How to start a discussion or poll

TheMix

Want to start a new discussion thread or a poll? Here's how!

On The Mix boards, we talk about pretty much everything. Whether you're going through a rough time and want to talk it through or you just want to have some fun, there's a space here for you to do so. While we allow most topics, we do ask everyone to stick to our guidelines. These help make sure the boards stay safe and respectful.

Before you can post anything, you'll need an account and to be logged in. If you don't have an account yet, you can create one here. It just takes 30 seconds and means you can get fully involved in the community!

Once you've signed up and logged in, you can get stuck in by starting your own conversations or joining in with others.


Contents: 
How to post a new discussion thread
How to post a new poll

TheMix

Starting a new discussion thread

The quickest way to start a new discussion thread is by clicking the 'New Discussion' button on the boards home page:

Clicking that button will take you to a new page where you can write the first post of your new discussion thread, which looks like this:

Let's talk through each section...

Category - this lets you choose which area of the boards you want your new thread to sit. For example, if you're looking for support around your mental health, you can select Health & Wellbeing, as this is the most relevant area. Choosing the most relevant area means you're more likely to get responses as it will be easier for people to find.

Discussion Title - this is what your thread will be called and what will be shown in the list of discussion threads you can see while browsing the boards. Your title should give people a good idea of what to expect when opening your thread. So, try to keep it short (4-8 words usually works well) and make sure it describes or summarises the topic of your thread as accurately as possible.

Text box - below the Discussion Title is an empty box with a row of buttons at the top. This is where you can write your discussion thread. Threads vary massively, but as a general rule, people tend to find it easiest to reply when there's some kind of question or it's clear what kind of support someone is looking for. It's also a good idea to avoid posting something super long - try to keep it under 400 words if you can. Remember, this is hopefully the start of a conversation

The buttons at the top allow you to format your thread. Click/tap the spoiler button below to see what each button does:

 Bold text

 Italic text

 Strikethrough text

1.  Numbered list

•  Bullet points

 Heading 1

 Heading 2

 Quote

<img alt="" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030626/uploads/editor/ci/6malvo8uuf0s.png"> Code

 Spoiler 

That's what this box is! This can be useful for hiding stuff that's too long or not as relevant. It could also be a way to hide potentially triggering details, giving other members the choice to read them or not. If you do this, make sure you let people know that the spoiler contains potential triggers and that you're sticking to our guidelines. The mod team will remove anything that breaks guidelines.

 Insert Emoji (also possible by typing a colon ':', which should bring up an autocomplete list)

 Insert a link (e.g. to another site)

 Upload an attachment from your device

 Insert an image (from your device or another site) 

 Left align text

 Centre align text

    Right align text

 View HTML code (probably not a good idea to mess with this if you don't know what you're doing)

Tags - you can add tags to your discussion thread to make it easier to find when searching. Try to use tags that already exist when you can, but feel free to create a new one if you can't find any that describe your thread.

Post Discussion - this will submit your new discussion thread to the category you specified at the top (or in the category you were in when you clicked the New Discussion button.

Save Draft - the boards will automatically save drafts of your thread every couple of minutes. This means you won't lose your thread if your internet connection drops or you accidentally close your browser etc. This button manually saves your thread so you can come back to it later.

Preview - this button will show you what your thread will look like when it's posted. If you're looking at a preview, just click Edit to go back and carry on writing or formatting your thread.

Cancel - this button will delete your discussion thread so far and return you to where you were before.

TheMix

Starting a new poll

Polls are a great way to get opinions on something, make a decision, or simply have some fun!

The quickest way to start a new discussion poll is by hovering over (or tapping the down arrow on) the 'New Discussion' button on the boards home page. This will bring up the option to create a new poll:

Once you've clicked or tapped on New Poll, you'll see the following page:

Let's talk through each section...

Category - this lets you choose which area of the boards you want your new poll to sit. For example, if you're asking a question about which subjects people like most at school, you can select Student, as this is the most relevant area. Choosing the most relevant area means you're more likely to get responses as it will be easier for people to find.

Poll Question - this is what your poll will be called and what will be shown in the list of discussion threads you can see while browsing the boards. Your question should give people a good idea of what to expect when opening your poll. So, try to keep it short (4-8 words usually works well) and make sure it describes or summarises the topic of your thread as accurately as possible.

Optional Description - this empty box with a row of buttons at the top is where you can write more about the question you're asking if you want. You can use this space to explain what you're asking and why you're interested.

The buttons at the top allow you to format your poll description. Click/tap the spoiler button below to see what each button does:

 Bold text

 Italic text

 Strikethrough text

1.  Numbered list

•  Bullet points

 Heading 1

 Heading 2

 Quote

<img alt="" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030626/uploads/editor/ci/6malvo8uuf0s.png"> Code

 Spoiler 

That's what this box is! This can be useful for hiding stuff that's too long or not as relevant. It could also be a way to hide potentially triggering details, giving other members the choice to read them or not. If you do this, make sure you let people know that the spoiler contains potential triggers and that you're sticking to our guidelines. The mod team will remove anything that breaks guidelines.

 Insert Emoji (also possible by typing a colon ':', which should bring up an autocomplete list)

 Insert a link (e.g. to another site)

 Upload an attachment from your device

 Insert an image (from your device or another site) 

 Left align text

 Centre align text

    Right align text

 View HTML code (probably not a good idea to mess with this if you don't know what you're doing)

Make this poll anonymous - usually, when someone votes on a poll, everyone can see what they've voted for. If you want votes to be private, tick this box.

Poll options - enter the options you want people to be able to choose when answering your poll. Try to avoid having too many options as this can be a bit overwhelming. As you enter each option, an extra blank one should appear below. If it doesn't, just click the 'Add another poll option' button.

Save Poll - this will submit your new poll to the category you specified at the top (or in the category you were in when you clicked the New Poll button.

Cancel - this button will delete your discussion thread so far and return you to where you were before.