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Welcome.
The Chatelaine forums are one of the longest-running online communities in Canada. Thousands of women come online each day to share ideas and solutions, trade opinions, debate topics that matter to them and create relationships that last. The forums operate by topic – you can choose from 20, plus one forum for special guests and experts, and one for a monthly free-for-all called free forum weekend where you can get to know each other better and discuss any topics that interest you.
Chatelaine strives to create a moderated community that is open and challenging, yet respectful. To keep the atmosphere as welcoming as possible, please read and understand the Netiquette before logging in or registering to post. Have fun! Email me at forums@chatelaine.com if you have any questions.
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See you on the forums,
Dayna Boyer
Editorial producer
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Special Forums and Blogs
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Free forum Chat about whatever topics you like in this free-for-all forum, held the second weekend of everything.
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When: June 13-15
Where: Free forum
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Blog: Healthwise with Jacqueline Nunes Chatelaine's health editor sifts through the latest health research, answers your questions and offers a few lessons from her own quest to be healthier.
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When: Ongoing
Where: Healthwise
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Show us your garden We all take pride in cultivating our outdoor space – however big or small – so why not brag a little?
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When: Ongoing
Where: Show us your garden
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beauty & fashion
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982/4,487
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:16:44 PM
by: sunny22 »
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Healthwise with Jacqueline Nunes
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10/10
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Tue. 1 Jul., 2008 at 10:10:55 AM
by: Jacqueline, Health Editor »
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book club
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622/2,944
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 1:29:10 PM
by: Pearl »
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butt out!
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693/3,307
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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crafts & hobbies
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1,358/4,672
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 4:16:30 PM
by: tigsw_tigsw »
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entertainment
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1,341/6,274
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:50:24 PM
by: Artemis »
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Show us your garden
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7/3
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Thu. 3 Jul., 2008 at 9:56:44 AM
by: Daffy »
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Real Design with Virginie Martocq
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13/7
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Fri. 27 Jun., 2008 at 12:08:24 PM
by: Virginie, Home editor »
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family
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822/7,897
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:40:25 PM
by: ~Carol/cp~ »
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fitness & sport
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193/790
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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food & recipes
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2,624/14,152
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:52:28 PM
by: Tirelady »
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Fresh Living with Jennifer Danter
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60/55
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Thu. 3 Jul., 2008 at 12:23:35 AM
by: Jennifer Danter »
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free forum
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22/139
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Mon. 16 Jun., 2008 at 6:15:26 AM
by: sunny22 »
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health
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867/5,096
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:48:25 PM
by: ~Carol/cp~ »
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Pet of the family
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212/157
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Thu. 3 Jul., 2008 at 10:28:12 PM
by: sue-43 »
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home & garden
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1,425/7,579
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 1:45:01 PM
by: Delta »
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hot headlines
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236/1,617
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:49:06 PM
by: Herself »
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humour
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420/354
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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Money Mavens
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232/798
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 11:24:17 AM
by: sunny22 »
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What's your view?
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59/62
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Thu. 26 Jun., 2008 at 12:25:07 AM
by: plexy »
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news & views
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662/6,771
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 3:43:16 PM
by: ~Carol/cp~ »
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nutrition & diet
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138/730
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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pets
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603/2,700
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 4:14:46 PM
by: green_sleeves »
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sex & relationships
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600/6,276
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 4:13:27 PM
by: Andrea »
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special guest
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6/8
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Fri. 27 Jun., 2008 at 3:49:42 PM
by: Danielle, The Wedding Planners »
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talk about it
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29/276
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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technology
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828/4,267
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 2:55:14 PM
by: green_sleeves »
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travel
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547/2,436
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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wheels
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107/526
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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work
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351/2,012
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Fri. 4 Jul., 2008 at 12:37:56 PM
by: alders »
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font size »   
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Forum Netiquette
• Please respect your moderators. With tens of thousands of people coming to post everyday, it’s inevitable that conflicts and misunderstandings will arise. In order to keep things under control, Chatelaine.com hires experienced, trained moderators to answer questions, delete inappropriate posts, moderate conflicts and keep the forums running smoothly overall. In order for the community to work, their decisions need to be respected. Continuous deletions and displays of disrespect will result in an official warning, which can lead to banning. Please read through the warning system outlined below.
