AOS Message Board

Basically, it's a discussion board or "forum" for those interested in learning and talking about the most wonderful, satisfying and fulfilling hobby in the world - orchids!

2. What is a discussion board?

A discussion board is an online forum or a place on the Web where individuals can discuss issues, tally opinion, share pictures, announce events and otherwise learn and educate others. If participants are "on task," a popular discussion board often engenders a nurturing, supportive community of educational opportunities and even a keen sense of camaraderie for its participants.

3. What is a member?

A member of the AOS Forum is a user who is registered and identifiable. To become a member, click on "Login or Register" and then "New Members", and provide a name (maximum 25 characters) by which you would like to be known in the AOS Forum, a password, and a valid email address for your account. You must register and be logged in as a member before you can post, although non-registrants may "lurk" on the AOS Forum after they have verified that they have read the rules concerning our discussion board. In essence, if you would like to set up a profile, post file attachments or the like, you must first become a member of the AOS Forum.

4. What are the rules and regulations for the AOS Forum?

The American Orchid Society (AOS) strives to make its AOS Forum the friendliest, most educational orchid-oriented discussion group in the world. Here, everyone from newbies to forum regulars swap views, news and tidbits about anything and everything "orchids," all in a positive, enriching environment. The AOS is proud that this discussion board - one of our nonprofit organization's primary educational offerings - contributes to visitors' learning experiences about our mutual passion. Please note: The opinions and recommendations that appear in this public forum are those of the individual authors, and not those of the American Orchid Society, which neither adopts nor endorses such opinions or recommendations and disclaims all responsibility for them. When following advice or suggestions posted at this public discussion area, the individual accepts full responsibility for implementing such advice and shall in no way hold liable the American Orchid Society, its employees or associates. The AOS reserves the right to delete any messages that are contrary to the intent of this forum. The AOS also reserves the right to ban habitual offenders to our rules (see below). The rules here at the AOS Forum are few, but they are strictly enforced: a) Profanity, rudeness, flames and other unsavory behavior will not be tolerated. The AOS reserves the right to delete any posts considered contrary to the intent of the AOS Forum, which is the discussion of orchids and orchid-related matters. b) Products or businesses may be mentioned by name brand as an answer to a question or as a solution to a problem. Posts that blatantly and transparently promote a product, service, business or event will be removed. c) There will be no power struggles for expert-in-residence, nor promotion of personal agendas. The AOS will not allow this forum to be monopolized by one or a few individuals. Participants come to this site for orchid dialogue, so please keep discussion of personal matters to a minimum. d) All discussions should be about orchids, orchids, orchids - not politics (orchid community or otherwise), not religion and not world affairs. The AOS Forum has been set up to foster a positive learning environment amongst individuals seeking to better their understanding of orchids and their culture. Other orchid-oriented bulletin boards allow such flame wars and posts - we respectfully invite those desirous of getting into or starting such a fray to take their posts to those other fine Web sites. What about discussion regarding AOS matters? Without question, the AOS very much desires and encourages feedback (critical or praiseworthy) from its valued members, especially, but also from the greater orchid community. There are numerous avenues here at www.aos.org - besides our AOS Forum - through which individuals can communicate to the leadership of the AOS, and we invite you to do so. Amongst many such avenues offered here are these two: 1) the AOS's executive director [lcooke@aos.org]; and 2) the AOS's president [execomaos@hotmail.com]. The remedy for violations to the above-noted rules? For the first offense, a poster will receive their only warning that he/she has violated the sprit and rules of the AOS Forum. Oftentimes, that notification will also bring into play the deletion of an offending post. After a second violation, the poster will be banned from the AOS Forum. As noted above, the AOS reserves the right to block posters whose posts are habitually contrary to the intent of this Forum. Argumentative, harassing posts of profanity, rudeness, flames and other unsavory behavior will not be tolerated. This is, of course, a subjective call, but it's the AOS's call, solely. Personal attacks and incessant droning connected singularly with clearly inflammatory issues is uncalled for ... especially when a single computer user is generating multiple responses (under four to five different names) to his/her own posts, within the same thread. Common sense and careful watching of others' responses to such posts tell us, the administrators of the AOS Forum, that such a person is out of line and certainly not of sameness with most everyone's expectations for an AOS Forum that is equal parts friendly and informative. Such offending individuals will be banned. Banned individuals will, thereafter, have view-only access to the AOS Forum. Banned individuals may apply for reinstatement after one year; the avenue of appeal will be spelled out to the offender. The decision on readmittance to the AOS Forum as a poster rests solely with the AOS. The AOS thanks you for taking the time to read these important particulars. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the AOS's executive director (lcooke@aos.org) and/or the AOS's president (execomaos@hotmail.com).

