Quick User Guide

Welcome to the New and Improved WEL-MET Camps Web Site

Here is a quick list of improvements and new functions:

• Improved reliability and stability, less downtime and increased navigational speed.
• Separated the Memory Forum and Photo Album into two user driven databases.
• We went to a system where the posts are created in categories or threads that can be searched, marked as read, or found by last unread post.
• Kept the old memories book, but split it into parts that are available as read only.
• Send e-mails to members from within the application.
• The photo section is broken into sections with subcategories, to make it easier to find specific photos.
• Users can post their own photos and add descriptions.
• Photos are kept in a master database that can be searched by the user.

Let’s Get Started:

• Registering for the site: The first step to using the forum and photo section and their features is to register for the site. This requires that you pick a user name and a password and put in an e-mail address. This information is not distributed and is kept within the database to help with the administration of some of the functions. This user name and password is the same for both the photo section and the memories forum. You will always be able to view the memories forum and photo section without a user name or password. You will not be able to post to an existing thread, create new threads, or post photos without a proper login into the site.

• How to use the Memories Forum: The Memories forum uses a “threaded” community forum style structure. This means that instead of having one long never-ending guest book, we have a guest book broken into categories, and the categories are further broken down into subjects for discussion. These subjects of discussion are created by the members of the forum and are called threads. This means as a user or member of the forum you have two choices: post to an existing thread or create a new thread. This allows for a much faster and more manageable way of accessing the information and reading the postings of people that interest you.

• How to Post to the Forum: To post, decide if you want to create a new thread or add on to an existing thread. If you want to add on, just use the “Post Reply” or “Quote” button — the Quote button includes the previous post in your reply so you can add on from there, the same as most e-mail programs. If you want to create a new thread, click the new topic button and add a title or subject as well as the body message of the first post in the thread. You can edit any of your own posts after posting them.

• Other Forum Functions and Options: The forum software has a powerful database as part of its core structure. This means you can do searches of many types and receive notification of new posts, among other advanced features. If you are interested in any of these functions, click here to look through the FAQ, which can always be found via the link on the forum home page.

• How to use the Photo Section: The Photo section is set up in a similar format to the Guest book. The major difference is that there are more categories and subcategories. Because photos traditionally take a lot longer to load, it’s better to break things up so you only look at photos you have an interest in. If you click on a category, it will take you to a sub-menu where you can look at pictures from a specific trip or event.

• Uploading pictures: Any registered user can upload pictures to one of the pre-existing categories from a simple built-in interface. Look for an “upload photos” link in the photo section — it will take you to the upload interface. Here are the steps to upload a photo:

• Use the pull-down bar to select a category for the photo to be uploaded to.
• Click on the browse button and navigate to the photo you want to upload. Photos must be in JPEG or GIF format.
• Click submit.
• You will see a new screen where you can enter a title and description for each photo, and optional keywords to help others find it in search. Any information in the title or description is indexed for searching. If you wish to change the category you are posting a photo to, you may do so at this stage.
• Click Process Files to finalize your upload.