Model Horse Blab FAQ

Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.

Choosing a Post Editor

Blab has interfaces called "post editors" that you use to compose messages (posts) visible to other members. These editors use vB Code, a special language that produces cool enhancements to your text (bold, italics). You can pick the post editor you prefer in My Panel.

Basic Editor: has no vB code buttons to assist your editing. You must enter any vB Code manually, to create things like italics.
Standard Editor: requires you to highlight with your mouse the text you wish to modify and press the appropriate button. This will place the proper vB Code tags around the selected text. If you press a button without selecting text, this editor will insert vBcode tags at your cursor. You may then enter your text between the tags.
Enhanced Editor: (a/k/a WYSIWYG), pressing a button will modify any highlighted text. Your final post appears the same as it does while being edited. Most people prefer to use the Enhanced Editor.

Create a Post

You can access the post editor interfaces in the following ways:

Creating a New Thread: To start a new thread, go to the appropriate forum on Blab and locate the "New Thread" button. Clicking it will open your chosen editor so that you can compose a new message.
Quick Reply to a Thread: In order to create a Quick Reply to any thread, you may click on any of the "Quick Reply" buttons at the bottom of any post in the thread. If you are intending to quote a particular message in your reply, make sure you depress the "Quote" buttons on the bottom of that particular post. Clicking those Quick Reply buttons will move your mouse to the stripped-down post editor that appears at the bottom of all threads, and you can begin typing a reply. If you want to use your chosen post editor, click the "Go Advanced" button. Otherwise, just press the "Post Quick Reply" button when finished.
Advanced Reply to a Thread: In order to create a Reply using your chosen editor right away, hit the Post Reply button at the bottom or the top of any page in the appropriate thread.

How to Edit Your Posts

Please note that you have only 10 minutes to edit a post after you submit it to Blab.
To edit or delete your posts, click the "Edit" button by the post you want to edit. If your post was the first in the thread, then deleting the post may result in the removal of the entire thread. After you have made your modifications, a note may appear, which notifies other users that you have edited your post.

Thread Display Options

When viewing a thread, you will be able to view the thread from a choice of four modes. You can change settings in your My Panel or alternatively, there is a Display Modes link at the top of each thread (note Linear Mode, Newest First is not available through that link).

Linear Mode (Oldest First): Posts are displayed chronologically from oldest to newest. Many posts can be viewed simultaneously.
Linear Mode (Newest First): Posts are displayed from newest to oldest. Many posts can be viewed simultaneously.
Threaded Mode: A tree is shown with every post, allowing you to see who responded to whom. Only one post is shown at a time.
Hybrid Mode: A mixture of the linear and threaded modes. The post tree is displayed, but multiple posts are displayed simultaneously.

Most people stick with Linear Mode, oldest First, as that is the forum default setting.

Dressing Up Your Posts Generally

Our software provider furnishes these instructions for modifying the text in your posts and adding links and various kinds of images. These instructions anticipate that you will be using the Basic Post Editor and therefore needing to know specific BB code tags. More detailed instructions from Blab Management on more popular post enhancements are included in the FAQs below.

Adding Hyperlinks in Posts (linking to another internet site)

You can add hyperlinks simply by pasting a URL into a post and submitting the post. Our PHP code will automatically display it as a link. To create a hyperlink that appears as a word (for example, the phrase User CP is a URL), do the following:

Highlight (or "select") the text in your post that you want to be hotlinked.
Click the web icon (it looks like a globe) on the post edit form.
A pop-up box with a field will appear with the phrase "http://" already entered into the field.
Paste your URL into the field and click the "okay" button.
You can test the link after you submit your post.

Adding Smilies to Your Posts

Smilies are small graphical icons which you can insert into your posted messages to convey an emotion or feeling, such as a joke or embarrassment. To use the clickable smilies, simply click the smiley that you want to insert into your message (only visible in Standard or Enhanced post editor modes), or click the Show All Smilies link (if available) to access the full list of smilies. Certain combinations of text characters can trigger smilies. For example, :) is converted into a smiling face. There is a page that lists all the smilies on the forum. Additionally, you will see a checkbox which you can select when you make a new post, which will allow you to 'Disable Smilies.'

