The forums are a great place to ask questions, share solutions, or just post an idea and ask for feedback.  All posts, including shared documents, are publicly available so anyone on the web can search the forums and view posts. A forums login is required only to write new posts or reply to existing posts.

If you are a Blackbaud customer, log in to post to the forums; if your organization does not have Blackbaud software, register on our website to create a forums account. Before you post on the forums, take a moment to search for existing posts that may pertain to your topic.

How do I create a new forum post?

1. Open the appropriate forum.
2. Click Write a New Post or open the thread to which you wish to reply and click Reply.
   Note: You have 30 minutes after clicking Write a New Post or Reply to add a post.
3. On the Compose tab, enter a subject and the text for your post. There are several options besides text:
   • To insert emoticons in your message, click the smiley face on the toolbar, then click the emoticon you want to insert. It will be placed in the post where your cursor is positioned.
   • To include an attachment, select the Options tab. Click Add/Update under File Attachment, browse to the location, and click Save.
   • To include an image, click the image icon on the toolbar, enter the URL and any other settings you want to specify, and click Insert.
   Note: To keep our forums free of inappropriate content, our spam filter flags posts for moderation if they contain certain keywords or more than two hyperlinks. Review the Forums Moderation Standards for words to avoid.
4. To preview the message, click the Preview tab.
5. You may enter tags (i.e., keywords) in the Tags field to make it easier for other users to find your post when they search on keywords.
6. Click Post to post the message to the forums.
   Note: You have 30 minutes after clicking Post to edit a post and 5 minutes to delete a post.

How can I format forum posts?

When writing a new forum post, you can use the formatting options in the top menu bar to bold, italicize, or underline the text, modify the margins, and create bulleted or numbered lists. If your message has already been formatted in Word, you can copy the content in Word and then click the "Paste from Word" button. Or if you're familiar with HTML, you can click the HTML button to edit the code directly.

How do I delete a forum post?

1. You have 5 minutes after posting to delete the post. After 5 minutes, create a case and a support analyst will assist you.
2. Open the forum post you want to delete.
3. Click Delete. 

How do I edit a forum post?

1. Open the forum post you want to edit.
2. Click Edit.
3. Modify your content.
4. Add any Edit Notes, if needed.
5. Click Post. 

How do I delete a forum post?

1. Open the forum post you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. 

How do I spell check my posts?

On the Compose tab of the post, click the ABC icon on the toolbar.

• If you use Mozilla's Firefox 2.0, a spell check feature is built in. When you misspell a word, it automatically inserts a red underline. You can right-click the word to see suggested corrections. Select the correct spelling to update the text.
• If you use Internet Explorer, it does not include a built-in spell checking program, but one is available for download:
  1. When you click the ABC icon on the Compose tab, Internet Explorer will prompt you to download and install ieSpell.
  2. Click OK and then download the latest version.
  3. Once the download completes, browse to the file and double-click it.
  4. Click Run to start the installation.
  5. Click I Agree to accept the terms and then click Install.
  6. Click OK to complete the installation.
  7. After you have installed ieSpell, click the ABC icon to spell check before posting.

How do I add attachments to posts?

1. On the Compose tab, enter a subject and text for your post.
2. On the Options tab, click Add/Update under File Attachment.
3. Browse to the location of the file and click Save.
   Note: Attachments can be up to 9 MB in size.
4. Click Post to post the message and your attachment.
   

How do I attach screenshots to posts?

1. To capture an image on your monitor and insert it into a document, press Shift + Print Screen or CTRL + Print Screen to copy the entire screen. (On some keyboards the button is named PrtScn.) Press Alt+Print Screen to copy the active window only.
   Note: Although the screen shot is captured in the background when these keys are pressed, there is no viewable action on the screen.
2. In a Word or Paint program, select File, New from the menu bar to create a new document.
3. Select Edit, Paste from the menu bar or press CTRL+V to paste the screen shot into the program.
4. Save the file to your desktop to add it as an attachment.
5. Attach the screenshot to the post.

How do I create a poll for my forum post?

1. Open the forum where you wish to create a poll.
2. Click Write a New Post. You cannot add a poll to a forum thread by replying; you must create a new post.
3. On the Compose tab, enter a Subject.
4. Select the Poll tab and mark Include a Poll in this Post.
5. Enter your question and a description (optional) to accompany your question.
6. Under Add Answer, enter text for a choice that should appear in the poll. Click Add.
7. Repeat this until you have entered all possible answers you want to include. You may reorder or delete options you have entered.
8. Under Expires After, enter the number of days to leave the poll open before it expires.
9. Click Post.

How do I quote other messages in my forum replies?

1. Open the post to which you want to reply.
2. On the Compose tab, click Quote to insert a quote displaying the message to which you are replying.
3. Enter the text of your response.
4. Click Post.

How do I rate forum posts I find helpful?

1. Open the post you want to rate.
2. Place the cursor over the rating stars box associated with the reply you found helpful.
3. Click and drag your mouse until the proper number of stars are lit.
   Note: You earn points when adding ratings to other posts, as well as when your posts are rated. These points determine your ranking in the forums.