Overview of Physicsforums: Little Symbols, Extensions, Supermentors & More

[physicsisphirst]

from the little time I've spent here over the past few months, i am very happy with what I've seen.

there are some super neat people.
the mentors act effectively and with purpose.
the quality of posts are extremely high.
the way people help each other out is terrific.

all this is very different from other forums I've been on where people seem to be more interested in bickering than making the place better.

so i am contemplating addiction here and naturally becoming a contributor.

there are many things to know about this excellent place like

all the little symbols appearing beside threads
the different associated extensions to other forums
what a supermentor is
what a warning is
what a journal is - i apparently have one i see
what is the significance of the kaku forum
etc etc

is there any kind of an overview or tour of this place?
a newbie's guide?
some document that will outline all the neat things to find and do?

in friendship,
prad

 

[chroot]

all the little symbols appearing beside threads

Blue folder - no new replies.
Yellow folder with letter sticking out - new replies.
Red folder with letter sticking out - many new replies.
A white superimposed arrow on any of the above means you have participated in the thread.

the different associated extensions to other forums

We have none. We do work with two newsgroups, sci.physics.research and sci.physics.strings. We currently host the forums for mkaku.org, but that may be changing soon.

what a supermentor is

A person who has mentor privileges in every subforum, not just a few.

what a warning is

A mechanism by which the staff can alert people when their behavior is inappropriate. The member receives a private message explaining the problem, and receives points. If the member receives more than 15 points, they are banned automatically for 21 days. (This system really only applies to spammers and other people who choose to ignore our site guidelines.)

what a journal is - i apparently have one i see

A place where each member can post his or her thoughts, like a public diary.

what is the significance of the kaku forum

We agreed to host the kaku forums a while back. They don't get much traffic these days, and Kaku himself never shows his face, unfortunately.

- Warren

 

[physicsisphirst]

wow!
ask and ye shall receive or what!
thanks warren!

in friendship,
prad