| How to use the message boards
Join to post
Profiles
Staying safe online Join to post Once you have successfully completed the form you will be asked to choose a membername. Your membername will appear on all messages that you post so it is a good idea to pick a name which is different to your real name. You will see confirmation of your membername onscreen but you will still have to activate your account before you can use any member-only areas of the site. As soon as you have joined you will be sent an activation email. Click on the link within this email to verify your email address and activate your account. If you would like to add another membername you can do so by clicking here. If you have problems joining or activating your account please contact our Customer Service department for help www.ivillage.co.uk/feedback.
Terms Of Service Members who break our TOS will be sent warnings and will automatically be banned on their third warning. iVillage reserves the right to terminate your membership at any time and without warning to you. For a more user friend version of our TOS please read the Rules Of Play, plus our Dos & Don'ts.
Finding the right board Some boards appear in more than one category. You can find a list of all the categories in our Community Café. Alternatively use the Show me boards about search function at the bottom of the page.
Main page In the light blue area at the top of the board, you will see the board title and above that you will see a welcome message. If you are logged in you will be greeted by your membername. If you are not logged in you will be greeted by the word 'Welcome' and a log in button. Once you log in you will see five links - my profile, favourite boards, board settings, my digests and log out. Below the introduction to the board you will find a search field, an advanced search link and a show me drop down. The lower portion of the board lists the titles of messages posted to the board. On the right hand side of the page you will see small envelopes next to messages, or discussions with messages, that you haven't read. At the bottom of the board you will find a list of related boards in the purple box; these are other boards which we think will be of interest to you.
What is a CL? It is a CL's job to greet new visitors and extend the famous, warm welcome for which iVillage is renowned. While our CLs have a passion for their boards they are not experts or specialists in the subjects they cover, NOR are they obliged to reply to or enter into off-line email conversations with iVillage members.
CL positions do not come up often at iVillage.co.uk, but if you would like to be considered please send an email including your name, membername, the names of the boards you regularly post on and your phone number to
Profiles To create a profile, click on the profile link near the 'Welcome' message or click on your member name where it appears on any of your posts. Answer the questions and then save the page. If you would rather not answer a question leave the field blank and it won't be displayed on your profile. You can also choose a personal avatar (image) to display in your profile. From your profile you will also be able to see your friends or ignore lists. When you add people to your ignore list, the messages they have posted won't be displayed to you.
Board settings & favourite boards Favourite boards provides you with a convenient place to store a list of your favourite boards. This page also keeps track of boards you have visited recently and tells you how many new messages have been posted. You can also quickly add boards to your favourites list at this stage.
Member to member email If you receive unwanted mail via this service we recommend that you block the address and delete the email without replying to it. If you reply to the email you will give out your own email address. If you wish to contact someone via the member to member email service you can do so by clicking the 'email me' link in their profile. Remember they will be able to see your email address when they receive your mail. Emails will be sent to the address in your iVillage account details. To check, or change, this address go to our Member Centre and click on Update Member Information.
Email notifications & digests Email notifications: By ticking the Email notification box in your board settings, or where it appears at the bottom of each message you write, you will receive an email every time someone replies directly to one of your messages. To cancel email notifications untick the box in your board settings or under any post you write. Your notifications will be sent to the email address you submitted when joining iVillage. To check, or change, your email address go to our Member Centre and click on Update Member Information. Email digests: There are two types of email digest. One will send you a roundup of all new and active discussions on the board of your choice, the other will alert you when new messages are posted within a discussion you are interested in. The difference between this and email notifications is that you do not need to have posted a message to be alerted. To sign up for email digests click on the purple Get free email updates on this discussion or board button where it appears on any message. You can manage your digests via your my digests page and can opt to receive digests once a day, once a week or never - which means you can easily turn them off if you are going on holiday.
Log in
If you are not already logged in when you attempt to post a message you will be taken to the log in page. Alternatively click on log in at the top of the board. Once you have logged in you will be taken to www.iVillage.co.uk. Click the message board link at the top of the page to browse all of our boards.
Swap membername
Log out
In the interests of safety and privacy, if you share a computer, use a public or work computer, you should always log out when you have finished using the site.
If you do not log out other people who use your computer will be able to access your iVillage account details, identify you and messages you have written, and post message using your member name.
To "unsave" your member name from iVillage, go to the log in page. After you type in your member name and password, there is a box that says, Save password. Make sure this box is NOT checked. Click Member Enter.
