A: To add a comment or question to a thread you are reading:

1. Click the Post Reply button at the top or bottom of the page. If your comment is in response to a particular previous post, you can instead click the Quote button next to that post, and the text of that post will be repeated (attributed to the previous poster) in your post.
2. You will be taken to the Reply To Post window.
3. Type your comments or questions. Use the text-formatting features if you like (see How do I use the text-formatting features? below).
4. Click Preview Post to see how your post will look. Edit it further if you like.
5. Click Submit Reply. You will then be taken back to the thread and you will see your own post in the thread.

A: The Golden Rule of posting is:

• Be helpful, polite, considerate, and respectful of others, just as you would like others to be.

You are responsible for following the other posting rules as well. Before posting in the forums, review the posting rules and guideline on the Forum Rules page.

A: Use Quote only when replying to a specific previous post. Otherwise, use Post Reply. If you aren't sure, it doesn't matter which you use.

A: To start a new thread:

1. Check if there is already a thread on that subject by browsing or searching.
2. Decide which forum is most appropriate for your thread, e.g., a new thread about headaches would probably go in the General Health Problems forum.
   If you aren't sure which forum is best, take your best guess. The administrators may move a thread if they think it would be better in another forum, or merge it with an existing thread about the same subject, to help you get your question answered.
3. Go to the forum display page for that forum by clicking the forum name on the main forum page. If you are already viewing a thread in that forum, you can also click the forum name at the top of the page.
4. Click the New Thread button at the top or bottom of the forum display page.
5. Type a thread title and the comment or question that will be the first post in the thread. Please pick a thread title that indicates the subject. If you choose a poor title for your thread, the administrators may rename it.
   Examples of good titles:
   • What's the difference between RBC and HGB?
   • Looking for a treatment center in Tennessee
   
   Examples of poor titles:
   • A quick question
   • Need help.
6. Click Preview Post to see how your post will look. Edit it further if you like.
7. Click Submit New Thread. You will be taken to the new thread.

A: Sometimes it's a judgment call. If your post is about the same topic as a previous thread, posting there usually makes the thread easier to find for people interested in that topic. That's why it's a nice habit to browse or search for previous threads on a topic before starting a new thread. The administrators may later combine threads that are on a single topic. You should also post in an existing thread when you are replying to a post or answering a question in that thread.

If you want to bring up a new subject or ask a question specific to your situation, you are welcome to start a new thread.

A: You do not need to use the the text-formatting features; you can type the text of your posts in plain text. However, if you want to use the text-formatting features to make your posts look nicer or to include links or pictures, there are two ways to do so:

• by typing strings called vB codes
• by clicking the various icons in the Reply To Post window, which insert the vB codes for you

For a complete list of vB codes, see the vB Code List.

A: vB codes work in pairs, an opening code and a closing code, surrounding the text you want to format. For example, put the vB codes [b] and [/b] around text that should appear in bold. Simiarly, put the vB codes [i] and [/i] around text that should appear in italics. You can also click the Bold icon or the Italic icon .

Example: Reply To Post window:

Resulting post:

A: Small face icons are called smilies or emoticons. You can click the smilie icons next to the box where you type your message, use the smilie drop-down above the text box, or type the characters shown to the left of the smilies below, e.g., :) for a happy face.

Smilies can add an extra personal touch to your posts, but please don't overuse them. There is a limit of 10 smilies per post.

Example: Reply To Post window:

Resulting post:

If smilies appear where you don't want them when you are preparing a post, check the Disable smilies in text checkbox in the posting window to turn off smilies for that post.

A: Yes, you can put a link to any URL on the Internet. Just put the URL in your post, starting with the usual http://, and it will automatically be made into a live link in your post. You can also put the vB codes [url] and [/url] around the URL or click the Insert Link icon and type or paste the URL.

If you would like the clickable text to be words instead of the URL, use the form [url=address]text[/url].

Example 1: Reply To Post window:

or

Resulting post:

Example 2: Reply To Post window:

Resulting post:

A: Yes. You can display a picture, photo, or other image that is somewhere on the Internet. You can also upload your own photo as an attachment to your forum post.

To display an image that is on the Internet, put the vB codes [img] and [/img] around the URL (Internet address) of the image. You can also click the Insert Image icon and type or paste the image's URL. Please try to use only small to medium-sized pictures since large pictures may not fit on the screens of other forum users.

Example: Reply To Post window:

Resulting post:

If the image is on your own computer, you can upload it as at attachment to your post. Marrowforums supports images up to 800x600 pixels and up to 100K bytes. If they are larger, they will be scaled as they are uploaded.

Instructions for uploading an image:

1. Click the Post Reply button.
2. Type a message as usual but don't click the Submit Reply button yet.
3. Click the Manage Attachments button in the "Additional Options" section below your message. A "Manage Attachments" window will open.
4. Click the first Choose File button.
5. Navigate to the file on your computer and click the Choose button.
6. Click the first Upload button and wait while it says Uploading File(s) - Please Wait. The smaller the image, the faster it will upload.
7. Click the Close this window link.
8. Click the Preview Post button and see if your message looks OK. If not, fix it and repeat this step.
9. Click the Submit Reply button.
10. Your message in the forum will have the image below it, shown as a thumbnail (small size) image. Click the thumbnail to see the full-size image.

A: You can use the attachment manager to attach small to medium-size PDFs and a few other types of files to a forum post. Click the Manage Attachments button in the "Additional Options" section below a message you are composing. A "Manage Attachments" window will open. Click the Choose File button to select a file. Read the instructions in the window for the file types and maximum sizes. For any other types of files, or for files larger than the limits, you'll have to rely on email outside the forum system to share files with others.