Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

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Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by jeff mc »

there are a lot of shortcuts and options for optimizing the time you spend on this website. i'll start a list, but hope others will add to it.

- are there any 'official' help documents or pages?
yes, at http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/faq.php
and at http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/index.ph ... eads_Forum
also, there are many stickies at the top of subforums with useful threads

- what's a "sticky"?
it's a thread that a mod or admin has made permanently stuck to the top of the list in a subforum. policies are a sticky. and DH-8 announcement is a sticky, etc.

- what's the best page(s) to bookmark as a jumping off page?
- how can i view topics sorted into each subforum? (e.g. just investing theory or just personal finance, etc)
from the Home page, click on subforum link which is near the top of the page # Replies - Subforum (see list) - Topic Title

- the below tips require you to be signed up and logged in to bogleheads. so, how to sign up for a username?
simply click on "Register" at the top of the forum page. http://www.bogleheads.org/forum supply a username, email, etc. then, you must activate your account by responding to the email that will come from bhadmin.

- why bother registering, when i can see everything without registering?
well, besides the obvious advantage of being able to post questions, answers, and contribute to discussions, there are other reasons. PM (private messages) only available to registered members who have at least one approved post. you can track threads that you want to get emails when a thread has been replied to.

- how can i easily find out when people respond to my posts?
change your profile default to YES for "Always notify me of replies:". then, when you start a new topic or reply to existing topic, the forum will email you a link to any responses that people post after yours.

- how can i track updates to a thread that i didn't contribute to?
at the bottom of every thread topic, there is an option called "Subscribe Topic". click on that. to stop getting emails about new replies, you can unsubscribe

- how do i get to my profile to change password, avatar, notifications, etc?
once you're logged in, click your username near the top of any forum page

- what's a PM?
it's a Private Message. it's like internal email for forum members to communicate with other forum members privately. once logged in, you can click on the "PM" button below people's posts to send them private communication

- why doesn't my PM seem to get sent? it's still stuck in the outbox.
PMs aren't exactly like emails. a PM will stay in your "outbox" until the recipient opens up your PM. only at that point will it move to the "sent" folder. note that you can edit or delete messages in your outbox,

- when will this forum software be upgraded to a more current version of phpBB?
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it" somewhat applies, we prefer to let other sites work out the bugs before we upgrade

- how can i search for old topics that i know must've been asked in the past (e.g. 529 plans, or TIPS, or whatever)
there is an embarrassment of riches for search options:
1) on the main page, there is a search box and button that brings you here: http://www.bogleheads.org/moresearch.htm <edited link
2) within the forum software, http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/search.php
3) the boglehead wiki has a search engine: http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/index.ph ... ext=Search
4) or use google. limit google searches to be just within the bogleheads site: from google.com, type in "TIPS site:bogleheads.org" (replace "TIPS" with a phrase that you want to find threads on)

- what are some sites related to bogleheads.org?
http://www.bogleheads.org/readsites.htm lists several. in addition:
http://www.lostsprings.com/diehards/chapters/ for finding a local chapter for face-to-face meetings
http://www.lostsprings.com/diehards/contest/ S&P boglehead prediction contest

- help! i lost a post! where did it go?
if you create a very time consuming post, the forum may 'time out' and you may lose your work. it's best to draft large posts in a word processor, notepad, an email, or other 'safe' location and then just copy and paste the long post into a new forum topic, so you won't lose your post. if you leave the webpage without successfully 'submitting' your post, it's gone forever.

- how do i post a picture or chart in a thread?
you must host the picture or chart on the internet somewhere, and then link to it in a thread using image tags in front and at its end. [img]image%20URL%20here[/img]. http://www.tinypic.com is a free, easy source of uploading pictures to the internet and getting an image URL. no registration required and it's very fast/convenient.

- how do i post a link to an article/website?
just type it into a thread. when posted, it will automatically turn into a hyperlink if it starts with http. or, you can use the URL tag in the toolbar area to change the link text.