To report a post, click the Report button located on every post. You are welcome to contact the moderator privately to ask about deletions, but please keep inquiries off the forums. Moderators do not discuss deletions online, unless in extreme cases when a deletion affects more than one person. If you wish to contact the moderator on duty at any time, please use the Report button. You don’t have to report the post as offensive, you can even report a post of your own – simply use the typing space to ask the moderator your questions.
• Respect your fellow users: lively debates are welcome, but personal attacks are not. Think before you post – would you say it to someone’s face? Remember that there is a person on the other end and think about how your post could affect them – or how you would be affected.
• Do not "out posters" – this means that if you suspect someone of posting under two screen names, do not accuse them or imply this in a post. There can be no proof either way and accusations lead to arguments off-topic to the thread.
• Do not write anything potentially libellous, illegal or plagiaristic. If you copy information or an image from an outside source and include it in your post, please credit the source.
• As in most public forums, attacks based on others' membership in an identifiable group such as race, ethnic origin, disability, gender and/or sexual orientation are not allowed.
• No unpaid advertisements, "selling" or "for sale" posts or solicitations for business/time/money/signatures on our boards, please. This includes links to petitions, charities, contests or personal Web sites. Please do not use the community as a means for market or study research of any kind.
• As this is an English forum, please do not post in other languages.
• Please post in the appropriate forum for your topic. If you don't, the moderator will move the thread and post a message re-directing everyone to the correct forum.
• Please do not use profanities or otherwise foul language. Our language filter will change inappropriate words to the characters "[#@!$]" – so keep it clean.
• Although talk of sex and legal sex acts is allowed on these forums, avoid smut and explicit, graphic details – there are plenty of other sites for that! Frank discussions of sex are welcome, just keep it clean and appropriate.
• If you ask for and receive medical advice in any forum, do so at your own risk. Anonymous advice, no matter how professional it sounds, is not medical advice. You should always follow up with your personal medical professional.
• Please keep chit chat to a minimum. Chit chat can be defined as threads not directly related to the forum topic, or personal back-and-forth posts that take a thread off topic. Chit chat will be deleted after 24 hours have passed. Our forums are arranged by topic and opinions, advice and tips on these topics are always welcome – these posts keep Chatelaine.com an interesting and engaging community.
We understand that in the sex & relationships forum, chit chat occurs more often and can be entertaining and relationship-building. The moderators use their judgment to decide what is on-topic – for example, threads about personal growth or sharing personal stories are welcome, even if it doesn’t seem quite about sex, romance or relationships. This forum is a place to communicate and engage with your fellow posters. Happy birthday/anniversary threads will be removed to save space only after the poster has acknowledged that they have seen the thread – or if there is no acknowledgement, then after three days. Threads about meet and greets will not be considered chit chat. If you do want to chat more personally with someone, we suggest you exchange e-mail addresses.
• Chatelaine and Chatelaine.com take no responsibility for the opinions expressed and advice exchanged here; we are unable to check any facts and therefore cannot attest to the accuracy of information contained in any conversation thread. The copyright on any message posted here becomes the property of Rogers Publishing Ltd., and the message may therefore be reproduced in other forms.
Warnings and Banning
Moderators keep track of deletion emails and understand that deletions can vary in seriousness. Warnings are the next step up from a deletion. Warnings are sent to people who repeatedly: have their posts deleted for violating Netiquette, ignore moderator requests, stir the pot to create a negative atmosphere.
1. Warnings: If you receive five (5) official warnings, you will be asked not to return to the Chatelaine forums (ie. banned). A warning is an email from the moderator that includes “Warning (1-5)” in the subject line. Please read through it to be sure you understand.