5. What is a topic?

A topic is a single discussion within the AOS Forum. Topics may be based on a comment or an idea, a poll, a picture or an event. As per convention, the default order of a list of topics is by descending order of the most recent message. Nevertheless, here in our AOS Forum, it is possible to sort and filter the list, and, where applicable, traverse the pages of the list to discover less active topics. Note that topics can be suspended or made read-only by those with administrator or moderator rights. One more thing! If you are posting a culture question, it is much easier for individuals to offer an answer if they can pinpoint the general part of the world where you live and/or what your growing conditions are (e.g., temperature, humidity, fertilizer [and frequency], light source, etc.).

6. What is a forum?

The name of the American Orchid Society's discussion board is the AOS Forum. This moniker has been in place since 1995. In Web-speak, there are also "forums" within discussion or bulletin boards. In simple and theoretical terms, forums constitute single-topic discussion areas whereby focused dialogue takes place. These breakout "topic buckets" lend further order to a discussion board's posts, making navigation of subjects easier for visitors. In the AOS Forum there are currently eight forums (note lower-case "f"): Orchid Culture / General Orchid Q&A; Show-and-Tell / Orchid Photography; Orchid Propagation; Orchid Hybrids; Orchid Species; Growing In The Home; Greenhouses; Orchid Travels / Events / Announcements.

7. What is a message?

A message is a single comment, question or response within a topic. Members can choose to read messages within a topic in a linear or threaded view, in descending or ascending order, and in their original fonts or a single font. Messages from members will display the member's name, title, country, image or avatar (if supplied), start date and total posts. By design, messages from members with interesting titles and attractive images should stand out. The system provides a search engine that can be used to search for messages containing particular keywords or phrases or both; for messages within a particular forum or topic; or for messages by a particular member. The system also provides a "news" page, which lists recent messages.

8. Can I attach files to messages?

Members can attach to messages files such as images and documents. The AOS's administrators necessarily will restrict the types of files that are acceptable and the maximum size of a file. The first step to attaching a file such as a picture or word document would be to open the appropriate forum and then click on "New Discussion". Fill in the topic and type your message or question. Click on the "Browse" button to the right of the "Attach File" field. Navigate your way to where the document or picture is on your hard-drive and double-click on it. The pathway to the file will appear in the "Attach File" field. Click on the "Post" button and your document or picture file will be uploaded. The file name will appear as a link below your message.

9. What is a picture?

In a very real sense, a picture is a topic in which an image serves as the basis for discussion. The handling of pictures in the AOS Forum is similar to that of a Web-based photo-gallery system. Unlike a message attachment, which may be an image or a document file, pictures are displayed inline rather than as a link, and each topic can only have one picture. See elsewhere in Help for assistance with posting pictures.

10. How do I post pictures?

There are at least two ways to post pictures: 1) "New Picture" Link - All forums have this link available. When you enter a forum, the link is above the black strip that tells you what forum you are in. Click on the link for "New Picture". In the "Description" field, type a brief description of your picture. The next field is "Picture file". To the right of it is a button labeled "Browse". Click on Browse and navigate your way to where the picture file is saved on your computer. Double-click on the file. The pathway to it will pop into the "Picture file" field. Click on the "Post" button. You will be taken back to the forum in which you started. Click on the Topic you just posted. Click on the "New Message" link just above the black bar. Type any information you want forumites to know (such as orchid growing conditions) about your picture. 2) "New Discussion" Link - Click on the "New Discussion" link above the black bar. Type your message in the large window. Next, to the right of the field labeled "Attach file", click on the button labeled "Browse". Navigate your way to where the picture is saved on your computer. Double-click on the file. The pathway to it will pop into the field. Click on the "Post" button at the bottom of the page.

11. What is a bookmark?

A bookmark is a means in the system to access a topic quickly. Each member of the AOS Forum is entitled to collect up to 50 bookmarks. Bookmarks can be added and removed, as needed. If you are in a "Discussion" within any of the forums, you will see at the bottom of every page or message within that forum, a link for "Bookmark this topic". If you click on that, it will take you to your bookmarks ... and that particular topic will now be at the top of your list of bookmarks. To view and manage your bookmarks, click on the blue link near the top of the AOS Forum window labeled "Bookmarks".

