MANAGING POSTS ON THE SME FORUMS A quick photo tutorial on how to approve, move, or delete posts on the SME FORUMS

Alerts Do not click on the alert link to the forums if the post is questionable or possible spam! Visit the forum by manually entering forums.sme.org into a web browser and visiting the sub-forum where the post was made. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!!! It may contain unsuitable photos, language, or content for home or office!

SME FORUMS MAIN PAGE After visiting the forum, log in then find the sub-forum where the post was made. Log in FIRST in order to see moderated threads.

ALL THREADS ARE MODERATED All threads posted to the SME Forums by new members not listed as “Registered Users II” will be placed in a posting queue. Find the thread(s) that match the or any thread with the word “Moderated” at the beginning. Find the post(s) with the word “Moderated” in front. These posts should be approved, moved, or deleted. If you hover your mouse over a thread, you can get a short preview.

SELECT THREAD Select thread by checking the box to the far right of the thread. The thread will be hi-lighted after being selected. Check the Box to select the thread in question.

SELECT MODERATOR OPTIONS Scroll down to the bottom of the page At the bottom right, you will find a drop-down Moderation Menu. Select the “Move” option to move the thread to the SME Forum Wastebin After selecting the thread(s) in question, a number will appear next to the word “Go” letting you know how many threads will be affected by the Moderation Action (or how many threads are selected). Then you can select the appropriate action from the Moderation drop-down menu.

Moderation Drop Down Menu The menu allows you to select various moderation options. For this example, we will use the “Move Thread” command. All SPAM threads should be moved to the Wastebin so that an administrator can track down the user and ban the user and IP address. Once a thread is physically “deleted”, it is very difficult to retrieve. This is the drop down menu that will allow a moderator to move, delete, approve, etc… the selected thread. Once the selection is made, click on “Go” to perform the desired action. REMEMBER, once a thread is “deleted” it is near impossible to retrieve. After selecting the desired Moderation action, click the “Go” button.

SELECT A DESTINATION FORUM AND MOVE RE-DIRECT TIME Select the forum where you will move the thread in question to: “SME Forum Staff Wastebin” for all spam posts. Select “Leave no redirect” from the options listed, otherwise, the thread title will populate the forum from where you just moved the thread

MOVE THREAD SCREEN SELECT “Leave No Redirect” Select “SME Forum Staff Wastebin” Click on the drop down menu Click on “Move Threads” to complete

SME FORUM STAFF WASTEBIN Once the post is moved to the SME Forum Staff Wastebin, hi-light and copy the questionable username or click on the username. Send the username to an Administrator for further action. Hi-light username and copy, or click on the username for the user profile information.

USER PROFILE PAGE If you clicked on the Username, the User Profile Page will appear. From here you can hi-light and copy the offending username and then send it via e- mail to an Administrator for further action. Hi-light the username and copy it, then send it to an Administrator. Administrators and some Moderators can take further action by clicking “User Options” This will take you to the Admin Control Panel where you can ban this member.

APPROVING A POST When a legitimate user posts on the forums and is not listed as Registered Users II, their post will go into the posting queue. It is up to the SME Forum Staff to approve the post. The following is a quick tutorial on approving posts. First, find the post that needs to be approved.

APPROVING A POST Find the “NEW” post sent to you via Select the post in question by checking the box Once the post is selected, go down to the Moderation tool box and select “Approve Post” After action has been selected, click “Go”

APPROVING POSTS The post will now be visible by all members on the SME Forums The thread to which the post was made, will not be “bumped” up to the top of the forums. This action is performed because most recent posts appear at the top of the forums.

GO WITH WISDOM Be wise in your choices to approve, delete, or move posts Not all questionable posts are spam, not all regular posts are legitimate. A perfect example is shown on the following page If in doubt, move the post to the SME Forum Staff Area (not the Wastebin)

NOT A LEGITIMATE POST At first glance, this “present value bond calculator” post may seem legitimate. Hovering the mouse over the thread will reveal a preview of what is really inside! SPAM!!!! This is why it is VERY important that you not click on the direct link to the post from the notification sent to your address if the post is not by a known user or is suspect. ALWAYS try to find the post by accessing the forums directly in a web browser.

GOOD LUCK! If you have any questions, you may contact me by at or by my office phone or , M-F 7:30am –