2. Banning: You will be banned once you receive five (5) warnings from the moderator. You will not be welcomed back and any new handles created will be immediately banned as well. Banning is irreversible and taken very seriously.
3. Zero tolerance: We have a zero tolerance policy for any posts containing language that blatantly attacks a person’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Banning is immediate. We have a zero tolerance policy for trolls. A troll is usually quite obvious – it’s someone who directs cruel, mean-spirited posts to a specific poster or group of posters (often under a new handle). If you see a troll post, please notify the moderator on duty. We do our best to catch those posts as soon as possible, but your help is always welcome. Trolls are immediately banned.
Some need-to-know info... • Please pay attention to the button you press when replying to posts. Hit 'Add a reply' to reply to a post within a thread (or "conversation") and Post a new message to start a new thread. When you are replying, the post you are replying to will appear above the typing space. The moderator will post a message re-directing everyone back to the original conversation. Keeping replies together ensures that the person the reply is intended for sees it, and that people just coming to the forum can follow the conversation.
• Avoid using ALL CAPS when not necessary (in "forum-speak," it means you're yelling).
• If you are new to the forums an introduction message makes for a great way to become part of the community. Something like, "Hi everyone, I'm so and so and I'm new to the forums. Glad to be here." This is just a suggestion and is not required.
• If you frequently post in one forum and would like those users' responses, but your message suits another forum, consider sending an invite. For example, let's say you regularly post in Sex & relationships but your message is about your dog. First, post in the Pets forum, then post a simple invite ("Please see my post in Pets n/t") to those in Sex & relationships.
• As with many online talk forums, users tend to use abbreviations for frequently-used words. If you are new to online talking and want to know what someone means when they refer to their "SO" or "dd," see our short form glossary under the FAQ section.
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FAQ
How do I add a signature or avatar?
A signature can be anything you want, within netiquette - many people post a favourite quote. You can also leave it blank. If provided, your signature will be automatically added to every post and reply you make. You can change your signature by clicking on Your profile - you have the option of supplying or editing your signature in the text area provided. Once you have completed your signature, click the "Edit my profile" button to make the changes permanent. To add an avatar, you can upload or link to a picture of your choosing to act as your avatar or profile picture. Chatelaine provides a default avatar, the outline of a woman. To change your avatar from the default, click on Your Profile and click the Change Avatar button. You can then upload an avatar from your computer or link to one already on the Internet. The maximum dimensions of your avatar are 100x100 pixels. Try a free online image-sizing program like Google Picasa if you need to resize an image. Once you have chosen an avatar, click the edit my profile button to make the changes permanent.
Chatelaine also provides two other options:
Male outline avatar:
http://www.chatelaine.com/english/images/community/applogic/man_avatar.jpg
Blank avatar:
http://www.chatelaine.com/english/images/community/applogic/blank_avatar.jpg
Here are popular sites where you can download a personalized avatar:
http://www.avatarity.com/
http://www.pimpmyspace.org/avatars.php
http://www.iconator.com/
Your forum profile is where you can personalize your settings by making changes to your signature and avatar. You can also see all the posts and replies you've made and how many times you've visited. To view your forum profile, click on the Your forum profile button located on every page, or click right on your screen name.
How can I tell when there are new posts?
The suitcase icon (on the same line with Posts and on the far left) acts as a visual indicator to new/unread and read messages. When red luggage denotes unread or updated content since your last visit. If the icon appears white, this signifies posts you've read. The ability to mark a forum as read means that you have read the posts in that forum you're interested in - it acts as a refresh to let you know which threads have new replies. Once you click the mark as read button and refresh, the red suitcases will appear next to threads that have new posts.
Over the years Web users have developed short forms for common sayings. Here's a list that will have you LOL and SFETE IMHO!
AFAICS = As Far As I Can See
AFK = Away From Keyboard
BBIAF = Be Back In A Few minutes
BBIAB = Be Back In A Bit
BFN = Bye For Now
BRB = Be Right Back
BTW = By The Way
CC = Carbon Copy
DH or dh = Dear Husband, Darling Husband...you get the idea!