12. What is marked-read?

When you enter a topic within a forum you will see, in the far right-hand column, a circle with an exclamation mark in it. When a user (who is logged-in) reads all the messages within that topic, the system will mark it by removing the circle with the exclamation mark. Thus, the next time the user visits the specific forum, he or she can see at a glance that said topic has been read. Aside from marking individual topics, the system also offers a means to mark the entire topic section as read by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the link that says "Mark this forum as read." Obviously, as new posts appear, the markings will be removed so it is possible to see what is new.

13. What dates and times are used by the system?

Users who are not logged in will view dates and times in Greenwich Mean Time or GMT (i.e., Universal Time or UTC). Users who are logged in can set the time zone of the system to match their own. Users can also set the format of dates and times to read the way they would like it to - for example, "1 Dec 2004" versus "1/12/2004", etc. The accuracy of dates and times depends on the accuracy of the clock of the Web server.

14. What are emoticons?

Emoticons are various smilies and tinyish graphics that can enliven the look of a message. To add or insert an emoticon into a message, simply click on the emoticon's image. If you are using Internet Explorer, you will see the actual emoticon. If you are using a different Web browser, you may see the actual DBML language in the message you are creating, but when you post it, the emoticon will be displayed. It is noteworthy that unlike other discussion-board systems, the AOS Forum can be set up to have its own unique set of emoticons.

15. What is an event?

An event is a topic in which a forthcoming date and time of note is announced. Events may be special occasions, upcoming meetings, announcements, or the like. Events appear in the system's calendar and in the specific forum in which they are posted.

16. What is a poll?

A poll is a topic in which a question is posted publicly inviting opinion from other members in the form of votes and comments. Each member can only vote once in a poll, and a poll will never close unless the topic is deleted, suspended or marked read-only. The results of a poll are counted and displayed in real time. By design, each member's vote in a poll is never revealed to administrators, moderators and the public. In the AOS Forum, the poll function is only enabled when the AOS chooses to conduct such an opinion survey.

17. Who are the AOS Forum's moderators or administrators?

Unlike many Web sites, the AOS's site doesn't have a single "webmaster." This function is performed efficiently by a number of individuals who have specific duties that, together, constitute ample online presence so as to assure that the overall site consistently meets or exceeds the high standards set by the nonprofit organization's volunteer leadership. The AOS Forum's moderators/administrators are hand-picked AOS members (volunteers) and Society employees, the latter with "admin rights," enabling them to edit and delete posts so that content complies with the terms of use of the Web site. The identities of all moderators/administrators (including some regular-posting "forumites") are kept secret so as to protect the individuals from harassment. Since it is sometimes impractical to use forum screening or to employ too many overseers, the AOS Forum includes automatic word censorship. Words predetermined to be foul or inappropriate will be automatically replaced by asterisks. The system also offers a reporting tool that allows users to bring inappropriate or offensive posts to the attention of moderators/administrators. To reach moderators/administrators, simply email TheAOS@aos.org.

18. Why do some users have access to a WYSIWYG editor and others don't?

Users with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or newer will have access to the "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" editor, complete with text formatting, emoticons and a spell checker. Others will be presented with a non-WYSIWYG editor with similar capabilities via DBML and message preview.

19. How do you make changes to your Member Profile?

To access and edit your profile, first of all make sure you are logged in, then go to the top of the AOS Forum window and click on "Members". In the Name field, type in the name with which you login (Alternately, you can access your profile any time you see your name as a blue link within a post you have created.), then click on "Search". At the bottom of the page you will see the results of your search. Your name will be there as a blue link. Click on it and your settings screen will come up. Above the upper right-hand corner of the profile window there is a link indicating "Edit my profile". Click on that link. The next screen will show your current profile entries. You will need to type in your member password to make any changes to your profile. Below are some quick definitions/suggestions for what you'll be asked to fill in while completing your Member Profile. If you get stuck or don't understand something, please try searching this Help section further by topic - often, more in-depth answers can be found elsewhere in Help. Title: This can be just about anything to give fellow forumites an idea about who you are and what you're about. A couple of examples could be "Orchid Aficionado and founding member of Orchids Anonymous" or "Cattleya specialist but also dabbling in Phrags, Paphs and orchid insanity!" This field is limited to 100 characters. Image: This is the field you use to upload the picture (aka avatar) you'd like to have displayed with each of the messages you post to the forum. If you wish to use this feature, make sure avatars are enabled (see Help section on "Settings"). Click on the "Browse" button to the right of the Image field and navigate your way to the picture you would like to use. Double-click on the file name and it will pop into the Image field. When you finish editing all of your settings and click on the "Save" button at the bottom, the image will be uploaded. Location: Tell people where you live and/or grow your orchids. This helps others to know if their growing conditions are similar to yours. Country: Select the country you live in from the drop-down menu. Occupation: Select your occupation from the drop-down menu. Background: Tell your fellow forumites a little something about yourself. This field is limited to 500 characters. Homepage: If you have a Web site you would like other forumites to be able to visit, put the URL (Internet address) in this field. Email: Place an email address here. It can be made invisible via the Forum "Settings" below. MS IM: If you have an MSN Messenger login that you would like to share with others so you can "chat," put it in this field. Signature: If you put something in this field, it will appear at the bottom of all messages you post to the AOS Forum. You can simply type your name or add information about yourself. If you would like it to be fancier, click on the link below the window that says "Use DBML Editor". That will open up a window that gives you the option to enter colored text, change the font, add hyperlinks (URLs) and emoticons. Once you have finished in the DBML Editor, click on the "okay" button below the window. That will put you back in the "Edit my profile" window.

