Usability FAQ before July 4, 1010 revisions

[1992casey]

BREWERFAN.NET USABILITY FAQ

Contents

• Why
  does Brewerfan.net have two logins?
  
  
• How
  do I gain access to post on Brewerfan's forums?
  
  
• How
  do I access my Yuku forum member controls?
  
  
• How
  do I view or adjust my message board profile?
  
  
• How
  do I change the way I view the forums?
  
  
• What
  are the RSS icons for throughout the site?
  
  
• How
  can I receive Brewerfan.net e-mail notifications?
  
  
• How
  can I receive message board e-mail notifications?
  
  
• What
  am I allowed to post on the message boards?
  
  
• How
  do I format a message?
  
  
• How
  do I quote other posts?
  
  
• What
  guidelines should I follow when I quote other posts?
  
  
• How
  do I find an individual message's direct URL?
  
  
• How
  do I post an image?
  
  
• How
  do I avoid funky results when I resize fonts in my posts?
  
  
• How
  do I post using the Quick Reply box?
  
  
• How
  do I link or unlink a Photobucket account?How do I create and manage
  photo albums?
  
  
• How
  do I add a signature?
  
  
• How
  do I make my signature conform to site guidelines?
  
  
• How
  do I put an icon/picture/avatar next to my name?
  
  
• How
  do I send a private message?
  
  
• How
  do I send a private message to group of members?
  
  
• How
  do I know if I've received a private message?
  
  
• What
  do I gain by using Yuku's Firefox extension?
  
  
• Why
  is forum functionality different for Safari users?
  
  
• Why
  might I find a slightly different forum appearance in Internet Explorer
  6?
  
  
• How
  much does the fan forum cost?
  
  
• What
  else should I know about Yuku?
  
  
• Where can I ask questions?
  

Why does Brewerfan.net have two
logins?

The Brewerfan.net
portion of this site is hosted on its own server space under the
www.brewerfan.net domain. The
forum portion of this site is hosted by a third-party service (Yuku) under
the
brewersfandemonium.yuku.com domain.

The login link at the
very top of each www.brewerfan.net page is for the Brewerfan.net portion
of the site. The
Brewerfan login allows you to set preferences for e-mail
notifications.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/login.gif

The Yuku login allows
you to post on the forums. Log in via the text fields at the top left of
any Yuku page. You may
use either your forum username or e-mail address.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/yuku_login.gif

How do
I gain access to post on Brewerfan's forums?

To be allowed to post,
you need to do two things:

1. Create a Yuku
   account.
   
   
2. Obtain approval from
   Brewerfan staff to be able to post.
   
   
   

   You may sign up for a
   Yuku account by clicking the "SIGN UP" button at the top of any Yuku
   page.

   
   
   

   Keep in mind that there
   are two types of Yuku accounts: global and local. Both account types
   allow members to post on
   any Yuku forum. However, members with local accounts will have the
   name of the forum from which they signed up appended to their usernames.
   Example: if
   Doug Melvin signs up via this site, his full username would be Doug
   Melvin.brewersfandemonium.

   
   
   

   "brewersfandemonium"
   will only be displayed behind a member's username if s/he posts at
   forums other
   than this one. To obtain a global account, register through Yuku's home
   page. If you'd like to
   have more flexibility in choosing a username, sign up via a
   Brewerfan.net Yuku page.

   
   
   

   If you need to be walked
   through the registration process, Chris W962 offers this tutorial:
   Creating an account with
   yuku. One important thing to note is that
   you're required enter your real name on page 1 of the sign-up
   process. Your preferred username is entered on page
   2.

   
   
   

   If you want to be doubly
   safe in protecting your identity, enter a 'fake' real name. (This isn't
   cheating. Yuku staff suggests this.) If you'd subsequently like to
   display your real name in your profile, you can change your real name
   later in your
   member controls. (See the member controls and profile sections
   immediately below.)

   
   
   

   Once you're signed up
   and logged in, hitting "Reply" in any post will bring up a membership
   application.

   
   
   
   
   

   How
   do I access my Yuku forum member controls?

   
   
   

   While logged in, click
   on the "Navigation" button at the top right of any Yuku page: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/no_new_yuku_message.gif

   
   
   
   
   

   How
   do I view or adjust my message board profile?

