ST PETERSBURG AT YOUR FINGERTIPS MESSAGE BOARD HELP

What is the purpose of this message board? - How do I get started? - How do I read messages? - How do I reply to messages? - How do I add images and links to my message? - How do I start a new topic? - How do I find a topic or message I have posted? - I found an offensive message on the board. How do I get rid of it? - A note on Netiquette

What are message boards?

What is the purpose of this message board?

This message board was started by "St. Petersburg at Your Fingertips" to provide an open forum for discussion of topics related to St. Petersburg as well as travel to St. Petersburg and Russia. It offers users like you an opportunity to share your ideas and concerns, ask questions or find people with similar interests and ideas. You can also add images and/or links to other pages directly into your messages. Enjoy it!

Please, send us your comments about this message board.

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How do I get started?

Unlike other message boards we do not ask you to register. You can go to the message board straight away. You should note, however, that you won’t remain anonymous if you choose to post a message: you will be prompted to supply your name and e-mail address. If you are new to message boards please read What are message boards? and Security precautions.

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How do I read messages?

To read any message simply click on an appropriate link. When you are finished with reading a message you can either click REPLY (to submit you reply to this message) or click MESSAGE BOARD (to return to the Message Board’s main/topics page).

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How do I reply to messages?

In this message board posting a message and replying to a message is the same thing. If you do not find an appropriate topic for your ideas create a new one (click here to learn how to do it). Otherwise,

• choose a message or topic you want to submit your reply to, then click on REPLY link.
• You will be prompted to fill out the Submission form

Submission form:

• YOUR NAME: this is a required field
  
• YOUR E-MAIL: this field is optional, but your e-mail address is necessary, if you encourage other users to write to you
  
• SUBJECT: this is a required field. Whatever you type here will appear as a title of your message
  
• MESSAGE: this is a required field, in which you type your message. You can add links and/or images to your message either by filling out three optional fields below, or by adding HTML mark-up into the body of your message
  
• OPTIONAL LINK URL: this is an optional field, meant for adding a link to your message. The link (e.g. http://www.your_address.com) will appear directly bellow the body of your message.
  
• LINK TITLE: this is an optional field for a title of your link (see above)
  
• OPTIONAL IMAGE URL: this is an optional field for adding an image to your message. Provide a URL for your image. Note that the picture appear directly above the body of your message

Upon filling out the form, click the POST button. If you made a mistake click on CLEAR and start all over again.

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How do I add images and links to my message?

You can include images and links directly into your message. To do so:

• Add appropriate HTML code directly into your message. All URLs must begin with http://
  or
• Fill out three last optional fields in the Submission form (OPTIONAL LINK URL, LINK TITLE and OPTIONAL IMAGE URL). This method comes handy when you can’t write HTML code. For more details of Submission form fields click here. (Please remember that all URLs must begin with http://)

How do I start a new topic?

To start a new discussion topic simply click on the CREATE A NEW TOPIC link. You will than be prompted to supply the your name, e-mail, topic and your message (or further details on these fields see Submission form).

If you don’t see the CREATE A NEW TOPIC link, it means that the message has reached maximum number of topics allowed. You can either look for an existing topic in which to post your thoughts, or return back in a few days, when some of the topics may have expired.

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How do I find a topic or message I have posted?

The title of your message (the one you wrote in the SUBJECT field) will appear within the topic you submitted it to. The list of messages is organized as a hierarchical tree. To put it simply:

• if you started a new topic or replied to an existing topic, the title of your message will appear after the topic,
• if you replied to a specific message, the title will appear after that message

If you’ve posted a message and then have trouble finding it, it may have expired or have been removed. Messages and topics expire on a regular basis to make room for new discussions. We also reserve the right, but not the obligation, to remove messages we find objectionable, particularly those containing advertisements, phone or pager numbers, profanity, insults, threats of violence, or other offensive material.

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I found an offensive message on the board. How do I get rid of it?

If you find an offensive or threatening message on our Message Boards, please e-mail us. In the message, be sure to indicate the topic in which the message is posted, as well as the message title.

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A note on Netiquette and the "rules of the game"

We expect you to follow a set of simple rules which are universally accepted as Netiquette. Avoid rude personal comments about other users: treat others like you want to be treated yourself. Our message board administrator will remove messages which can be offensive to other users. We also reserve the right (but not the obligation) to remove messages we find objectionable, particularly those containing advertisements, phone or pager numbers, profanity, insults, threats of violence, or other offensive material.

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What are message boards?

Message boards, also know as bulletin board systems (BBS), provide a means of communicating with people on the Internet. A message board generally consists of a number of specific discussion topics, each with numerous messages written by users. "St. Petersburg at Your Fingertips" Message Board is designed for a community of web users, in which you can discuss, debate, and make new friends.

People use message boards for a variety of reasons. Some people use them to discuss subjects of interest to them. Some people use them to meet new people and find folks with similar interests or ideas. Some people use them for business advice, and some to just pass the time.

As a form of communication, message boards fall somewhere between a personal email and an announcement over the radio. Be smart and use normal precautions when posting - don’t give out your phone number or address, don’t make rude or offensive comments, don’t reveal anything you wouldn’t want the world to know, and remember that this is a public form of communication.

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