- there is a spammer or inappropriate post on the forum that should be edited/removed. who should i contact?
please click the report ("!") button on the post, you don't have to include an explanation. it may take a little while, but all reported posts are reviewed by a moderator or site admin

- a certain poster bugs me. is there an 'ignore' feature?
no. but if a poster bugs you, they probably bug others, too. send a PM to a mod/admin for any posts that violate guidelines/policies of this site

- i want to go to a face-to-face meeting. how can i find a local chapter that's active in my city/region?
first, visit the chapter forum at http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=9 or http://www.lostsprings.com/diehards/chapters/ to find out who to contact.

- i'm living in a city that doesn't have a local chapter anywhere close. how do i form a local chapter?
it's easy to start a boglehead chapter. just post a request in the local chapter subforum. if 4 people respond that are interested in joining... then congrats! you are the leader of a new boglehead chapter. contact mel to make it 'official'. local chapters vary in terms of meeting frequency, meeting content, and membership. some are very active, some are somewhat dormant. some have 5-6 members, and some have mailing lists of over 100 bogleheads.

- is this site sponsored or supported by vanguard?
no. it's an independent website not affiliated with vanguard. jack bogle posts here occasionally, but vanguard employees are not allowed to post here without using a nom de plume.

- how does this site get funded? how does it monetize all of the page views?
it doesn't. the website is maintained and owned by alex frakt. the domain/servers are maintained by larry auton (mingstar). they do it as a public service. they spend significant time and money keeping this website operational. it is ad-free and sponsor-free.

- how do you pronounce jack bogle's last name? how do you pronounce "boglehead"?
it's like boAgle, not boggle (think rogue!). and it's boAglehead, not bogglehead or bobblehead. (it has a long O sound). it's confusing due to the boglehead bobblehead (boAglehead bobblehead). but just remember: it's a long "O" like mogul.

[several answers updated by Alex Frakt 2015-11-15]
Last edited by jeff mc on Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by VTSMX »

Great post! This ought to be a sticky.
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Post by deepdrive »

VTSMX wrote:Great post! This ought to be a sticky.
Moderators, I agree. Stick this one up top!
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Post by Mel Lindauer »

I agree, so I made it a "sticky".
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Post by retiredjg »

Thanks Jeff.

One thing I could not find earlier today is how to make a link with a name. PiperWarrior told me once how to do it, but I no longer have the instructions.
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Post by CyberBob »

retiredjg wrote:Thanks Jeff.

One thing I could not find earlier today is how to make a link with a name. PiperWarrior told me once how to do it, but I no longer have the instructions.
See the forum BBCode guide.

Bob
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Post by retiredjg »

Thanks Bob. I did not find that in the FAQ. Am I blind?
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Post by LadyGeek »

Recently added is a Google search engine on the Wiki main page. If you can't find what you're looking for in the forum search (at top of page), try your search using the Google link. It's customized for this site.

You can search the wiki (internal or Google), the forum, or both. Right-click on the search you want to open in a new window or tab.
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Locked out of one thread

Post by bdunklau »

I notice that a thread I have been participating in is now locked.

Is it locked for everyone or just me?


Thanks,
Brent
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Post by nisiprius »

How do I link to one specific post within a thread?
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Post by jeff mc »

bdunklau wrote:I notice that a thread I have been participating in is now locked.

Is it locked for everyone or just me?


Thanks,
Brent
Proud owner of VTIVX
it's locked for everyone.
nisiprius wrote:How do I link to one specific post within a thread?
right mouse click on the little icon to the left of the word "posted: 1/1/11...", and select "copy link location" or "copy link" (the verbiage is browser dependent)
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Re: did you know? tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by nonnie »

jeff mc wrote: how can i search for old topics that i know must've been asked in the past (e.g. 529 plans, or TIPS, or whatever)
there is an embarrassment of riches for search options:
1) on the main page, there is a search box and button that brings you here: http://www.bogleheads.org/search.rhtml

Great post. This link: http://www.bogleheads.org/search.rhtml
appears to be broken.