Icons in Titles of Threads or PMs

Blab has message icons for new threads, posts and private messages. Message icons allow you to use a small icon to accompany your posting, to convey the emotion or content of a post at a glance. You can insert icons into the titles of new threads by selecting one from the menu that appears beneath your post editor.

Displaying Internet Images

Here are the instructions for posting images or photos from your website in your posts:

Put your Picture on the Internet: You must have your images stored somewhere on the worldwide web, such as your own website, one of the many free image-hosting websites (Photobucket, Webshots, Shutterfly) or in the Blab Gallery. If you have no place to store photos, use the Attachment method described below.
Know the URL to Your Image: After your image is uploaded to the web, you must know the URL to your image. If for example, your image is hosted on your own website, then the URL would be "http://www.yoursite.com/image.jpg."
Create a post with the text you want in it.
Then click the post editor button that appears to have a little tree on it.
- A dialogue box will pop up.
- Paste the URL of your image into the open field in that box, and click the "okay" button.
- Depending on your post editor, the image will either display in your draft post, or it will appear as code:
  
  [img]http://www.yoursite.com/image.jpg[/img]
- If you don't see the button with the little tree on it, you can type the code in yourself, as above.

Inserting Photos and Images from Your Computer (Attachments)

Attachments allow you to insert photos and other image files from your hard-drive into posts.

To attach a file to a new post, from the initial 'Quick Reply' post edit box, click the lower right button "More Edit Options." Then scroll below the edit box and click the "Manage Attachments" button, opening the attachments manager box. Using the upper right "Add Files" button, you'll be able to browse, select and upload the file that you want from your local hard drive.

After you have located the file you wish to use, hit the Upload button, and the image should attach as desired. The new file will appear in the lower section of the box. In this lower box you must select the images you want to insert, then click the lower right "Insert Inline" button.

The images will be automatically inserted into your post. You can move them in your post edit box using highlight, cut, copy and paste, to place them where you want them to be.

There is a limit to the file size of any attachments you make. There is also a limit on the total filesize of all attachments combined (it is more generous for paid members.) You may delete old attachments to stay within your allowed limit of attachments (this will remove them from old posts.)

To prune your old attachments, in the panel with your pm's, scroll down to the left side selection for Attachments. The delete button is in the lower right, you may have to scroll down to see it.

Using the Multi-Quote Feature

To quote passages from multiple posts, click on the "multi-quote" icon to the right of the "quote" icon next to *each* post you wish to quote. Then click the "post reply" icon or "post reply" link. You should see multiple posts quoted in the "post reply" form. The "quick reply" form does not support the "multi-quote" feature.

Adding Polls to Your Posts

A poll allows a thread-starter 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. To create a poll, utilize the menu under your post editor after initiating a new thread, and set the number of possible responses you want to include. 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. You may also want to specify a time limit for the poll, so that it only stays open for voting for a week or so.

How to Vote in Polls and See Results

To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the Vote button. You may view the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link.

Poll Voting Indicates New Post Made

Please note that there is a bug in the time-stamp feature for threads - voting in a poll indicates that a new post has been made, even if that's not the case. This will be noticeable to people using the "New Posts" feature or the "subscribed threads" feature in My Panel.

Using Email to Track Replies

If you post a new thread, or reply to an existing thread, registered users can choose to be notified by email when someone else replies ("Thread Subscription") in the Thread Subscription menu available below your post editor. You can also choose to receive email notifications of new posts in a thread without posting in that thread, by clicking the "Thread Tools" button displayed in the upper right hand area of the thread page. If you choose to stop receiving notifications from a thread, you can turn off the option by using the "Thread Tools" button again or via the Subscriptions Menu in your My Panel. You can set whether you want notifications by default in Options in your My Panel.

Using the Rate a Thread Feature

While viewing the thread, you will see a menu option in the upper right hand corner called "Rate this Thread;" mousing over it shoots down a menu that allows you to choose a rating (1 is dismal; 5 is excellent). Once enough votes have been cast for the thread rating, you may see a set of stars appear with the title of the thread in the thread listings. These stars reflect the average vote cast, and can allow you to quickly see which threads are worth reading if you are on a very busy forum with a lot of threads.