If you are a member of the Yahoo! Contributor Network, you can use its Community Forum to find and share information. You can find information by reading posts in existing threads (topics). You can share information by writing new posts in either existing threads or new threads.
Note: This document focuses on writing basic forum posts. To learn about other forum topics, you can view the Help Desk and post questions to it. Our forum is large and complex; do not let it intimidate you. Take time to learn those areas that most interest you. Try to be patient and kind when either asking or answering questions anywhere within this forum.
This document explains how to access the forum, post to an existing thread, and create a new thread if necessary and then post to it.
Accessing the Forum – To access the Community Forum in the Yahoo! Contributor Network, do the following:
1 – Sign into the Yahoo! Contributor Network. If you are not already a member, you can join by Signing Up.
2 – Click “COMMUNITY,” and then click “FORUM” to display a Forum Index similar to the first image above.
3 – Use either the Forum Index or the Forum Search field (at the right side of the window) to search for an existing thread into which to post your information. If you cannot find an appropriate existing thread, you need to create a new thread.
Posting to an Existing Thread – In most cases, you can find an existing thread into which you wish to post. For example, if you want to post a poem, you can do so in the Poetry Lovers’ Thread. To post to an existing thread, do the following:
1 – Access the forum according to the section above.
2 – Scroll to any post in the thread to which you are posting. In this example, I randomly chose a post on the first page of the Poetry Lovers’ Thread.
3 – At the bottom of the post, click “Reply” to display a window similar to the second image above.
4 – Type (or paste) your information into the Your Response frame. In this example, I included a hyperlink to my poem. For more information, please see Adding Hyperlinks to Your Online Writing.
Note: By replying to a post, you are not replying only to whomever wrote the original post, you are posting information to any member of the Yahoo! Contributor Network who accesses this thread in the forum.
5 – Click “Reply” to post your information, which appears as the newest post at the bottom of last page in the thread. For example, my post appeared at the bottom of page 91 as shown in the third image above.
Creating a New Thread – If you cannot find an existing thread into which you wish to add your post, you can create a new thread. For example, if you want to post information about pet alligators, you can create a new Alligators as Pets Thread. To create a new thread, do the following:
1 – Access the forum according to the Accessing the Forum section above.
2 – In the Forum Index, click on an appropriate category into which you wish to create a new thread. In this example, you click on “Break Room” because it seems like a good category in which to create your Alligators as Pets Thread.
3 – Click on “New Topic” to display a NEW THREAD window similar to the fourth image above.
4 – In the Title frame, type a title that ends with the word “Thread.”
5 – In the Subject frame, type a brief explanation of the purpose of your new thread.
6 – In the Post frame, type the first post in your new thread. Of course, you should use this to describe and introduce your thread.
7 – Click “Save” to create your new thread and display a window similar to fifth image above.
Note: I created this Flash Fiction Thread after finding no other thread I considered appropriate for flash-fiction posts.