Leo, the issue you are dealing with now is simply a question of where to post a comment or question on a given topic. I wish more people here would think about that instead of just posting in whatever forum or group they find first.

Each of the last few years someone sent out email notifications about the Kindred Gathering, and I think there were announcements here and at ED.  For some reason none of that communication happened this year.

If you want to post somewhere that you are going and wondering who else may attend, I would suggest either the General Mountain Music Forum or the Group pages for the California Group and the Northwest Players Group.  However, I will warn you that the Groups have been a little inactive over the last few months. Maybe everyone's off at festivals.

Leo, you're very welcome. 

I agree it's best to let organizers post about their own event.  They may not have remembered it- in past years they have posted it here in Events.  Maybe they assume everyone is on FacePlant.   lol

BUT, you could create a General Forum thread mentioning that you are going...no harm in that I'd say.  Just click on the top of page LINK to Forums, and post a new thread in the  General Mountain Dulcimer Or Music Discussions  category.

I type pretty fast.  

------------

Lois, you posted your Single Instructor Event just fine.  If you stop trying to post in activity feeds you won't see that error message.

Thanks to all who have answered. I appreciate the information and encouragement. As to the info, I have to digest it all! Gosh, Strumelia, I hope all that was boiler plate from somewhere you cut and pasted OR that you're a very fast typist!

But without having read the responses in detail, what I had been looking to do was along the lines of, say, when I first got on the site and some people posted a hello. A general place or message board to say, 'gee I see the Kindred Gathering isn't listed here, but I was going to be there next week and thought some FOTMD members in Nor-Cal and Oregon may be interested...' And a link. Or not, if it's problematic. 

See, though I want to mention the KG and that I'm going, it's not my place to post a festival listing as others organize it and I don't know why they choose to not use FOTMD OR ED! So posting that gathering IS something I'm "not authorized" to do - by them! I will ask them about it when there. Maybe on that basis, I should not post anything about it (??? This seems counter-intuitive to me!), but in any case it has raised the general issue of messaging to people and the group. 

I'll read and plod.

Thanks again and ciao for now, Leo 

 From your page, select Events/Single Instructor Events.  Up comes a new page with the banner

 Discussions » Single-Instructor Workshops, Band & House Concerts, Club Activities, Monthly Jams

and at the right side of the banner, click the +  When you do a new page appears titled

with a text edit box below it where you type your information

O.k. I missed a step initially just posting something on my page.  Have just tried the Events, Single Instructor page with the plus sign.  Sorry for the multiple attempts, but at least none of them generated the dreaded "You do not have the proper privileges to perform that action!"

Leo, just to follow up on Strumelia's explanation, the Activity Feed is not a space unto itself. It it just a list with hyperlinks to what's been going on anywhere on the site (not just Groups, but the Forum, Events, Videos, etc.) so that people can join hot conversations here or there.  When I stop by FOTMD, the first thing I do is check the Activity Feed on the main page (not the one on my home page which only lists MY activity) so that I can see what's new.  As your last comment did, when you post somewhere it will show up on the Activity Feed.

If you want to create a listing for a new dulcimer festival such as the Harvest Festival of Dulcimers or the Kindred Gathering, start on your own page, click "Events," choose "Festivals" and then click "+" to add a new festival. When you do that, the activity feed will show that "Leo Kretzner has created a new event" and other people can click on that to see what you've been up to.  Once you have a festival listed once, it might be easier the next year to edit it by putting in the new dates, new guest artists, etc., rather than starting a whole new listing.  When you do that the Activity Feed will say "Leo Kretzner has updated an Event."

If any of this seems confusing, keep in mind that you asked your question in the right place, so you must know what you're doing, right?

P.S. My apologies to Ken Backer, whose thread here doesn't really have much to do with the activity feed subject.

p.p.s. Leo- I see that you did figure out how to post an Event several months ago, and have now also posted a couple of videos ...also that you found your way to this Site Questions forum.  Good on ya!  