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FTP = File Transfer Protocol (Used to retrieve files/programs)
FWIW = For What Its Worth
FYI = For Your Information
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO = In My Not So Humble Opinion
IRC = Internet Relay Chat
KWIM = Know What I Mean
LOL = Laugh Out Loud
MMCI = Monday Morning Check In (Used in Fitness and Sport forum to report weekly activity. Note: Activity Check Ins on other days can be coded as TMCI for Tuesday, fpr example or WMCI for Wednesday.)
MSG = Message
(nt) or n/t or (n/t) = No Text (usually found in the title of a message, indicating there's no need to click, as that's all there is to the message)
OIC = Oh I see
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ISO = In Search Of
OTOH = On The Other Hand
R = Are
RFC = Request For Comment
ROFL = Rolling On the Floor Laughing
RSN = Real Soon Now
SFETE = Smiling From Ear To Ear
SIL = Sister-in-law
SITD = Still In The Dark
SO = Significant Other
TIA = Thanks In Advance
TLA = Three Letter Acronym
TTFN = Ta Ta For Now
TTYL = Talk To You Later
U = You
URL = http://www.... (a site's address)
VBG = Very Big Grin
WACI = Weekly Activity Check In (used in the Fitness + sport forum for weekly updates)
WBCI = Weekly Book Check In (used in the Book Club forum for weekly updates)
WWW = World Wide Web
:-) or :) = smile
;-) = winking (not sarcastic, playful)
:( = frowning
:~( = crying
:-P = Sticking my tongue out (playful)
:-P~~ = that worldwide raspberry sound!
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Why do I have to register for the forums?
You can read the forums without registering, but to post you must be registered.
How do I register?
Important note: If you're already signed up for our newsletter, once you enter your e-mail address and name, we will recognize your address and send you a personal e-mail instantly (this is to protect your privacy). Click on the link in the e-mail and go through steps 2 through 4 and you're ready to go!
Registering is easy! Just follow these instructions:
2. Enter your email address and click the Register button.
3. Create your profile by filling in the required fields.
4. Create a password at least four characters long.
5. If you don't want to log in every time you go to the forums, click the "Remember me" box. Do not use this box if you're using a public computer.
6. Click Register and you're ready to log in.
To sign in:
1. Click on the Login/Sign in link at the top left
of your screen.
2. Enter your e-mail and password and click Submit.
To sign out:
When you're ready to sign out, use the Logout/Sign out button on the top bar of the forums.
What do I do if my post is sensitive in nature?
Don't worry. You always have the option of posting as anonymous.
Where do I get the latest forum news?
You can read about what's happening in the forums by clicking on the Weekly Scoop icon at the top of the Forum
Home page. You can also sign up for the monthly forum newsletter, The Scoop. To check out the post of the week and the book of the month, click on these links on the Forum
Home page.
To sign up for The Scoop:
1. Go to Your Profile page.
2. Under Sign up for Chatelaine newsletters, check off the Forum
news box.
3. Update (Save) your profile.
How do I use editor functions like bold, adding links, inserting
email addresses, etc?
When creating your message, click on the buttons in our HTML editor tool:
• Use bold, italics, underline
and strike through.
• Insert HTML links in your messages by clicking
on the "chain" link button. The Link Editor box will pop up. Enter
the address or URL you would like to link to (i.e. http://www.chatelaine.com)
in the Link address spot. Next, enter the word you would like to use to represent
the link (i.e. Chatelaine) in the Linked text spot.
• Insert e-mail links in your messages by
choosing Email from the Link type drop down menu. Enter the e-mail address
(i.e. forums@chatelaine.com). Then, type in the name you would like
to use to represent the address (i.e. Contact Alicia at Chatelaine).
If you choose to post your e-mail address for any reason, remember this is a public forum and we recommend you use a Web-based e-mail like Yahoo or Hotmail for your privacy.
How do I post a message?
