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optional registration and logging in Some ytfc.com-style forums mandate registration if you wish to post. Others are optional. This page tells you why you might wish to register, even where it's optional - and why you might wish to register even if you don't intend to post. You do not have to be registered and logged-in to read messages, (or to post to some forums). However, there are a number of benefits in doing so. There is also one requirement: You need 'cookies' enabled, as they are used to remember your 'session' info, e.g. whether you're logged in or not. Cookies are enabled by default in most browsers. Benefits of registering include: remembering which messages you have read (or not read): Find it difficult to keep track of which messages you've already read, and which ones you haven't? Your browser's colouring of the links doesn't help, as it doesn't know what messages you viewed on another computer, or which ones you read days or weeks ago. But by logging in before browsing the forums, the message board remembers which messages you have already viewed, and colours them accordingly (fails in old versions of Netscape due to a bug in the browser). The front page of the forum will also tell you how many unread messages there are, and will give you shortcut links to the oldest/newest. editing messages Logged-in users can edit their own messages, to correct typos or whatever. The only restriction is that a message can't be edited once it has been replied to - or else that could lead to problems with people answering one point, only for that point to be changed! prevent impersonations When you login, you can select an option which bans impersonations. That means, if you register the user name 'fred bloggs', no-one will be able to create a message under that name unless they login to your account. And if you keep your password secret, then no-one else could use your name. The downside of course is that it's an extra step to login even when you just want to post a quickie. That's why it's an option. It's not perfect, in that you may well share a name or nickname with someone else. The first person to register gets exclusive use of that name, and subsequent users will need to come up with a variation. However, registering someone else's name just to stop them using it can get you barred from ytfc.com forums... flagging messages See a message that you want to remember, and maybe respond to later. Perhaps when you get home if you're browsing at work? You can 'flag' a message. And later, you can list 'flagged' messages. So, mark one before you go home, and find it quickly when you get there - reply, and unflag it. where next? I want to register now I'm already registered, and want to log in I want to use the forum without registering or logging in any privacy issues I need to know about? Privacy is important, so we're happy to be open about how it all works, so you can make an appropriate judgement: The registration system will remember the username, password, and email address that you gave when registering. The email address will not be given out. You don't actually have to give it when you register, but if you don't then things get difficult if you forget your password - if I get a mail from someone because they've forgotten their password, it's harder to tell if it's from an imposter if I don't know your email address. When you log in, a 'cookie' is stored in your browser. This is a 'session ID', of the sort used by most or all 'log in' sites. The actual value of the cookie is virtually random. It's used to check if you're logged on or not, and has no other purpose. If your browser does not accept cookies, then you can't login. There are other ways technically of doing this without using cookies (eg rewriting URLs), but none is as reliable or secure. The data stored for each message posted, whether logged in or not, is the name, email address, subject, text, IP address, date/time and cookie. If you read a message when logged out, nothing extra is stored. If you read a message when logged in, a single bit flag is set - this is used for colouring links according to which messages you have or haven't viewed. Information on things like IP addresses and cookies are not available to the general public, only to the admin for the forum, and the host of the Conference Guide (i.e. me).

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