Some General Instructions of How to Use this Site

Hi everyone!

I know getting used to a new fan forum takes some time.   Here are a few basic guidelines explaining how things work here, and also of how to do things on this forum. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. 


The Format/Structure of the Forum

In this fan forum, I made several Categories, for example, here are a few:  "Let's Get Acquainted," "Let's Talk Darren Criss" (which contains the main thread, the "Darren Appreciation Thread:  General News about Darren"), "Darren's Theater Projects," "Darren's Music and Musical Performances," "Darren's Films," "Darren's TV Projects," "Miscellaneous Projects," etc.

Within the Categories, are Forums.   So within the Category of "Let's Talk Darren Criss," are presently two forums:  the "Darren Appreciation Thread:  General News about Darren" (which is the main thread), and also another forum called "Summary of Darren's Projects."  

Within the Forums, I could post Topics (which would be like sub-forums).  Right now, I have only a few topics.   For example, posted in the Forum of "Additional Frequently Asked Questions (Techno mumbo-jumbo)" are two Topics:  The topic of "Do You Have Any Questions of this Forum?" and the Topic of "Some General Instructions of How to Use this Site."   We probably will have more topics later in the various Forums.  

One Important Note:  Anytime you or anyone selects "Post New," a new Topic (a new thread) is created that does not refer back to any of the previous posts in that forum.   To keep it less confusing, when you want to stay within one thread, please select "Post Reply" to post your comments.  Thank you!


How to Post Comments

I tried to organize the various Categories by type of work (for example, "Darren's Theater Projects," "Darren's Music and Musical Performances," "Darren's Films," "Darren's TV Projects," and "Miscellaneous Projects").    If your comments do not fall in any of these major areas, I would post in the main thread, "Darren Appreciation Thread: General News about Darren."     There are also Categories to post about Darren's charitable work, pics of Darren, about Darren's interviews, and about fans' experiences of meeting Darren.  To post a comment, click on the Topic (thread) you wish to comment about.   Then click on "Post Reply."    Don't forget to hit "Send" after you finish your comments.

You can also edit or delete your own posts (except if someone already has replied to one of your posts, then you cannot delete it).

How to Quote Another Member

Option # One:
I find this to be the easiest way to quote someone.   Select "Post Reply."  You will see your text box appear (see below).  If you look at the tool bar that is above the text box (see below), the icons are divided into six gray boxes (each with four icon functions). 




In the third box from the left, you will see the speech bubble.  If you click on that, you will see a pop up box.  Where it says "Author (optional)," type in the name of the person you are quoting.   Then hit "Insert."   You will now see a yellow box appear with that person's name on top.  Copy the text of the quote of the person, and paste it into the yellow box (below the person's name).   After you are done copying and pasting the quote into the yellow quote box, place your cursor below the yellow quote box.  Then type out your own comments.  Hit "Send" when done.

Option #Two
In general,  I find the the quote button (   ) is not as easy to use as the speech bubble (Option #One).   

Go to the comment of another Member, that you want to quote.  Hit the "Quote" button that is at the bottom of the person's comment box.  You then will see the quote in a text box appear.  Type in the title (optional) of your comments, and then type in your comments.  Hit "Send." 


How to Add an Image (Pic or Gif) to Your Post

Right click on the image you see on tumblr and select "Copy Image Location."     Then go to the Tool Bar here just above the Text Box.  Look for the icon that looks like a photograph (it is two places to the left of the "Youtube" icon; if you hover over it with your mouse, a pop up message will say "Insert Image").     Click on the Image Icon.   Paste the URL that you copied into the top box that says "URL" of the pop up box.  Hit "Insert." 


How to Add an Youtube Video to Your Post

Go to the page where the Youtube video is found.   Copy the URL in the Address Bar.   In the Tool Bar here (above the Text Box), click on the Youtube Button.    Paste in the URL into the top box that says "URL" in the pop up box.  Hit "Insert." 


How to Add a Link to Your Post

This is slightly different.  First go to the page of the article that you wish to link to.  Copy the URL in the Address Bar.  In the Tool Bar here (above the Text Box), click on the Link Icon.  It looks like a chain and is between the Image Icon and the Youtube Icon (if you hover over the Link Icon with your mouse, a pop up message of "Insert a link" appears).    In the top box that says "URL" (in the pop up box), paste in the URL.   In this same pop up box, in the bottom box that says "Description (Optional)," type in the shortened version of the source (for example, "Billboard" or "Broadway.com").    Hit "Insert."    


