Use an Internet Forum

Using an internet forum can be a very enjoyable experience if approached with the right attitude, behavior, and knowledge. Learn how to do it here.

Steps

Read through the forum's rules. There's nothing worse then accidentally breaking some rules and getting yourself banned from the site.
Fill out the registration form and provide some information in order to become a member of the internet forum.
On the front page, you should see a list full of sections, usually called "forums". These should lead to a list of relevant forum topics, and possibly even more sub-forums.
Within one of these "forums", you should see a list of forum topics, each with a thread name and sometimes with a description and "icon".

Start a "Hi, I'm new" topic if there is a section for doing so. Get to introduce yourself.
When you first begin to post, be polite. If you're respectful to older members, you will earn Be Respected on an Internet Forum in due time. You will probably feel intimidated by veteran users at first; this is normal.
Be very thoughtful about your posts, and follow all of the rules as you advance in ranks and your reputation becomes better.
Spelling and grammar is a thumbs-up for any forum. Using "AOL" speak or "1337 Sp33k" on forums may be hard for some users to read and are very likely to be frowned upon.
Have a good time and enjoy the friends you have made and the laughs you have shared in the forum!
Try not to belt out your opinions when you are new, especially if the forums are based on politics or religion.
Do not spam on the forum.

You should read some of the posts in a forum before joining. Important posts with guidelines will often be "stuck" to the top of the page for easy finding. If you don't like what you are seeing, save yourself the trouble and don't join.
Always follow the established rules of a forum.
Don't become obsessed about your post count or forum ranking. The only way to garner praise and respect is with good, thoughtful posting. Lots of meaningless posts will get you nowhere.
As with any online forum, don't expect people to be nice to you. The best thing to do is ignore it when it arises.
If you are a good member, you could be upgraded to a moderator, or get a better ranking.

In order to stay safe, don't share personal information such as full name, phone number, or address to anyone else in the forum.
If you are concerned about Keep Track of Time While Surfing the Internet, determine a forums usefulness. If you spend a lot of time on the forum with little or no gain, it's time to think about quitting that particular forum.
Avoid a Flame War! It makes you look like a jerk. This also goes for everywhere else on the internet.

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