New to the forum: Getting started guide

Now you have registered with the Breast Cancer Care forum, here is a guide to getting you started.

Making your first post
1) First you need to find the right section to ask your question. For example, if you want to share your worries while you're waiting for test results, you'll want to find the section headed "waiting for test results".

In the column on the left hand side of the page is a list of categories and the topics within them. Categories include:
- Worried
- Diagnosis
- Treatment & side effects
- Living with breast cancer
- Living with secondary breast cancer
- Talk to others in a similar situation
- Your views
- In memory
- Chit Chat

So, find the category you want, then the topic you want. In this example, you would choose "Worried" then "waiting for test results". You will then see a page with the latest conversations on your chosen topic.

2) To make a new post, look in the top right-hand corner of the page. In the pink bar, you should see "Post a new topic". Click this link.

3) You should now see an empty box. In the subject box write a title for the post. Try to make the title clear, so that people will know what the post is about when they see it in the list of latest posts.

4) When you've added a title, click in the big box below to start writing your post. TIP! You might find it helpful to draft your post in a Word document and save it there before copying & pasting it into the box on the forum. This has two main benefits: a) spellcheck! and b) if the site crashes or you lose internet connection, you won't lose your post forever (because you'll still have a version saved in Word).

5) When you've finished writing your post, click the green "Submit" button.

6) All new forum members must have their first few posts approved by a moderator before they go live (can be seen by other members), so there might be a short delay before your post goes live.

7) If you want to edit or delete your post, you can do this by clicking the links at the end of your post.

Links to other helpful info
- Community guidelines
- Terms & conditions
- List of useful words and terms
- Abbreviations and acronyms used on the forum
- Setting up or editing your profile
- Adding contacts
- A note about privacy

Tips from other forum members

"What I tend to do is look at the list of sections on the left and decide where I think my query fits best depending on whether it is related to say, hormone therapy, everyday living with breast cancer, genetics or whatever. Then I tend to look for existing threads first and join in if that feels appropriate." (Eliza)

What tips would you offer to people who are new to the Breast Cancer Care forum? Post your tips and advice in the comments.