Private Messages

To check if you have any Private Messages sent to you, click on "Notifications," which is in the top right corner (to the right of "Welcome [Your Name]").    You will see if you have any messages.   Or as another option, you can go to the blue Tool Bar (under the pic of Darren on the Home Page).   On the right side of the Tool Bar (just left of "Log in/Log out"), you will see if you have any "Messages."

To send messages to someone else, you may go to the blue Tool Bar (which is under the pic of Darren on the Home Page) and click on "Memberlist."     Look for the member who you want to send a PM to.  To the right of that member's name is the column for "PM."  Click on the PM icon.  Another option is if the member who you want to send a PM to, has posted in a Topic/thread, you will see the "PM" icon under her name in her Profile (to the left of her post).    You will also see the option of sending her an email by clicking on the Email icon under her name in her Profile (to the left of her post).  After you finished drafting your PM and hit "Send" to your PM to someone, to see your PM that you just sent, click on "Check here to return to your inbox," then select "Outbox."

Note:  If you click on your messages on the light blue Toolbar (right under Darren's pic on the Home Page), you will see that you have an Inbox, SentBox, Outbox, and Savebox.  The Outbox indicates messages that you sent to others, which have not been read yet.  Once the messages you sent are read by others, those messages would go to your SentBox.

Setting Up Your Preferences in Your Profile

On the blue Tool Bar (which is under Darren's pic on the Home Page), you will find "Profile."   Under the "Information Tab," you can change your password if you wish.   Only the items marked with an * are required to be filled by you.  

You may make some choices under the "Preferences Tab."  You can choose if other members may contact you by email (they won't see your email address) or by PM, and if you want a notification sent to you when members contact you  and when there are new replies in a thread.   You can choose to have a signature that has been created to be attached to your posts.    You need to select "Always attach my signature" under the Preferences Tab.   You may also choose the time zone and date.

After you do that, if you have a signature already created, you can go to the Signature Tab to link it to your posts.  Make sure to click "Save."  The signature is limited to 500 characters. 

You can go to the "Avatar Tab" to create an avatar.   The maximum size for an avatar is 150 pixels (width) x 200 pixels (height).   There are four options of how to add an Avatar.  

Under the "Friends and foes Tab," you can add a friend by typing in the name.   (If you don't remember the specific name, you can go to the Tool Bar which is on the Home Page, and right under Darren's pic, you may select "Memberlist.")   You can hide the posts of  and prevent receiving PMs from those who you identify as "foes."

Under the "Notifications Tab," you may choose what you wish to be notified about (PMs, a new post in a "watched" topic, etc.). 

Under the "Topics being watched" tab, you may select which threads you wish to follow (where you will be notified if there is a new reply).



 




  

To add a Spoiler Box:

Type:  [

Then type:  spoiler

Then type:  ]

No spaces in between the above.


Next, type what you want to type:  blah, blah



Then, type this:  [/

Then type the word: spoiler

Then type:  ]

No spaces in between [/   and spoiler   and ]



Hit "Send."


To read something in a Spoiler box, click on the word "Spoiler" in the text box.

Becoming a Member



One of the benefits of registering for this site and becoming a member (as opposed to not registering and being a guest) is that  as a member, you may post your comments.    Links also only work for members, not for guests.

Please register as a member.   Also, I'm looking forward to engaging in some conversation too.  Please don't be shy.      

I found this site that has icons of Darren that could be used for one's Avatar.  If anyone knows of another site, can you please share?  Thank you so much. 

Here is the site:  somanyicons

"Liking" someones's comments

You can "like" someone's comments/post.  On the right side of that person's comment box, you will see a plus sign "+" and underneath it, you also will see a negative sign "-"



To "like" someone's comments, click on the "+" sign.  That person will then get 1 point added to her "Reputation."   There will be a green bar that now appears to the right side of her comments box, for that particular comment. 

I deactivated the "-" (negative/dislike) button, so that no points are deducted from someone's Reputation total when someone clicks on the "-" (negative/dislike) button.   I never liked this feature on other sites, where people get a "dislike" or thumbs down if someone disagrees with your opinion.   If people really want this activated, just let me know and I can do a poll on the issue.

"Thanking" someone's comments

There is also a feature where you can "thank" one person per topic/thread, for the comment that you like the most or think is the best.  Once you click on "thanks" for one member, you cannot "thank" any other member in that thread.  If you "thank" a person's comments, she gets 3 points added to her Reputation total.  Sort of a weird feature, especially for a thread/topic like the "Darren Appreciation" thread which will run for many days, but I activated it anyway because it's a way for people to get Reputation points.

