Log in, registration and getting started

Why do I need to register?

You can read the discussions on Cancer Chat without registering, but you will need to register to start a discussion, post a message or send a private message to another Cancer Chat member. Registering only takes a few minutes, please visit the Cancer Chat registration page to register.

How do I register?

1.Click on the pink 'register' button at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2.Create your account by completing the registration process

3.Fill in your profile information, including a profile picture and uploading an avatar image

Other Cancer Chat members will be able to see your username and your profile page. Any other details (your full name and email address) will remain private and are covered by our privacy policy.

I have registered and still haven't received my welcome email. What should I do?

Before you can complete the registration process, you should receive a welcome email with instructions on how to validate your email address. If you haven't received this email, try:

1.Checking the 'junk' folder in your email program - the welcome email may have got filtered as unwanted mail

2.Register again with an alternative email address, making sure you enter it correctly (you may have mistyped it the first time)

If neither of these methods work, please let us know using the ‘contact us’ link at the bottom of every page of the forum

Why do I have to enter a code when I register?

The code that you are asked to input when you register is designed to stop machines or spambots registering on Cancer Chat and spamming the forum.

Now that I am registered, how do I log in?

Once you have registered, you can log in using the pink 'login' button in the blue bar at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage. You will need to enter the username and password that you registered with.

Why can't I log in?

If you are registered but cannot log in to Cancer Chat, please double check your username and password and that caps lock is not on.

If the problem persists, please follow the steps for forgotten password.

What shall I do if I have forgotten my password or if I want to change it?

1. Click on 'log in' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Click the question mark next to the password box

3. Enter your username. The system will send an email to the email address you gave us when you registered

4. You will receive an email containing a link which you need to click on to reset your password

If you still have problems logging in please let us know, using the pink 'contact a moderator' button on the right hand side of the Cancer Chat homepage.

How do I upload an avatar and profile photo?

A profile picture is the photo that will appear on your profile page. An avatar is a picture that will appear by each of the messages that you post.

Adding a photo or avatar to your profile is quick and simple. You'll just need to follow these steps:

1.Log in to Cancer Chat

2.Click 'your area' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

3. Click 'profile' in the drop down list

4. Click 'change profile photo and avatar' on the right hand side of the page

5. Upload a profile photo and select one of Cancer Chat's avatars and click 'save'

You can also upload your own avatar picture:

1. Click 'browse' and select the image from your files and click 'open'

2. Click 'upload'

3. Click on the image you have just uploaded

4. Click 'save settings'

Privacy and security

Once I've registered, what information will Cancer Chat members be able to see about me?

You are able to view your profile as seen by Cancer Chat members during stage 3 of the registration process.

Cancer Chat members will be able to see your username and your profile page. Any other details (your full name and email address) will remain private and are covered by our privacy policy.

Your preferences and settings

How do I view and edit my profile?

You must be registered and logged-in to view your profile. To view and edit your profile from any page within Cancer Chat:

1. Click on 'Your account' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Profile' from the drop down list

3. Click 'Edit profile' on the right hand side of the page to edit your profile

What is 'Your view'?

You must be registered and logged-in to Cancer Chat to access 'Your view'. 'Your view' allows you to customise the Cancer Chat homepage. You can do this by:

1. Clicking 'Personalise' on the 'Your view' tab on the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Personalise the 'Your view' page by selecting content boxes and dragging and dropping each box into the position that you wish.

How do I change my email notifications?

You need to be logged-in to change your email notifications.

1. Click on 'Your account' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Your preferences' from the drop down list

3. Select the 'Edit email preferences' tab. Here you will be able to change which emails you receive and how often you receive them

Where can I go for help with viewing the page on my computer and help with my keyboard and mouse?

We want everyone to be able to use our website regardless of their computer knowledge or disabilities. We have designed our website to be as accessible as possible, in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

There are also some very simple services already built in to your computer that will help you make it easier to access the information you want on our website.

About Cancer Chat

What are your terms and conditions for? And where can I find them?

Terms and conditions are legal requirements that you must agree to before posting on Cancer Chat. There is a link to our terms and conditions at the bottom of all pages on Cancer Chat.

Using Cancer Chat

How do I start a new discussion?

You need to be registered and logged-in to start a new discussion on Cancer Chat.

