USER GUIDE

THE NEW COYS BOARD - A USER GUIDE - by greenegg

Welcome. Rather than an extensive help index, this is intended as a walk-through of the COYS environment to help you feel at home.

The board is very intuitive and shouldn't present the average user with any difficulties, but it is also a very powerful and complex piece of software, so there is no harm in spending a few minutes going over what it has to offer.

We hope to answer most questions in this guide, but if at the end there is something that still puzzles you, there is a help index within the board or you can use the messenger system to ask for help - we will explain how below.

The Front Page

Once you have logged in you will find yourself on the front page of the forum. There is a lot here, so let's go through it from the top:

At the top right of the page you will see your display name. Click on the drop-down arrow and you will be presented with a series of options:

My Profile

This takes you to your profile, which contains all the information about you that you want to share. If you click on Edit Profile at the top right-hand corner, you will go to a new page, Your Options, where you will find three tabs. In the first one, Profile, you can enter such things as your birthday (if you fill this in it will mean that you are greeted with a birthday thread on the day), your location, all kinds of IM and similar information, your interests, a signature for the bottom of your posts, a picture of yourself, and an avatar. There is also an About Me page, where you can tell everyone as much about yourself as you are willing to share, if you are so inclined.

For your avatar, an image can be uploaded from your computer, or you can link to an online image, or you can make use of one of the pre-installed images in the galleries.

There is also a useful feature called Manage Ignored Users, which allows you to block the posts of another member with whom you don't see eye-to-eye. This can be very useful and help to avoid trouble developing.

The second tab, Forums, enables you to control how the board looks to you. You can choose to view signatures, images, and avatars (or not).

There is also the option to change how many posts and topics are shown on a page, though the default settings work just fine.

On the left there is the option to Manage Watched Topics. This allows you to keep tabs on any threads you have subscribed to.

The third tab, Settings, is all about more global stuff. General Settings allows you to change the time zone and gives the option to select the rich text editor under Posting Settings.

The Rich Text Editor is a WYSIWYG function which shows posts as they will appear, and works in most browsers. For many (like me) this is easier than having your page cluttered with code.

There is also the facility to change email address - don't forget that your email address should always be up to date - no excuses, and your password.

Further down is Notification Options.

The first part contains some important options that should be chosen (or not) by default: Send me any updates sent by the board administrator should be selected; Disable my personal messenger should not.

Below this is the option to Show popup when I receive a new inline notification.

This will be selected by default and should remain so.

Below this there is a table giving all kinds of options for notifications - by email, PM, inline notification, or mobile. The options that are available are shaded darker; the rest will not allow you to select.

Once you have finished any changes in this section, don't forget to click on Save Changes, or Cancel if you change your mind.

Right, back up to the drop-down box. The second heading, My Settings, has already been accessed above, so on to: My Content.

The first tab is the important one here and allows you to see all topics you have posted in or started; all topics you have started, or all posts you have made.

Back up again - the next heading is:

Messenger.

This where Personal Messages, or PMs, are stored and sent from.

The main panel is headed My Conversations. At the bottom there is a box with a drop-down arrow - this gives you the choice to show all conversations, conversations others started, and conversations I started - in other words: all messages; messages received or inbox; sent messages.

There is a limit of 200 stored messages, including sent & received.

At the top right hand side is the button to compose a new message - click on this and a new panel opens with all of the controls to write and format a message. This box is the same as the box for posting replies on the forum - of which more later.

There are several ways of finding out if you have new messages:

You should receive a popup on the front page; there will be a green number on the corner of the picture next to your display name, and the box to the right of your display name will show a number other than 0. Clicking on any of these will take you straight to your messenger.

Back up again and the next heading is Manage Friends. This is not enabled, so on to the next one, Manage Ignored Users. This has already been covered.

To the right of the box containing your display name is your notifications box and if you have any new notifications this will show a number other than 0. Click on the arrow and it opens up, allowing you to access your notifications.

Just below the display name are the options to sign out, and the link to Help.

Search

Immediately below that you will find the search box. Clicking on the arrow next to the magnifying glass brings up four options: Forums, Members, Help, and Calendar.

This enables you to search in the appropriate part of the board and improves your chances of success. Helps the server too. ? Clicking on the cog on the right brings up a new panel with more options, allowing increased granularity and again improving the chances of success. It's all good.

Forums

Now - over to the left, and underneath the banner, there are four tabs. The second one from the left is titled Forums. This is where the real business of COYS takes place - the discussion.

The three sub-fora are listed here and are just a click away.

Elsewhere on the page are Today's Top Posters (self-explanatory), and Recent Topics Added (ditto).

