Member Status
In each forum posting, the membership status is shown underneath the member's user name and is represented by the number of headphone icons. The forum membership levels are: Administrator, Moderator, Headphone Council, HeadWize Fanatic, HeadWizer and Member. With the exception of Administrator and Moderator, the other membership levels do not confer any additional forum privileges. They are for informational purposes only and are determined by the number of posts a user has contributed to these forums. The designations for each level are:

• Administrator ( )
• Moderator ( )
• Headphone Council Member ( )
• HeadWize Fanatic ( )
• HeadWizer ( )
• Member

Changing Your Profile
You may easily change any info stored in your registration profile, using the "profile" link located near the top of each page. Simply identify yourself by typing your username and password and all of your profile information will appear on screen. You may change any items, except your username.

Verifying Your Email Address
Some forum features (such as email notification of new posts in a thread) will not function unless your email address has been verified. To begin the verification process, click the profile link in the user options section of the forum homepage. Enter your account user name and password to login. Your current profile information will display. If the email address you registered is correct, click on the Verify Email button at the top of the page for more instructions. Otherwise, you must first update your profile with the correct email address and re-login.

After you click the Verify Email button, you will receive an email with further instructions. The email is sent immediately, but you may not receive it for several hours, depending on any delays in the email system. Once you complete the verification process, you can confirm the status of your email address by viewing or editing your profile. Email verifications are current for 1 year. After one year, you may need to re-verify your email address.

Viewing Another Member's Profile
Above each post in a thread is an option the view the poster's profile. Click on the Profile icon to display the poster's profile. Another way to view a member's profile is to click the "Profile" link at the top of the page. Enter the member's username in the "View Profile" prompt and click the "Get Profile" button.

Moderators
Moderators have administrative rights in the forums. They can close threads, move threads, create "floating" threads, edit thread headers, edit posts and delete posts.

Cookies
HeadWize uses cookies to store the the last time of your visit only, in order to display "new posts" indicators (lightbulbs) on the forums homepage and on the topic summary pages for each forum. These cookies are stored on your browser and are read only when you visit the forums homepage. Cookies are not used to track your movement or perform any function other than to enhance your use of the bulletin board. If your browser does not support cookies, or you have not enabled cookies on your browser, the "new posts" feature will not work properly.

New Posts Indicators (Lightbulbs)
The "new posts" indicators (lightbulbs) appear on the forums homepage and on the topic summary pages for each forum. They identify forums and discussion threads that have new posts since your last visit. The forums application initializes that feature every time you visit the forum homepage. The last visit time remains active while you navigate the forums, post messages or edit messages. It is reset the next time you return to the forums homepage.

Email Notification of New Posts in a Topic
You can be notified by email whenever someone posts a new message to a topic which you originated or replied to. For this feature to work, your email address must be verified and current (see above). To activate email notification, set the Email Notify option to "ON" in the droplist on the left side of the New Topic or Reply screens. To disable the notification, enter the cancellation URL (which is included in every email) in your browser.

If you have enabled email notification, but are not receiving email notices, it could be because your email address is not verified or the verification has expired. Confirm the status of your email address by viewing or editing your profile. If the status of your email address is currently verified and you are still not receiving notifications, contact a forum administrator.

How can I reset the default topic view size for the thread summaries?
The default topic view length is "Last 5 days" for all forums. You can reset the default with the "Set Topic View" option on the forums homepage. To change the default, select another option from the droplist and press Go. The lightbulbs are also refreshed if you reset the topic view. However, if you bookmark the URL after setting the topic view, the forums will have the same topic view size every time you visit.

Using HTML and/or UBB Code
HTML is the standard code for formatting text in web pages. UBB code is a simplified version of HTML. A complete list of current UBB Codes is found here. If the HTML and/or UBB Code posting options for a forum are activated, you can use HTML and/or UBB code in your posts. In the new-post/reply/edit screen, the status of the HTML and UBB options is displayed to the left of the textbox. If HTML is on, you may use any HTML tags, but please be very careful that you proper HTML syntax. If you do not, the moderator or administrator may have to edit your post.

