Tips

FAQ

This topic contains 3 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by  PopeBeanie 3 years, 5 months ago.

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  • #6325

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    Replying to (and/or Quoting) a post…

    Usually, just log in to AZ and click on Reply or take the “usually best” option below; OR, for more reply options:

    • Using the Quote button prepares your reply as follows:
      • The Quote button by itself copies and blockquotes the original post’s entire content, including a permalink (i.e. a linkback to the original post). (**Still, remember to add a blank line, then click on the blockquote button before you write your reply, else your reply will also be in the blockquote.)
      • If all you want to add to your reply is a permalink (linkback) to the author’s post, click on the Quote button, then delete all the text that comes after the permalink, add a blank line, then turn off the blockquote and write your reply.
      • Last option, but usually best:
        • Highlight (i.e. select) only the relevant portion of the original post that you are responding to
        • Click on the Quote button, which prepares a reply for you with permalink and relevant content
        • Again, (unfortunately as always when blockquoting) you need to add a blank line and turn off the blockquote before you write your reply

    ——————————————————— ———————————————————

    You can always add as many blockquotes as desired in your reply in the usual copy/paste way (even if all you did was hit the Reply button):

    • Highlight relevant text from the original, or any post
    • Scroll back to your reply form and click the blockquote button to turn on blockquoting
    • Paste the text
    • Add a blank line
    • Click the blockquote button to trun off blockquoting

    There are rare occasions when, after 24 hours since your last login, your AZ login expires before you finish writing the reply, which causes the Submit button to fail. I call this a bug! To save your work: click on the Text tab, select all, and copy the text; login without changing to another page; make sure the Text type is still highlighted and paste the text, if necessary, then click on Submit.

     

    How do I include media in a post? from and by Davis

    This is a function on a chat website which should either 1. involve a tool button (especially if you want to format it more) or 2. there should be a note in the edit box informing users that they can just copy and paste the link. (Thx, Davis.)

     

    Linking to a YouTube Video

    You should see options by right clicking on the video, at least in Windows. I assume it would be a long click in the Apple world, but I can’t test that. One option is “Copy video URL at current time”. Choose that, then paste the URL into your post.

    OR, the Share button below the video should give you a similar option via a checkbox called “Start at…”.

    For a more precise starting time point, it may be easier to stop the video with (e.g.) the spacebar at the exact moment needed, then do the right-click thing. Use your keyboard’s left arrow key if you want to quickly rewind 5 seconds before hitting the spacebar.

     

    Linking to a Facebook Video

    This method doesn’t directly embed the video, but forces one to visit facebook to watch it. At least I didn’t have to log in to facebook to watch it. YMMV:

    Right-click (long click on Mac?) on the video, and select “Show video URL” on the menu that pops up. (I had to scroll up on some videos before I could see that menu.) Click on the URL and copy it, then paste it directly into your post. Obviously, this is easiest to do when Facebook and AZ are in different tabs.

     

    Starting a New Topic (e.g. via mobile device)

    It’s the same, whether by desktop or mobile screen, but may seem more hidden on mobile, at first.

    You go to one of the forums that applies and go to the bottom of the page. It looks like a comment box, but it differs in terms of allowing you to give it a title. (Thx, Unseen.)

    • This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by  PopeBeanie. Reason: Added: Replying and/or Quoting
    #6338

    Strega
    Moderator

    I use an iPad and the majority of functions are slightly beyond my grasp. Any iPad tips n tricks for the forum postings would be much appreciated!

    #26742

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    W hat are the easiest ways to see a list of the most recent activity?

    I suggest two ways, one is the quickest, and another provides the most history and detail.

    –> QUICKEST
    If you’re looking at a computer screen, you should see a list on the left and a list on the right. The left one briefly lists the most recently updated topics, and the right one briefly lists the most recent posts. Or Click on the Site-Wide Activity button at the very top of the Atheist Zone page. If you’re on a mobile device, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Or, tap on this link, and bookmark it if you like.

    –> BUILD A LONG, DETAILED HISTORY LIST
    The AZ home page shows “Latest Activity” which can extend as far back in time as you like, by clicking on the “Load More” button. I use this nobrainer method to keep clicking back far enough to see my most recent post. Now the tricky* part here is to not lose that potentially looooong list of posts while you look at individual posts: Right-click or long-click on the date/time link of a post of interest, and open it in another tab! That way you can start reading posts you’ve missed in that topic, close the tab when you’re done with the topic, and continue scolling up, forward in time for newer posts.

    * I say this is “tricky” because it’s too easy in to accidentally click on the date/time link without opening it in a new tab, causing the long “Load More” list to be discarded. You could just scroll up the list of history and open every topic into its own tab before you start reading posts in each tab; you only need to open one tab for each topic, even if there are several posts to read in each topic.

    #33809

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    The potentially confusing thing about Groups

    TLDR: The first thing to notice when you click a link that takes you to a group page is: Are you now on the group’s Home page, or the group’s Forum page? Home is for updates, Forum is for posts in topics.

    I’ll illustrate each page.

    1) The Group’s Home page only shows updates, which you can add to.  You cannot edit updates (not even your own), they don’t show date/time, and they are displayed from newest to oldest, down the page for up to years worth of update history. It looks something like the following. “Home” is highlighted at the top left:

    What a Group's Home page looks like

    2) But we usually want to be in the Group’s Forum page instead, because that’s where all the topics are. (I wish all links would just take us to this Forum page, and “Home” should be called “Updates”.) So click on the Forum button to see the list of topics, which looks something like the following. This is the most important page where we can see topics and add new topics, or open an existing topic to read or add posts to the topic:

    screen capture of part of a Group Forum page

    One more potential cause of confusion: Posts from the Forum will automatically, also appear on the Home page! So at first glance on the Home page, it’s easy to assume incorrectly that you are actually in the Forum… but you’re NOT in the Forum!

    It’s taken me years to come to feel I could explain this well enough. Sometimes I feel like apologizing for this kind of confusion, but you know, all I can say is, we can only get what we pay for, right? And personally, I hate ads. We’re lucky that WordPress makes this site possible, inexpensively.

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