Accessing the Forum

There are different routes into the CCC Discussion Forum  main web page:

• Via the green button labelled 'have your say' on the left side of each web page; 
• Via the CCC website search page - simply search for forum; 
• By typing www.cumbria.gov.uk/forum directly  into your browser's address window.         

Security

Security within the forum is controlled by the moderators. Most topics will contain discussions that are "public" and which require no username/password either to read or post to. In such discussions you can contribute anonymously, but it is preferred if you identify yourself. 

If you are not a registered user then you should put your name and where you live in the Username box, eg. "Joe Public of Kendal", leave the Password field blank, and optionally put your Internet e-mail address, if you have one, in the Email field. You are advised to register as a forum user as this carries many benefits, not least the fact that you do not have to type in your full name every time you post a message.

Apart from the public discussions the moderator may apply the following restrictions:

• The discussion can be viewed by anyone, but only registered users can post messages; 
• The discussion can be viewed by anyone, but only registered users in a specific group can post; 
• The entire topic is private (marked with a padlock symbol), and only registered users in a specific group can read or post messages. 

Gaining Access to Topic Groups

When users register to use the forum using the self-registration facility they are set up in a "default" group.
However, any topics which have security restrictions for reading and/or posting will be set up in a different group, controlled by a specific moderator.

If you try to access a topic and find that you cannot read and/or post messages, even when you supply your username and password, then you will need to contact the moderator who controls the topic group and ask for your username to be added to the group. It is up to the moderator whether they will agree to your request. 

The topic groups are all displayed on the main topics page, and all moderators are listed under the Contact button on the forum navigation bar. 

However, don't assume that because you are not a member of a group that you will not be able to access any topics within it. Sometimes topics are in different groups just for the convenience of the moderators and group membership is not required for users. Try to access the topic first, and only contact the moderator if access is refused.