Key Features of the FocalPower Forum

[Greg]

If your looking for help with the FocalPower Forum, Start Here!  We will use this locked message thread to document the key features of the FocalPower Forum. 

If you have a question that's not answered in here, then:

• Scan this board to see if someone else has already asked and received an answer on the same topic.
• Still no luck?  Then post a new message with your question.  We'll answer it as soon as we can!

[Greg]

One of the neatest features of the FocalPower Forum is the fact that you can view the forum from your mobile devices!

Have some free time on your train/bus ride to work?  Stuck in an airport with some time?  Just got an itch to see what's happening on the forum?  Pull up the FocalPower Forum on your smart phone (i.e., Windows enabled phone, Palm Pilot, BlackBerry, iPhone).  The Forum is smart enough to realize that you are on a mobile device, and will reformat the message boards for optimal viewing on a small screen. There are even shortcuts that utilize your phone's numeric keypad to make your browsing easier!  Any new messages will be flagged with a red shortcut.

You can still log into your account, so all message that you read will be marked as read next time your login on a full size browser.  You also have access to your Private Mail message.

Try it out...we think you'll be amazed!  (just be smart, no Forum browsing while your driving your car!  )

[Greg]

If you use a Feed Reader to stay up-to-date on all your favorite blogs, you can also use the same reader to stay up-to-date on the discussion here on the Forum! The FocalPower Forum has an RSS feed for each Message Board.  Just subscribe to the feed for your favorite boards, and you'll know when a new discussion is started or an existing discussion is updated.  Just look for the orange feed icon () next to the board's name.  Use the URL that the icon links you to to subscribe to that message's feed.

New to RSS and Feed Readers? 

RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication".  It's a technology that allows a website (like a blog or message board) to tell you when something new has been added or updated on the website (the website ""feeds" you its information).  A Feed Reader is a piece of software that allows you subscribe to RSS Feeds and shows you what sites have new information.  So rather than having to go out to each website, you check your Feed Reader to see what has been updated.  Based upon configurations, your Feed Reader might show you the entire post/message that is new or it might show you only the first few lines. 

Feed Readers can be either a stand alone piece of software that is installed on your computer, a website that offers Feed Reading services, or be a feature of a pieces of software you already have (most email programs are adding Feed Reading features to them.  For more information on Feed Readers, as well as recommendations on what are some of the better ones, check out the article Find the Best RSS Feed Readers / News Aggregators from About.com.

The use of RSS feeds is continuing to grow in popularity over older email based update systems.  RSS helps keep your email traffic in control and (at least at this point, knock on wood) there is no way to receive spam via RSS.   

[Greg]

As stated in the previous note, RSS is the more recent method of being notified when a message board changes.  The FocalPower Forum also supports he classic method of updates via email as well!

To subscribe to a message board via email just click the Notify button on the menu bar within a message board and above the message board's message list:

You will then receive an email update of every new message or reply that is entered within that message board.  These updates will be sent to the email address you used when you registered with FocalPower Forum. 

You can disable the email alerts at any time by going back to the specific message board and clicking on the Notify button again.  You will be prompted to confirm your notification cancellation.

The use of your email address (as well as any other personal information you supply to FocalPower) is governed by the FocalPower Privacy Policy.  We hate spam!  As we assume you do.  Thus, FocalPower does not sell or share your personal information with any outside parties for advertising purposes.

[Greg]

I've been asked what the depth of field indicator is for next to a member's name in the postings. 

All message boards has a notion of categorizing members based upon how many posts they make to the board.  The FocalPower forum is no different.  Except that we put a photography spin on things. 

This depth of field indicator (f-stop) relates to the number of postings you have made on the board.  If you look under your profile, you will see this designation listed under "Position".  The more you post, the deep your depth of field. 

The current designators are:

• f/1.0
• f/2.8
• f/8
• f/22
• f/64

How many postings do you need to reach each designator?  Start posting and you'll find out...