I just joined All Things Plants today. Not being too computer literate, please tell me how to join a particular forum.
Also, how do I post a reply/ question to a poster in a forum ?
Thank you.

Welcome to ATP, Roi !!
You don't need to "join" the forums, once you're a member of All Things Plants,, you belong (and are welcome) everywhere.
To reply, just scroll down the page to the "post a reply" box and type whatever you want to say. You can also click on "Quote" at the bottom of a message and it will take you to that "post a reply" box, along with entering the message from that person in a box within the message box.

Or, if you just want to follow a thread but don't have anything to say at the moment, go to the top of the thread, on the left side, and click on "watch."

Don't be afraid to ask for help, this is a very friendly bunch here... and there is also a "site talk" forum for questions about how to use the site in general.

Roe.

Roi!!! Glad you found us!
When I first came aboard ATP, I found this forum very helpful...Trish really spells it out in the sticky threads at the top... http://garden.org/forums/view/...

Jump in and have fun!
Happy Gardening!

You can watch a forum. Click on the forum link on the left side of the page to find a list of forums. When you find a forum in the list that you are interested in click on it. When you get to the forum home page, look for the "watch this forum" link on the right side of the page. Click on that on the forum will show up on your home page. so you can keep track of any new post.

Hi & welcome!

At the bottom of each forum is the box to type a new discussion.
At the bottom of each discussion is the box to add a reply.

QBOY6969-Roi ,
Also, I often start a post with the person's user name, or name: Showed both just as an example. That way it is known exactly who I am replying too, even though the message is written for anyone reading the thread. Now, to post something that you only want the one person to see you would send them a T-mail, The All Things Plants Version of an e-mail. Click on the envelope symbol in the top left corner of the home page to open up access to your T-mail account. I am going to send you a T-mail and you will see the color of the envelope will notify you that you have mail.

This is just to show @QBOY6969 how to draw attention from someone who might not be watching a thread and you would like for them to reply.

QBOY6969

In addition to the 'watch this forum' on the right side of the page, there is also a small 'watch' at the top of each thread; click on that so you can keep up with posts that interest you. Of course, if you are the person who started the thread, you don't need to click 'watch' because you will be notified of all responses as they occur.

Some folks post a separate reply to each person but some folks wait until there are several replies to their questions and just say a big to everyone at one time.

Hi Roi, again!


Please don't fret about being computer challenged ... I'm one who has been there and it doesn't take much to frustrate me when it comes to electronics. It's really very easy to post on any thread (page) in any forum here on All Things Plants and once you've done it a few times you will get the hang of it. You can practice by commenting at the bottom of this page if you like. Whenever you want to ask a question or make a comment just scroll to the bottom of the page you are on and you will see a box where it says:

Post a reply to (for instance here it says) Ask a Question forum: how to join a particular forum etc.

Your message:

Inside this blue box, just type what you want to say and then click on the green area below that says Finished.

Don't get discouraged, just give a shout if you have any trouble and we'll help you out.

I'm a little puzzled about the first column which is "New?" and then the next column is the subject/question. Why are most of them listed as "New", while there are a couple of blanks in that first column. What does that mean ?
I know someone will explain it to me and I will promptly get up from the computer smacking my head --- Duh !

orchidgal said:I'm a little puzzled about the first column which is "New?" and then the next column is the subject/question. Why are most of them listed as "New", while there are a couple of blanks in that first column. What does that mean ?
I know someone will explain it to me and I will promptly get up from the computer smacking my head --- Duh !

Yup...

New means there is posts on the thread that you haven't seen.
Blanks means threads that you've visited... and no new posts since your visit...