   
   
   

   Clicking on your
   username anywhere it might appear on the forums will take you to your
   profile. Within your profile,
   you'll see "Edit" links in various places. They take you to pages
   where you can change specific parts of your profile.

   
   
   

   You may change the
   layout of your profile by using the "Edit Layout" link in the member
   controls. You may
   change your profile's skin by following the "Edit Skins"
   link.

   
   
   
   
   

   How do I change the way I view
   the forums?

   
   
   

   Brewerfan's Yuku forum
   font sizes are set render according to your browser's default. If you
   feel the forum
   fonts are too large or too small, adjust the font size in your
   browser's preferences (options) panel.

   
   
   

   The width of the forums
   is set to use 95% of your browser window. Simply widen or narrow your
   window if you feel more
   comfortable reading posts at a different width.

   
   
   

   Yuku's modern design
   makes it easy to make very specific end-user skin adjustments in Opera
   and in the Gecko
   browsers (Firefox, SeaMonkey, Camino, Flock, and K-Meleon). More
   information on this will be forthcoming.

   
   
   
   
   

   What are the
   RSS icons for throughout the site?

   
   
   

   Brewerfan.net and Yuku
   offer the ability to use Really Simple Syndication (RSS) formatted
   information to integrate
   with your feed reader of choice. RSS offers the ability to collect
   news information from various sites and aggregate it into one central
   location for you
   to read. Google Reader is one of the more popular examples of a feed
   reader.

   
   
   

   Brewerfan.net feeds are
   available for News, Features, and the Daily Brew. They're denoted by
   this icon: http://www.brewerfan.net/images/icons/rss.gif

   
   
   

   Message board feeds are
   available at the community, forum, and individual thread level. They're
   denoted by this
   icon: http://static.yuku.com/common/bypass/icons/feeds/rss/16x16/rss_orange.gif

   
   
   
   
   

   How can I
   receive Brewerfan.net e-mail notifications?

   
   
   

   Brewerfan.net offers
   e-mail notifications of Site Updates, News, Features, Daily Brews, Power
   50s, and Team
   Transactions (Brewers and all farm clubs.) To subscribe or adjust
   your notifications:

   
   
   
   
   
   1. From any page in the
      brewerfan.net portion of the site, follow the Login link in the top
      navigation bar.
      
      

      http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/login.gif

      
      
      
      
   2. Log in with your username
      or create a new account.
      
      
   3. One you've logged in, the
      navigation area at top of page will contain "Logout" and "Profile"
      links in place of "Login". Click on Profile.
      
      

      http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/logout.gif

      
      
      
      
   4. You'll be given choices to
      change your password or change your notifications. Follow notifications
      link and check
      the boxes that interest you. Click the Submit button.
      
      
      
      
      

      How can I receive message board
      e-mail notifications?

      
      
      

      Like the RSS feeds,
      message board e-mail notifications are available at the community,
      forum, and individual thread
      level. To be informed of new posts, click on this icon: http://static.yuku.com/common/bypass/icons/feeds/email/16x16/email_orange.gif

      
      
      

      E-mail notifications can
      be set in your member controls to come individually or in 'Daily
      Digest' form. To
      manage your subscriptions, follow these links: Settings »
      Notifications » Options. On the subscription page, you may also opt to
      receive e-mails notifying
      you of private messages, friend requests, and new image comments. By
      following the Subscriptions link from that page, you can remove
      individual
      subscriptions.

      
      
      
      
      

      What
      am I allowed to post on the message boards?

      
      
      

      Reading the Brewerfan.net
      Fan Forum
      Rules of Conduct is required before posting on the message
      boards. Also, several forums have FAQs with additional
      guidelines.

      
      
      
      
      

      How do I format a
      message?

      
      
      

      Chris W962 has provided a
      tutorial for using
      Yuku's WYSIWYG post
      editor. If you know HTML, you may directly paste or edit
      code by clicking on the "html-view" button: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/html_view.gif

      
      
      

      Note that HTML entered
      or pasted in the WYSIWYG view won't render: it'll display the actual
      code. For those
      who prefer this route, BBCode can be entered directly into the post
      editor. Chris (a different Chris http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif) provides a list of
      supported
      BBCodes.

      
      
      
      
      

      How do I
      quote other posts?

      
      
      
      
      
      1. Hit the Quote link in the
         post you'd like to quote.
         
         
      2. In the now segmented
         portion containing the quote, delete whichever lines that aren't going
         to direct your response
         to.
         