Hi Lois, 

I'm hoping my above post to Leo helps clarify a bit on how FOTMD functions and why.  Please read it and let me know if there's something you don't understand still.

When you've written me in the past about your site navigation problems, I needed to have clearer descriptions of what you were doing when you got errors.  Otherwise I would have been just groping blindly in the dark if I tried to help.  Leo's description helped me to figure out what he was doing that resulted in the 'permissions' error, so I was then able to guess what was going on.  I hope you'll stick around a while!

Hi Leo,

Not all social network sites behave the same way, and yes I understand that it can be confusing.

But let me see if I'm correctly understanding your question:

One doesn't 'post a general comment' in order for it to show on the site's Main Page activity feed.  Instead, the Main page activity feed simply reflects what's been going on...things that members have posted or commented on elsewhere, all over the site.

I have the site set up so that Admins and Moderators ARE able to post right in their profile page activity feed (and by default that post will appear also in the Main Page activity feed).  That is so we can post site notices if needed.

However, I have the set set so that regular members are NOT able post updates into their activity feed (hence your error message when you try).  Why do I have it set this way?- because some folks would then start ONLY the feed to add all their content to the site and to have their thoughts appear on the Main page...they would try to hold discussions there in the activity feeds, expecting comments, etc.  This 'lite' participation method would not be a good thing. The Feed is not set up to do justice to any meaningful discussion, and also the content would sink down out of sight in the Feed and disappear before you could blink an eye.  Todays' posted content would be forgotten tomorrow, and it'd be purged after a few months as all main page Activity Feed entries are. This site is not FB, where all the activity rapidly scrolls by in one place- the feed. Instead, I try to present a place where people can interact in depth, and where members' content can remain in view in an organized way so as to benefit folks joining and looking for help for years to come.  FOTMD is already eight years old now, and has a huge amount of richly rewarding and helpful content.

FOTMD is not just an activity feed... it's like a social club where you can explore different areas of interest, and get to know others who share those interests.  
To post a video, you click the + button in your Video section on your profile page (and it appears in the main page activity feed). To post an audio clip, you do so from your profile page's Audio section.  Post a festival Event by clicking to your Events area. Post a photo by going to your profile page's Photos area.  For discussions: To post in the Discussion Forums, you click to the forum area from the Forums link along top of every page.  Click to the Groups link to browse or join a specific interest Group and post in that Group.  
Every time you participate  -by posting a video, a photo, an event, an audio clip, posting in or creating a group or forum discussion, or a comment on someone else's items... your action will appear in the Main Page Activity Feed.  But activity feed entries in themselves don't function as participation or action.  Try to think about what it is you want to post or add or say- then add it in the site area it should logically go... do you want to add a video? Or an Event, or a photo? Or start a forum discussion?  Did you see a video in the activity feed that you'd like to comment on or 'Like'?...then click on it and you'll be taken to the video itself where you can Like it or leave your comment.

Leo, I hope perhaps this helps to clarify a few things for you about how this site works.  Let me know if I have not explained it well enough or if you have more questions.  I'm glad to help if I can!

Leo and Ken, Thank you for posting this.  I can't begin to say how much this has confused me and kept me away.  Why do we get the "You do not have the proper privileges to perform that action" message.  There must be a purpose, but I, too, am definitely missing it.

Way back when I mentioned it to Strumelia, I was supposed to send in all kinds of documentation.  Just didn't have the time back then & just skipped FOTMD instead.  If this message hadn't shown up in my Inbox, I'd still be away.

Leo -- "Latest Activity" is the latest things that you have written, not the latest activity on the site as a whole.  From my page I click on Forum, then choose which Discussion I want to add something to  There I click the + to start a new thread

Hi Folks,

What do I need to do to post a general comment? (that would come up on 'latest activity')

If I go to my own page and click on 'latest activity' a text box, just like this one, opens up. So I write my comment - in this case including info about the Kindred Gathering coming up - but when I go to post it, or update I think it says, I get: "FOTMD says: You do not have the proper privileges to perform that action!"

What does this mean? It's extra confusing as it comes after just posting some videos and comments with those.

