View frequently asked questions

Why can't I log in?
Have you registered? Seriously, you must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the board? (A message will be displayed if you have.) If so, you should contact the administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your citizen username and password. Usually this is the problem; if not, contact the administrator — they may have incorrect configuration settings for the board.
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Why do I need to register at all?
While anyone can view posts in the forums, registration will give you access to features not available to unregistered citizens such as posting new forum topics, replying to topics, voting in polls, rating posts, receiving e-mail notifications about new topics or replies, sending and receiving private messages, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.
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Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
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I've lost my password!
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click Forget your password?. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
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I registered but cannot log in!
First check that you are entering the correct citizen username and password. If they are okay then maybe your account needs activating. Your new registration must be activated by yourself before you can log on. Follow the instructions in your activation e-mail; if you did not receive the e-mail then check that your e-mail address is valid. One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the e-mail address you used is valid then try contacting the administrator.
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I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!
The most likely reasons for this are: you entered an incorrect citizen username or password (check the e-mail you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason.
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I am unable to stay logged in as I move from page to page!
The most likely reason for this is that either your browser or computer security software is blocking cookies from the board site.
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How do I change my settings?
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile & Preferences link (shown at the top of all board pages). This will allow you to change all your settings.
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The times are not correct!
The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a time zone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the time zone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the time zone, like most settings, can only be done by registered citizens. So if you are not registered, this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun!
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How do I show an image below my citizen username?
Potentially below the citizen username listed in each post is an image known as an avatar; this is generally unique or personal to each citizen. You can set up an avatar by going to your profile and uploading an image to our server.
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How do I change my rank?
In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your citizen username in posts and on your profile). Ranks are used to indicate the participation level of citizens depending upon the quality of their posts as rated by other citizens (see the Peer Post Rating Guide in each forum for more details). Moderators and administrators have a special rank that is unchanged by their participation. Just remember: "Quality, not Quantity" when posting messages.
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When I click the e-mail link for a citizen it asks me to log in.
Sorry, but only registered citizens can send e-mail to people via the built-in e-mail form (if the admin has enabled this feature). This is to prevent malicious use of the e-mail system by anonymous citizens.
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How do I post a topic in a forum?
Easy — click the relevant button on either the forum or topic pages. You must register before you can post a message.
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are the administrator or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. You will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. Administrator and moderator edits will also be listed. Please note that citizens who aren't administrators or moderators cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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How do I rate another citizen's posts?
Read the Peer Post Rating Guide in the forum you are participating in for details.
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How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.
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If my topic is about a community event, how do I add it to the Events Calendar?
Adding a topic as an event to the Events Calendar is easy — when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add to Events Calendar form immediately below the posting form. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to add calendar events. You should enter the date for the event and optionally its time and duration.
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How do I create a poll?
Creating a poll is easy — when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add a Poll form at the bottom of the posting page. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls. You should enter a poll question for the poll and then at least two options — to set an option type in the Poll option to add blank and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the administrator.
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How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then citizens can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll.
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Why can't I access a forum?
Some forums may be limited to certain citizens or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the forum moderator and administrator can grant, so you should contact them.
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Why can't I vote in polls?
Only registered citizens can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights.
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What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. You can disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
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Can I use HTML?
No. This is a safety feature to prevent people from abusing the board by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems. That said, if you would like to see more capabilities provided by BBCodes, contact the administrator or post your idea to the LouHI Discussion Board Administration forum.
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What are Smileys?
Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a fellow citizen may decide to rate your post down.
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Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board (except for your avatar). Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
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What are Announcements?
Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. Only administrators or forum moderators can post an announcement.
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What are Sticky topics?
Sticky topics appear below any announcements in viewforum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements, only administrators or forum moderators can post sticky topics.
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What are Locked topics?
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
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What are Administrators?
Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning citizens, creating groups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.
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What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to enforce the Board Guidelines. However, most "moderation" will be conducted through the use of peer ratings by fellow citizens.
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What is the :| |: button for? — Cancelling the board's pagination
By clicking on this button you can locally remove the board's fixed pagination for the current topic to help your web browser do the proper pagination for printing based on actual line spacing, rather than the forum-wide limit for number of messages per page.
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What are the boxes on top of the printable output? — Range selection
There are two boxes on top of the page and a tape-recorder-like button Show. They allow to select a range of messages. Note that every message in the printable view has a number. Use those numbers to fill out the boxes on top to set up the first and the last message you want to be printed, and press the Show button to rearrange the messages. Another way to set a range is to put a negative number in the second box, which will mean that you want -n of messages to be printed. For example, 4 7 will output messages 4, 5, 6, 7. However if you enter values 4 -7 in first and second box respectively, messages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 will be shown after you press the rewind button.
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How to print only one message? — Advanced range selection
First, go to the printable view of the topic by pressing the Printer button in the topic view. Find your message and note the number in the left of it. Type that number into the first box in the top left of the printable view. In the second box put value -1 and press the Show button. This will tell the database to output only one message starting from the given one. Another way of getting this result is by putting the same number in both boxes. Let's say you want to print only the message number 16. Fill out the boxes in the top as such: 16 -1 and press the go button Show. Instead of 16 and -1 you could as well enter 16 and 16. The result will be the same. This example will work only if there are at least sixteen messages in the current topic, of course.
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I cannot send private messages!
There are two reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, or the administrator has prevented you individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why.
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I keep getting unwanted private messages!
In the future we will be adding an ignore list to the private messaging system. For now, though, if you keep receiving unwanted private messages from someone, inform the administrator — they have the power to prevent a citizen from sending private messages at all.
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I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!
We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try to track citizens who send such posts. You should e-mail the administrator with a full copy of the e-mail you received and it is very important this include the headers (these list details of the citizen that sent the e-mail). They can then take action.
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How can I acquire an RSS feed of topics with the most recent activity?
Updated every fifteen minutes, the Louisville History & Issues feed (in RSS 2.0 format) of topics with the most recent activity can be found here.
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Who developed the discussion board software?
This software, Citizen Assembly Board™ by WebCommons, is a fork of phpBB version 2, which was produced, released and copyrighted by phpBB Group. Even though phpBB is available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed, WebCommons CAB is still under development and therefore isn't available for release at this time. Once it is released, WebCommons CAB will likewise be available under the GPL.
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Can I get the administrator to fix bugs, make changes or add new features to the software?
Well, you can certainly try. Contact the administrator or post your idea to the LouHI Discussion Board Administration forum. Depending upon the complexity or appropriateness, it could very well be implemented.
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Whom do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
You should contact the administrator of this board in case there is any appropriate action with respect to the Board Guidelines that can be taken. Please note that WebCommons, the provider of this board, cannot in any way be held liable over the content added by participants on this board. Participants are legally responsible for their own contributions. Any legal response to what a participant has contributed (e.g., cease and desist) should be sent directly to that participant and not WebCommons. Generally, it is pointless to involve WebCommons in any legal matters involving participants on this board. Further, if a participant has not made public information to identify themselves, do not expect that WebCommons will provide any such identifying information, unless required by government authorities to do so.
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