If you are trying to do something for the first time here, and are not sure how to do it, if you wish, you can test out things in the Testing Thread/Topic, which you can find at the bottom of the Home Page, under the Category "Basket." 

To delete your post in the Testing Thread/Topic, just go to the bottom right corner of your comment box, and click on the "Delete this Post" icon, which looks like a "X" in a square.

I know it takes time to get used to a new forum.    If you have any questions, please PM or email me.    Don't be shy, just try it out.

So I've been contacted by someone who had a problem registering to be a member of this forum site.  This is the second person who  had a problem.  I did some research and I think I corrected the problem; it has to do with anti-spam issues.  

If anyone else tried to register, but was unable to do so, please try again.  I apologize for this hiccup.  

A tip that may be helpful:  Try picking an Username that is complicated.   Once you successfully register, we can always change the Username to what you would like.  Sorry about that.  

If anyone wants to contact me, but can't use this forum to do so (because you need to be a member of this forum in order to PM me here), you may PM me through the GF (I visit pretty regularly) or you can go to my (rather inactive) blog  https://poppytalksdarrencriss.blogspot.com/  and use the Contact Form there.   

When you want to post your comments in one thread, you have two options.  You may click on “Post Reply,” or you may use the“Quick Reply Box” that is directly under the last post in a thread.   See screenshot below.


 For either choice, once you hit "Send," you will be redirected to this page (see below screenshot):



And then if you want to view your completed post, you have to select the "Click here to view your message" to reload the previous page.


Luckily, some helpful code has made it possible to use the "Quick Reply Box" so that after you hit "Send," you will stay on the same page.
This saves you a bit of time.

However, if you use the Quick Reply box in order to avoid reloading/refreshing the page, you cannot use the “Preview” feature.  If you do use the “Preview” feature while using the Quick Reply Box, you will be directed to that other page (see screenshot above), where you will have to reload/refresh the page.


You may still use the “Preview” feature (for both the options of “Post Reply” and for the “Quick Reply Box”), but you will be redirected to that other page and will need to re-load the previous page.

Also, if you want to type in a Title to your post, only the option of "Post Reply" allows that.

So I discovered something that I think people should be aware of, especially if you post images of tweets/instagram messages that contain smileys/emoticons, including images from dailydarrennews.

I was posting an image from dailydarrennews, where the person who tweeted (or posted an instragram message) had used emoticons/smileys in his/her caption:



However, when I hit "Send," in my completed post, this is what I saw instead:


Notice that the part of the caption of the tweet that followed "@Nick Piterra" was cut off/deleted.  The reason is because there was a smiley/emoticon in Nick's tweet (a happy face) and for some reason, emoticons in tweets and instagram messages must mess up the coding on this forum.

I also discovered that any other image that I entered in my post that followed that first image with emoticons (Image #1), as well as any of my comments that I typed that followed that first image, would be deleted in my completed post.

So unfortunately, when we are posting images, such as images from dailydarrennews, that are of tweets or instagrams with emoticons/smileys, we need to check the image for emoticons/smileys and make sure we delete all of the emoticons/smileys from an image of a tweet or instagram message  before we hit "Send," or else you will lose part of your post.  

If you want, you can substitute the original emoticons/smileys in the image with emoticons/smileys that are available to use on this forum. For example,

@NickPitera:  @DarrenCriss you are amazing, and the nicest of people!! Congrats on an amazing show #LittleMermaidLIVE #Eric



So I took out the smiley face from the dailydarrennews image and inserted the smiley face available to use on this forum.


Most of us already have used the smileys available on this forum and they don't affect any images we post at all.   If anyone would like me to search for a particular smiley face, please let me know.  Also, there are 3 categories of smiley faces available to use on this forum (just click on the drop-down menu to choose from the 3 different groups of smileys).


You also could just leave the image without the emoticon, or you could insert in brackets [happy face smiley], as a description. 


I noticed on the GF that when I posted an image from dailydarrennews of an instagram message with an emoticon, in the completed post, the emoticons/smileys were deleted.


This problem does not apply to screenshots, like this:




So if it is a screenshot with emoticons/smileys, it will work fine.

So the "Darren Appreciation Thread:  General News about Darren for 2016" is now more than 1 page long.  I thought it may be useful to talk about the various ways to get to the last page (instead of the first page) of a thread:


When you are on the Home Page, this is a partial view of what you will see:





The easiest and fastest way to get to the last page of a thread/Topic, is to click on the Page Icon that is by the name of the last member who posted.   (See arrow to the right in the above screenshot.)

