• How do I find my posts?
• How do I reach Fodors.com?
• What are the rules of conduct for using the forums?
• Can I promote my business or organization on your forums?
• What should I do if I see a message that's rude or contains advertising?
• What if I am having a technical problem?
• How do I save the URL of a thread so I can find it at a later date?
• How do I browse all the messages in a forum?
• Why don't the message titles change color after I've clicked on them?
• How can I post my own message?
• How do I reply to someone else's message?
• How do I register to participate in the forums?
• I just registered for the forums - why am I being asked to check my e-mail for a confirmation?
• I never received my registration confirmation. What should I do?
• I forgot my password and/or screen name. What should I do now?
• Is it possible to have two or more screen names registered on one e-mail address?
• Will my e-mail address be displayed on the forums?
• I would like to change my screen name. Is this possible?
• How do I change my e-mail address?
• How do I change my password?
• Can I change my security question or answer?
• Can I delete my account?
• I want to post a trip report. Any suggestions?
• Can Fodors.com use the material I post?
• How long will my message or reply remain available?
• Can I sort out messages on a particular destination or topic?
• How come the scrolling topic box doesn't have every destination in a forum's region?
• What if I want to search your forums for a certain word or phrase?
• Can I do a topic search and a text search at the same time?
• How do I get back to the complete version of a forum after I've narrowed it with a search?
• How do I change forums?
• Can I print out a message? How?
• What does TTT mean?

How do I find my posts?
After logging in, click on your screen name at the top of the page. It's after "Welcome:", above or to the right of the Fodor's logo.

You will go to a page with a list of all of the threads you have started or replied to. Similarly, within any thread, you can click on any user's name to pull up all the threads they have contributed to.

NOTE: In the list in the left column, each thread will include the name of the forum in which it appeared followed by the title of the thread. Be sure to click on the title of the thread (not the name of the forum) to view it.

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How do I reach Fodors.com?
If you have a question about a post or a technical issue, e-mail editors@fodors.com. If you have a question about registration, e-mail registration@fodors.com. Please provide your screen name and/or registered e-mail address with all inquiries. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

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What are the rules of conduct for using the forums?
Fodors.com created Travel Talk as a place for participants to get and share advice about travel. To provide maximum benefit for travelers -- and to ensure that text and subject searches contain useful trip-planning information -- we restrict the discussion to travel. There are numerous venues all over the Web for conversations about politics, world history, and religion, or for parodies and salacious humor. The focus here is travel.

In addition, we request, as we always have, that your posts be civil in tone. It is absolutely fine to disagree with another poster; we only ask that you do so without resorting to rudeness. We also require that posts be in your own words -- i.e., no cutting and pasting of other people's material, copyrighted or otherwise (for the legal version of this, check out paragraph 5 of our Subscriber's Agreement). Representing yourself as another Travel Talk user is strictly prohibited. Also please do not advertise or include commercial promotion or profanity in your posts. (As you type up your responses to other travelers, please keep in mind that we actually aren't all adults here: children are part of the Travel Talk community.)

Though it is our general policy to post all messages that follow the Travel Talk rules, we reserve the right to delete any post for any reason. We also reserve the right to disqualify any screen name for any reason.

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Can I promote my business or organization on your forums?
No, absolutely not. Fodors.com is one of the few major sites where travelers can come for unbiased, independent information about travel. Since our travel writers can't be everywhere at once, it's important that travelers be able to use our forums to get fresh-from-the-field updates and advice from other travelers. Please respect the integrity of Fodors.com and our forums, and find another way to advertise your business or organization.

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What should I do if I see a message that's rude or contains advertising?
If you see a message or reply that violates our rules of conduct, e-mail editors@fodors.com with the forum name and the title of the post -- we'll look into it. We would prefer that you NOT add further comments to an objectionable message.

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What if I am having a technical problem?
If posts won't load, you have an indexing question, you can't reach the forums, or if you have any other technical issue, e-mail us at editors@fodors.com with the following information: browser type and version of software; platform and OS version (example: PC/Windows 98); date when the issue first arose; and details about the problem you are experiencing. If you are having a problem registering, e-mail us at registration@fodors.com.

