Reading the forum posts
Anyone can browse and read the posts. No account is required. Simply click on the Forum index link above to return to the main page. You can quickly see which are the most active forums by looking at the number of Topics and Posts. The Last Post column let's you know how long it's been since someone has commented on a given topic.
Click on a forum that interests you: General Book Discussion, Early Literacy Discuss, etc. then click on a topic from the list to read to the posts.
Setting up an account to add your own topics and posts
To participate in the discussions, you'll need an account. This can be set-up automatically online and all you need is a valid e-mail address.
Click on the Create new account link under the login button on your right. Enter the username you'd like (this will appear on all your posts), your email address and then answer the little question at the bottom. This question is used to stop automated programs call Spambots from logging on and filling up the site with useless advertisements (or worse). Your email is kept on file in case you forget or lose your password. It's never given out, sold or used to send you anything other than a new password.
When you've finished filling out the form, press the Create new account button at the bottom. An e-mail will be sent to the address given with a link. Click it and you'll come back to the site. Enter the password you'd like to use in both places and press the Update button. You must set-up a password here. The link in the e-mail is only good for a single login. You're all set and ready to post!
Adding new topics and posts
Once you're logged into your account, you can add as many topics and posts as you like (the more, the better!). Go to the discussion you'd like to participate in and click the Post new forum topic link to start a new topic. Give your topic a title and then write away. Press Preview when your done to view how your message will look. If you're happy with it, press Submit to add it to the forum or you can re-edit it and try again by pressing Preview until you're ready.
To add comments to a topic that's already in progess, press Reply under the message you'd like to comment on. Just like above, fill in your details and press Preview and then Submit when you're ready.
If later on you'd like to change or delete a topic or post you've made, just find it in the forum and you'll see a link to Edit anything you've added. You can delete a post with the Delete button at the bottom of the edit page.