CorrsClub Help

CorrsClub Layout

A Little Background
You may have noticed that the CorrsClub layout is different from other message boards on the internet. The truth is - it's a relatively old layout which was actually quite popular back when message boards first appeared on the internet. Most of those message board systems have long since gone the way of the dinosaurs, but since the original CorrBoard users (Jim Corr being one of them) liked this layout, we stuck with it. And really, it's a perfect layout if you want to be able to share lots of new information every day, but don't expect the discussions about those things to be particularly long. Sounds like the CorrsClub, right? Another nice thing about this layout is that it lets you reply to a reply, and be able to see exactly which message you originally replied to.

Anyway - those are some of the reasons why the layout you see today is very similar to that old original layout. Of course, so many extra features and functions have been added since those days, the layout is really where the similarity ends.

Enough about that (you can read more about CorrBoard history here.) The point is - for better or for worse, the layout is different than pretty much every other message board system on the internet. So if you find it a little confusing, here's a brief explanation.

Pages, Threads, and Messages
We hope that, like Corrboard, thousands and thousands of messages will be posted on the CorrsClub message board during its lifetime. Obviously we can't fit them all on one page. So the first thing is to divide the messages into pages. The newest messages appear on the first page, with the older messages appearing on the later pages. You may also notice that the first page contains lots of useful Corrs information, such as the latest news and events. (You can save time and bandwidth by adding "noheader" to your URL.) This information only appears on the first page.

The next step is to group together all the messages for a topic. These groups are called threads.

Posting Messages

There are two ways to post messages:

  1. Reply in an existing thread. If you want to reply to a message that someone else has posted, you need to click on that message (a new window will open) and then click on the button that says "Post Reply". The "Message Reply" message posting form is displayed. When you submit your message, it will be added to that thread.
  2. Start a new thread. If you want to start a new topic of discussion, click the link or button next to where it says "To post a new message". The "New Message" message posting form is displayed. When you submit your message, a new thread will appear on the first page of the CorrsClub messageboard.
The Message Posting Form
Whether you're replying in an existing thread or starting a new thread, the message posting form looks just about the same, and contains the following fields:

  • Message Subject - In this field, enter a description of what your message is about. Please take the time to come up with a nice descriptive subject, even if you really want people to read the whole message. Please don't enter subjects like "X", "Re: Your post", or "Read this". Technically, it will work fine, but the point is to make it easy for people to figure out the general flow of a conversation thread.
  • Name or CorrsClub User Name - At this time, the CorrsClub uses an "open posting" policy, which means that you do not have to be registered to post messages on the CorrsClub messageboard. The idea here is that people who aren't comfortable sharing any part of their identity with the rest of the CorrsClub community can feel comfortable to post messages. You have to enter something in this field, but you can really make up any "Name" you want, so that nobody has to know anything about you. But please - once you pick a name, stick with it.
    While you don't have to "register" to post messages, it is highly advisable that you do so. Once you register, your "Name" becomes a "CorrsClub User Name", and anyone who tries to post a message with that same name will have to enter your password. In other words, it protects you from having someone else pretend to be you.
    When you post a message using a CorrsClub User Name, your CorrsClub User Name will appear with a little green dot ("Little Green Dot" for CorrsClub User Names) beside it. This lets everyone know that the user who posted the message is who they say they are.
    Likewise, some other special people have a little red dot ("Little Red Dot for Special Usernames") by them. This is to prevent people trying to impersonate a VIP by chosing names that look similar to a reserved name.
    You can obtain a CorrsClub User Name by sending an email to the administrator or by registering online at the Invison site.
    Your Name or CorrsClub User Name is "remembered" by the CorrsClub so that you don't have to enter it each time you post a message. This is done using JavaScript and cookies.
  • Password - You only need to enter something in this field if:
    1. You are using a registered "CorrsClub User Name" (see above).
    2. Your IP address is blocked from posting messages. Unfortunately, lots of people in CorrBoard history abused the "open posting" policy, and have done lots of not-so-nice things on the CorrBoard. When this happens, if the person was brave enough to supply a valid email address, the moderators will contact that person and try to come to an agreement. But if that plan fails, the only other option is to block that person's IP address from posting messages. It's not fool-proof, and it can also cause people with similar IP address to get blocked unintentionally, so it's really a last-resort approach. If your IP address is blocked from posting messages, you will see the following message at the top of your message posting form:
       Your IP address is blocked from posting messages.
      To override this block, you will either need to enter a password below
      or enter your CorrsClub user name and password.
      Before CorrsClub User Names became available, this password field would be displayed only if your IP address was blocked. If this happened, users would contact the moderators, who would assign a password to get around the block. Now that CorrsClub User Names are available, this function is being phased out. If your IP address is blocked, please send an email to the administrator.
    Your Password is not "remembered" by the CorrsClub site between posts. You will need to enter it each time you post. I know it's kind of a pain, but it's the best way to protect the user names.
  • Email address - You don't have to enter an email address, but it's much better if you do. This not only allows the moderators to contact you if there is a problem with your message, but more importantly, it allows people to contact you to discuss your messages beyond the scope of the CorrsClub discussion.
    Your Email address is "remembered" by the CorrsClub site so that you don't have to enter it each time you post a message. This is done using JavaScript and cookies.
    Note: There are programs which scan the web looking for email addresses, which are then sold to companies who might send you "spam". The Corrboard did not mask email addresses, and was subject to email harvesting. The CorrsClub protects your email address from automatic harvesters which should mitigate some of the problems without losing the advantage of an open system.
  • Message Body ("Type Your Message Here") - You don't have to enter a message body, but if your message doesn't fit into the Subject field, this is where you can type as much as you want to get your point across. If you don't enter any text in the message body, your message will display on the main board with the symbol "(n/t)" next to it, which means "no text". This saves other users from having to click on each message to find out if there's something more inside. So if you're going to enter a message body, try to enter something that won't leave people wondering why they bothered to open your message. :)
    You can also enter real HTML code here, to make your messages appear any way you want. Many other message board systems use a language called "UBL" to provide this capability to their users. The CorrsClub does not restrict you this way. You can enter just about any HTML code you like. But please be careful when doing this, and if you aren't completely sure about what you're entering, test it with a file on your local PC first. Improperly written HTML can mess up the format of your message quite badly! And don't worry - this is the only place where you can enter HTML. You can't put it in the other fields. So the damage you can do here is limited to your one post. Still, if you're going to use HTML in your posts, please be very careful!
CorrsClub Guidelines

If you'd like to read or write to the CorrsClub, please take a moment to look at our guidelines. Well, that's about all I can think of for now. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to let me know. You can reach me (Cara) at: thecorrsclub@googlemail.com.

Thanks, and enjoy!


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