How to initially navigate the LitvakSIG Discussion Forum

Once you are logged into your account, you have access to the Discussion Forum, whether your account is newly created or was created before August, 2024.  From the Member’s Dashboard, you can click on the green "Discussion Forum" tab to be taken to the main Forum webpage.

 

At the main Forum webpage you’ll see a listing of several "Categories" such as "General", "Announcements", "New Users".  The forum posts within each of these categories are intended to be grouped into main subject areas.  It is intended that over time, the "General" category will contain most of the posts created by our users.

 

The “Announcement” category is intended to contain new announcements by your LitvakSIG Board or volunteers related to a variety of LitvakSIG activities or subjects of interest.

 

The "New Users" category is intended to provide some important information that first time (or returning) users might want to know.

 

When you click on one of the categories (there are currently three of them and you’ll most likely use the "General" category), you will then be taken to a Forum page that contains a list of what we call “topics”.  You, the user of the forum, can either create a new topic, or post a reply or comment to an existing topic.  Each topic has a "title" that its creator has posted.  You may choose to reply or comment on a previous post by other users on the subject of interest to you (and that post will already have its title to help identify the content of it).  This list of "topics" will grow over time as more and more posts are created (as opposed to the list of categories, which will remain relatively small).

 

First, you must login to your LitvakSIG account, go to the member’s dashboard, and then click on the “Forum” tab.  

 

Once you’re on the main Forum webpage, pick the Category that you want to read through and/or post a reply or comment.

 

From within the category that you have chosen, you can either create a new "topic", or you can click on a previously created "topic" and post a reply or comment.

 

1.  You can simply read through each post, each with its own “topic” heading.  Clicking on the post itself will expand the content to read.

2.  If you want to create a new “topic” then you’ll see an option to do that in yellow.

3.  If you want to create a reply or simply comment on an existing post, you’ll see choices to “reply”, so click on the appropriate tab.

4.  When you’re replying to an existing post, you may want to make your reply “private” to the original user who made that post.  There is a “switch” for this at the top of the post. 

5.  Note that literally ALL new posts, replies, comments are “moderated”.  As in the past, our lead moderator is Judy Baston, who has been handling this important role for LitvakSIG for the past 20 or so years!  Judy has been instrumental in helping to design the new forum and is anxious to get as many of you involved as possible.  We will have one or more backup moderators as well, depending upon the volume of posts per day.  

6.  Note that posts for our forum do not have or require a “hashtag” or "tag".  We’re all about Lithuanian Jewish genealogy research!

7.  The forum has other features, such as:

- a “search” feature on each page in which you are able to do either broad or more narrowed searches

- for posts and replies, you are able to use various editing and formatting functions, as well as adding attachments (e.g. pdf, jpg, etc.)

- most of the Forum webpages will sort the display by putting the most recent posts at the top of the page

- each new post requires that you complete two “boxes” within the post form: a “title” (this is intended to be a short title describing the subject of the post); a “body” of the post, which is also required and can be brief or lengthy as appropriate.  Both the title and the body boxes MUST be filled in in order for your submission to be accepted

 

Regarding why new posts go through a moderator and are not immediately made public:

- posts are reviewed to ensure they follow standard guidelines related to courtesy and appropriateness as well as relevance to the LitvakSIG Discussion Forum

- posts are reviewed to ensure that they are within the correct “category” or “topic”

- it is possible that your post may be edited by the moderator as deemed appropriate

- “private” replies and/or comments are NOT moderated.  They are private.  Please be courteous and respectful when you create such posts