A topic is a subject of discussion that appears in a category. A topic can also be called a “thread”. Topics consist of the originating message and all its replies. Multiple topics can be created within a category.
To view topics, click on a category. A listing of all topics created within that category will be presented. Scroll through the list or enter a keyword in the search bar to locate the topic of interest. The Topic interface consists of the category name, the topic titles within that category and its summary, the number of replies within the topic, the originator of the topic, and details about the last post to the thread (date, time, and username).
To create a topic, enter the category in which the new topic will reside. In the main navigational bar (refer to “Logging in to a Forum”), click on the “new topic” button. A new window will appear that requests for specific information to be provided, including the title, topic summary, and the message that will appear in the new topic. All required fields are marked with an asterisk.
When the necessary information has been provided, click on the “Preview” button to preview your message before it is published, “Cancel” to cancel the operation, or “Post Message” to create the topic and post the message. If enabled by the administrator, users can also create a poll in their topic by clicking on the “Add Poll” prior to clicking on “Post Message”.
To create a poll, enter the question to be answered by the users, and click on “Add Question”. Click on the “Answers” link that corresponds to the question to enter the suggested answers for the poll. To delete a question in a poll before it is live, click on the “Delete” link.
If the feature has been enabled by the forum administrator, users can rate topics by clicking on a corresponding topic/message rating icon before posting a new message.