Forum FAQs User Guide
Cycle Matters Editors - May 16, 2011

We LOVE our new Forums.  We hope you will, too.  Don’t be afraid to use them.  That’s what they are there for...YOU!  Cycle Matters Forums are easy to use, and they provide a way for you to connect with other riders all over the country.   

Imagine asking someone in Seattle the best places to stay or eat or ride for that trip you are planning!  Perhaps you can answer questions for someone traveling to your area.  Maybe you need help resolving an issue you are having with your bike and want to know if anyone else has had the same problem.  Ladies, there is a forum where you can support other women riders and share stories.  No men allowed!  There is also a forum for our Marketplace business partners to offer discounts to Cycle Matters visitors and share information about their products.

And, jokes!  We have a forum for jokes...and we want your jokes, too.  Laughter is good for the soul.  Please share the gift of laughter with others by adding a joke to the Laugh Lines forum.

So far a lot of you are reading the forums, but are bashful about posting.  Come on.  Give it a try.  You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to use and how much fun you will have.  We have created FAQs to help get you started.  

Forums
Q.  What are forums?
A.  A forum is an area on a web site where members can discuss topics of interest.  

Cycle Matters’ forums are motorcycle related topics, including forums on motorcycle service and maintenance, favorite rides, legal issues, women only, road stories, jokes and games, finding other riders in your area, Marketplace deals and product info, and more.  The idea is to share information with others, learn new things, and achieve a sense of online community.

Locating forums
Q.  Where do I find Cycle Matters’ Forums
A.  Forums can be found on the top navigation bar on Cycle Matters’ home page.  Just click on the ‘Forums’ button to see all the forums.

Q.  What should I do first?  Are there any rules for using the Forums?
A.  There are a few general user rules on the ‘CycleMatters.com Site and Forum Rules’ Forum.  We recommend you read them before beginning to use the Forums.  We have kept the rules short and simple...using the KISS principle.  The goal is to have fun, not to play sheriff and enforce rules.

 

Registering to use the forum
Q.  How do I register to use the forums?
A.  Select a category; we suggest selecting ‘New Member Orientation,’ then ‘Welcome to Cycle Matters.

To register, select ‘New Post.’   The Forum Registration page will open.  NOTE:  If you have created a member account previously on Cycle Matters, your user name and password will not work for Forums.  See explanation below.)

Enter your name and email address.  Create a user name and password that you will use to log in when you return to Forums.  Be sure to remember your user name and password, but should you forget them, contact us at info@cyclematters.com for help.

Create and ‘Alias.’  An Alias is like a nickname you can use instead of your real name.  Your alias is the name that will show on your posts on Forums.   

Next you can add an ‘Avatar.’  An Avatar is a photo of you or another representation you select to represent you on Forums.  There are many free Avatar sites available on the Internet if you need to locate one.  If you do not add an Avatar, a shadow image will be used on your posts.

The last box is for a signature.  The box can be left blank or can be used to add a tag line of your choice.  Examples:  Ride safe, Keep the rubber side down, Later, etc.  To protect your privacy, we suggest you do not use your name, email address, or phone number in this location.

When your information is complete, click on ‘Register.’  A ‘Post’ box will open at the top of the page.  Take advantage of this opportunity to introduce yourself to the other users and tell us a little about you.  If you scroll down on the page, you will see information other users have posted about themselves.

Error messages
Q.  I’m trying to register on Forums, but get an error message telling me my email address is already in use.  What should I do?
A.  The error message probably means that you have a member account on Cycle Matters already.  Unfortunately, our member accounts and forums registration are in different systems, and like children, sometimes they do not share well.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  Please send us an email at info@cyclematters.com if you are experiencing this problem.  We can help you with your Forums registration in a jiffy.  

Returning to other forums
Q.  How do I get back to the other forums?
A.  At the top of each page is a ‘breadcrumb.’  The breadcrumb allows you to keep track of your location within the forums.  Let me show you how it works.  If you are in the ‘New Member Orientation’ Forum ‘Welcome to Cycle Matters,’ the breadcrumb at the top of the page will look like this:

Biker Forums > New Member Orientation > Welcome to Cycle Matters

Clicking on ‘New Member Orientation’ in the breadcrumb will take you back to all the posting on the New Member Orientation forum.  Clicking on ‘Biker Forums’ in the breadcrumb will take you back to the Forums Home Page where you can see all the categories.  Breadcumb trails are available at the top of all forum pages for you to use to navigate.

Adding an Alias or Avatar
Q.  I didn’t create an Alias or add an Avatar when I registered.  Can I add those now?
A.   Yes.  Log in to Forums using your user name and password.  When the ‘Post’ box opens, click on the [Update Details] link after From (Your Alias Name).  An Alias, Avatar, and Signature can be added or changed from this location.

New Topics and New Posts
Q.  What is the difference between ‘New Topics’ and ‘New Posts?’
A.  A ‘New Topic,’ sometimes called a thread, is the beginning of a new discussion or topic the user wants to discuss on Forums.  Users can start their own topics by selecting the appropriate category, selecting ‘New Topic,’ and typing a title and their discussion question in the post box and post.  

If the ‘Subscribe me to this topic’ box is checked, you will receive an email each time a user posts to your topic.  To unsubscribe from a conversation, just click on the ‘Unsubscribe from topic’ button at the beginning of a topic.

A ‘New Post’ is a user comment or message made on an existing forum topic.  There is no limit on the number of posts a user can make on a topic.  Conversations around a topic can be long or short depending on user interest.  The author of a topic can also post on their own topic.

A ‘Reply’ link is also available on the bottom of posts.  Clicking on ‘Reply’ or ‘New Post’ to a comment on a topic or post get the same results.  Feel free to use which ever option you prefer.