This FAQ, short for Frequently Asked Questions, is a compilation of the most common questions asked about the Message Board.
If after you have thoroughly read this FAQ and the Help page, done all that is suggested and you still have not resolved the problem, send us a message to us via the "Contact Us" form. Make sure you mention that it is the Message Board you are having difficulties with and give a detailed description of the problem you are having, also quote any error messages you may have got. It is difficult to advise, if you just tell us it is 'not working' or 'I can't log in'.
Registration is free and optional:
You can read all the past messages without doing so.
You will need to register if you wish to post a message.
It could be that you made a slight error when you typed your e-mail address.
Our registration program creates the e-mail immediately and it should get to you quickly. Give it at least a few hours before you decide it's not going to get to you.
If you waited a while and still didn't receive the activation e-mail, chances are your spam system, or that of your ISP is blocking the verification e-mail our system sends to you.
If your e-mail program moves spam e-mails to a folder other than your inbox, check there first. Many programs do this - giving you an opportunity to recover 'false positives' and 'whitelist' the address for future use.
Check your spam system documentation, or help system with your ISP. You need to allow mail from the forest-of-dean.net to get through.
Read this article which explains in detail: Why am I not getting the email I signed up for?
If eventually you receive the e-mail and you have not clicked on the activation code link within 24 hours of first registering for an account, the activation code will have expired and you will have to do a new registration.
The most likely reasons for this is that you entered an incorrect username or password.
Your username and password are case sensitive, you must use the proper case and make sure you have no additinal spaces anywhere or you will be unable to log in. Case sensitive means that upper and lower case letters are looked at as being different. For example if your password includes the letter "c" and you type it as "C" it will not be accepted as being correct.
Ensure that your browser supports cookies; if so, check the security level you are using. High levels of security restriction in certain browsers will automatically reject cookies. In order to use the key features of these forums, you'll need to accept cookies.
If you continue to have problems, go to the login page. Enter your Username and E-mail address and click the Lost Password link. A temporary password will be generated and e-mailed to you.
You may have previously clicked on the link and your account is already active or someone who has access to you e-mails may have done so without your knowledge. Try logging in and see if your details are accepted.
If you have not clicked on the activation code link within 24 hours of first registering for an account, the activation code will have expired and you will have to do a new registration.
In order to change your options, you first of all must be logged in, then you will notice your user name appears near the top of the page, this is a link to your user data area where you can change your options. When in this area you will see another link titled "Edit user data".
By default when a new member registers the setting is NOT to "Show e-mail link". If you wish to receive an e-mail direct make sure you have 'yes" next to the 'Show e-mail link.
Yes! To send an e-mail to another member, you can either locate the member you want to contact on the member list, or click the E-mail button on any post made by that member.
This will open a page that contains a form where you can enter your message. When you have finished typing your message, press the [Send Message] button and your message will be sent instantly. Note that for privacy reasons, the email address of the recipient is not revealed to you during this process.
Note that if you can not find an email button or link for a member, it means that the member in question has either decided not to "Show e-mail link", or has not changed this option in their user data section.
It is recommended that if you are replying to a message that you post your reply on the Message Board unless it is of a personal nature. Many people other than the original poster could well find the information in your reply very useful.
By default when a new member registers the setting is NOT to "Show e-mail link". If you can not find an e-mail link next to a message posted by a registered member, it means that the member in question has either decided not to "Show e-mail link", or has not changed this option in their user data section.
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click Lost Password link. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them firstly log in then click your user name link shown at the top of pages. This will take you to your information page and allow you to change all your settings.
When asking a questions, be as precise and detailed as possible. The Subject Line is an important part of your posting. Your message may be ignored by those who are short on time if your subject is not clear and descriptive.
You can get an email notification sent to you when someone replies to a message you posted, if the following box is ticked.
"E-mail notification if there has been a reply to this message"
You will find this directly underneath the section where you type your message.
The most common reason is that you have registered previously and you are trying to post a message without first logging in. All you have to do is log in before you post a new message.
The other reason of course is that someone else has the same name as you who has registered previously.
Using the Message Board implies acceptance of the following terms and conditions:
Participants shall not post any material likely to cause offence, that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right - without the express permission of the owner of such copyright - or that contains personal phone numbers or addresses.
Participants may not use the forum to post or transmit advertisements or commercial solicitations of any kind.
The Forum Administrator has the right to edit, censor, delete or otherwise modify any posted message.
This web site does not verify or guarantee the accuracy of the material posted to the forum or bear any responsibility for any loss, damage, or other liabilities caused by any posted message.
Watkins FHS Pages has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website: Forest of Dean Family History Pages.
http://www.watkinsfhs.net/?Privacy_Statement