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How do I save the URL of a thread so I can find it at a later date?
Once the thread is visible in the left-hand frame, right click on the thread title and choose "copy shortcut, " which copies the exact URL of the thread. You can paste the URL into another document or in your browser's address field. Or, right click on the thread title in the left frame and choose "open in new window," which opens the message in a new window; you will then see the URL in your browser's address window.

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How do I browse all the messages in a forum?
The titles of all a forum's messages load in the left-hand frame when you first enter a forum. We display the titles in groups of 50, with the most recently received posts at the top. To read other travelers' comments, click on any title in a forum's left-hand frame, and the message will be displayed in the right-hand frame.

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Why don't the message titles change color after I've clicked on them?
All Internet browsers do not interpret a "followed" link in the same way. Many of you will notice that the moment you click on a message title for the first time, it changes color. If that doesn't happen, your browser may require that you reload the frame you're looking at before the links will appear followed.

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How can I post my own message?
Posting a new message is quick and easy. You must be registered to post a new message. First, select the forum that best applies to your question. Then click on POST A NEW MESSAGE (right under the forum name), and a new screen will appear. When you are registered and logged on, your screen name will appear automatically.

Then, select one or more search topics that describe your message. Finally, create a title - make sure it is concise and clearly describes your message (and destination, if applicable) -- and write your message in the space provided, then hit the button marked POST MY MESSAGE. The screen will reload, and you'll see the title of your message at the top of the left-hand frame and your message itself displayed in the right-hand frame.

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How do I reply to someone else's message?
You must be registered to reply to a message. Click on POST A REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE on the top or POST A REPLY on the bottom of the right-hand message frame and a new screen will appear. If you are registered, your screen name will appear automatically.

Create your message and hit the button labeled POST MY REPLY. The message thread that you replied to will reload in the right-hand frame with your comments now attached to the bottom of the message.

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How do I register to participate in the forums?
Registration is free -- it's also quick and easy. All you need to do is provide a screen name, a valid e-mail address, and a password. We will not display your e-mail address in the forums unless you want us to. If you do want your e-mail address to display, check the "display my e-mail address" box when you register or on your profile page. See our privacy policy for more details.

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I just registered for the forums - why am I being asked to check my e-mail for a confirmation?
Once you register, we immediately send you an e-mail to confirm that your e-mail address is accurate. Click on the URL in the e-mail to activate your registration, and you're ready to talk with travelers like you. You must activate your registration within three days or your account will automatically be deleted from the system and you will have to reregister.

If the confirmation link is invalid, e-mail registration@fodors.com, providing your screen name, registered e-mail address, and a copy of the URL, and we'll look into it.

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I never received my registration confirmation. What should I do?
Please send an e-mail to registration@fodors.com; please provide your screen name and registered e-mail address.

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I forgot my password and/or screen name. What should I do now?
Forgot your password or screen name? No problem. Go to http://www.fodors.com/login/forgot_password.html and follow the instructions. If you still have a problem, e-mail registration@fodors.com.

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Is it possible to have two or more screen names registered on one e-mail address?
No. For security purposes, we allow only one screen name per e-mail address.

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Will my e-mail address be displayed on the forums?
No, not unless you want it to. Your e-mail address will not be displayed on the forums unless you check the ?display my e-mail address? box when you register or on your profile page. If you change your mind about displaying your e-mail address, you can change the option on your profile page. To get to your profile page, click on ?Profile? in the top-left corner of the screen under the Fodors.com logo.

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I would like to change my screen name. Is this possible?
No, you cannot change a screen name for an existing account. If you wish, you can delete your account and reregister with a new screen name. You can reuse the e-mail address from your deleted account.

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How do I change my e-mail address?
Log in using your screen name and password. Go to your profile page by clicking on "Profile" in the top-left corner of the screen under the navigation bar. You will have to resubmit your password to access the page. You can also access your profile page from the "post a new message" or "post a reply" pages. Enter your new e-mail address on the profile page and click Submit.

Confirmation e-mails will be sent to both your new and old e-mail addresses. To activate your new e-mail address, you must click on the link in the e-mail sent to your new address within three days (or the change will not be made).

