This is a brief overview of how to post new messages and replies in the "EPA Discussion" section.
Begin by clicking the link on the navigation bar marked "EPA Discussion".
Next, select the forum topic you are interested in reading or adding a message to. This will take you to a page where you can select a message to read and reply to or post a new message.
If you are posting a new message, click the "Post a message" link on the upper right side of the page and skip to step 8.
Note that there are two ways to choose a message to read. You can choose to read messages in a specific category, or you can select one of the most recent 40 messages posted. If you chose a category, it will take you to a page with a new list of messages specific to that category. To read a message, simply click on it. This will take you to the full text of the message. If the message is part of a long thread (many responses and new questions related to the original message), you will have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the last message to reply with a response.
To reply to a message, click the "Post a reply" link at the bottom left of the page.
This will either take you directly to a page where you will write your message, or ask you to log in to EPA.net if you have not already logged on.
You will see the first message in the thread displayed over a write message area. Note that the message you may wish to reply to is not the one shown. That is alright. Post your reply to any message in the thread you read. That is the way discussion boards work.
You will add a subject in the space provided. This is done for you if you are replying to an existing message.
Then choose a category to place you message under by clicking on the black triangle with the point facing down and selecting a topic in the list. If none fit, you can choose unknown.
Then you can add your message in the message text box.. As stated earlier, HTML can be used to format you message with bold, italics, and paragraph returns. These are the most common elements you would use. See the HTML instructions above for how to enhance your messages.
At the bottom of the message area is a box where you select text type. IT is set to plain text by default. If you are using html, you must change this "type" to HTML.
Then click the "Post Message" button. This will take you to the preview page.
If the text looks correct, click the "Confirm" button. You message should now appear in the forum and you will be returned to the top level of the forum you are posting in.
Note, if your plain text does not look correct, you may want to place two returns between every paragraph. You can subscribe to discussion forums by message, individual categories, or by entire forums. When you are subscribed, messages posted in EPA.net will automatically get forwarded to your personal email account. This way, you do not have to check the site everyday to see if people are responding or posting information you are interested in.
