• Home
• Sign Up
• FAQ
• Features
• Terms
• Screenshots
• Why Us
• Demo
• Community
• Support

Getting started!

Thanks again for choosing FreePowerBoards.com! Below are a few commonly asked questions people have when starting their free message board.

» How do I log into my control panel?
» How do I add members to my board?
» How do I make my message board private?
» How do I disable my board while I work on it?
» How do I put my message board online?
» How do I edit my message board's title?
» How do I change my message board's description?
» How do I get rid of these sample areas and make my own?
» How do I change the look of my message board?
» How do I add a logo to my message board?

-- How do I log into my control panel?
When you log in there will be an image/button that looks like this:

Clicking this will bring you to a re-authentication page (for security purposes). Enter your log in details again to access the control panel. (Note: If you don't like the re-authentication page you can always turn it off under Configuration in your control panel)

- Top -

-- How do I add members to my board?

Members are made when a visitor click the "Register" link and fill out the registration form.

- Top -

-- How do I make my message board private?

There are a few things you can do depending on what your intentions are. Invitation Only Mode - This feature makes it so only people you invite via your control panel can register. In the email they will receive an invitation code that will be required when registering.

• To enable Invitation Only Mode: You need to click the Configuration link under Board Utilities , then where it says Invitation Only switch it to Enable.
• To send invitations : Click the Invitations link under User Management then the Generate Invite button. Continue to fill out the form in order to send out the invitation.

Next is allowing only your members to see and make posts.

Members Only - To restrict access to posting to or viewing threads and topics you need to click Permissions under Board Utilities.Select the forum you would like to restrict and click Look up forum. Next you can either stay in simple mode and set to Registered or you can switch to Advanced mode and customize these settings further i.e allow anyone to see a forum but only members can post, etc.

- Top -

-- How do I disable my board while I work on it?

You can disable your message board to by clicking the Configuration link under Board Utilities and selecting the Yes button by Disable board.

You can also set an Disable board message directly below that.

(Make sure you save your changes)

- Top -

-- How do I put my message board online?

Your message board is online the second you sign up with us. Just tell your friends about it when you are ready to go Live!

- Top -

-- How do I change my message board's title?

You can change your message board's title by clicking the Configuration link and editing Site name field.

(Make sure you save your changes)

- Top -

-- How do I change my message board's description?

You can change your message board's description by clicking the Configuration link under Board Utilities and editing Site description field.

(Make sure you save your changes)

- Top -

-- How do I get rid of these sample areas and make my own?

Our message boards are made up of Categories which group related Forums or Topics. To set up your board click Manage Forums under Board Utilities. Here you can create your own Categories and Forums.

Once a Category and Forum are created you or your users can begin creating Threads in which people can post.

Also see our Flash Tutorial on Managing Forums.

- Top -

-- How do I change the look of my message board?

We offer a unique way to style your message board. At other sites you are restricted to choosing from premade themes. With us you can not only only choose form premade themes but you can edit any color a premade theme or even create your own custom theme!

• Using a premade theme: To use a premade theme click the Premade Themes link under Themes & Design. Here you will see a list of themes we have created for you to choose from. Here you can Preview, Copy or Add the theme.
  • Preview - See how your forum would look if you chose that style.
  • Copy - If you like a premade theme but would like to make a few changes you can use the Copy feature. This will grab all the colors from the selected theme and allow you to make changes then save it as one of your own.
  • Add - If you are ready to add a theme you can click the Add link to have it added to your list of installed themes.

  Creating a custom theme: If you would rather create your own custom theme all you need to do is click the Theme Builder link under Themes & Design. Here you enter HEX color codes (what are hex color codes?) or choose the perfect color from our detailed color picker.

Once you have either added or created the theme you would like to use you must then click the Configuration link under Board Utilities. Here you will see Board Style and a drop down menu to the right of that. This is a list of all the themes you have installed. Select the theme you would like to set your board to.

Below Board Style is Override user style, this will override all users' theme choices and only show the theme you have selected above. If this is turned off then you must update your own profile to correspond with the newly added theme or you will not see a change.

- Top -

-- How do I add a logo to my message board?

To add a logo to your message board click Change Logo under Themes & Design. Here you can either upload a logo saved on your computer or point to logo saved online.

NOTE: When trying to add a new logo your browser may be "caching" and will not show your logo at first. Please go to your Internet settings and clear your cache. (CTRL - F5)

IMPORTANT: Due to recent issues with this feature, only .GIF files are currently accepted. Thank you for your understanding. If you need assistance converting your file to .GIF please contact us .

- Top -