You can also click on the name of the particular thread/topic on the Home Page, in this case the "Darren Appreciation Thread:  General News about Darren for 2016."    If you do this second option, this will take you to this window (see below screenshot):



Then you may either select the number of the last page listed (in this case, "2" is the last page for this thread), or click on the Page icon by the name of the last person who posted (arrow on the right in the above screenshot). 

If you accidentally get on the first page of the thread (instead of the last page of the thread), you can always scroll up to the top of the page, or down to the bottom of the first page, and on the left corner, click on the number that indicates the last page of the thread (in this case, "2,"  see screenshot below of the bottom of the page). 

ADS


So Ads for both Guests and Members has been disabled.  Previously, if you had not registered to be a Member, or if you had not yet logged in, you may have experienced some ads.  Some of the ads while using your mobile phones directed some people to a different page, which I am sorry that happened.   So now all ads should be gone, not just when you are logged in as a Member, but also when you have not logged in, and also even if you are a Guest because you have not registered.   I do hope that some of my lovely Guests muster up the courage to go ahead and register.   I'll love to meet you all and chat with each of you about Darren.   This forum welcomes all fans of Darren, as a place where we are pleasant and respectful to each other, and where we may have some interesting and fun discussions about Darren's career and his public activities.   

How to Embed a Non-Youtube Video


Make sure you have enabled HTML.   (Go to your “Profile,” select the “Preferences” tab, and select “Yes” to “Always allow HTML.”)

Go to the video.  (Note: I’ve only tried this with videos on Tumblr.)    For example, go to this video:  DCN


@hulu: @denisohare shares a special memory of @DarrenCriss at the #Hulu set before the @AHSFX #PaleyFest LA panel.


Right click on the video.  Then, select “View Page Source.”

It has become more difficult to find the code for the video.  Look for code that  has these words:   'tumblr_video_container_   followed by more code.

In this example, you will copy the code that starts with <   and     iframe
up to and including  the code that ends with <   and  /    and   iframe   and   >

Paste the code into your text box.


This means that next, you have to go back and copy and paste the video's caption.  So in this example, you have to go back to the video and copy the caption under the video:  "@hulu: @denisohare shares a special memory of @DarrenCriss at the #Hulu set before the @AHSFX #PaleyFest LA panel."

Just to be safe, copy everything in your text box (Control + A), then hit the "Preview" button.  You should see the video (and its caption under it).    If everything looks good, select "Send."

It is hard to read the desk top version of the forum, while on your small cell phone screen.

To change from the desk top version of the forum while on your cell, to the mobile version, which is easier to read on a small screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page.  At the bottom right corner of the page, you will see "Mobile version."

Select "Mobile version."

If you wish to change back from the mobile version to the desk top version of the forum, while on your cell phone, look for a drop down arrow (in a black box), or instead of a drop down arrow, you may see three lines on top of each other (traditionally is the "menu" icon), which is near  the top right of the page.  Click on the drop down arrow, or the three lines (menu icon), and select "Classic version."

So I am amending my previous directions on how to post a non-Youtube video.   (I also went back and changed my previous directions in this thread.  See Post # 13 in this thread. )   I'm amending my previous directions because I realized (belatedly) that if one copies too much code from a video that it does something to the code in this forum.  

Here are the amended directions (which are the same as the directions posted above, Post # 13 in this thread):

How to Embed a Non-Youtube Video


Make sure you have enabled HTML.   (Go to your “Profile,” select the “Preferences” tab, and select “Yes” to “Always allow HTML.”)

Go to the video.  (Note: I’ve only tried this with videos on Tumblr.)    For example, go to this video:  DCN


@hulu: @denisohare shares a special memory of @DarrenCriss at the #Hulu set before the @AHSFX #PaleyFest LA panel.


Right click on the video.  Then, select “View Page Source.”

It has become more difficult to find the code for the video.  This will take some time.  Look for code that  has these words:   'tumblr_video_container_   followed by more code.

In this example, you will copy the code that starts with <   and     iframe
up to and including  the code that ends with <   and  /    and   iframe   and   >

Paste the code into your text box.


This means that next, you have to go back and copy and paste the video's caption.  So in this example, you have to go back to the video and copy the caption under the video:  "@hulu: @denisohare shares a special memory of @DarrenCriss at the #Hulu set before the @AHSFX #PaleyFest LA panel."

Just to be safe, copy everything in your text box (Control + A), then hit the "Preview" button.  You should see the video (and its caption under it).    If everything looks good, select "Send."