20. Can I change my password?

Yes. As with most sites, the AOS Forum provides a way for users to change their password. To do so, log-in to the AOS Forum with your current password and then click on Members at the top of the page. Then, enter your name in the Name field and search for yourself. When your user name appears at the bottom of the search page, click on it and you will see the option to "Edit my Profile" on the right-hand side of your screen. In the password field, you can enter a new password of your choosing. Click Save at the bottom and the new password will be saved in your profile and work the next time you log in. If you have any problems with changing your password, please email TheAOS@aos.org and state in the subject line "AOS Forum".

21. How do you make changes to your Personal Settings?

To access your personal settings, click on the blue "Settings" link at the top of the forum window. Below are some quick definitions/suggestions for what you'll be asked to fill in while completing your Personal Settings. If you get stuck or don't understand something, please try searching this Help section further by topic - often, more in-depth answers can be found elsewhere in Help. Login automatically: If you wish to be logged in automatically when you return to the AOS Forum, put a dot in the "Yes" circle. Hide online presence: If you do not wish others to be able to know you are online, put a dot in the "Yes" circle and your online presence will be hidden. Display email: If you select "Yes", others will be able to see your email address. Selecting "No" hides your email address (i.e., it will not be displayed). Accept private messages: The AOS Forum has the ability to send private messages to other forumites even if their email address is not visible. If you wish to be able to receive private messages from other forumites, select "Yes". Notify me by email when someone replies: If you select "Yes", an email will be sent to you each time someone replies to one of your posts. Time zone: Users who are not logged in will view dates and times in Greenwich Mean Time or GMT (i.e., Universal Time or UTC). Users who are logged in can set the time zone of the system to match their own. Date format: Users can also set the format of dates and times to read the way they would like it to - for example, "1 Dec 2004" versus "1/12/2004", etc. The accuracy of dates and times depends on the accuracy of the clock of the Web server. Messages per page: You may enter any number of messages, but be aware that the more messages per page, the slower they will be to load. Default message view: There are two ways to view messages - either Linear or Threaded. Linear displays messages in chronological order whereas Threaded keeps replies with the message replied to. Default message order: This setting determines chronologically the order that the messages are displayed. Display avatars: Avatars are small pictures that users can upload via their personal profile that are displayed with every forum message they post. If you do not wish to see these, simply put a dot in the "No" circle. Display signatures: AOS Forum members can personalize a signature that can be added to the bottom of every post. If you do not wish to view these signatures put a dot in the "No" circle. Display original fonts: If you select "Yes", you will be able to see colored fonts and fancy letterings that fellow forumites have added to their messages. Select "No" and the text and signatures will be displayed in "plain" fonts and colors. Topics per page: Same as "Messages per page". Any number can be entered, but the more per page the more slowly the pages will load. Default topic filter: If you select "All topics", you will be able to see all of the topics that have been posted. If you select one of the other options, such as "Pictures" only, those topics will be displayed. Default topic marked-read filter: By default "Include those marked read" is selected for you. If you select "Exclude those marked read", those topics you have read will not be visible. If you are having trouble finding certain posts, check this setting. If "Exclude" is selected, try changing to "Include" to see if the missing messages or topics return. Default topic sort: This option allows you to sort topics based on four different criteria. Default topic sort order: This setting determines chronologically the order that the topics are displayed. When all changes to your Personal Settings have been made, make sure to click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page.