At the bottom is loads of useful information: Active Users; Members Online Today; Birthdays (those that we know about ;-)), and Board Stats.

Just above that is a bar containing:

Today's active content. Exactly what it says it is.

The moderating team. This is where you can find a list of all the current mods and admins. It's also worth noting that if you want to find a mod who is online at any given time, just go the bottom of the page you are on and look at the list of users who are online. Those whose names are green or blue are mods & admins.

Today's top 20 posters. Self-explanatory.

Overall top posters. Ditto.

Right - now let's get to the point:

Posting

Clicking on any forum name takes you there. The Bill Nicholson Lounge (BNL) is the main forum, so we'll go there.

Above the forum title you will see a page navigator, stating how many pages the forum has and giving the option to go to page 1,2,3 and last. There is also a drop-down arrow which enables navigation to any specified page. Although of limited use on the main page, you will find the same option within each thread, which can help if the topic description contains information about updates at a certain post. Quite handy.

Watching a forum.

To the right of the page navigator is the Watch This Forum button, which enables you to receive notifications when new topics (threads) are started in the forum. This isn't a good idea for the BNL as it is so busy that you will be inundated with notifications. You may find it useful in the sub-fora though if you choose. The page you go to also offers the options of managing watched topics and forums.

At the top of the page are a selection of pinned threads - these contain useful and often important information, so it's worth checking these out. If you don't, you have no excuses...

Below the pinned threads, and separated by a blue line, are all the other threads - pages and pages of them. If you want to find a particular thread or subject, don't forget you can use the search facility. This is a particularly good idea if you want to start a thread and are not sure if somebody has already posted one on the same topic - this will mean there is no need to merge and will lead to happier mods. ?

Participating in existing threads

To the left of each thread is an icon - these are explained in the legend at the bottom of the page. These tell you about the type of thread it is and whether there are new posts. To the right of these there might be a small square with a red arrow in it. Clicking on this will take you to the last post that you read in that thread - a great time-saver.

Topic Preview. This has changed from the previous version. Now, instead of hovering over the thread icon, go to the far right of the box containing the thread title. As you hover the cursor there, a box with a green arrow pointing upwards will appear. Click on this and a callout opens with the choice of viewing the first or last post in the thread. Neat, huh? Click on the x to close it.

Once you have chosen which thread to read, click on the title and it will open. Posts appear in chronological order (thankfully), with the thread starter's post at the top (obviously).

At the top of each post is the display name of the poster, and below this is their avatar (if they use one and you have them switched on) then some information about the poster.

First, there is a player name or similar. This is related to the number of posts they have made, as is the collection of boots and balls below that. As more posts are made, more boots and balls are added, and at various landmarks the name under the avatar changes.

Below that is an envelope icon. Clicking on that will open up a callout in which you can write a PM to that member.

Next is Group: this tells you the status of the poster - member, sponsor, moderator, ITK etc. Then there is the number of posts they have made (average posts per day (PPD) in brackets); date of joining; member no., and location.

Reporting:

At the bottom left of every post is a very important feature - the Report button. If you have any problems with a post - it offends you or makes you angry, for example, or if you believe it has breached the CCC, then press the report button. A new page will open with a box for you to explain what your issue is. The mod team will then evaluate the report and act accordingly. This is completely discreet - nobody knows if their posts are reported, or by whom. It is the best, often the only, thing to do. Do not engage in a squabble in the thread.

Watching a topic.

Also known as subscribing. At the top right of each thread, next to Add Reply, is a Watch Topic button. Clicking on this opens a new page where you can choose how to be notified when a reply is made in the thread. The page you go to also offers the options of managing watched topics and forums.

Replying to a post can be done four ways:

Fast Reply. This is at the bottom of the page and does what it says on the tin - you can post a reply without opening a new page. Much quicker and essential for match threads.

Add Reply. This is at the top & bottom of the page and will allow you to post a reply to thread in general, rather than to a particular post.

Reply. At the bottom right of each post, this allows you to reply directly to a particular post, quoting the post in your reply.

Multiquote. One of the jewels in the COYS crown for some time, this now has a new (and more self-evident) name. Also at the bottom right of each quote, clicking on multiquote enables you to store one or more quotes until such time that you a ready to reply - as opposed to 'reply', which will whisk you straight off to the posting box. This has some advantages over the straight reply option: you can select the post(s) that you want to reply to but still read to the end of the thread, ensuring that your point hasn't already been made before you - though if it has, you can harvest that reply too and agree with it; it enables you to reply to several posts in one go, which not only is a lot faster, it is a lot neater, which matters to me (though obviously not everyone). ;-)

Having chosen your multiquotes, simply click on 'add reply', as above, and you will go to the posting box.