1. Click 'New discussion' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Discussion' from the drop down list

3. Next, select the topic area from the drop down list. Try to select the topic which is most relevant to your discussion (as this is where your discussion will be found)

4. Give your message a subject. Try and give your discussion a name that is as accurate and relevant as possible. This is helpful to other members who are searching for discussions relating to a specific topic.

5. Write your discussion in the space provided

6. Select the cancer type that your discussion is about. This makes it easier for other members to search for specific discussions relating to a particular cancer type

7. Add tags to your message by selecting them from the list, or typing them.You can find more information about tags here

8. Click 'Post message'

Where should I place my new discussion?

Select a topic area that your discussion is most relevant to. This is helpful to other members who are searching for discussions relating to a specific topic and will ensure you get relevant replies to your message.

The topic areas available on Cancer Chat are:

• Causes, risk and prevention
• Symptoms, testing and diagnosis
• Treatment and clinical trials
• Coping with cancer
• Dying with cancer
• Off-topic
• Cancer Chat tips
• General cancer discussions

How do I reply to an existing message?

You need to be registered and logged-in to reply to a post.

Click the 'Reply' button within the post you'd like to respond to. Your response will then be added to the end of the discussion.

How do I view the discussions I have started?

1. Click on 'Your account' in the blue bar at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage.

2. Select 'Discussions' from the drop down list

3. This will show you a list of all of the discussions that you have started.

How do I edit or delete a discussion that I have started?

To edit a discussion that you have posted

1. Click on 'Edit' which appears in the right hand menu

2. Edit your message

3. Confirm the change by clicking 'Post message'

You are only able to delete discussions that you have started, and have no replies to them. To delete a discussion that you have started.

1. Click on 'Delete' which appears in the right hand menu

2. Confirm your decision by clicking on 'Delete discussion'

How do I edit or delete a message that I have posted?

To edit a message that you have posted:

3. Click on 'Edit' which appears at the bottom of the message that you wish to edit

4. Edit your message

5. Confirm the change by clicking 'Post message'

To delete a message that you have posted,

1. Click on 'Delete' which also appears at the bottom of the message

2. Confirm your decision by clicking on 'Delete discussion'

How do I use tags to categorise my discussion?

Tags are a way of labelling your discussion with keywords. Tagging a discussion makes it easier for members to search for and to identify relevant discussions to join in with.

Add tags to your message by selecting them from the list, or typing them. Use a space to separate multiple tags and use an underscore to combine two words. For example bone_cancer.

How do I use 'Cancer type' to categorise my discussion?

Choosing a cancer type for your discussion is a way of labelling it with the type of cancer that your post relates to.

This makes it easier for other Cancer Chat members to search for specific discussions relating to a particular cancer type and join in.

Select the cancer type that your discussion is about by clicking on the relevant tick box.

How do I send private messages to other members?

You need to be registered and logged-in to send a private message. There are various ways to send a private message to another Cancer Chat user:

1. View the Cancer Chat member's profile by clicking on their avatar picture

2. Once you are on the user's profile page, select 'Send private message' on the right hand menu

Alternatively you can

1. Click on 'Your account' at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Private messages' from the drop down list

Once on the private messaging page:

3. Click on 'Compose private message' on the right hand side of the screen

4. You can either type in the username of the Cancer Chat member to wish to send a private message to, or click 'Select people' and search for the member

No private information, such as the user's email address, is ever disclosed in a private message.

How do I report a private message to a moderator?

If a member sends you a private message that you feel breaks our terms and conditions or house rules, please report the message to a moderator by forwarding the message to Flag_Abuse user.

How do I use bookmarks?

You can bookmark discussions to return to them easily. To bookmark a discussion:

1. Select the discussion that you wish to bookmark

2. Click 'Bookmark this discussion' in the right hand menu

To view and edit your bookmarks:

1. Click on 'Your account' in the blue bar at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Bookmarks' from the drop down list

3. You will see a list of your bookmarks

How do I add a friend on Cancer Chat, and what does it mean?

You can add a Cancer Chat member as a friend by:

1. Going to their profile page

2. Select 'Add user as a friend' from the right hand menu

3. Add a personal note to the friend request

4. When the Cancer Chat user accepts your friend request, you will be friends

To view and edit your friends:

1. Click on 'Your account' in the blue bar at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'Friends'from the drop down list

3. You will see a list of your friends

What are 'RSS feeds'?

You can find information about RSS feeds on our Patient Information website.

Searching on Cancer Chat

How do I search for discussions on Cancer Chat?