Do all general posted comments have to be in the context of a group? Or what? 

Or is it because I included a web address in the comment?

Thanks for the info!

Leo Kretzner

Ok Glenda, the new group has been created- go ahead and join it.  Have fun!

Yes, that would be great! I'm looking forward to getting Indiana going again. I know there lots of dulcimer players here. 

Ok, Glenda, I'm back-  

We have about +/- 60 different Groups here on FOTMD.  We do have Groups for 'some' US states, but not for others. For some subjects or areas there may not be enough interest to maintain a separate space for their activity.  Every couple of years, I go through the site's Group section and delete any Groups that have been completely inactive for over a year and that have none (or almost none) discussions, few members, and few comments.  Doing this keeps the Groups area of the site fresh.  I'm afraid the Indiana Group had been very long completely inactive and was thus deleted.

However, if you are interested in being active in, or overseeing the activity of a new Indiana Group, then I will be happy to create a new group and although i can't make you an actual site moderator, I can adjust it so that only you can create special sticky 'pages' in that group for any Indiana subject you might feel is helpful to the group members.  You could keep an eye on that group, start topics of interest perhaps, and let me or another FOTMD moderators know if there's ever a problem in the group that needs attention.

Shall I go ahead and create a new Indiana Group for you to help 'shepherd', Glenda?

Hi Glenda!- @glenda-hubbard - I have to go out the door right now for some doctor visits for several hours, but I'll be sure to come back and respond to your Indiana group question when I return home! 

I used to be the moderator for the Indiana group but. I can no longer find it has it been deleted ?  Will I have to create a new one or is it in the files somewhere and I just  cant find it? I've not been on for a while and check in occasionally but would like to activate the Indians group. Not sure I'm in the right category Glenda  

Hi Hoosier,

This is something I am in the process of changing around for Forums.  The site has just had a large software update and things are being changed a little and tweaked.

Please read my post of an hour ago where I talk about this forum post sequence, and follow that thread:

http://fotmd.com/forums/forum/site-questions-how-do-i/25868/software-updates-of-jan-2-report-bugs-here

When I click on a thread title, it shows the newest posts first, even if it's the first time I've visited the thread. This means I have to go to other pages just to see the first post. I've never seen a forum do this before. How do I change this?

The above issue is now CORRECTED in the email notification links!  

Thanks guys.   I know that it's not always intuitive and breezy to figure out how things work here-  partly because we are sooo used to things working a certain way.  We're on a whole different platform now, that was pulled around this way and that to make it function as closely as possible to how we have been used to for six years-  but some things are just plain built differently and we have to learn new 'work patterns' to get around and do stuff that used to be familiar but now works differently.

It's kind of like remodeling a house-  the entrance door used to be on the side, but you put a window there instead and relocate the door at the back so people can drive around and bring in their groceries in more easily...people will keep automatically knocking at the side window while fumbling for their keys....for a good long while...  lol.

I appreciate your extreme patience... the good news is that the place is pretty good already and will only get better slowly and steadily!  And we are now SAFE, updated, and expanded.  In contrast, the old site was being badly neglected by the old provider, and we were completely dependent on that company to keep it running FOR us.  Now there is no uncaring corporation to be dependant on anymore.  

Having those two options of how to join a forum is excellent. If you've been following it regularly, you would only want to see the most recent posts. Otherwise, you can join in the beginning and catch up. Some of these changes will be second nature to us all once we get used to the nuances of our new home.

WOW, thank you Strumelia for your work at educating us on what happens by clicking on different areas.

This has really helped and I appreciate your time and effort! 

Ken, great idea!  I'll be sure to put this in my 300 page "Tips on Navigating FOTMD" outline I was planning to write this afternoon! 

This will be wondnerful Lisa. Thanks for taking on this project.

Ken

"The dulcmer sings a sweet song."

I learned something new too! Thanks Lisa!!!

BINGO!  Never even considered clicking on the number.... thought it was just a counter!   Need to put this in your "Tips on Navigating FOTMD" file

Great!  And I didn't even have to 'fix' anything!  

