Forum Introduction - How to Use the Forum
 

about the forum | how to use the forum | benifits of joining

Who is allowed to register and use the forum?

The Audiology Discussions forum is a closed online area where audiology topics can be discussed. It is a closed system, as it requires the user to register. This ensures that only authorised users can fully take part in discussions. The forum is specifically for students, researchers, academics and practitioners, in audiology and related fields.

In order to register as a member and use this forum you must be a professional working in, or qualified in Audiology or an associated field (e.g. audiologists, hearing scientists, ENT surgeons, medical-physics personnel working with hearing and acoustics instrument developments etc). Or you must be at least a student studying the area.

If you already have prior experience of using forums, click here to proceed to the forum.

How do I register?

Once you enter the forum area you click on 'Register' towards the the top left of the forum home page. This will take you to a new page follow the instructions to proceed. If you agree with the terms and conditions check the box and click the button. You can then proceed to register.

To register it is a very simple process. Only the following information is required:

• a user name: this name will be displayed on screen with any message you post in the forum
• a password: this is only known to you, and it will not be displayed
• a valid email address: a valid email address refers to an email address that is related to either your university, hospital or other recognised institution, it does not include free email accounts (please see note below if you do not have an email for a recognised institution / organisation related to audiology). Please note that the email address supplied will not be passed on to third parties.
• location: e.g. 'city / state, country' or 'university / company, city, country'. Please specify at least your country name, as this is an International audiology forum with members from many places around the world and it will save on confusion in the forum discussions.

There are also some other optional information that you can fill such as your areas of interest and occupation.

Once you have completed the form and clicked on submit you will receive an email with a link and you will have to go to this link to complete your registration. We will then review your registration information and verify your email address and then activate your account (or decline your account). Once your account is activated you will receive an email to advise you that this has been done and you are now registered. You should then view your forum 'settings and profile' (see below for explanation) and make any changes (additions) you wish to it. You are now free to take part in the discussions.

I do not have an appropriate email, can I still register?

We are aware that occasionally it may not be possible to provide an official email. If this is the case, please contact the forum management prior to attempting to register as a member of the forum. You will need to provide us with further details of your status in audiology or associated field, and details of the email account that you wish to use for registration. We will then be able to consider your membership on an individual basis. Please note that this still does not include the use of free web based email accounts such as hotmail and yahoo.

What happens after I register, and how long do I have to wait before I can use the forum?

The registration details that you submitted are reviewed and processed manually by our forum administrators (i.e. this is not automatically done by computer). One of our forum administrators will check your details to see that you fulfil the conditions required to join the forum and then activate your account if appropriate. We will aim to activate your account as soon as possible and this will usually be within 24 hours in most cases. Once activated you will be informed of this by email. After this has occurred you can then go ahead and login for the first time and make your first post.

How do I use the forum?

If you would like to just read any of the general topics, you can just proceed and click on any of the relevant headings (as these do not require registration). On the other hand if you would like to ask a question,or join in with any of the discussions, or view any of the other areas, you must register to become a member of the forum (see above).

• To read what is being discussed by other forum members just click on the subject of interest and then any individual message listed under it.
   
• To comment or reply to any exiting message just click on the 'reply to post' button and then type your reply in the box.
   
• To start a new discussion thead (or ask a new question) click on a subject heading and then press the 'post new topic' button.

If you are ready to continue to the forum please click here.

Once registered, how do I change my password or other settings?

Once registered, you may click on 'My Settings & Profile' (at the top of the first page in the forum) to see and / or change any of your details (for example your password). In addition in your profile settings you can select various options such as whether you want your email to be hidden or viewable to others. You can also pick an avatar (an image to represent yourself on screen) from the hundreds given in the gallery.

My question is not answered here, where can I get more information?

If you are unsure about anything else you can use the link marked FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) at the top of the first page in the forum, or you can contact us if you have any further questions.