Forum / Blog
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What is the difference between Forum and Blog?
The difference between SiteKreator's Forum and Blog is mainly in the visualization. Each forum/ blog is a two-level structure: on the first level we have Postings / Threads (in forum) or Entries (in blog) and on the second level - Comments.
Select the Forum layout for a concise list of all posted thread titles with number of views and comments on each. Choose the Blog layout for a full view of entries with number of comments for each (but not views).
Can I switch between Forum and Blog layout at any time? Will I lose the current postings.
You can switch between Forum and Blog layout at any time. All postings and comments will be preserved, just visualized differently.
To change the layout simply click the Forum / Blog icon 
and from the "Layout" dropdown on top select Forum or Blog. Click "Update".
Can I have several blogs or forums on my site?
Yes, you can have an unlimited number of forums or blogs on your SiteKreator website.
Which users are "registered"? Why register?
With the SiteKreator forum / blog registered users are those who own an account in SiteKreator. You can open an account using the standard signup (which will create a full web site for you) as well as the quick signup (will create a personal page which you could grow into a full web site later).
As a registered user you can sign in to any SiteKreator forum / blog with your SiteKreator login name and password and enjoy a number of benefits:
- Your postings will contain a link to your SiteKreator website or personal page.
- If you have uploaded a photo in the Personal Info section of your SiteKreator account, it will be displayed in forum postings.
- You can have the ability to edit your own postings if this option has been allowed by the forum / blog owner.
- You can skip the login next time by checking the "Remember Me on This Computer" option.
- You can be assigned a moderator of a forum / blog on another SiteKreator website.
Anonymous users on the other hand do not own SiteKreator accounts and can identify on a forum / blog with their name and email address.
The forum / blog owner can give different rights to registered and anonymous users with regard to posting messages or comments - for instance, allow only registered users to start a thread, but let both anonymous and registered users leave comments.
How do I create a moderators list? Can I assign anyone as my forum moderator?
You can assign any person with a SiteKreator account as a moderator of your forum / blog. The moderators, just like the site owner, can approve move or delete postings and comments, as well as edit their content. To create a moderators list follow these steps:
- Open Forum / Blog properties by clicking the Forum / Blog icon
- Click the "View Options" link on the "Access Permissions" section to expand it
- In the "Moderators" section, look up the user you wish to add as moderator by their SiteKreator account login or by their email
- Select and move the users you wish to set as moderators from the "Users List" to the "Current Moderators" field
- Press "Update" and publish
Each of the selected users will now be able to moderate your forum or blog after logging to it with their SiteKreator login and password.
Can moderators change the Forum / Blog settings?
No. The ability to edit the Forum / Blog properties and change layout, set access permissions, enable special features, etc. is available only for the site owner after logging into the Admin area of the site.
Can everyone post on my forum or blog? How do I set posting permissions?
It depends on the access permissions set for your forum or blog if visitors will be able to add postings and comments to it. By default, if you don't apply any changes to the forum / blog settings, all visitors will be able to post and leave comments, and registered users will be able to edit their postings. To change access permissions open Forum/Blog properties by clicking the 
icon and expand the "Access Permissions" section. You can define different access to both postings and comments for the two types of users - registered and anonymous.
Can I review new postings before they get published?
In order to be able to review new postings and comments and approve them before publication you should set the appropriate access permissions for your forum/ blog:
- Click the Forum / Blog icon
to open the properties dialog. - Click the "View Options" link on the "Access Permissions" section to expand it
- From the options for Anonymous / Registered users to add postings and comments select "Allow - Requires Approval"
New postings and comments will now be visible only for the site owner or forum/blog moderators and will require approval by them before being published.
Someone left an offensive posting on my forum or blog. Can I remove or edit it?
Yes, the site owner or forum/ blog moderators can delete or edit undesired postings. To do so, click the Login link to the top right area of your forum / blog and sign in with your SiteKreator login and password. You will see a tool 
icon in front of each posting. Roll over the tool icon for the posting you wish to modify and from the options that will appear select Edit / Delete. Publish the page.
Can I set blocking for postings containing offensive language?
Yes, you can filter or block postings with offensive content by setting appropriate word censoring options for your forum / blog:
- Click the Forum / Blog icon
to open Forum/Blog properties - Click "View Options" in the "Special Features" section and check the "Word Censoring" checkbox
- From the "Action" dropdown select if postings containing offensive words should be blocked, or just the exact words filtered.
- In the Forbidden Words field enter the exact words which should trigger the selected action. File each word on a separate line.
- Press "Update" and publish.
Word filtering will be applied both to postings made over the web and those sent by email (if posting by email is enabled)
Can I post to my blog via email?
Yes, you can enable posting via email from the Forum / Blog Properties > "Special Features" > "Posting by Email". On selecting the option a special email address for forum/ blog postings will be displayed. Messages sent to that address will appear on your forum / blog as new postings. You can authorize only select email addresses to post to your forum by email.
What is RSS? How can users and websites subscribe to my forum's RSS feed?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a an easy way to distribute new forum / blog postings to your visitors or provide content feed to other web sites. It is a lightweight XML format of forum/ blog postings which is automatically exported at a specified RSS feed address. This export allows the titles and brief content of forum / blog postings and comments to be displayed on other sites or viewed with a RSS reader by users who subscribe to your RSS feed. The RSS service automatically retrieves and shows the new forum/blog postings.
You can enable RSS feed for your forum / blog from Forum / Blog Properties > "Special Features" > "RSS Feed" checkbox. You can define if the URL for RSS feed will be available publicly as a link, or private. Clicking on the "RSS Link" will give you the RSS feed URL to insert in your RSS reader settings.
Can I receive notification for new postings on my Forum or Blog?
- You can subscribe for receiving notification when a new comment appears on a particular thread in your forum. To do so, simply select the appropriate option from the "Subscribe" field when making a posting to that thread.
- In order to receive a notification for any posting you can implement a simple web form for posting on your forum/blog and set it to submit the information to your email as well. You will now get a notification for all postings submitted through this form. You can use our Guestbook instructions for an example of creating a similar form.
- You can also enable RSS feed for your forum or blog and use an RSS reader for receiving notifications when new postings or comments are published.
Can I create a forum or blog with restricted access?
Yes. You can easily restrict access to the page your forum or blog resides on by password, mailing list membership or both. See step-by-step instructions.
Can visitors on my Forum/Blog have unique usernames and passwords without opening a SiteKreator account?
Currently, the option to have visitors login to a forum or blog with unique username and password is available for SiteKreator-registered users only.
If you wish to regulate access to your forum or blog you can do so by setting a combination of mailing list and password-based protection. The password will however be the same for all users. Support for different passwords in password-protected elements is not included in the current version of SiteKreator,and will be available as a feature in the upcoming 2.5 release. If you need this option urgently, contact us for a work-around solution.
Can I archive old blog articles?
This feature is in development and will be available in version 3.0 of SiteKreator. Currently we offer a workaround with the help of an HTML snippet. Please contact us for more information.
Can I embed an RSS digest from a forum / blog within another page?
We plan the integrated RSS syndication element for the 2.5 release of SiteKreator. For now it is possible to display RSS feeds from a SiteKreator forum or blog on a separate page with the help of a third-party service. Please refer to our Tips and Tricks for more information.
Can I insert images or HTML snippets in forum/blog postings?
Yes, you can. When writing a posting, simply click on the image 
or snippet 
icon on the formatting toolbar.