If you want to remove your browsing history from your computer, visit our Staying safe online article.
Reading messages
To read a message click on its title where it appears on the board, in outline view or in folder outline.
If you have already read some messages within a thread you will automatically be taken to the newest post when you return to it. For this function to work you must be logged in with the same membername.
If you read a discussion which contains posts that are more than 30 days old you will automatically be taken to the first unread message posted within the past 30 days.
Sorting & displaying messages
Folders
Outline view, folder outline & view whole discussion
Once you open a message you can also gain a quick overview of who has taken part in the discussion by clicking view whole discussion. A new window will open containing an outline of that individual discussion. Clicking the link to a message in this window will open the message on your main screen.
Posting messages
Once you've written your message click the Spell check button before you preview your message.
When you have finished composing and spell-checking your message, click Preview your message.
The preview screen will show you how your message will be displayed. If you are happy with your message click, Post. You will be taken to a page confirming that your message will be posted shortly. You will be offered a link back to the discussion if you joined a current one and a link back to the board you posted on. You will also see links that will take you back to all the boards, the iVillage homepage and a small number of related features.
If you wish to change your message before you post it use the 'edit' button to return to the compose page. Using the back button may result in you losing what you had written so far. If you do this by accident click the forward button on your browser then copy your message from the preview screen, go back to the compose page and paste it into the compose box.
New messages will appear at the top of the board.
Replying to a message
Follow the steps in Posting a message above.
When a new message has been posted within an existing discussion the whole discussion will move to the top of the board to help you keep track of active conversations.
Spell check
Any words which have been spelled incorrectly will be underlined and alternative spellings will be offered in the Change to: area at the bottom of the box. First click on the misspelled word. Next select the correct spelling from the list offered. Now confirm the change by clicking Change to link on the beige box on the left.
The options function allows you to ignore certain combinations such as all capitals or letters with numbers.
Icons & Abbreviations
Abbreviations and TLAs (three letter acronyms) are common on most websites. Our message boards have their own jargon, often unique to individual boards. This saves time when typing, but can be confusing for a newbie - a new member of the site. Take a look at our Board lingo page and the Fertility abbreviations. If you don't understand the abbreviation in someone's post don't be afraid to ask what it means.
Create a poll
You can now enter up to ten possible answers. It's a good idea to add 'Other, please post' as a final option in case voters do not agree with any of your options.
You can then select whether you wish to enable voters to be able to change their vote, whether you would like the results displayed in a horizontal or vertical bar graph and if you would like to set an expiry date to the poll.
If you have opted to receive email notifications you will only be notified if someone posts a reply to your poll. You will not receive notification that people have voted.
It is not possible to edit polls.
Polls only move to the top of the board when someone posts a reply to them. They do not automatically jump to the top when someone votes in them.
Editing messages
All messages which have been edited will indicate that a change has been made.
Mark as read
This feature is specific to the membername you are logged in with at the time you 'mark as read'. If you return to the board while not logged in or logged in with another membername the envelopes will be visible to you again. Once the envelopes have been cleared it is not possible to get them back. The link will reappear the next time a new message is posted.
Search
Advanced search
Making the most of advanced search:
Example: apple and orange - will pull posts containing both apple and orange.
Board archives
Send to a friend / Invite a friend
Staying safe online
It does pay to be cautious, however. Although you may feel comfortable with the group of friends you have made you should always remember that anyone can read what you post online.
Here are some simple steps to help you to stay safe online:
Choose a membername which doesn't reveal your real name, or use any other details that could personally identify you or your children. If you wish to create a new membername you can do so here.
Keep personal details personal. Thousands of people read the message boards but never post. If you post lots of details about your life, work or town then people may be able to piece together a picture of who, and where, you are.
Use the Member to Member email service in your board settings if you wish to take your friendships further. Do not post your home address, email address, IM details or your telephone numbers on the boards as they might be seen by people who you'd rather not see them (including people who send spam). iVillage reserves the right to remove posts containing the above information if it feels it is necessary.
If you decide to meet up with friends from the internet, take sensible precautions. Meet in a public place, take a friend with you and make sure someone knows where you are going and when you will be back.
Work out how you will get home before you leave the house and take a map of the local area and the number of a reputable cab company with you. Never arrange to meet anyone if you are under 16.
When posting on our message boards treat other members with respect. You may not always agree with the opinions or the advice you are given but we ask that you challenge the opinion and not the poster. For more information about how to behave online please read our Rules of play.
Reporting a message
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