I figured that since I made a Chat Help topic years ago and it helped people that making a forum one would be a good idea, too, seeing as we are on a new forum.
There are a few things that I would like to point out before getting into the actual “Help” part of this post…
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The new forum is powered by Discourse, opposed to ground(ctrl), who does the main site (everything aside from the forums) and did the forums in the past few years.
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The forums are no longer just for LP Underground members. Now normal LinkinPark.com members can access the forum, but they do not have access to everything. Only LP Underground members can see and post in the Categories that have the symbol next to them. Remember this when making a topic, so you know who can and can’t see your posts!
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This topic is going to be constantly updated. Just like everyone else, I’m still learning new things about the forum, and there always might be something I missed. If you need help with something, just ask! I check the forums multiple times a day.
##Basic Formatting
For a lot of this stuff, there is going to be a few ways to do a specific method, but I will only be covering the easiest ways so it is less complicated for everyone to read and right to the point.
Bold Text:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type <b>YOUR TEXT HERE</b> to get the same result. You can also hit CTRL + B on your keyboard. Example: Example Text
Italic Text:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type <i>YOUR TEXT HERE</i> to get the same result. You can also hit CTRL + I on your keyboard. Example: Example Text
Underline Text:
Type <u>YOUR TEXT HERE</u>. Example: Example Text
Strikethrough Text:
Type <s>YOUR TEXT HERE</s>. Example: Example Text
Subscript and Superscript Text:
Type <sub>YOUR TEXT HERE</sub> and <sup>YOUR TEXT HERE</sup>. Example: Example Text and Example Text
This type of formatting can be used more than once on a specific set of words. Example: Example Text Example Text
Linking Text:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type <a href="http://example-website.com/">YOUR TEXT HERE</a> to get the same result. Pasting a plain link will automatically link it. Example: Example Text
Personally, the link button in the formatting bar makes things complicated, I would just used the HTML code.
Quote Text:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type >YOUR TEXT HERE to get the same result. You can also hit CTRL + Q on your keyboard. Example:
Example Text
You can also quote quotes by adding more >. Example:
Example Text
Example Text
Preformatted Text and Code:
There are two different types of this formatting. There is a version that is meant for in text use, and a version meant for being on it’s own. Hitting the button in the formatting bar above the text box will automatically decide which one is better for where you are currently typing. You can also type one of the following:
`YOUR TEXT HERE`
or
YOUR TEXT HERE (4 spaces before the text, on a new line)
Examples: Example Text
Example Text
Images:
Images have a lot of different methods. Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, type <img src="http://example-website.com/image.png"/>, paste a link on a new line, or even just paste an actual image here! Just a reminder, hitting CTRL + V on your keyboard pastes! Example:
Lists:
There are two types of lists: numbered and bulleted. Each has it’s own button to use: and . You can also manually number each line or add a dash before the line to number it automatically. Adding a dash with a space before it will bullet it. Example:
1. Hybrid Theory
- Meteora
- Minutes to Midnight
A Thousand Suns
Living Things
- Hybrid Theory
- Meteora
- Minutes to Midnight
A Thousand Suns
Living Things
You need at least one empty line between a list normal text, otherwise it will be included in the list still. Hitting CTRL + U on your keyboard will also quickly make a new bulleted list item.
Headings:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type #YOUR TEXT HERE on a new line to get the same result. Adding multiple # makes the heading smaller. Example:
###Example Text
You cannot avoid the big gap in between the normal text and the heading.
Dividers:
Hit the button in the formatting bar above the text box, or type at least 3 dashes on a new line with blank lines above and below to get the same result. Example:
Example Text
---
Example Text
Example Text
Example Text
Smilies / Emoji:
There are a TON of smilies you can use, so many I can’t even put them here myself, so here is a link to a page that includes every code that works on the forums: http://www.emoji-cheat-sheet.com/
Recently they just added a new button to the bar that looks like that shows every emoji now, much easier than before.