To search Cancer Chat:

1. Type what you are looking for (your keywords) into the search bar in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Click 'Go'

3. Cancer Chat will then show you a list of all relevant discussions with keywords highlighted

4. You can see if the keywords you searched for appear in the post subject, message body, tags or cancer type

5. You can sort the search results by relevance, subject and date

6. Click on the appropriate discussion to read it in depth

How do I make my search more specific?

Clicking on 'More options' allows you to restrict your search to a particular topic area or Cancer Chat member.

You are also able to search for a particular topic and tags. To do this click on 'Browse' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage and select either 'Topics' or 'Tags'.

What should I do if my search is not bringing up many results?

Search tips gives you hints and tips on how to make the most of the search function.

If you are not getting the results that you wish from your search results - this is a good place to look for advice on how to improve your search.

How do I search for other Cancer Chat members?

To search for Cancer Chat members:

1. If you are logged-in, click 'Browse' in the blue bar across the top of the Cancer Chat homepage. If you are not logged-in, select the people icon on the top right of the Cancer Chat homepage

2. Select 'People' from the drop down list

3. You can search Cancer Chat members by:

• Browsing alphabetically using the 'Filter this list' function
• Typing their name into the search bar

Moderation

Who are the Cancer Chat moderators?

We have a team of experienced, dedicated and friendly moderators who are here to make sure that all discussions within the Cancer Chat community are inclusive, supportive and accurate.

Our team of specialist cancer nurses support our moderators, to help this happen.

Our moderators will occasionally post messages on the site and can be identified by having the word 'moderator' in their username.

What do the Cancer Chat moderators do?

The Cancer Chat moderators moderate the forum to try to stop any misleading information being posted, as well as anyone misusing Cancer Chat or breaking the terms and conditions. This sometimes means that we edit or remove messages that have been posted.

Cancer Chat is your space to talk about cancer. So for that reason we don't edit content, remove posts or ban members without a good reason. Any actions that we take are to protect the Cancer Chat community.

Why has my post been removed?

If your post has been removed, it will be because it breaks our terms and conditions.

Your post may be temporarily removed if a number of Cancer Chat members report your post as breaking the terms and conditions. In this occurrence, our moderation team will review it and make the decision to either delete or restore your post.

How can I contact a moderator?

Please use the pink 'Contact a moderator' button on the right hand side of every page.

What should I do if I am concerned about a message that has been posted on Cancer Chat?

If you think that someone is posting misleading information, misusing the site or breaking the terms and conditions, please contact a moderator by using the 'Report this message' button on their post. You can also click on the pink 'Contact a moderator' button on the right hand side of every page.

Finding more information about cancer

How do I know if something that I read on Cancer Chat is correct?

We recommend that you confirm the accuracy of information by:

1. Asking your doctor, nurse or other medical professional

2. Checking Cancer Research UK's patient information website, CancerHelp UK which provides over 6,000 pages of up-to-date, reliable information relating to all aspects of cancer and is written by specialist cancer information nurses

3. Calling our cancer information nurses who offer a confidential telephone helpline service for anyone affected by cancer in the UK, 08084040. You can also email our cancer information nurses

How do I get more information from Cancer Research UK?

If you would like more information on any discussion topics on Cancer Chat, there are a number of information resources that may help:

1.CancerHelp UK is Cancer Research UK's free online information service about cancer and cancer care

2. Calling our cancer information nurses who offer a confidential telephone helpline service for anyone affected by cancer in the UK, freephone 0808 800 4040.You can also email our cancer information nurses

3. The main Cancer Research UK website offers more information about cancer, Cancer Research UK and how to support us

4. Cancer Research UK's Healthy living website has information on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle

Where can I get information and support specifically for young people?

There are plenty of websites, forums and help lines specifically for young people affected by cancer:

1. Teen Info on Cancer (TIC) is a site dedicated to providing information for people between 12 and 24 who have been affected by cancer. It has information, practical advice, and support on all aspects of cancer. There is also an online community of young people affected by cancer

2. RipRap is a website aimed at helping young people cope when one of their parents has cancer. It has information, support, advice and forums

3. CancerHelp UK also has links to other organisations that offer information and support for children and young people with cancer

I am a US citizen. Where can I get more information about cancer that may be more relevant to me?

Cancer Chat is a UK site, so it is likely to contain information about the UK's healthcare system and people may use terminology or mention treatments that are specific to the UK. The American Cancer Society has a large online forum which you may find more helpful.