Forum Help

• You can communicate with individual members without receiving extra email.
• You don't have to navigate away from the forum and open your email software or webmail site to communicate privately with other members.

Sending Private Messages

• From your Control Panel
• From a Member's Public Profile
• From a Member's Message Topics

1. At the top of any forum page, click the 'Profile' link.
2. Under Private Messages, click Compose New Message. The New Message form is displayed.
3. In the Recipients and/or CC text box(es), enter the screen name(s) of the member(s) to whom you are sending the private message.
   Tips:
   • Separate multiple names by a comma and space.
   • You can enter the screen names in upper or lower case letters, even if it is different from the way the member has presented them.
   • If you can't remember the exact screen name(s), you can use the Search window:
     • Click the Recipient or CC magnifying glass.
     • Enter any part of a screen name and/or email address in the Search window.
     • Click the Submit button.
     • If the name is displayed in the Search Results, click on it one time and then close the window. The screen name is inserted into the corresponding text box in the New Message form.
   • If you insert a screen name by using the Search window, the system surrounds the name with brackets. However, do not need to include brackets when you type the screen name.
   • You can use the Buddy List to diplay the New Message form and insert the screen name in one simple step.
4. Enter text in the Subject and Message text boxes, as you normally do when you send email.
   Tips:
   • The Subject line is mandatory; you cannot send a message if you leave it blank.
   • You can format your text by using the buttons and drop-down lists above the Message text box.
   • You can insert smileys by clicking the Smileys link to the left of the Message text box.
   • You can check your spelling by clicking the Check Spelling link under the Message text box.
5. If you want to keep a copy of the message in your Sent folder, select the corresponding check box in the Options area.
6. If you don't want the main recipients to see that other members have been CC'ed, select the Hide CC from Recipients check box in the Options area. (This option effectively changes your CC recipients to blind-copy/BCC recipients.)
7. Click the Preview Message button. A copy of your message is displayed in the Preview Message area above the New Message form.
8. Once satisfied with your private message, click the Send Message button at the bottom of the form.

1. Navigate to the public profile of the member to whom you are sending the message.
2. Under Communications, click the PM button. The system navigates to your Control Panel and displays the New Message form; the member's screen name is inserted into the Recipient text box automatically.
3. Follow the instructions as posted above.

1. Navigate to any topic message of the person to whom you want to send a message.
2. In the lower-right corner of the message, below the member's screen name, click the PM button. The system navigates to your Control Panel and displays the New Message form; the member's screen name is inserted into the Recipient text box automatically.
3. Follow the instructions as posted above.

Using the Buddy List

1. Click the 'Profile' link at the top of any page.
2. Under Private Messages, click the Buddy List link.
3. Click the Add Member button. A popup window is displayed.
   Note:
   • Your browser's popup blocker must be disabled. You can usually access this setting by choosing Options from the browser's Tools menu and then selecting the Privacy or Content tab. Even if you disable the popup blocker, a prompt might also be displayed, requesting that you temporarily allow scripted windows. Click it and then click the Add Member button again.
4. Enter the screen name in the Member Screen Name text box.
5. Click OK. Another popup window is displayed.
6. In the Description text box, you can enter a description to help you associate the screen name with the corresponding member. If you don't require that, leave the text box blank.
7. Click OK. The name is displayed in your Buddy List.

Private Message Notification

• An icon of a moving envelope will appear in the very top-right corner under your screen name. Clicking on the icon will take you right to your InBox.
• When you visit your InBox, a bullet (dot) is displayed in front of each message that you have not yet opened. (After you open a new message, the corresponding bullet is removed.)
• If you have not disabled email notification of private messages in your email preferences, you receive an email message with the subject line, "Someone has sent you a Private Message from goskagit.com."

Viewing & Replying to Private Messages

• Do one of the following:
  • Click the Private Message link in the member box at the top of any page.
  • Click the 'Profile' link at the top of any page; under Private Messages, click the InBox link.
• Your InBox is displayed. New messages are preceded by a bullet (dot).
• Click on the subject line of the message you want to open. The message is displayed.
• To reply or forward the message, click the Reply, Reply All or Forward button, just as you normally do when you answer your email.
• The New Message form is displayed. The "threaded" message you received is automatically displayed in the Message text box between opening and closing [quote] tags.
• Place your cursor above or below the quote tag (depending on whether you want your message to appear above or below the threaded message you received).
• Follow the instructions found in 'Sending Private Messages'.

Deleting Private Messages

1. Click the 'Profile' link at the top of any page.
2. Under Private Messages, click on the InBox, Sent, or any other folder where you have messages that you want to delete.
3. Select the check boxes to the right of the messages you want to delete.
4. Click the Delete button.

Saving Private Messages

1. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Private Message link in the statistics box at the top of any forum page.
   • Click the Your Control Panel link at the top of any forum page; under Private Messages, click the InBox link.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To open a message prior to saving it, click on the subject line.
   • To copy or move messages directly to a folder without opening them first, select the check boxes to the right of the messages.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To move the messages from the InBox folder to a different folder, click the Move button.
   • To keep the messages in the InBox folder and place a copy of each in a different folder, click the Copy button.
4. Select the folder into which you want to move or copy the messages.
5. The messages will be moved or copied.

Adding & Removing Message Folders

1. Click the 'Profile' link at the top of any page.
2. Under Private Messages, click the Edit Message Folders link.
3. The Edit Message Folders form is displayed. All your folders are displayed (except for the Trash and, if applicable, the Draft Messages folder). A blank text box is displayed at the bottom of the list.
4. Do one of the following:
   • To add a folder, enter the name in the blank text box.
   • To remove a folder, delete the name from the corresponding text box.
5. Click the Submit button. The folders you entered are added to the list of Private Message links. The ones you removed are no longer displayed.

Blocking Private Messages

1. Click the 'Profile' link at the top of any page.
2. Under Private Messages, click the Blocked List link.
3. Click the Add Member button.
4. Enter the screen name in the Member Screen Name text box.
5. Click OK.
6. In the Description text box, you can enter a description to help you associate the screen name with the corresponding member. If you don't require that, leave the text box blank.
7. Click OK.

• To delete someone from your Blocked List, select the check box to the right of her screen name and click the Delete button. You will begin to receive messages from that person again; however, you will not receive any of the messages that she sent you during the time that she was in your Blocked List.
• When someone is in your Blocked List, that member receives no indication that her messages are not being delivered to you. The messages are sent normally; you simply don't receive them.