Hi, and welcome to rat-terrier.com. We hope that you enjoy being a member of the best community on the world wide web  !!!!! So if you own a rattie(s), have had ratties in the past, or are thinking of adding a rattie to your family, welcome! We can’t wait to meet you and get to know you.
First time visitors often have a lot of questions on navigating the site, creating posts, adding pics and creating an avatar (the picture that appears under your name each time you post). Hopefully this post will address a lot of these typical "new member" questions. As always, though, if you have difficulties or need help, please post anytime with your questions. There is always someone here willing to lend a hand!!!!
1. Adding an Avatar
To add an avatar to your profile: Click on "My Profile" located toward the upper right-hand corner of the screen. On the next screen, click on "Edit Profile", then scroll down to the Avatar section where you will see a file upload box after the words "Upload Avatar". Click on the "Browse" button to the right of this box. You can then go to a photo file on your computer. Keep in mind that this photo must end in a lowercase .jpg extension. Size is not important here, it will automatically make it the right size. Double-clicking on the picture file will automatically place it in the upload file box. Scroll down and click on "Update Profile". After a short delay, you will see an Update Complete message at the top of this screen. You may then have to refresh your browser window once or twice to have the avatar show for you.
You can also use this same process to add a picture to your profile - which others will see when they click on your user name.
2. Posting pictures
Upon joining, you will undoubtedly be immediately asked to show off your rattie(s)! To do so, go to the Photos: Ratties forum (you can find a list of all forum topics by either clicking on “Home” or “Forums” in the upper left-hand corner of the screen) and click on Add New Topic. Then type in a Subject line that will appear in the recent messages box to the left. Do not add emoticons to the subject line itself. You can choose a message icon below the subject line if you wish. You must place something in the body of the message – usually this is a description of the photos you are going to post. Underneath the message body window you will find three photo file upload boxes. Similar to the description above, browse to and add your photo files here. It is important that these files be resized so that they are less than 125kb in size. Most computers have some imaging software that you can use – and the Paint program with windows works as well to resize photos so that they will meet this guideline. If the photo file is more than 125kb you will receive an error message. To check on the size of a photo file, just right-click on it and select “properties”. Once you have the files you wish to post uploaded in the box(es), click on the “Submit” button below.
For introducing yourself to the group, there is an excellent thread located here: http://www.rat-terrier.com/Home/tabid/37/forumid/11/tpage/5/view/topic/postid/12499/Default.aspx#193073 that many new members use to give a description and/or pictures of themselves and their ratties.
3. General postings/information
There are a variety of forums divided into various topics (such as Rescue, Training, Health/Diet, Jokes, etc.) to which you can add new topics or post to topics already created. If you would like to post a reply to a thread already created, you can use the Quick Reply option at the bottom of the page. This is usually used for very basic replies. If you want to format the text or add pictures in your reply (in Photo forums only), you will need to click on the Add Reply button and go the more detailed message box. To begin a new discussion, simply click on Add New Topic in the appropriate forum, similar to the above description on adding a new thread in the Photos forum.
There are always a wide variety of topics being discussed here, both those dealing with rat terriers as well as just “general” topics. Please refrain from the use of profanity and use common sense when engaging in discussions. Remember that it can be very difficult to gauge a poster’s “tone” simply by reading text. On a personal note, I like to always caution members to remember this site is public and can be viewed by anyone and to always guard your personal information (cell phone #, address, etc., etc.).
If you wish to address a member directly and privately, you can click on the “PM” (private message) button under his or her user name. You can (when logged in) see any messages sent to you by looking in the Private Msgs box located in the left hand side of the screen. If you need help or have any problems and/or concerns, you can directly notify any of the moderators by clicking on his/her name – again located on the left hand side of the screen.
WELCOME AGAIN! We are glad you have found us and look forward to having you here as a new member of our community
Update from Lance:
For more information, see our FAQ. |