22. What is a title?

Every member can adopt a title that describes him or her at a glance (maximum 100 characters). Common practice is to use a concise description, one's post nominals, a description of an actual or fictitious position, or the like.

23. What is an avatar?

AOS Forum participants can upload a 70 by 70 pixel image GIF or PNG file to serve as an avatar (or image icon) of him or her. By default, the avatar of a member is placed beside every message that he or she posts, as a visual "ID." AOS Forum participants who do not want to load and look at avatars on the messages that they read, can switch avatars "off" in the personal settings page. To upload an avatar you need to edit your AOS profile. To access and edit your profile, first of all make sure you are logged in, then go to the top of the AOS Forum window and click on "Members". In the Name field type in the name you login with (Alternately you can access your profile any time you see your name as a blue link within a post you have created.) then click on "Search". At the bottom of the page you will see the results of your search. Your name will be there as a blue link. Click on it and your settings screen will come up. Above the upper right hand corner of the profile window there is a link that says 'Edit my profile'. Click on that link. The next screen will show your current profile entries. You will need to type in your member password to make any changes to your profile. Click on the "Browse" button to the right of the Image field and navigate your way to the picture you would like to use. Double-click on the file name and it will pop into the Image field. When you finish editing all your settings and click on the "Save" button at the bottom, the image will be uploaded. Click on SAVE to save all the changes to your profile.

24. What is a signature?

A signature of a member is a kind of mark - possibly comprising text (plain and formatted), emoticons and hyperlinks - that is placed underneath every message that the member posts. It is fairly common practice in online communities to use a favorite quote, witticism or observation as a signature. Members who do not want to load and read signatures on the messages that they read, can switch signatures "off" in the personal settings page.

25. What is "members who are online"?

Members who are logged in and browsing will appear in the "members who are online" box of that forum or topic. This feature encourages activity. Those who prefer their privacy can choose to log in without revealing their online presence.

26. As a member, can I log in automatically each time I visit?

Visitors can log-in automatically by checking the "Login automatically the next time" box before logging-in. To login, click on the blue link at the top of every forum page that says "Login or Register". If you are already logged in it will say "Logout". When you click on "Login or Register" a page will come up that notes your forum name and password. Below that you have two checkboxes, one for "Login automatically next time" and "Hide online presence". If you choose to check the first one, you will automatically be logged in when you return to the AOS Forum.

27. As a member, can I hide my email address?

It is possible to hide your email address from public view by selecting the hide option in the personal settings page. Click on the "Settings" link at the top of every forum page to access and change this setting. Under the listing "Display email" put the dot in front of "No" if you don't wish your email address to be seen by others.

28. What is a private message?

A private message is an email sent via the system from one member to another without the sender or recipient knowing each other's email address, or any other member knowing about the message. Members can choose to switch private messages "on" or "off". If a member has chosen to allow private messages, a "Send private message" link will appear on his or her profile page. To change that setting, click on the blue "Settings" link in the upper right-hand corner of the main forum window. Scroll down to "Accept private messages" and select which option you desire.

29. When someone replies to a message that I've posted, can I be notified by email?

It is possible to instruct the system that you would like to receive an email notification whenever someone replies to any of your messages. To change that setting, click on the blue "Settings" link in the upper right-hand corner of the main forum window. Scroll down to "Notify me by email when someone replies:" Select which option you would like.

30. Will AOS Forum users have access to the archives that were in the prior version of the AOS's Web site?

We sure hope so! The AOS's administrators are working with the site's technicians to see if this can be accomplished. We're shooting to have this valuable educational resource accessible, both completely intact and searchable. Progress (and hopefully word of success) will be posted on the AOS Forum by the AOS's administrators.

31. What is the RSS feed?

The system offers dynamically generated, RSS 2.0 compliant feeds so that new posts can be read in RSS aggregators via XML.

32. What is DBML?

DBML stands for "DiscussionBoard markup language." It is a proprietary markup language (akin to HTML) for describing textual formatting (e.g., bold, italic, underline, strike, subscript, superscript, bullets, indentation, font type, font color, font size), hyperlinks and emoticons in the DiscussionBoard system.

33. What is Active Data Online DiscussionBoard?

Active Data Online DiscussionBoard is an advanced discussion board application, designed and developed by Active Data Online Pty Ltd (www.activedataonline.com.au/discussionboard.html), powered by Microsoft ASP.NET v1.1.4322 and a relational database.