onebox:
One box is a feature on Discourse forums that automatically embeds multiple types of links into a post. I have already mentioned images above, but it can also be used for YouTube videos, Wikipedia articles, and much more! For example:
Using onebox, you must paste the link on a new line, on its own. It cannot be surrounded by text. Here is a topic on the Discourse forums that talks all about onebox: http://virtualhost-originpull.discourse.org/t/what-is-a-onebox/276
Polls:
This only applies to topics, more specifically, the first post in it. By starting the name of your topic with "Poll: " and adding a bulleted list to the first post, it will make a post that you and others can vote on! You can also choose to hide the results so only you can see them, or close the poll so no one else can vote. Here’s an example of a poll I made earlier: http://forums.lpunderground.com/t/poll-whats-your-favorite-lp-underground-cd/4474?u=triplexero
Editing Your Post:
If for some reason you need to edit your post, under every post is a edit button that looks like that will let you edit the post. If it is the first post of the thread, you can also edit the title and category. If you want to state why you are making your edit, you can above the textbox.
Deleting Your Post:
If you posted something that you don’t want there no matter what, click the button that looks like . You may need to click the button first to show it. Deleted posts to not truly delete right away, it takes time.
Quoting, Replying, and Mentioning:
Every post has a reply button on it. Clicking this will make your post be directed towards a certain person, and they will get a notification. If you just want to quote a certain person, highlight the text you want to quote and a popup will appear asking if you want to quote it. You can also mention people in your posts by typing an @ followed by their username. Example: @purrfect Hey! I’m using you as an example!
##Forum Functionality
Discourse forums have a lot more to offer than the average forum, but at the same time, have less to simplify things.
Pages:
There are no pages on these forums. Scrolling down or up will automatically load new or old content, removing the need for pages. This is very nice, seeing as the pages on the ground(ctrl) forums are very broken. On pages with lots of posts there is a bar that looks similar to a loading bar on the bottom of the page that will let you jump to specific posts.
Categories:
Categories are what every (or mostly every) topic is placed into. They are used to organize and keep track of each topic, and also restrict certain members from seeing the topic, depending on where you put it. Only LP Underground members are able to see posts made in categories with a symbol by the name. You choose what category you want your topic to be in right next to where you type the name of the topic. If you are unsure of where your post belongs, check out each topic at the top of the page through the dropdown, they have pinned posts explaining what each one is about.
Stars:
Next to each topic is a star that looks like . By clicking the star it will become red and you have starred the the topic. Starring the topic makes it easier to find topics that you want to save. At the topic of the main forum page, there is a section that shows only the topics you have starred.
Likes:
Somewhat similar to starring, likes can be used to save things for later. Unlike starring, it can be done on any post, and it is public, so anyone can see the like. Below every post there is a heart that looks like . Clicking it will like that post. By liking a post, you are showing your appreciation for it. There is a section on your profile that shows every post you have liked.
Bookmarks:
Almost completely similar to liking something. The only difference is it is not public so no one else can see what you bookmark. The button is located near the like button and looks like . A list of your bookmarked posts can be found by clicking your avatar in the top right corner of the screen.
Reporting:
If there’s a post that you find does not belong on the forums, click the button to flag it. When you click this you are given a few options to pick from, depending on what you think the specific post is guilty of. Do NOT flag a post unless it needs to be flagged. Flagging posts is only show to LPU moderators.
Linking:
By clicking the button on post, you are creating a link that jumps directly to that post. You can copy the link, or click one of the buttons to post it to a specific site. Remember that only certain members can view certain topics.
Badges:
Badges are fun little achievement like things that you can earn for doing things on the forum. By clicking the button in the top right of the page you can find a list of all the badges, showing how to earn them, if you’ve earned them, and who all has earned them. Just remember, you’ll never beat my badge count 
.
Preferences:
All you settings that affect you and your profile are found by clicking your avatar in the top right corner of the screen. To change your name, avatar, or email you need to go to http://linkinpark.com/account/avatar . Once you change them, you need to log out of the forums (NOT the main site. This is also found by clicking your avatar in the corner) and logging back in.
Notifications:
By clicking the in the top right corner you can see your notifications. You get these for various things like replies, posts on your topics, posts on topics you are following, getting badges, and more.
Search:
By clicking the in the top right corner you can search the forums. You can also hit CTRL + F on your keyboard. Depending on where you are searching from, you can do special searches. Searching from a profile allows you to search posts mentioning that user. Searching in a topic allows you to search just that topic.
(just tried your Emoji link)