I should mention however, that there IS something I'm working on fixing that is related but different-   When we are 'following' a discussion and we get an emailed notification of a new post, if we click the link in the email, we are not taken to the new post as we should be...instead we are taken to the reply box at the bottom of the discussion's first page.  This is something I currently AM working to correct.  

Works like a charm!

You guys are totally crackin me up

I need a bigger red pen.

Ken...now you'll have me counting the hairs in my hairbrush....     

(that last picture looks like a football play....)

('AngryFishingGuy' would doubtless have lots to say about all this!)   

Sheryl, KenH, KenBacker...?    Does this help you all?

LOL, Lisa. We are all discovering new things with the new site. You are doing a great job keeping things running smoothly. I hope you still have all of you hair, wits, and patience. Thanks.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It all makes sense. (But that doesn't mean that I'm not scared by the way Strumelia wields that red pen -- like an English teacher on a warpath!)

Ah you mean hovering over their Avatar picture on the right?  True!  though it doesnt give the exact time.

However, on the fotmd Main Page, in the lower left module titled "Latest Forum Posts"... it DOES tell you the last poster and the exact time of their post.  Also when yuo are THERE, clicking on the thread title WILL bring you to the latest post in the thread. (possibly because there's no other choices to click on)

Sorry I know that's a bit odd that it's different there than the other place, but hey nothing's perfect right?  Maybe I can do a rehaul down the road a ways...  or next year... when i'm old...  gettin there fast...  lol!  

For me it does, Lisa, but I can't answer for the others. I noticed that if you put your cursor over the last posters' name, you will see when they posted the last response.

I realize that this may not be terribly obvious, but does this help solve the issue?

I discovered it simply by trying to 'click differently' when I wasn't getting the result I expected.

Also, note the last poster's name, when they posted it, and shows their avatar...

Wow, I learned something new. Thanks Lisa.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi Lisa;

From the Home Page, click on Forums.  Select a Forum with lots of posts.  Select a Discussion with more than (I think) 25 posts.  When the Discussion opens the oldest posts will be first and at the bottom of the page is a Page Selector.  When you select Page 2 you see the most recent post(s).

Same thing happens if you start at the Forums Master Page and you select Discussions or Newest Posts.  When a Discussion with more than about 24 or 25 entries opens, you are seeing the very first entry, not the most recent...

Ok, I'd like to start taking a look at this issue, but i need to have an exact step-by-step description of how you get to this point where you arrive at the oldest posts of a forum discussion (which is what you don't want).  

Please be very specific about where you start from, and what you click on in the series of clicking that you are doing.  

Start from the beginning- where are you starting from?  Outline each click step for me please.

Hey folks, here is a useful Forums TIP !:

When you click on the top site LINK to Forums ,  you get to the main Forums page, but you'll have THREE TABS available to choose from, and each tab will show you a different view of what you might want to see: Discussions (which is the default view and shows all the forum Categories), Newest Posts (which shows newsest posts and by whom and when, in which forum disussions), and My Posts (which of course shows your own latest forum posts).  For example, here is the view when i go to the main Forums link and then click on the Newest Posts TAB.

And if you like that "Newest Posts" view in particular, you can always bookmark it to get there quickly whenever you like. 

No worries Nigel, glad to helped.  I've had that feeling for several months now...  

AHA!!!

Many thanks.....I was sure my brain was failing....even more

Nige,

click to "Forums" (top navbar links), then go to a forum category...for example "Off Topic Forums".

there, you should see a big Plus+ button the add a new discussion in that forum category.  See screenshot...

Help please!

I can post a response to other peoples discussions, such as this......but nowhere can I find how to start a new discussion in any of the forums???? No buttons, no text boxes? Am I going mad?...No, don't answer that one....is there something obvious I'm missing?

Nige

Hi Lisa, it would be nice when you go to a forum, like Drifting Thread, that the newest posts come up first instead of the older ones.  Down the road, I'm sure you are still up to your eyeballs.