MonsterSmallBusiness Forum: Fun Features

When you first log in to the forum, you may want to take some time to browse through the main categories and become familiar with them. This is also a great opportunity for you to test out some of the features of the forums such as how to post a comment. If you want to make the most out of your visit, here are some tips for setting up your user information and taking advantage of some fun features.

Changing Your User Preferences and Profile

Click on “My Controls” near the top right of any screen. This feature will display your control panel, allowing you to change important information such as your profile and signature and also giving you access to your Personal Messages inbox. Also known as PM, Personal Messages are a form of private email sent through the forums.

Profile
From within your control panel, we first recommend clicking on “Edit Profile Info” on the left bar as soon as possible so that you can provide more detail about your background. The profile allows you to input your Web site URL, your interests and your location.

Signature
Next, go to “Edit Signature”, also in the left navigation bar. This screen allows you to change the information that will appear at the bottom of all of your posts.

Settings
Third, click on “Board Settings”. This page allows you to choose your time zone and the way you view messages.

Browse through the other categories to the left of the control panel screen to further customize your settings or view the Forum Help screen for more information about the control panel.

Fun Features

There are many ways for you to change the look and feel of the forum, making it more user-friendly and customized for your own browsing convenience:

Colors
At the very bottom left of any screen is a drop down bar that will allow you to change the overall color scheme of the forum every time you are logged in. Currently, you can choose from red, green, orange or the MonsterCommerce default of Monster Purple.

Avatar
An “avatar” is the image or graphic that will appear to the left of all of your posts, right next to your user name. “Avatar” means “personification”. This graphic will become a symbol of your presence on the forums and can give insight into your personality and interests. If you decide to use one, it will represent you every time you are made present in a discussion by posting your comments, so choose carefully. To edit your avatar, click on “Edit Avatar Settings” in your control panel. From this page, you can choose from one of our galleries, enter a URL to an online image or upload an image from your computer. If you have an image on your home computer, you might try scaling it down to 75 pixels x 75 pixels for the best resolution and easy uploading.

My Assistant
Clicking on “My Assistant” at the top right of any screen will pull up a new, small window for you. My Assistant will allow quick access to the moderating team profiles and contact information, the day’s top posters and your own recent posts. It counts the number of new posts and provides you with a convenient search tool to find topics or help. You can also read through a comprehensive guide to the My Assistant feature.