whether they want to receive email notification by default by editing their options.

Email notification is also referred to as 'Thread Subscription'.

Once registered, you will have the option to include your signature on any posts you make. If you have specified a signature, it will automatically be appended to any messages you post.

You can change your signature from the "My Settings -> Profile" section.

These small images are called Avatars. They are displayed below your nickname on all posts that you make. Avatars are linked to your "User Title" which depends on the number of posts you have:

You can select an Avatar from the "My Settings -> Profile" section. But remember, you need 111 posts first!