How do I add hyperlinks to my posts?
There are 3 ways to post a hyperlink: specify the URL between HTML <a> </a> tags, let the forum's auto-link feature handle the conversion or enclose the URL in UBB code [URL] [/URL] tags. If HTML is enabled for posting messages, auto-link automatically converts any standalone URL in the text of a message that starts with http:// and is not part of another HTML or UBB tag set. You can combine all 3 URL formats in a post.

The advantage of HTML or UBB code is that you can create links with titles. Auto-links use the URL itself as a title, which is not very descriptive and can be very long. UBB Code is similar to HTML, but offers just a few basic functions, such as hyperlinking, image display, bolding and italicizing. A complete list of current UBB Codes is found here.

How do I add images to my posts?
You can put image links (see below) in your posts that automatically display the images. The image files (preferably in .gif/.jpg formats) must first be hosted on a web server on the internet. There are several online services that provide imaging hosting for free. You simply sign up for an image hosting account and upload your picture files to the account to make them visible on the internet. Many image hosting services such as PhotoPoint.com that were once free have now started charging a membership fee. They are still a good value if you plan to use the service extensively. At this time of this writing, BayPal was one the remaining services still free. Read the terms of service carefully; some services may claim copyright to any images that they host.

Another issue is whether the image hosting service permits external linking - which allows you to post a message with an image link and have it appear as part of the message. For example, many of the free website and "photo album" services do not allow external linking. If the service does not allow external linking, the images will not display correctly from the HeadWize forums. Check the terms of service. If external image linking is not permitted, put the image on a simple web page and post the URL to the page instead.

To add image links to your posts, enclose the image URL between UBB code [img] [/img] tags or use the HTML <img> tag. In either case, the image URL MUST include the http:// prefix:

If the image is very large (e.g., more than 600 width x 480 height), it may not fit on the screen of many computer monitors. You can use the HMTL <img> tag's width and height attributes to scale the image size down. For example, if the image size is 1200 x 1000, it can be reduced by 50% to 600 x 500. Use the same reduction factor for both the width and the height, so that the image does not become distorted:

Smilies
You've probably seen others use smilies before in email messages or other bulletin board posts. Smilies are keyboard characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile :) or a frown :(. When you post a new topic or reply, the forums application will automatically replace a keyboard smiley with a smiley icon. By default, the auto-smiley feature is turned off. To turn on the auto-smiley feature, select the "ON" option in smiley droplist on the left side of the post message screen. Here is a list of smilies that are recognized by the auto-smiley feature:

:)	smile
:D	big grin
>:D	evil grin
:(	frown
>:(	mad
:'(	cry
:O	embarrassed
:@	eek
;)	wink
:P	stick tongue out
8)	cool
X)	roll eyes
:S	confused
:!	party time

Attaching Files
For security reasons, you may not attach files to any posts. You may cut and paste text into your post, however, or use HTML and/or UBB Code (if enabled) to provide hyperlinks to outside documents.

Editing Your Posts
After a post has been added to a discussion thread, you can edit the post by clicking on the EDIT icon in the option bar (the line that begins "posted on..."). Only the original poster, the forum moderator or the administrator can edit a message. A note is generated at the bottom of each post that specifies the name of the editor and the time and date of the edit.

Thread topic has disappeared
If you just posted a new topic and it does not show up in the forum summary, it may be that the browser is set to display the summary page from the local cache on the PC instead of getting the latest version from the website. The solution is to press the REFRESH button on the browser or to set the browser preferences to automatically refresh every time a page is requested.

If the topic thread was previously visible in the forum summary, then either the thread has been moved or has been deleted. A thread topic will be relocated, if it is posted in the wrong forum. Check the other forums to see if the thread has been moved.

A forum thread is deleted only if the thread is archived or if posters have abused their privilege to post. Forum threads that are more than one year old are subject to being archived. Check the forum archives to see if the thread has been archived.