         

         -or-

         
         
         

         Before hitting the Quote
         link, have your shortened quote copied and ready to paste over the
         material in the quotation
         box.

         
         
         
         
      3. Type your response below
         the quote window.
         
         
      4. Preview your response (if
         you'd like).
         
         
      5. Hit Post.
         
         
         

         If you prefer to quote
         messages another way, that's fine. Simply offset your quotation with
         italics or bold so it
         stands out from the rest of the message.

         
         
         
         
         

         What guidelines should I
         follow when I quote other posts?

         
         
         
         
         
         • Quoting multi-paragraph blocks is not
           reader friendly. Neither is
           quoting a string of a multiple nested replies.
           
           
         • Editing quotes is simple and easy, so
           please try and make an
           attempt to better illustrate your point. Try to limit your quote
           to the specific line that you want to quote. If you choose the part of
           the message that
           best leads into your topic sentence, you're likely to make sense.
           Quoting entire paragraphs is redundant and cumbersome for a reader and
           may muddle
           the point you are trying to make.
           
           
         • If, within your message, you feel you
           need to refer to more than
           one part of a post, quote small sections, then respond underneath
           each one.
           
           
         • There is generally no need to nest
           quotes deeper than two
           replies.
           
           
         • There is no need to quote a picture or
           any other media file. A
           simple reference will do just fine. We've all seen the picture (or
           whatever) and we all know what you're talking about. There is no need
           to quote
           it eight more times on the same page. Again, it's not reader
           friendly.
           
           
         • Remember that Yuku places a number on
           each reply. This can be used
           in addition to the quote feature. The two work hand in hand quite
           well. Also, each reply has its own URL available if you'd like to create
           a
           link.
           
           
         • Please remember that the quote is
           actually part of your message.
           Choosing what to quote and how to present it should require the
           same thought and care as composing the message itself.
           
         
         
         
         
         

         How do I find an individual
         message's direct URL?

         
         
         
         
         
         1. Hit the http:// link at at
            the top right corner of any reply.
            
            

            http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/post-url.gif

            
            
            
            
         2. A box with two links will
            pop up:
            
            

            http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/post-url-link.gif

            
            
            
            
         3. Choose "Single post view"
            to show only a single reply in a window. Choose "Link to reply in the
            thread" to link to the reply and offer easy access to messages
            above and below it.
            
            
         4. Choose the URL you'd like
            and create a link.
            
            
            
            
            

            How do I
            post an image?

            
            
            

            See Chris W962's Adding
            images to posts tutorial
            for adding images from Yuku albums, your Photobucket account, or
            from URLs.

            
            
            

            The image you use must
            be available on the Internet (not just your own computer). In other
            words, it must have a web
            address. If there's a graphic on your computer that you'd like to
            share, Yuku, Photobucket, and ImageShack
            all offer free online image
            hosting.

            
            
            

            As Chris W962 mentions,
            images stored in your Photobucket and Yuku accounts may be added
            directly from Yuku's
            post editor. See the section below (How do I link or unlink a
            Photobucket account?) for instructions for linking your Photobucket
            account.

            
            
            

            When posting an image,
            keep its file size in mind. While it isn't a hard cap, 100 K is probably
            a good threshold
            for deciding to put an image behind a link rather than posting it
            inline. Consider that there may be more than one image posted on a page
            and that even 100
            K makes a difference to dial-up users.

            
            
            

            If you're going to be
            posting several images in the same message, definitely use links
            instead. Of course, there
            are occasional message board threads whose main purpose is to
            "feature" images. In those cases, post away.

            
            
            

            Finally, please keep in
            the site rules regarding images in mind:

            
            
            

            
            

            Please keep images
            tasteful. If an image is not suitable for work or family viewing, post
            the link with a warning instead of
            the image itself.

            
            
            

            If your image is
            large, post a link instead of the image itself, or reduce the size
            before you post it, so that
            readers don't have to scroll sideways to see it or other posts on
            the page.

How do I
avoid funky results when I resize fonts in my
posts?

Simply put, this feature
needs improvement, so you probably won't completely avoid unexpected
results. Brewerfan
has made Yuku aware if its concerns about this.

