Sterling Bulletin Board FAQ Here are answers to some of the questions you may have about the Sterling Community Bulletin Board. What kinds of messages can I post on the bulletin board? Are there any restrictions on posts to the bulletin board? How do I post a message? Can I use html tags anywhere in my posts? Why are there colons in the message section when I try post a followup? Why didn't my post show up? How do I remove a message? How do people respond to my posted messages? What kinds of messages can I post to the bulletin board? The Sterling Community Bulletin Board is intended to operate like the real bulletin boards you sometimes see on your way in or out of the grocery store. Some popular topics are items for sale, pet giveaways, yard/garage/moving sales, roomates wanted, apartments for rent, houses for rent, individual services offered (babysitters, lawn mowing, handymen, etc.), community events, fund-raising events, or public service announcements. You can also post personal messages, provided you don't mind everyone who comes to the board seeing them. Are there any restrictions on posts to the bulletin board? Yes. First and foremost, the general rules of free speech apply. You can say pretty much anything you want, provided it is not libelous, defamatory or obscene. The board is not intended for use by businesses. If you're an individual offering a product or service for a fee, that's fine, but we don't want the board to become filled with ads from businesses. We reserve the right to remove any message on the board if it violates these rules or if, for any reason, we think the message is detrimental to the bulletin board or those using it. How do I post a message? The main board has a form you can use to create a new message and post it to the board. Each "thread" or group of related messages under a single heading, also contains a form for adding your message to that thread. If you post a message using the new message form on the main page, a new thread will be created using the subject in your message. Can I put html tags anywhere in my posts? No. You can not use HTML tags in any field except body of the message. Why are there colons in the message when I try to post a followup? Colons appear in the message dialog box when you try to followup up on a message to indicate that those lines are quoting the previous document. Why didn't my post show up? Your post most likely did not show up, because your browser did not reload the page, it simply pulled it out of cache. Please reload your browser and it should then appear. How do I remove a message? To remove a message that's outdated, you must contact us at webmaster@shopsterling.com and ask to have it removed. All messages will be removed once they've been on the board for 30 days. If that happens to your message and you want to reinstate it, simply repost it. How do people respond to my posted messages? Your message will include your email address, if you fill out that box on the form. But you can also include your telephone or fax number, if you don't mind it being available to anyone who reads your message. Of course, anyone who wants to can simply post a reply to your message under the same topic, using a followup message.