If you have never used a forum...

This page is for people who want to read and post messages in The Balanced Pianist Forum, but have no prior experience using an on-line discussion forum.

Reading messages: The simplest thing you can do on this forum is to read messages posted by others. To do this, first select a Board that interests you. A board (as in a "bulletin board") includes discussions on several related topics. For example, below is a picture of part of the forum:

In the above sample from the forum, there are 4 boards, organized under 2 categories. Under the "Announcements" category, there are 2 boards: "Using this forum" and "Upcoming events." Under the "Piano Technique" category, there are 2 boards: "The Taubman approach and children" and "Retraining". Under each board, there is a brief description of the type of messages or discussion you can find in that board.

To read messages, first click on a Board name (not on a category name). For example, if you click on "Using this forum," you will see something like the following picture:

This is called a Message Index, and lists the topics or subjects of the posts in this particular board. Click on each Subject to read the posting (and replies to it, if there are any).

Posting messages: To post a message (or to post a reply to an existing message), you first have to register and log in. If you have not already registered, click on the button (which is towards the top of the forum page, right below the Search box), and follow the instructions.

In addition to choosing a username and password, and entering your email address, you must enter the code as shown in the image (if you are visually impaired, contact us here). This is a short code of letters and numbers displayed as a picture. Type the code you see in the picture in the box below. This is to prevent programs that register automatically and post spam on forums.

You must provide a valid email address. Within an hour, you will receive an email message at the address you registered with. The message will include a link to activate your registration. Just click on the link in the email message to activate your registration. (If you don't receive an email within an hour of registering, please check your "Bulk" or "Junk" folder.)

After you have activated your registration, log in by entering the username and password you have chosen when you registered. To post a message, first go to the board where you want to post a message. Please note that you cannot post messages in some boards (such as the boards under the Announcements category).

When you view the Message Index of any board in which you can post, you will see a "New Topic" button above the list of topics, on the right side, as in the following picture:

(There will also be another "New Topic" button below the list of topics). When you click on the New Topic button, a page allows you to type in a Subject and your message. Please specify an appropriate and descriptive Subject. After typing your message, click the "Post" button below where you typed your message.

Replying to a message: When you read a message after logging in, you will see a set of buttons above the message, as in the following picture:

The left-most button is for replying to an existing message. (By the way, "Read 4 times" means that this message has been read 4 times since it was posted.)

Your profile: After you log in, you have the option of modifying your profile. For example, you can change your displayed name, choose to hide (or unhide) your email address from other users, set personal message options, etc. To view or change your profile, click on the button (which is towards the top of the forum page, below and to the right of the Search box). Once in the profile page, you can make changes by clicking on the links on the left under "Modify Profile."

There are various other options and function you can use. For more information, click on the button (also towards the top of the forum page).

We hope you will now give The Balanced Pianist Forum a try!