When I posted my message to a long thread, the thread suddenly closed.
If the thread was closed as the result of administrative action, it may have been due to an abuse of the posting privilege. However, threads have a built-in reply limit. Once this limit is exceeded, the system will automatically close the thread. The limit is normally set at 100 replies, but may vary as system resources dictate. If the thread was closed due to an excess number of replies (as opposed to an abuse of the posting privilege), you can continue the discussion by starting a new thread.

New messages do not show up in the browser
Occasionally, new messages posted in forums do not show up in the discussion thread even though the forum summary indicates that new messages exist in the thread. This problem may occur because the browser is set to display a page from the local cache on the PC instead of getting the latest version from the website. The solution is to press the REFRESH button on the browser or to set the browser preferences to automatically refresh every time a page is requested.

To set the browser to automatically refresh:

Microsoft Internet Explorer From the menu, select Tools | Internet Options. Click the General tab, press the Settings button. Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages," click the Automatically option. Save changes.

Netscape Navigator From the menu, select Edit | Preferences. In the Category menu tree, select Advanced | Cache. Next to the "Document in cache is compared to document on network", click the Everytime option. Save changes.

Searching the Forums
You may search for specific posts based on a word or words found in the posts, user name, date, and particular forum(s). Just click on the "search" link at the top of the forum pages.

Lost Username and/or Password
Retrieving your username and password is simple. All of the forum pages carry a "lost password" link that you can use to have your username and password emailed instantly to your email address of record.

Posting an Ad in the Marketplace Forum
The format of a thread list in the Marketplace Forum is similar to those in the other forums, except for the presence of extra columns for describing the transaction. The status column has a "New Post" lightbulb icon and an icon representing the type of transaction:

	For Sale
	Wanted to Buy
	For Trade
	Sold/Completed
	Withdrawn

The first three transaction types are the common ones found in other classified ads. The last two, sold/completed and withdrawn, give the ad owner the ability to indicate whether an ad is still active. Ads that are older than 30 days since the last reply are subject to automatic closing by the forum application.

To create an ad, click the New Ad button. The New Listing form appears. In the Subject field, enter a one-line description of item for sale, wanted or for trade. From the Type droplist, select the type of transaction. From the Preferred Pay droplist, select the preferred payment for the transaction. In the Price field, enter the price or price range for the item. In the Message field, enter a complete description of the item as well as other relevant information such as additional payment options. The click the Submit New Listing button to create the ad.

Each entry in the Marketplace forum listing has a column for the "Location" of the ad owner. This information is taken from the ad owner's registration profile. Because HeadWize has a global membership, this location information may be helpful to users deciding whether a transaction is feasible for them. Ad owners, who did not fill in the location field at the time of registration, can revise their profiles. To edit a profile, click the Profile link at the top of the forum pages and log in.

Closing or Canceling an Ad in the Marketplace Forum
Closing or canceling an ad is an indication that the transaction is no longer available. An ad may be closed if the transaction has been completed successfully. An ad may be withdrawn if the poster wishes to cancel the transaction. To close or cancel an ad, the ad owner clicks the "Mark Ad Sold/Withdrawn" link at the top of the thread listing. Only the ad owner can use this option.

Viewing Feedback for an ad owner in the Marketplace Forum
To view feedback for a click the "Post Feedback re: Seller" link at the top of the thread listing. "Seller" here refers to the ad owner, regardless of whether the ad type is for sale, for trade or wanted.

Posting Feedback for an Ad Owner in the Marketplace Forum
Anyone who has replied to an ad can post feedback for a seller regarding the specific transaction ("seller" here refers to the ad owner, regardless of whether the ad type is for sale, for trade or wanted). Click the "Post Feedback re: Seller" link at the top of the thread listing. The "Add Seller Feedback" page appears. Selects your user name from the droplist and enter your password. From the Rating droplist, select "positive", "neutral" or "negative" to summarize the overall quality of the transaction. Then enter a comment of up to 100 characters. Each replier can post feedback regarding a specific transaction once. Once submitted, feedback cannot be edited.

If a seller believes that feedback has been inappropriately or maliciously posted against the seller, the seller should contact a forum administrator or moderator.