• To create a new conversation thread, click the
Post a New Message button at the bottom of any open forum message or on the
home page of each forum.
• To reply to a post and join a thread already in
progress, click on the title of the message you want to reply to and then
click on Add a reply.
• The message you are replying to will appear so
that you read it as you type. Below it is a large text box. Type your reply
message here. A subject title is required for all messages.
• Hit the Reply button.
• To view your message, click the Refresh button on your browser. In addition, the link at the top of the page, the one that tells you what forum you're in, can act as a "refresh" button.
• You can preview your message and make changes
to it before it is posted by clicking the Preview button.
• You can edit your message after it has been
posted by clicking on it and hitting Edit this message. Once it has been
edited, hit Reply. A message will be embedded in your post stating when
and at what time it was edited.
How do I find a previously posted message?
In especially active forums,
it can sometimes be difficult to relocate a single message or poster among
all the posts on different pages. To locate a particular thread, message or
poster, try these options:
• Under the Edit menu, choose Find on this page.
When the dialog box pops up, type your search term (e.g. diabetes) or author's
name (e.g. Alicia, Chatelaine) in the space provided, and click on the Find
next button. The short cut for this action is CTRL + F.
• If found, the first instance of your search term will appear highlighted within a message title. To see more instances of the same word, click the Find next button again.
• To search on the next page, move to the page you want and hit CTRL
+ F again and follow the above steps.
• To jump from page to page in a non-chronological
order (i.e. from 1 to 6), click the Page 1(15) button and enter the page number
you want to jump to in the dialog box.
Because the text you post is reformatted and displayed in HTML by your Web browser, you need to use raw HTML code to add bold, italic, centering, indented paragraphs and bulleted paragraphs to your messages. If you're interested in learning HTML, here are some links to great beginner guides to HTML. If you don't want to learn HTML, just complete your post with no fancy stuff included. But do remember to hit the return button on your keyboard twice between each paragraph.
• First and foremost, threads and individual messages
are deleted when they contravene rules posted on the Netiquette
page. You can report a post to the moderator by clicking on the Report button found in each post. You can also contact Toby, editorial producer, by
sending an email to forums@chatelaine.com. • Second, deletions are not discussed online and are handled privately by the moderator and the poster in question.
• Third, personal messages which are off topic or become heated will also be deleted. If you have any further questions, please fill out the form below.
How do I use the Actions tool?
• The Actions menu is located at the top right of your message view and forum view screen. The Actions menu lists all of the options that available to you, in one spot.
Using your mouse, hover over this Actions box and a list of options will appear. From marking a forum or topic as read to updating your profile, this box will allow you to better manage, organize and update your posts and profile.
• New posts to a topic/thread icon - When in the message view, new posts to the topic (or thread) will appear with a red starburst located at the top left of each post. Posts that you have already read (or that were posted prior to you "marking the topic/forum read") will appear with a grey starburst.
(Message view versus forum view - when viewing the list of topics for a given forum, we call this the "forum view". When viewing a topic and its replies, we call this the "message view.")
• Mark topic or forum as read - The suitcase icon turns red when there are new posts within a topic, or new topics within a forum.
Marking a topic or forum as read informs the software that any new posts made after that date/time should cause the suitcase icon to turn red.
• To mark a topic as read:
In forum view - hover over the suitcase icon and click the mark topic as read option.
In message view - hover over the Actions menu and select mark topic or forum as read.
• Subscribe to topic or forum - This function allows you to be notified (via email) each time a new post is made.
If subscribed to a topic, each time a new reply is made to that topic, an email will be sent to you.
If subscribed to a forum, each time a new topic is posted to the forum, an email will be sent to you.
You can unsubscribe at any time, either via a link within the notification email or by your user profile.
The suitcase icon will sport a black dot for each topic/forum that you are subscribed to.
Hovering over the suitcase icon for any topic or forum will present you with an option to subscribe or unsubscribe to that topic/forum. The Actions menu also provides the option for subscription.
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