This page can help you use the Employers Forum after you've logged in.
What's the easiest way to read messages on the Employers Forum?
Once you log in, you'll be in the Lobby 
and you'll see a list of the different sections of the Forum, like "HR & Employment Law Questions" and "FMLA." Click on any section, and you'll get a list of questions (threads) in that section.
Click on any question (e.g., Body odor) to read that question and replies to that question.
There are two other ways to view messages on the Forum: View All and Read New.
How can I mark the messages I've already read?
Use the Mark 
button to tell the Forum that you're done reading a group of messages. To mark all the messages in one section (like Workers' Comp), go to the page that lists the Workers' Comp questions and click on the Mark button at the top of the page.
If you want to mark all of the messages in all sections of the Forum, go to the Lobby and click on the Mark button at the top of the page.
Why do some subjects have [View All] next to the subject line?
When a topic contains a lot of replies, it can take a long time for your browser to download the entire file. This can be annoying if you've already read most of the messages in that topic. To overcome this, a topic will automatically switch into the auto-sensing mode when there's a certain number of replies. The message will be listed like this:
Bringing a
ferret to work
[View All]
To read the replies one at a time, click on "Bringing a ferret to work."
To see all the replies on the same page, click on "View All."
What are all those icons next to the Forum Screen Names in the messages?
First is the Email icon
. You can email that person by clicking on this icon.
The second icon is the Inbox icon
, which you can use to send a private message to the user's Forum inbox.
The third icon is the Profile icon
. You can check out the user's profile by clicking on this icon.
Last is the IP address icon
, which doesn't do anything. To protect your privacy, other Forum users can't see your IP address (your computer's unique number).
Why do some of the screen names on the Forum sport red or blue shields?
The red HR shield stands for HRhero.com staff members, who moderate the Forum and help answer questions.
The blue shield stands for attorneys who are affiliated with HRhero.com. Most of them write our state-specific Employment Law Letter in their state. You can typically tell which state the attorney editors practice in by their Screen Name - it has their state initials at the end. For more information on the state-specific newsletters or the attorneys, visit www.HRhero.com/empnl.shtml
I'm pretty new to the Forum, and I'm reluctant to post because I don't want to do something wrong. Are there some basic unwritten rules I should know about?
If we told you the rules, they wouldn't be unwritten anymore, now would they? Here are some basics of participating on a discussion board:
- Before you ask a question, check whether it was answered recently. Click on the Search icon at the top of most Forum pages.
- If you're posting your first question (or first one in a long time), people will wonder who you are. Introduce yourself (I'm a HR professional in a small widget factory...) in your message or your Profile.
- Don't type in ALL CAPS. That's considered shouting.
- Be nice. Asking a question is like asking a favor.
- Don't post the same message in two different places.
How do I post a question on the Forum?
You must first register for Employers Forum and log in before you can post a question or reply to someone else. See How do I register for Employers Forum? and How do I log into Employers Forum? for instructions for those steps.
To post
a question:
-
On the Lobby page, choose the topic that best fits your question, such as
HR & Employment Law Questions or FMLA. Whatever section you're in when you hit the Post button, that's the section where your question will appear.
- Click the Post
icon.
- Type your subject line and compose your message.
- Click Post
Message.
What's that box that says "Check here if you want to receive email when a new message is posted to this thread"?
When you're writing a message, this box will be at the bottom. If you check this box, you'll get an automated e-mail message every time someone replies to your original question. Caution: Once you check this box, there's no way to turn it off, even if your question gets 100 replies.
How do I edit something I posted on the Forum?
Once you've posted a message, you can go back and edit it if you wish. To edit a message, view the message you want to edit and click the Edit link in the bottom right corner of the message box. The "Last edited" message appears at the top once a message has been edited. If you edit it numerous times, it will update it with that message each time you edit. You can only edit your own posts.
What is an inbox?
The inbox is a personal messaging system on the Forum that lets you send and receive private messages with other Forum users.
To read your inbox messages, click on the "Inbox" icon in the Lobby's menu. To send someone a private message, just click on the Inbox icon in the messages (next to the person's Screen Name).
Hint: It's pretty easy to forget to check your inbox for messages. If you're not going to check it regularly, ou should disable your Forum inbox. (Click on the User icon, then "Modify your profile and set Forum options.")
If you choose to use the Forum's private message system, please realize that the messages are not moderated. The Forum staff won't check whether a message is appropriate unless we receive a complaint. Click here for our policy on what's appropriate in private messages.
How do I post a photo in a Forum message?
You can insert a photo into a Forum message, but first the photo has to exist somewhere on the Internet. Basically, there are two ways to do this.
The easy way:
- E-mail the photo to Website Editor Christy Reeder at WebEditor@HRhero.com. We'll put your picture on a web page and tell you its web address (something like http://www.dcscripts.com/image.jpg).
- Go to the Forum and start to post a message the usual way. Insert the photo's web address in the body of your message. Click the "Preview" button to make sure it looks OK. Then post the message.
For do-it-yourselfers:
Instead of e-mailing your photo to Christy, you could put your photo on a web page by yourself. Not many people can do this. You could get your company's web people to stick it on a hidden page. Or you could post it on your own website. (Most e-mail or Internet service providers like Yahoo! and Earthlink let you do this for free. However, Forum users have had trouble using Yahoo or Geocities photos on the Forum).
Then follow step 2 the same as in the easy way.
Can I put my photo in my Profile?
Yes. First, the photo has to be on the web somewhere (see above).
Then go to the place where you modify your profile.
(Click on the User icon, then "Modify your profile and set Forum options.")
Go down to the Comment box and insert this coding:
<img src="http://www.hrhero.com/forum/james.gif"><BR>
except put the web address of your photo.
: Next Help topic: What's appropriate for the Forum
: Go to main Forum Help page
icon at the top of the page.
next to it. Sections with no new messages will have a grey folder 
.
next to new threads (and old threads with new replies). A grey icon 
will be next to threads containing no new replies.
.
