It is the name under which you will be known to the system and to the other users. it will be proheminently displayed with all postings you make.

You can pick anything that is not offensive or mis-represents your identity. For example, an employee from company "A" cannot register under the name "B_ac" or "B_sucks", where "B" is the name of another company.

We recommend you use your surname, lastname or a combination of them to take advantage of name recognition and help build a strong reputation for yourself within our (small) community.

Choose your nickname well as only the administrator can modify it. Avoid creating multiple nicknames for yourself to build and maintain the highest possible ranking.

Your email address is never displayed in clear text or in a URL so harvesters cannot grab it.

If you check the "Allow other users to view my email address" option when registering, other users will be able to send you email - but only through a double-blind system (click here to try it on a dummy address) where the sender never knows the address of the recipient until the recipient sends a response back to the sender - which requires definite, positive action on your part.

If you do not check the "Allow other users to view my email address", there will be no way for anyone to reach you via email through this system.

Note that if you include your email address in the text of a post or in your signature, then it will be visible.

You need to register in order to post messages. Registration will also give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, usergroup subscription, participation in private forums, etc. It is free and only takes a few moments to register so it is recommended you do so.

If you do not check the "Log me in automatically" box when you login, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc

In your profile you will find an option "Hide your online status". If you switch this on, you'll only appear to board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user

Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click "I've forgotten my password", follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time

Firstly check your are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then does your account need activating? This board requires that all new registrations be activated, either by yourself or by the administrator, before you can logon. When you registered it would have told you whether activation was required. If you were sent an email then follow the instructions, if you did not receive the email then are you sure your email address is valid? One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the board administrator.

The most likely reasons for this are; you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the later case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for boards to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions.

All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them, click the "Profile" link (shown at the top of pages). This will allow you to change all your settings.

There may be two images below a username when viewing posts. The first is an image associated with your rank. These take the form of stars indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the forums. Below this may be a larger image known as an avatar. This is generally unique or personal to each user. If you want your own picture to appear below your username, you may upload it (max 80x80 pixels) via your profile editor.

In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile). This board uses ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users, (e.g. industry experts, moderators and administrators) who have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank. You will find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count (and thus your rank).