FAQ - How to Post and Participate - M...

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How to Post - in short

1. Crop and resize your pictures ahead of posting to fit within the board specification, ideally 800 x 800 pixel, and less than 125 kB. The board accepts slightly lager images but this is usually ideal. You will need a separate software to do this.

2. Scroll down the first page to find a Topic you think fit your question.

3. Click the Topic link and find the Start new page link mostly right at the top, otherwise at the bottom of the page.

How to Post and Participate


While some pages could be seen and read by anyone you will need to be a paying member of the board to be able to upload your own questions and to participate in the discussion. We are sorry about this but I guarantee you will find it worthwhile if you choose to become a member. For more info on this please see the MEMBERSHIP SIGN-UP page.

Worth noticing is the fact that this Board is not a 'chat' board where old messages times out and disappears after a while. On the contrary, here messages never disappear. Here, the ambition is to build up a research database where discussions, messages and pictures are archived and kept on-line to be read by many thousands of porcelain collectors for years to come. After posting, a user has up to three hours (180 minutes) to edit and possible change his post before it is stored in the permanent archive. After that, only a moderator – 'Dragon' – can edit or delete your post.

To make this Board a more valuable resource, we are trying to avoid discussions in any length on fakes, modern, or industrially produced ceramics.

It is appreciated if you have done some basic research on your question before you pop the list a question. At least, use the search function first to see if your question maybe already is answered somewhere else on this board.

If you need help but is totally clueless on where to start, maybe a group picture under the "Help needed" topic will get you started.

In other cases, use the search engine to find a reasonable correct topic for where to post your question. This will help the right guys to see your question. Here are also some general suggestions as well as some helpful hints on how to post questions to the Board. But first of all:



Edit your profile

Top right on all pages you will find a Edit Profile link. Click this and set your preferences the way you want it. The Discussion Board email notification are maybe the first you should look into.


1. Browse around
This done, browse around. Gotheborg.com is a very large site. On the main site you will find around 1,000 pages of information, a Marks section, and a Glossary. You can also go to the Discussion Board Topics list and browse through the threads under the topics of your interest.


2. Search the board archive
Before posting you should make a more serious search for what has already been posted regarding your type of wares. Once you go to the upper right hand corner of each page, you will find a "Search" link. If you are looking for something specific, check the box "Search by Keyword", and then enter the keywords of your search. Make sure that you select the options for "whole words only" and "And" and not "Or". Finally, if you are looking for a thread with a certain title, you can choose the option of "Look in: Subject lines." Otherwise, just choose "Look in: Text of messages."


3. Get a feeling for the community
By reading old posts you will also get a feeling about how the community works.



4. Find the right topic for your post
When you feel ready to post your first question, find a reasonable fitting topic, scroll down to the bottom of the list and hit "Start new thread", write your message, ask about one piece at a time, upload any number of pictures, and hit post. More info on posting is available here. If you don't know where to post, "Help Needed" might do as a last resort.



5. Give your post as long and meaningful title as possible
This makes it easier for other members to find your question.


6. Write the question
The value of the replies you will get from this Board will depend on the background information you can share. Try to give the Board an idea on the following:

A. Provenance
Where, when and by whom did you buy it, and what kind of price level are we talking about?

B. Documents
Are there any certificates, receipts or documents in writing together with the piece and what do they say?

C. Previous consultations
Have you asked anybody else about this piece and what did they say?

Any help you can give towards our understanding of your piece will help us reply.

7. Adding pictures
Make sure your images are in focus. If your pictures are out of focus, too small or with wrong colors the quality of the discussion will suffer. Here are a few simple rules.

A. Neutral background
Use a neutral white or gray colored background.

B. Take the photos outdoors
If you are not a professional photographer, take the photos outdoors and in the shade, to avoid reflections.

C. Use the close-up setting
Fill the entire picture frame with the object. Use the close-up setting if available. No thumbs in the picture please.

D. Front, back, bottom plus mark
Usually one picture is enough to identify the object. If you want to know more, we need more pictures. Take pictures of front, back and bottom with close-ups of possible marks - a clear picture of the base is very helpful even if "there is nothing to see". If you don't have a camera an ordinary desktop scanner gives good pictures of marks and most flat objects.

E. Check file size
Prepare your pictures and make sure the files are less than 100 Kb in size, and that no side is longer than 800 pixels. Name and save your picture files in .jpg format on your hard drive. All digital cameras today comes with editing software. There are also many resize services available for free on the Internet. A simple (yet free) picture editing software can be found at Irfanview/ should that be necessary. Here is a maybe even better dedicated picture resizer from VirtualZone

F. Upload
When done writing your message, use the "Upload attachment" button next to where you wrote the question. Follow the on-line instructions. Some browsers might not work at all, and some browsers will let you see the picture upload code. In the case you can see the uploaded picture code you can copy and paste this into your message. However, the best is usually to install a browser that does not have this problem.

G. Edit your post
When you see the upload codes in your message, then EDIT YOUR POST so that the pictures will show up as and where you want them in the message.

8. Only post your question once, where you think it belongs
A moderator will most probably help you out and move the post, should it be wrong.


9. What if you don't get any replies
Look around, do some more research, add some more facts, rephrase the question, and post again.

Any question can be left "as is" at any time since it will not be deleted. Sooner or later someone might have figured your piece out and will start the discussion again, maybe even after several years.



For FULL INFORMATION on all kinds of technicalities, kindly just hit the " Help/Instructions" link at the bottom of all pages.

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