The most practical
advice is to use the font resize feature sparingly. It works best if you
type your post in the
default font first, then go back and selectively resize the fonts
you'd like to have larger or smaller. (Actually, you can type a
character or two
ahead, then go back and resize. The issue is that returning to the
default font size is very difficult.)

How do I post using the Quick
Reply box?

Type away, then click on
the "QUICK REPLY" button. Plain text, HTML, and supported BBCodes
can be mixed and matched. If you begin a message in the Quick Reply box,
then decide you want to
continue your work in the WYSIWYG post editor, check the "Preview"
box, then click on "QUICK REPLY".

How do I link or unlink a
Photobucket account?

In the post editor,
click on the Photobucket icon: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/bucket_icon.gif

If you haven't yet
linked to a Photobucket account, this message will pop up:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/link_bucket.gif

To unlink your
Photobucket account, go to Settings » Photobucket in your member
controls. If you haven't yet
linked a Photobucket account, you may also link one on this
page.

How do
I create and manage photo albums?

See Chris W962's albums
tutorial.

How do
I add a signature?

Yuku allows members to
have five signatures. To create a signature or change signature
preferences:

1. Click on the
   Navigation button at upper right of corner of any
   Yuku page.
   
   
2. Click on the Edit
   Signature link on the left-hand side of the controls that
   appear. On the page that loads, you
   may:
   
   
   
   [li]Edit or delete current signatures by
   hitting buttons in the
   Action column.
   
   
   • Choose a Default signature by hitting
     the appropriate radio
     button in the Default column.
     
     
   • Add a signature by hitting the add
     signature » button
     underneath the signature list.
     
   
   [/li]
   
   
3. Click the "SAVE" button
   when you're done.
   
   
   
   
   

   How do I make my signature conform
   to site guidelines?

   
   
   

   Please note Brewerfan's
   signature rules:

   
   
   

   
   

   Ideally, signatures should
   not be longer than your posts, nor should they distract from the
   content of your post. A good rule
   of thumb is that if your signature is longer than 3 lines
   (including paragraph breaks), it may be
   distracting.

   
   
   

   It also is easier
   to tell where your post ends and your signature begins if your
   signature is written in italics or
   bold.

   
   
   

   Please do not
   include images in your signature; and note that site language rules also
   apply to signatures. Feel
   free to advertise your personal site or blog in your signature,
   but try to keep it tasteful.

How do
I put an icon/picture/avatar next to my name?

1. Load your profile. You can
   get there quickly by clicking on your username at the top of any forum
   page or in any of your
   posts.
   
   
2. Click the edit button in
   the 'mini-profile': that's where you see your username, gender,
   location, etc.
   
   
3. You'll be taken to the
   "Edit Miniprofile" page. Click on the actual avatar (or avatar
   placeholder) in the
   "Change Avatar" area. You'll be taken to a page showing any
   avatars you might have uploaded. If your preferred avatar isn't there,
   an
   interface to upload your avatar from your hard drive is
   provided.
   
   
4. Choose your preferred
   avatar by clicking on it. You'll be brought back to the "Edit
   Miniprofile"
   page.
   
   
5. While you're on the Edit
   page, if you'd like, you may make other profile adjustments. When you're
   done, make
   sure you hit the save button at the bottom
   
   
   

   The maximum displayable
   size of your photo when used on our forum is 100x100. Try to select a
   photo that's
   roughly that size, as the larger your photo is, the longer it will
   take people to download it.

   
   
   

   Like all images, your
   avatar must be available on the Internet (not just your own computer).
   Because webmasters get
   crabby when their bandwidth is 'borrowed' to constantly display
   their images on other sites, your avatar should be stored in 'your own
   space' online. Again, Yuku, Photobucket, and
   ImageShack all offer free
   online image hosting.

   
   
   

   Like signatures, you
   shouldn't need to post to test your avatar. The Preview function should
   suffice.

   
   
   
   
   

   How do I send a
   private message?

   
   
   

   There are several ways
   members can send private messages:

   
   
   
   
   
   • Click on the Inbox
     link in the Yuku navigation bar, then
     click the Compose New Message button. Type
     the username of the member you with to contact in the
     To field.
     
     
   • Click on the
     Navigation button, then click on the
     Write Message link on the left-hand side of
     the controls that appear. Type the username of the member you wish to
     contact in the To
     field.
     