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How do I change my password?
Log in using your screen name and password. Go to your profile page by clicking on "Profile" in the top-left corner of the screen under the Fodors.com logo. You will have to resubmit your password to access the page. You can also access your profile page from the "post a new message" or "post a reply" pages. Enter (and confirm) your new password on the profile page and click Submit. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you.

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Can I change my security question or answer?
Yes. Log in using your screen name and password. Go to your profile page by clicking on "Profile" in the top-left corner of the screen under the navigation bar. You will have to resubmit your password to access the page. You can also access your profile page from the "post a new message" or "post a reply" pages. Change your security question or answer on the page and click Submit. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you.

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Can I delete my account?
Yes, you can delete your account on your profile page. Log in using your screen name and password. Go to your profile page by clicking on "Profile" in the top-left corner of the screen under the Fodors.com logo. You will have to resubmit your password to access the page. You can also access your profile page from the "post a new message" or "post a reply" pages. Toward the bottom of the page, click on "Click here to delete your screen name/account." Verify your password.

A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you. To complete the deletion of your account, you must click on the link in the confirmation e-mail within three days or the change will not be made.

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I want to post a trip report. Any suggestions?
You are welcome to post a trip report. If you title your message "Trip Report: ?" other users will be able to tell at a glance what it is.

A message can only contain approximately 3,000 characters, so if yours is longer than this, we suggest starting the thread with the first part of your report, and then giving the rest of the report as the subsequent posts on the thread.

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Can Fodors.com use the material I post?
We reserve the right to use the contents of the messages posted on the boards. Consult our Subscriber's Agreement for the details.

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How long will my message or reply remain available?
We don't have a time limit. However, if the number of messages ever causes loading delays in the forums, then we may cut back on how long we keep posts available.

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Can I sort out messages on a particular destination or topic?
Yes, you can restrict any of our forums to particular search topics (usually regional subareas, like countries or states; or on the Airlines, Cruises, and Other Topics forums, by subject) by selecting items from the scrolling search topic box at the top of each forum. You can choose to display just one topic or -- if you select multiple search topics by holding down your Apple or Control button -- any combination of topics.

In the Europe forum, for example, you could request that only messages on Italy be displayed, or all messages on Italy, France, and Switzerland.

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How come the scrolling topic box doesn't have every destination in a forum's region?
If you don't see a topic listed -- if the Asia list didn't include Mongolia, for example -- it's probably because no one has yet posted a message on that topic.

Or maybe the topic you're thinking of is either too specific or too general for us to include on our list -- just Paris, for example, or all of New England. In that case, try doing a text search.

You might also try looking in another forum. We've attempted to organize destinations by their primary geographic location -- take the Canary Islands, for example: A Spanish possession, but since they're off the coast of Africa, you'll find them in our Africa & the Middle East forum. Canc?n and Margarita Island lie along the Caribbean, but messages on those topics go in the Latin America forum, along with all the other Mexico and Venezuela posts.

Only Russia and Turkey, which straddle continental boundaries, get special treatment: Each is listed in Europe; Russia is also an option in our Asia forum; and Turkey is a topic in Africa & the Middle East

.

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What if I want to search your forums for a certain word or phrase?
If you're looking for information on a specific place or idea, you can use our text search to comb all the messages in a forum for particular words or phrases. ("London," for example, or "honeymoon," or "all-inclusive resorts.")

Just type your word or phrase in the text search box and then click FIND.

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Can I do a topic search and a text search at the same time?
Yes. Pick a forum, type in the word or phrase you want found, select the search topics (hold down your Apple or Control button for multiple ones) that interest you, and hit FIND. Our search engine will return all messages that are on your chosen topic(s) and also contain the specified text.

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How do I get back to the complete version of a forum after I've narrowed it with a search?
To go back to the full list of threads in a forum, click on the name of the forum, at the top of the left frame.

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How do I change forums?
The quickest way to change forums is to use the "change forum" drop-down menu at the top of the left frame. You can also access a different forum by clicking on TRAVEL TALK HOME, on the left of the page below the Fodors.com logo.

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Can I print out a message? How?
Yes. Just click anywhere inside the right-hand frame first. That way your browser knows which frame you want to print.

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What does TTT mean?
Some Travel Talk participants use "TTT" as an abbreviation for "to the top" - they often "top" an old thread that answers a recent question.

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