It looks like the Board Index page is the highest level "table of contents" type page in the bulletin board/message board/forum section of the site. It also looks like the "Alpha Agora" graphic logo at the left end of the header on any page seems to be linked to the "Board Index" page and that also suggests that the "Board Index" page is the top page for all forums. To double-check that, I navigated to the site's home page. I saw there that the "Alpha Agora" text link in the Navigation Panel which is in the usual position on the home page (at the top of the left column) also connects to the "Board Index" page.
This seems to be the only section on the "Board Index" page which allows users to start their own new threads ("topics"). I mention this to explain why I'm creating this new thread about site-searching here.
[ "I'm tryin'!" I'm making a good faith effort "to do my part" as a user of the site. I'm viewing the site in two browser application windows in Google Chrome simultaneously, side-by-side. I'm writing this message in one window and I'm navigating the site in the other window, in order to copy URLs, etc. ]
I'm not complaining. As a forum participant, I'm most focused on the operation of that portion of the site, and I'm pleased by the operation of the Alpha Agora forum. I like the formatting and I like the use of the Trebuchet font. I think the "Bulletin Board code" produces some attractive, functional results.
1. I don't see an actual "Help" directory, only the "FAQ" text link on the Quick Links bar which may be shown on all pages or on most pages. That FAQ page is limited but it looks like this "board" is "produced, released and is copyright" as open-source freeware by phpBB Group, so I guess users had better "dive in" to the various forums at the developer's 'site if they want to learn more about this software. I guess "you get what you pay for."
2. I'd just like to mention that the "Private Message" interface bewilders me. I haven't used it enough in the past to have become familiar with it, but, gee... I don't want to invest substantial amounts of time trying to "figure it out" by trial and error. This is one example of a topic for which guidance doesn't seem to be adequate.
I guess Alpha Agora/Andrew can't compensate for the lack of adequate explanations of the operation of the "PM" feature, but I did want to mention this.
3. The site search feature doesn't seem to be working correctly. On my View your posts page these threads are listed:
a. ALLEGORY
b. trebuchet
They're hyperlinked, and the links are functional; the links connect to the two threads, but, when I search <allegory> in the site's search field (at the right side of the page header), entering the word either in all-caps as it's shown on the "View your posts" page, or in all lower-case, I'm told:
When I search <trebuchet> in the site's search field I'm not shown the old thread which is listed on my "View your posts" page. I'm only shown the messages which I recently submitted to the Upgrade for Alpha Agora thread, which is listed in the "Announcements" section on the Good Word Discussion page.Information
No posts were found because the word allegory is not contained in any post.
(Oh, Andrew, "while I'm talking to you..." My user name isn't displayed as "Jeff hook" {without capitalization of my last name} by my choice. I forget the details but I assume some error occurred when I first registered for the site and I was then unable to change the name. Could you use your administrative capability to capitalize my last name in my user name? Thanks!)
Jeff Hook