A few guides that spring to mind:

Welcome new members. This may seem obvious but not all new members announce themselves. I have seen quite a few that just pop up with a query as their first post. Rod is usually on the ball but we can all miss the subtle appearance of a newbie. Perhaps not everybody wishes to announce themselves? Some first posters have been members for years. A glance at their post count will reveal all. If nobody acknowledged my introductory post I'd feel like the proverbial shag on a rock.

Some posters are frustrated by a loss of their composition before posting. For any but very short posts I recommend composing your post off-line in a word processor, text editor or your email client. I've alway used my email client and that was Outlook Express, now Outlook. You can type at your leisure without fear of timeout or loss of forum connection and also do a spell check if you wish. When done copy/paste into the forum.

When creating a new post topic begin here... index.php and try to find the correct area for you topic. At times this is not easy or obvious. Placing posts in the completely wrong area will reduce your exposure to interested members and therefore possible responses.

Quite a few members have trouble trying to insert an image into their post. The same difficulty applies to inserting an avatar or signature. I have provided a lot of advice but I have to go find my old posts every time. Perhaps Admin could help by enhancing their existing but now quite dated 'How To' and making it easier to find? viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9645

When a member wants to sell something remember to state your approximate location and a price. Not everyone does and this can result in a lack of interest and frustration for all players. It is easy to assume everybody knows where you are. Remember that members can live anywhere in Oz and in fact a few are in NZ. One of the first things they want to know is how can they take delivery.

When posting for help with an appliance try to provide as much info as possible. At least include a make and model number. Leaving out crucial symptoms leads to wrong initial advice. I have been caught out a few times. The poster generally has an intimate knowledge of the symptoms and it is not that easy to convey all of that useful but important data. We have frequent examples of my 'fridge is not cold enough' or 'my HWS not hot enough' need help. And that is all the info provided. I frequently remind my wife that I'm not a mind reader.

With a new topic on any subject at all the onus is on the poster to make the first post complete enough to avoid a swag of follow-up questions. Anything that is difficult, annoying, hard to understand, time consuming are reasons for posters to be less active in responding.

Hi OT
Thanks for that.

But tell me: What makes a post stay in "View Active Topics" for longer or shorter time and the same with " View new post"
I can't work it out

Hans

Hi OT,

Because of you I cop a lot of grief from the Owner/Trainer. She views your work and says "why don't you do work as neat as OT does". I try hard and my jobs work but my neatness of construction isn't high on the list.

Your technical advice is A1 and I want you to keep it up. Please in the interest of my ear drums and my ego can you place pics of untidy work now and then so that I don't look so bad.

Even if I don't understand some of your technical advice I vote that you keep up the good work.

As for politics and religious opinions I think, as for happy hour, these opinions should be kept private.

On another track I always use the Preview button to check my posts and edit where necessary. When I am happy with my post I then submit.

Cheers CHONGA

Hans, Active Topics are simply the posts in order according to the most recent post on a thread which brings it to the top. You can select the number of days or months back you want the list to extend, from one day to one year.

View New Posts shows all the posts that have come in, including those threads lifted to the top by a new post on them, since you last logged in the the forum. From time to time through the day, the system refreshes and removed all posts from when you last looked from your view new posts view.

Thanks Motherhen. It can be frustrating, someone(Me) starts a post and in a couple of hours, or less, its gone, not many have seen it or had time to reply.
I realise that a lot of the stuff i put up, has got noting to do with caravans or camping and maybe they(Admin) do not want it on the forum.
Anyway, i will keep reading it and post something on the forum. I don't like it, when i get on and there is nothing in the new post We got to keep it going one way or the other.

Hans

Hans, have just arrived at Philip Island van park in the midst of the worst thunderstorm I have experienced

Only half set up awaiting the rain to stop. I have posted a few things in response to people who think their posts have vanished. They only vanish to the poster not the rest of the world. I'm pretty sure Admin posted about this too.

Whilst waiting for the weather I'll poke about here to see if I can find more relevant links. Here is one... viewtopic.php?p=162604#p162604

If you don't hear from me again I have been struck by lightning on Friday 13th

If you don't hear from me again I have been struck by lightning on Friday 13th [/quote]

Mate you will be ok they only take the good one's first
Regards Neville......

Nev, thanks for your luuuuving support

Hans, the weather is finally easing but whilst waiting I have found the admin post I mentioned. Here 'tis....http://www.candm.com.au/forum/viewtopic ... 89#p154489

Hi
You know, I have seen this post, but forgotten all about it. Thanks for reminding me.
On Phillip Island they may need some of these,
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=knit ... 45&bih=680
Hope the weather gets better. Have a good time anyway.
Hans

Yep I get niggled with a no state declaration in answerers..... Why?.....
Because it can make my post irrelevant to the person.


Where can I get an awning roller, springs, haircut?, are all ambiguous if you don't even have a major city named.

The weather threads;....It is raining where I am...Yeah its hot here.... Thanks a lot!

You suggest something and get back..... Oh that air con is not suited as mine, mine is a pop top.....

But the thing with a state or city is not the members fault, it is the fault of the management that they don't include it in their application. What’s wrong with saying you live in Melbourne or Brisbane; it makes a question relevant.
Non caring opportunists can put down any state they like of course. But that is only making your posts irrelevant to them and the incoming info may not apply.

I have been a member of Lcool for many years since almost its inception. It is privately owned and finance and free to all. These basics are requested or you will be removed from the list.

Nothing is a problem and admin request the info upfront. It is the friendliest forum on the internet and chock a block full of info on Toyota's.

Can you remember the different editors we had in succession a few years ago? One man did the best he could and only lasted 4 months. Can you remember the cuts to colour, and the size of the Avatar etc.? The many down times with no explanation etc.
You can query all you want, whether its face book, member’s attitudes etc., but the management has left the forum for dead with penny pinching and lack of concern as well.
Ever seen any promotion of the forum?
I can only put the constant badgering for a subscription when I still had 18 months to go as unnecessary and actual harassment. I reckon that we lost members over it. Personal emails did no good and I had to forgo my sub to cut down on the unwanted “offers”.
Still some of us hang in there but we are still the lowest common denominator in the circle and we should not take things too personally……Sometimes it’s easier said than done….
One thing for sure, is we need to stick together and not openly come out with personal gripes, better to send a pm with a grievance rather than to ostracise in public.
And the hardest thing to convey is humour, no one can see your wry smile...