Thanks.
Last edited by nonnie on Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: did you know? tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by sscritic »

nonnie wrote: Great post. This link: http://www.bogleheads.org/search.rhtml
appears to be broken.
And it is still broken if you take the r out of .rhtml
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby
And do ya, do ya, do ya, do ya
Know what ya doing, doing to me?
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby
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Re: did you know? tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by jeff mc »

sscritic wrote:
nonnie wrote: Great post. This link: http://www.bogleheads.org/search.rhtml
appears to be broken.
And it is still broken if you take the r out of .rhtml
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby
And do ya, do ya, do ya, do ya
Know what ya doing, doing to me?
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby
thanks.. i updated link to be: http://www.bogleheads.org/moresearch.htm

i have no haiku abilities.. but, now, gimme a mic in a hot, crowded rap battle byob bar... and i'll own the place. don't freestyle much (but i write it like such)

ps, i realize that's not haiku above.. more like expanded/extended haiku
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Re: did you know? tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by nonnie »

jeff mc wrote: thanks.. i updated link to be: http://www.bogleheads.org/moresearch.htm

i have no haiku abilities.. but, now, gimme a mic in a hot, crowded rap battle byob bar... and i'll own the place. don't freestyle much (but i write it like such)

ps, i realize that's not haiku above.. more like expanded/extended haiku
Thanks for the fix--the words ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby above are from a song--my favorite words:

Let it never be said that romance is dead
'Cos there's so little else occupying my head

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEfqozzL5uc

(just to prove I can google, SS :-))

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Re: did you know? tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by LadyGeek »

Sending Private Messages:

A Private Message (PM) stays in the "Outbox" folder until it is read by the recipient. See this forum thread: PM seems stuck in Outbox
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by AndrewXnn »

How can I insert a graph?

I have graphs in Excel and can form them into .gif files using Paint.
However, it is not clear how to insert them into a message.

Thank-you
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

AndrewXnn wrote:However, it is not clear how to insert them into a message.
See Posting images in the Bogleheads forum - Bogleheads wiki
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Bmac »

I've been following this forum since the Morningstar days and only learning now I have been mispronouncing its name and that of its inspiration. :oops:
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by LadyGeek »

AndrewXnn wrote:How can I insert a graph?

I have graphs in Excel and can form them into .gif files using Paint.
However, it is not clear how to insert them into a message.

Thank-you
I moved your first attempt to Re: Please Try Out Test Posts Here. Feel free to keep trying in that thread.
Minot wrote:First unread post.
That's the little orange box just to the left of the thread title when viewing an entire forum, View your posts, or View new posts (must be logged in to use). Clicking on the orange box will take you directly to the first unread post of that thread.

See: Posting FAQ for the Bogleheads® forum, in the "What do the forum icons mean?" section.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Minot »

LadyGeek wrote:
Minot wrote:First unread post.
That's the little orange box just to the left of the thread title when viewing an entire forum, View your posts, or View new posts (must be logged in to use). Clicking on the orange box will take you directly to the first unread post of that thread.
Or if, like me, you've accessed a thread via the Bogleheads.org page, then click on “First unread post” just above the first post on the page, to the right of the Search box.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Another useful one I just recently discovered, http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/faq.php?mode=bbcode -- BBCode guide
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Buffalo Chuck »

I often forget how to add a proper "name" to a LINK, and I wish this was automated by the BBS' software. That is, I would highlight a LINK'S TITLE PHRASE, then use the URL Button to tack in the URL-address 'under' it and the Title Phrase would be displayed, not the lengthy URL-address.

OH - here is the standard format - where an "OpenURLBlock= command" is followed by the URL-address, then a CloseBracket, then the TITLE PHRASE is ended with the "CloseURLBlock".

OPENBRACKET url=http://www.SomeValidURLAddress.com/]Title Phrase![/url CLOSEBRACKET

The key-command is that opening URL EQUAL-SIGN then the URL Address being listed, then closing that bracket...

(Replace the OPEN and CLOSEBRACKET phrases with the [ key or the ] key, with no spaces. I spelled out OPENBRACKET and CLOSEBRACKET only to display the proper format construction.)

Next, I wish these embedded links would open a separate Tab so I can flip back and forth. Is this a UserID Settings Option, perhaps?
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

How about viewtopic.php?f=3&t=147100, better known as Make Link show as title instead of URL? (courtesy of Create Link in Chrome :wink:)
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by gkaplan »

Gordon
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by pondering »

Can the original post still be updated?

