FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
UPDATED OCTOBER 2019
How do I use CivilWarTalk?
Anyone can freely read the content at CivilWarTalk.com, at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with or without a membership.
The full threads at SlaveryTalk, SecessionTalk, & ReconstructionTalk, are for Members Only, but registration is FREE, and very easy!
If you've never used an internet discussion forum, it may be a little confusing so let's talk about what a forum is, and how it works!
A forum is a community of like minded people who share a love or passion for a particular subject, in this case it's the American Civil War! They visit the forum to read what others have posted and add their own stories, comments and points of view, as well as photos and videos when they are appropriate.
A forum has parts, and to use it you'll want to understand those parts.
A Forum is not unlike a Library.
A Library has Books, and Forums have Threads.
A Library Book has Pages, and Forum Threads have Posts.
However there are major differences! Books can be quite different from Threads.
Books are typically written by one person and have a single story, or describe a particular subject as a complete project from start to finish. Books are rarely published as "unfinished works" unless the author is no longer alive to complete it.
Threads are started by a member who is sometimes referred to as the "OP" or Original Poster, someone who chooses a topic to discuss and writes the very first post in the thread and by posting it "Publishes" a new thread.
Then each post afterwards adds to the discussion, and also immediately adds to the "publication". After that the posts might be between two authors, or hundreds. It's also never easy to tell when a discussion has come to an end unless a thread has been locked. If a thread is open, anyone can add their comments to continue the discussion.
How Do I Participate?
Register First!
How do I Create a New Thread and Start a New Discussion?
If you want to start a new discussion thread, first find the correct forum page that is appropriate to your new discussion.
Use this page as an index to all available forums:
Then find and click the blue button labeled "Post New Thread" at the top right or the bottom right of the forum listing page. This will get you to the page to start a new thread as well as upload an Image Attachment!
How Do I Reply To a Thread with a Post?
If you want to reply to a thread, just go to the bottom of the thread, and you'll find an empty text box to write your message in.
Click the "Post Reply" button to save your message!
How much do I have to pay to use CivilWarTalk.com?
Nothing! CivilWarTalk.com is a completely free web site! Our message board does have a voluntary membership, but you can register to use it for free!
If you would like to help support CivilWarTalk.com and become a Patron Member, you will help us maintain our server and grow our services for the community!
Join as a Patron Member Today! Thanks to all the Patrons of CivilWarTalk.com!
Why Can't I See All The Threads At CivilWarTalk.com?
The full threads at SlaveryTalk, SecessionTalk, & ReconstructionTalk, are for Members Only, but registration is FREE, and very easy!
Will CivilWarTalk, LLC keep my personal information private?
Absolutely, yes! CivilWarTalk, LLC is committed to keeping your personal information private. We strive to keep your email address spam free, and confidential. We do not require any member's personal information to be publicly displayed. If you require further information please refer to our
Privacy Statement.
What may I do to keep my account safe?
This forum has built-in features that attempt to detect hacking and hijacking. In regards to the latter, a guest may be "locked out" from logging in for several minutes if he fails five times to enter the correct password.
Speaking of passwords, you would do well to use a strong password, and choose a different one for each website you make an account for. Of course, if someone has the skill and is determined enough, he may compromise your account anyway, but by taking steps to secure your account, you will lessen the probability of heart ache or annoyance.
Have you made sure your password is secure?
- Does it contain at least 8 characters?
- At least 40% of which are numbers?
- There are no dictionary words at all?
- Is just a random mix of numbers and letters?
- You changed it in the last month or two?
- You haven't told anyone it or written it down where someone else may see it?
Here is an article that members may find helpful, especially the not-so-computer-savvy among us:
5 Tips For An Unbreakable Password
Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake.
There are certain specific guidelines you need to follow to choose a safe and secure password. Use the following tips as a "how to" on making your password secure.
- Your password must be alphanumeric. That simply means a mixture of numbers and letters such as xpf2778z. Why? When a hacker tries to break into a system they often use what are called dictionary or brute force hacks. A dictionary hack is an application that simply uses standard words and word combinations in an attempt to guess your password. For example many computer users use the word "password" as their actual password. A dictionary hack would crack that password in a few moments. Using alphanumeric passwords increases the number of possible password combinations by millions.
- It should be 8 - 12 characters in length. The longer the password the harder it is for a hacking program to get around. If your password was abc then there are 6 possible password combinations. If your password was abc123 there are now over 720 password combinations possible. If your password was abc1234 there are now almost 6,000 possible combinations. Never, ever use a short password only comprised of letters.
- Never use personal details in your password. People often use their home address, their age, husband or wives name, their social security number or their date of birth. These are incredibly easy to get access to by either a fellow employee or potential system hacker. Your password needs to be secure and hard to guess and personal details meet neither of these criteria.
- Do not write your password down anywhere. Keeping a record of your password for somebody to find is dangerous. Create a memorable password that you'll have no problem recalling. This is not as hard as it sounds and if you jot some password ideas down you'll quickly come up with some good ones. Obviously burn the piece of paper you jotted your ideas down on.
- Do not use the same password for more than 90 days. Create several variants of the same password and recycle them every 60 - 90 days. This adds an extra layer of security to your data. By recycling your password frequently you make your data 1000% more secure. You'll notice that most large corporations force their employees to change their password every month for this exact reason.
Hopefully these tips will help you choose a password that's both safe and secure and that you'll have some fun creating your new passwords too! Have a safe time using the internet!
What should I do if I forgot my account password?
What am I allowed to post on CivilWarTalk.com?
Many things, but not everything. For instance, you may not post copyrighted material on the Forum without the owners permission. You also may not post commercial messages in conversational areas.
What's the rank structure of this forum?
Ranks are determined by your status (Registered Member, Moderator, Webmaster) and how many posts you have made at CivilWarTalk. The forum automatically updates members' ranks (if any need updating) once every hour (specifically, the 25th minute of each hour). You may have to wait until the update script runs to see a new rank.
- New Members: Cadet
- 25 Posts: Private
- 250 Posts: Corporal
- 500 Posts: Sergeant
- 1000 Posts: First Sergeant
- 1750 Posts: Sergeant Major
- 2500 Posts: 2nd Lieutenant
- 3500 Posts: 1st Lieutenant
- 5000 Posts: Captain
- 7500 Posts: Major
- 10,000 Posts: Lt. Colonel
- 12,500 Posts: Colonel
- 17,500 Posts: Brevet Brigadier General
- Moderators: Brigadier General
- Super Moderator: Major General (Ami) & Other Special Awardees
- Webmaster: Lieutenant General (CivilWarTalk)
Can I become a moderator?
Possibly, but only when we're in need of them. Don't start a conversation asking to be one prior to that time.
Who can I contact about Ancestry and/or Genealogical questions?
Please do not ask the webmaster your Ancestry and/or Genealogical questions, unfortunately he does not have the resources to answer such questions.
These questions are better answered in our community forums "Researching Your Civil War Ancestry".