LitvakSIG Discussion Forum Frequently Asked Questions

(This page will be updated as questions come in)

  •  How do I join the Discussion Forum?
    • To access our Discussion Forum, you must have an account with LitvakSIG.  
    • If you’ve previously made a donation to LitvakSIG, then you already have an account.  You can access the Discussion Forum pages by going to your “Member’s Dashboard” and click on the tab that says “Discussion Forum”.
    • If you do not yet have an account with LitvakSIG, then to access the Discussion Forum, you must first create a new account.  Note that this is a “free” account (i.e., no donations required).  Click here, enter your email address and password, and then go to your “Member’s Dashboard” and click on the Discussion Forum tab.
    • Note that LitvakSIG’s website has a lot of information that is completely free to users.  There is much of this information available that does NOT require a user account.  So, whether or not you have an account with us, you should be sure to browse our website.
  • How do I post to the Forum?
    • If you are want to post a new message to the Forum, you should first ensure you are logged in and have gone to the Discussion Forum page (from the Member’s Dashboard).  You’ll then see a list of three "Categories": New Users, Announcements, and General.
    • Click on the "General" category and you’ll then be taken to a page that allows you to "add new topic" (the button in yellow).  Click on that yellow button and then fill out the forum provided (enter "title" plus the "body" (i.e. text) or your post.  You can add attachments, provide links, etc.  Then click the yellow "Save" button at the bottom of the page, and your new post is on its way.  It may take up to a day for it to appear within the Forum as it will be reviewed by one of our moderators.
    • You MAY choose to not "add new topic" because you may read the list of existing topics within the General category that fits whatever it is you wanted to write about.  In that case, just click on that topic name and you’ll then be able to "reply" to the existing post.  Again, your new reply post will take up to a day to display within the Forum. 
  • Is the Discussion Forum moderated?
    • Yes, it is.  Any new post (or reply or comment), requires moderator approval.
    • We want to assure that all posts are placed within the appropriate topic or category.
    • Private replies to an existing post are not moderated and are only visible to the original user and the user doing the replying. We hope that all private replies will reflect the same civil tone as express in our Forum Guidelines.
    • If you create a post and it contains an error within the post, is not within the scope of our forum, or if it fails to meet our guidelines, that post may be rejected..  If you have questions about this, feel free to contact our moderator:  moderator@litvaksig.org.
  • Is there a search feature on the Discussion Forum?
    • Yes, there is.  Every Discussion Forum page has a search box.  If you’re within a Category (e.g. "General" or "Announcements"), then your search will be for posts within that Category.  If you’re at the main Forum webpage then your search will be for items within the entire forum.  Similarly, if you’re within a topic webpage, you’ll be searching within that topic.
    • The Forum also has an “Advanced Search” feature.  It’s found at the upper right of the page, in yellow color and three lines.  Click on that and the search box will expand.  
    • Under "Advanced Search", you’ll be able to enter searches by date of posts, within topic subject and/or body
    • You’ll be able to search for all posts by a particular user, if that’s what your looking for.  Start typing in the user’s name and click on it when it appears as a popup.  Your search result will include all posts by that user.
    • For more detailed information on searching the Forum, click here.
  •  Am I able to reply “privately” to someone else’s post, rather than have my reply or comment become public?
    • Yes, this option is available as the user creates a new reply or comment to a previous post.  Private replies are not moderated.
  • I’ve chosen to receive a daily email with a summary list of new Forum posts.  Can I get directly from that email to read the complete post and responses on the Forum webpage?  
    • Yes.  Click on the post you want to see, within the email.  You’ll be taken directly to the Forum page with that particular post.  If you’re not already logged into the Forum, then you’ll be asked first to login before getting to the page.
  • I used to subscribe to the old LitvakSIG Digest.  Are the old messages/posts from that discussion group still available?
    • Not yet.  We’re looking into making those available.
  • I currently subscribe to the JewishGen Discussion Group and frequently use the "lithuania" hashtag.  Will I be able to access those posts from the LitvakSIG Discussion Forum?
    • No.  What you’re referring to is a JewishGen Discussion Group and entirely separate from LitvakSIG’s forum.  You’re able to be a member of both groups at the same time.  The advantage of using the LitvakSIG Discussion Forum is that you only need the one account to access all LitvakSIG related information.