The section containing this link https://www.bogleheads.org/index_wide.htm could use an update.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Alex Frakt »

pondering wrote:Can the original post still be updated?

The section containing this link https://www.bogleheads.org/index_wide.htm could use an update.
I updated several sections. I'll take suggestions on stuff that still needs updating.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by LadyGeek »

The post is from 2009, when the wiki was not so prominent. I suggest adding:

- Bogleheads® local chapters

- Posting FAQ for the Bogleheads® forum

- Posting images in the Bogleheads forum
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Miriam2 »

Alex Frakt wrote:I'll take suggestions on stuff that still needs updating.
I printed out years ago a helpful "phpBB Userguide" for the Bogleheads site that helped me understand the inner workings of using the site - but now I can't find it on our site. My print out is from bylo selhi :happy so it also pertains to the Canadian Boglehead site.
A newer version might be helpful for those learning how to navigate our site.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by AddingUp »

Such valuable information. Thanks so much, OP, for taking the time to do this. I, too, wasn't aware of the proper pronunciation of "bogleheads," but it makes phonetic sense.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

I posted this elsewhere but felt it might be helpful to capture as a general tip.

There are many different ways to browse the Bogleheads forum. Here are the ones that I know about.

Board index - AFAIK this is the only one that organizes based on the forum structure. This is available to guests and logged in members.

All of the rest that I'll present are based on activity rather than forum structure, although the underlying forum information is presented as part of the information. All but the RSS feed one are available under the Quick links navigation bar item (top left beside the Image FAQ and Image Forum rules)
  • Active topics view -- there are two ways: http://www.bogleheads.org or View active topics. The forum is the original Bogleheads viewport into the M* forums, custom built by the founders, the latter is the forum software near equivalent. This view is also available to guests and logged in members.
  • Your posts - only available to logged in members.
  • New posts - only available to logged in members.
  • Unread posts - only available to logged in members.
  • Unanswered posts - available to both guests and logged in members.
  • RSS feed - available to both guests and logged in members.
The amount and organization of the data for these views are under logged in member control, check your User Control Panel-> Display options

Personally I've got a couple of different ones bookmarked. I tend to use Your posts when I first visit to see if there's any new activity on topics I've posted in. I'll use View active topics to get a sense of pulse of current events and read topics of interest, then generally I switch to Board index. If I haven't visited for a while, I'll use Board index.

There are many different ways for members to view the topics and posts here, many don't follow the follow the forum structure. Different strokes for different folks.

One last one, if you've every wanted to see all the posts of a particular member. Look at the profile information displayed beside each post, under the member name it shows Posts: xxxx. the xxxx is a clickable link to all the members posts.

Hope these help someone learn more about how to navigate the forum.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Miriam2 »

For those who wish to save a particular thread for future reference, or wish to be able to return to a particular thread in the future, there is another way to keep and find the thread. It sounds complicated, but it's really easy.

If you hover over the thread title, the php codes assigned to it will have a number that will be displayed, probably on your screen bottom bar. The first long number is the thread number. The subsequent long numbers are the post numbers. Each post in a thread has a number. For example, this thread's number is 34462 and Peculiar Investor's post above is post number #p2786125.

If you have the thread number, just type that into the google seach engine on our forum home page (ie. type in 34462 and hit search) and it will bring up the thread with that number. Once you are in the thread, you can scroll down to a particular post.

For example, if you want to always be able to find Nisiprius' thread "A Time to EVALUATE Your Jitters" from August 2011, you can just type in the thread number 79939 in the google search box on our forum and voila - up comes a list with that thread at the top.

The key is to have that thread number. How to easy save that thread number? A paper way is to print out the first page of the thread in "print" style (see the wrench "topic tools", click "print view") and you'll see it also prints out the full php citation with the thread number, and you can then file that first page in a subject file, ie. "Roth IRA conversion" file or whatever and you'll be able to find it down the road. Of course, that adds paper :annoyed Note - If you print out the first page in mere browser print mode, that citation is not there (at least for me). You could also just write down the thread number in a file or on that perpetual piece of paper on your desk :happy

I'm NOT a techie :shock: and I'm explaining this in elementary terms, but this is how an old-fashioned paper person saves and finds old useful forum threads. There must be some kind of computer notebook way of doing this via the forum.

