How to Stay on Top of Internet Forums with Firefox
Get the Mozilla Firefox browser., Register for a forum based on a topic that interests you., Spend time learning the forum's platform (the software that runs it), if you don't already know it., Lurk., Find the tracker., Set up your bookmarks., Join...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Get the Mozilla Firefox browser.
If you are unable to install new software, try Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition.
It works just as well, and if you put it on a flash drive, you can use it on any PC.
Firefox isn't just more up-to-date than Internet Explorer; it's completely extensible with extensions that will allow you to customize your browser to your personal needs. -
Step 2: Register for a forum based on a topic that interests you.
It can be any size, but a larger, more active forum will be more difficult to stay on top of. , Invision, vBulletin, phpBB, and other less popular forum platforms all do the same thing, but they all have their quirks.
Learning the platform will mean you can work more efficiently. , Try to learn who the big movers and shakers are.
Learn the names of the active administrators and moderators are. , The tracker is the most important part of the forum.
It lists the most recent activity on the forum.
Your ability to stay on top of a forum relies almost entirely on mastering the tracker.
Not all forums have a tracker or call it something else.
As a last resort, set up a search which displays the last 100 posts made on the forum. , On the Firefox Bookmarks Toolbar (under the Address Bar) right-click, and choose New Folder.
Type in the name of the forum or a good abbreviation.
To bookmark a page, click on its favicon to the left of the address bar (a blank sheet of paper, but more commonly an icon of some sort) and drag it to your folder.
If you don't like the name of the bookmark, right click it and choose Properties, and change it.
Bookmark the tracker, the forum index (the list of all sub-forms) and any favorite sub-forums you want one-click access to. , This is not the same as registering.
To join a community, either introduce yourself and talk to those who greet you, or dive into the general/off-topic area and chat.
Alternately, helping somebody with a problem they're having goes a long way towards establishing your credibility.
Now you're well on your way to becoming a full-fledged member of the community.
Depending on the community, this could be automatic, or you might need to satisfy a time or activity requirement, such as 25 posts or 2-3 days.
Understand that staying on top of a forum means that you know just about everything, if not everything that happens on that forum.
Think of the forum as a ball.
You're at the bottom, knowing nothing.
You want to be on the top.
Either read everything, or, to be more realistic, "cheat" and use the "mark all read" feature to mark the entire forum as read.
You are now on top of the forum, even though you don't know everything that's gone on.
Now the trick is staying there. -
Step 3: Spend time learning the forum's platform (the software that runs it)
-
Step 4: if you don't already know it.
-
Step 5: Find the tracker.
-
Step 6: Set up your bookmarks.
-
Step 7: Join the community.
Detailed Guide
If you are unable to install new software, try Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition.
It works just as well, and if you put it on a flash drive, you can use it on any PC.
Firefox isn't just more up-to-date than Internet Explorer; it's completely extensible with extensions that will allow you to customize your browser to your personal needs.
It can be any size, but a larger, more active forum will be more difficult to stay on top of. , Invision, vBulletin, phpBB, and other less popular forum platforms all do the same thing, but they all have their quirks.
Learning the platform will mean you can work more efficiently. , Try to learn who the big movers and shakers are.
Learn the names of the active administrators and moderators are. , The tracker is the most important part of the forum.
It lists the most recent activity on the forum.
Your ability to stay on top of a forum relies almost entirely on mastering the tracker.
Not all forums have a tracker or call it something else.
As a last resort, set up a search which displays the last 100 posts made on the forum. , On the Firefox Bookmarks Toolbar (under the Address Bar) right-click, and choose New Folder.
Type in the name of the forum or a good abbreviation.
To bookmark a page, click on its favicon to the left of the address bar (a blank sheet of paper, but more commonly an icon of some sort) and drag it to your folder.
If you don't like the name of the bookmark, right click it and choose Properties, and change it.
Bookmark the tracker, the forum index (the list of all sub-forms) and any favorite sub-forums you want one-click access to. , This is not the same as registering.
To join a community, either introduce yourself and talk to those who greet you, or dive into the general/off-topic area and chat.
Alternately, helping somebody with a problem they're having goes a long way towards establishing your credibility.
Now you're well on your way to becoming a full-fledged member of the community.
Depending on the community, this could be automatic, or you might need to satisfy a time or activity requirement, such as 25 posts or 2-3 days.
Understand that staying on top of a forum means that you know just about everything, if not everything that happens on that forum.
Think of the forum as a ball.
You're at the bottom, knowing nothing.
You want to be on the top.
Either read everything, or, to be more realistic, "cheat" and use the "mark all read" feature to mark the entire forum as read.
You are now on top of the forum, even though you don't know everything that's gone on.
Now the trick is staying there.
About the Author
Jerry Martin
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: