The Somerset Birding Forum replaces the old Bravenet Messageboard and adds more Forum categories. It is available to both members and non-members of the Society.

For people who are unfamiliar with forums, we set out below more detailed information on how to use them.

Registration

When you first attempt to post, a registration box will appear and you will be shown the terms and conditions for using the Forum. By registering, you agree to those terms and conditions. You simply have to enter your email address, username and a password. YOUR USERNAME SHOULD BE YOUR PROPER NAME AND NOT A PEN NAME. We will not activate your account if you do not comply with this requirement.

Once the account has been activated by the Administrators,you will be able to post.

Registration has two main benefits. For the Society, it can control who posts to the Forum and, for you, there is no need to complete the captcha that often proved troublesome on the old Messageboard. It also minimises the risk of spammers posting.

Please be patient in the period just after launch because we will have a lot of accounts to validate.

Forgotten Password

If at any time you forget your password, you can reset it without having to bother the Administrators.

The Forum Categories

There are five Forum categories:

1. Society News & Announcements;

2. Bird Ringing, for ringing news around the County;

3. General Matters, covering any birding and wildlife matters not covered under other categories, including general discussion, sale items, requests and announcements;

4. Birding News, for bird sightings in the County; and

5. Forum Guidelines, with information about use of the Forum.

If messages are not posted under the correct heading, the Administrators will remove them..

How to Use the Forum

Select a Category

If, for example, you want to post your bird sightings, click on the ‘Latest Sightings’ heading.

To Post

To post, click on ‘New Topic, write a title and your post and then click the green button ‘Submit ‘Post’ at the bottom of the page.

Below the title box on the Write page there is a pale grey box entitled ‘Expand Formatting’. If you click on the double diagonal arrow at the right-hand end of the box, you will see some formatting boxes. By running the cursor over each one you will see what they do. They include provision for bold, italic and underlined text and email and website links (the 6th and 7th buttons from the left respectively). So, if you want to include your email or website address, you may do so.

There are also facilities for spell-check and asking for email notifications if someone replies to your post.

It is not possible to upload files or photos. If you have some photos of a bird you wish to share with others, you can upload them easily to the Gallery, where they will be entered after they have been validated, and point readers to them in a post.

To Reply

When you read a post, you may wish to reply. You do so by clicking the brown ‘Post Reply’ button at the bottom of the page. Then type your post and submit it in the same way as posting an original. All related postings are grouped together under a Thread name.

Please note that when replying, you can also use the ‘Quick Reply’ button at the bottom. This simply brings up a reply box without showing formatting buttons.

Administration

Once you have registered, you will see your name at the top right-hand corner of the Forum Home page. If you click on the inverted triangle next to your name, you will see two fields.

The first is ‘Your Public Profile’, which controls how much information about you is displayed to the public. You do not have to enter any additional information. There is an option for you to enter your email address so that it will appear in posts. You can also see what posts you have made.

The second field is ‘Your Control Panel’, which has private details, including account statistics and has features such as amending email and other preferences. You can also use it to change your password.

If you have any questions, please click .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).