Add Reply/Reply.

Clicking on these opens a new page, with a box to type into and a host of formatting options at the top, most of which are pretty standard, along with the options to add emoticons, hyperlinks, pictures, quotes, media etc.

If you want to post a picture, it will need to be hosted online, so either a copyright-free online image from the web or one of your own hosted by Photobucket or Flickr or similar.

Videos can be uploaded from a variety of sites using the media button.

Below that is the option to configure post options, allowing you to enable/disable emoticons/signature/email notifications.

Below that is the option to use a post icon. Please do not use these.

At the bottom are three options: Add Reply, Preview Post (very handy), and Cancel.

If you are in any way unsure about what you have written, please take a few minutes before hitting Add Reply - this can save a lot of hassle.

Below this you will see the last six posts made in the thread. This can be very handy as a quick check before you post.

Editing a post:

If you need to change what you have written after you post it, at the bottom of your posts, next to 'Add Reply', there is now an 'Edit' button. Clicking on this takes you to a box just like the one you composed the post in. You can change any of your post here, except the thread title (if you are the thread starter). More on that soon. Once you are happy with your revisions, click 'Save Changes'. Job done.

Creating your own thread

At the top right of the forum page is a button bearing the legend Start New Topic.

This takes you to a new page where you are asked for a topic title (essential) and a topic description (optional).

Below this there is also the option to create a poll - a very popular option on COYS, and very easy to create, but please be aware that we do not welcome polls with only two possible answers as it stifles discussion. The poll option can create quite complex polls which can make the average automated menu system on a phone switchboard seem simple by comparison, so the ideal is to find something in-between.

Once you have decided on a title and whether to post a poll or not, the rest is the same as when posting a reply - put your text/content in the box and then click on Post New Topic at the bottom.

A few tips:

If you are importing some news item, either Spurs-related or otherwise, please do a search to see if this topic is already in the forum. Don't just write 'sorry if already posted' in the topic description.

Similarly, if you are importing a news item, don't just copy & paste the offending item and then walk away - add your opinion; tell us why you posted it; start the discussion.

If you aren't sure whether the material you are about to post is suitable then please check the CCC (always the first port of call) and the pinned threads. If, having done that, you still aren't sure then PM a mod and ask. Don't just post and be damned. Sometimes it could be as simple as posting in The Grotto instead of the BNL. Always check.

Don't post gossip unless it's in the public domain, preferably the BBC.

Editing a thread title:

To edit the title of a thread you have created, hit 'Edit' at the bottom of the post, as before, but then click on 'Use Full Editor', next to 'Save Changes'. This takes you back to the original page containing the thread title and description. Make your changes and then click 'Save Changes'. Bingo.

For more tips and advice on posting, visit the pinned Netiquette thread in the BNL.

Happy Posting!

Nearly there - now back to the top and the next tab:

Members.

This Contains a list of all members and tells you their status. You can search for a particular member here and view their content or PM them.

Next tab:

Calendar.

This is the COYS community Calendar, where you will find all forthcoming fixtures and all the birthdays we know about, along with any significant events.

Just below the tabs there is the Donate button. This is for making contributions to the COYS server fund, allowing us to provide this fabulous, fast, ad-free environment. ?

To the right of this are some drop-down boxes containing a mixture of useful and important stuff. The top one is:

PayPal & Affiliates.

If you shop online, this should be your first port of call. There are many links here to well-known internet retailers, and by clicking through the links you can make your purchases as normal, but each transaction will benefit COYS at no extra cost to you. It's win/win. You will also find a link to the COYS store, where you can buy COYS merchandise - the coolest gear there is, and again, COYS benefit. What's not to like?.

Next down is:

COYS Competitions.

This links to the Survivor competitions - free and great fun, and the COYS Cup. Keep your eye out for new ones when they come up.

Then down to:

Spurs Links.

There are links here to the Spurs website, along with supporters' clubs and blogs.

Across to:

Sports Links.

Exactly what it says - links to sports sites on the worldwide web.

Then up to:

Rules & Regs

This is one of the most important places on COYS, as it contains the COYS Code of Conduct (CCC) - required reading for all COYS users, and the Site Rules, exactly what it says it is, and finally the user guide, which you are reading right now. Ah - you probably know about that then. ?

That's all folks - happy posting. If there is anything you aren't sure about, then check the help index or the CCC, or any of the pinned threads in the BNL or the Danny Blanchflower Saloon. If none of that works, then PM a mod.