BTW - if there is an easier less wordy way of explaining this or keeping access to thread numbers - please help! :D
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Miriam2 wrote:For those who wish to save a particular thread for future reference, or wish to be able to return to a particular thread in the future, there is another way to keep and find the thread. It sounds complicated, but it's really easy.

<snip>
see the wrench "topic tools", click "print view"

<snip>
There must be some kind of computer notebook way of doing this via the forum.
Yes there is. If you are logged into the forum, you can let the forum software track it for you. Under those same Topic tools, click Bookmark topic (see Image FAQ). Now that you've told the forum software to remember it, how do you go back? As part of your User Control Panel, one item is Manage bookmarks which contains links to any topics you have bookmarked this way. Quick and handy dandy means to be able to return to any topic that interests you.

<word police>The forum software uses topic, not thread. </word police>
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Miriam2 »

Peculiar_Investor wrote:If you are logged into the forum, you can let the forum software track it for you. Under those same Topic tools, click Bookmark topic (see Image FAQ). Now that you've told the forum software to remember it, how do you go back? As part of your User Control Panel, one item is Manage bookmarks which contains links to any topics you have bookmarked this way. Quick and handy dandy means to be able to return to any topic that interests you.
Ah-HAH! I always wondered where bookmarks went. :happy
Q - How many bookmarks can we create? Can we divide them into categories?
If not, can we use some other system, ie. some file somewhere in our computer, that we can drag & drop the citation into a subject file?
Peculiar_Investor wrote:<word police>The forum software uses topic, not thread. </word police>
Thank you Officer! (Lucky I just got a warning. . . :happy )
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Prompted by this post, I thought it might be useful to circle back to this post I made earlier this year that describes a variety of ways to navigate the Bogleheads forum and expand on it further.

The following is my personal usage/navigation flow on the Bogleheads site that I've developed over the years. It generally works whether I'm browsing via a desktop, tablet or smartphone.

FWIW, I consider https://www.bogleheads.org/forum as the "homepage" where I start my regular (daily?) visit to the Bogleheads. I tend to browse/scan by sub-forum as my first viewing of the day. I'm based in Canada, so many of the financial topics don't apply to my circumstances. Within each sub-forum, once I've read the topics of interest I click the "Mark topics read" link (near the top) to bring me up-to-date for that sub-forum.

I've also got bookmarks for two of the Quick links, Unread posts and Active topics which I use during the day to follow any new and updated discussions. From the very few times I've looked at the Bogleheads posts listing (home page), both these bookmarks seem essentially functional equivalent for my purposes. I frequent a number of phpBB based forums so using the phpBB software navigation flow, icons, etc. means that everything is familiar. I know some of the history of the BH post listings page, but I was never a M* reader, so the BH post page is a custom/quirky UI that doesn't have any value to me. Of course YMMV depending on how you've learned to navigate the Bogleheads site.

IMHO, the Unread posts has an added advantage, after I scan it for anything that might interest me, I can click the "Mark all read" link to again bring myself up-to-date.

I've also got a bookmark for Your posts which I use when I haven't visited the site lately. I look for any topics that have unread posts that might continue from posts that made.

Of course this is my navigation/workflow. I'll leave it to each his/her own to find/develop what suits their own needs and style of doing things, so none of these might work for anyone else.

The recent addition of the forum's built-in Atom feeds has added a new dimension that I'm still working to integrate with my use of feedly (RSS reader) and the above.
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by Saphomd »

Is there a way to have an avatar next to the name?
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Re: Did you know? Tips for using bogleheads.org

Post by pondering »

faq.php#f2r6

How do I display an avatar?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Profile” you can add an avatar by using one of the four following methods: Gravatar, Gallery, Remote or Upload. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and to choose the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars, contact a board administrator.
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