     
   • Choose the Message >
     Compose submenu item in the
     Yuku's
     Firefox extension menu. Type the username of the member you
     with to contact in the
     To field.
     
     
   • Click on a member's name from wherever
     it might appear on the
     forum. In his/her profile, click on the
     Message button. The To field
     will be filled in for you.
     
     
   • Left or right-click on
     Message Me in the
     Interact menu in the member information next
     to any of his/her posts. The To field will be
     filled in for you.
     
   
   
   
   
   

   How
   do I send a private message to group of
   members?

   
   
   

   See Chris W962's
   tutorial: Private messaging:
   groups.

   
   
   
   
   

   How do I know if I've received a
   private message?

   
   
   

   Yuku's new message
   notification isn't very clear. A Yuku staff member is working on a
   better alternative, but
   no rollout timetable seems to be set. Here's what to look
   for...

   
   
   

   If you have no new
   messages, your navigation button remains gray:

   
   
   

   http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/no_new_yuku_message.gif

   
   
   

   If you have new
   messages, the button turns bright pale blue:

   
   
   

   http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/new_yuku_message.gif

   
   
   

   As an option, you may
   wish to receive e-mail notifications for private messages. This
   preference can be toggled in
   your member controls by following the Settings » Notifications »
   Options links.

   
   
   

   Yuku's Firefox
   extension is a big help for managing
   messages. It places an icon and new message indicator in the
   browser's status bar. If a member has new messages, the "light" will
   blink.
   What's really cool is that this works even if a member isn't
   visiting a Yuku page.

   
   
   

   http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/yuku_extension_1.gif

   
   
   
   
   

   What do I gain by
   using Yuku's Firefox extension?

   
   
   

   In addition to easy
   access to private messages, Yuku's Firefox
   extension notifies members of friend requests and
   comments, allows members to set keyboard shortcuts, and makes it
   possible to log in/out or access
   signature and preference settings without visiting a Yuku
   page.

   
   
   

   Here are pictures of the
   Yuku extension menu and its Messages submenu.

   
   
   

   http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/yuku_extension_2.gif

   
   
   

   http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/bf%20yuku/FAQ/yuku_extension_3.gif

   
   
   
   
   

   Why is
   forum functionality different for Safari users?

   
   
   

   While Safari is
   definitely a standards-compliant browser, it doesn't support the
   features provided in the WYSIWYG
   post editor. An alternative post editor, with functionality similar
   to the Quick Reply box, is provided instead.

   
   
   

   Additionally, Safari
   doesn't currently have the ability to scroll (or, in some cases, hide)
   information that
   overflows the size of its containing box (example: wide pictures in
   messages). The next version of Safari will support the CSS overflow
   property.

   
   
   
   
   

   Why might I
   find a slightly different forum appearance in Internet Explorer
   6?

   
   
   

   Internet Explorer 6 is
   not a standards-compliant browser. However,
   every effort has been made to accommodate IE 6's quirks and
   bugs in Brewerfan's Yuku skin. There may be a handful of skin
   enhancements that are only
   viewable in modern browsers. These will be safely be ignored by IE 6 and won't affect
   forum functionality.

   
   
   
   
   

   How much
   does the fan forum cost?

   
   
   

   Brewerfan's most recent
   fan forum renewal occurred in January, 2007. It was for six months and
   cost $965. As part
   of the deal, we were given an additional six months free for
   committing to an early migration to Yuku. Additionally, because Yuku was
   still in beta and all
   forums were temporarily free, Brewerfan wasn't charged between
   August 1, 2007, and January, 2008. Our next forum renewal date is August
   5th, 2008.
   
   

   
   
   
   
   

   What else
   should I know about Yuku?

   
   
   

   Yuku is pronounced "You
   coo". It comes from the aboriginal word for "tree".

   
   
   
   
   

   Where can I ask
   questions?

   
   
   

   Feel free to ask
   questions about usability issues in the Brewerfan.net
   Issues & Events forum. If you can't find an existing
   thread on your question, feel
   free to start a new one. Some existing threads:

   
   
   
   
   
   • Avatar
     Help
     
     
   • Signature
     Help
     
     
   • Quoting a
     message
     
   • Adding a link to
     a message
     
   • Embedding
     a video
     
     
   • Creating
     "pretty charts" ("code" bbcode or "pre" HTML
     tag)
     
     
   • Catch-all
     Yuku Issues