How To Use TVWB	Last updated: 01/25/2012

Navigating The Website

At the top of all TVWB pages, you'll see a series of clickable links. Each link represents a different section of the website:

• The Home link takes you to the website homepage. This page is updated monthly to feature a new article, a contest drawing, or other information of interest to readers.
   
• The Product Info link contains detailed photographs and technical specifications about the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, including assembly, parts troubleshooting information, and WSM history.
   
• The Cooking Topics link contains articles about different types of foods that can be prepared using the WSM. They're sort of like recipes, but with a lot more detail and commentary. You'll also find reference articles related to cooking—for example, articles about how to choose a brisket, which smoke woods go best with which meats, and why it's important to let meat rest after cooking.
   
• The Operating Tips & Mods link contains articles about how to operate and modify the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, including articles on how to fire-up the WSM, how to troubleshoot operating problems, and a FAQ page.
   
• The Videos link features a collection of how-to barbecue videos on YouTube.
   
• The Resources link features a list of important resource information that I think is helpful to WSM owners, including contact information for Weber Customer Support, where to buy smoke wood, barbecue videos and magazines, and more.
   
• The Forums link leads to The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board. This online community is "the place" for WSM owners (and future owners) to discuss this fabulous cooker in a friendly, supportive environment. You'll find over 30 forums dedicated to barbecuing, grilling, competitions, WSM modifications, recipes, and more.
   
• The Shopping link features the best barbecue products, books, and accessories available from Amazon.com. All purchases help to defray the cost of bringing you this website. See Support The Virtual Weber Bullet for more details.

When you click on a section link, the background turns orange, indicating that you're now in that section. If you click on an article in that section, the background stays orange to remind you that you're still in that section.

To see an overview of all website content, take a look at the site map.

Searching The Website

The content of the website is divided into two parts, and each part has its own search engine.

• On any page in the Home, Product Info, Cooking, Tips & Mods, Resources, and Shopping sections, enter your search into the field at the top right of the page.
  
  
   
• On any page in the Forums section, click the "Find" button and enter your search.
  
  

Doing a search in one part of the website does not return results from the other part of the site. For example, if you search on the word "brisket" in the Forums, you will only get a list of bulletin board posts having to do with brisket—not results about brisket articles in other sections of the website.

Registering For The Discussion Forums

You must register using a confirmed e-mail address in order to post on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.

Here's the process:

1) Click the "Login/Join" link on the right side of the page

2) Click "I am not registered"

• Click the "Continue" button.

3) Accept the forums Terms Of Service

• Read the discussion forum Terms of Service.
• Click "Agree..." and then click the "Continue" button.

4) Fill-out your bulletin board profile

• The only required fields are E-mail Address, Password, and Display Name.
• It is strongly recommended that you include your city in the Location field. This allows members to provide localized answers to your questions.
   
• For your Display Name, you must use a version of your real name. If you do not, your registration will not be approved. We use real names on the bulletin board because it keeps the discussion more personal and friendly.
   
  For example, you may use any of the following name formats:
  • Joe Smith
  • Joe S.
  • J. Smith
  • J.T. Smith
  • Joe Smith (Nickname)
  • Joe S. (City Name)

  If your preferred name format is already in use by another member, you will receive an error message when submitting your registration. Please choose a different name format from the list above. Often times, adding a city name to the end of your name is enough to make your name unique in our member list.
   

• Click the "Submit" button.

5) Confirm your e-mail address and await approval of your membership

After filling-out your profile, you'll see the page shown below. You must verify your e-mail address and await approval of your membership (based upon a review of the Display Name in your profile).

• Open your e-mail program.
• Open the discussion forum confirmation e-mail message.
• Click the "Confirm email address" link in the message.
• You will receive a separate e-mail stating that your membership has been approved or declined by the Site Administrator. Your membership will not be approved if you did not use a real name in your profile Display Name.
• Go to The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board and login using your e-mail address and password.

Why Was My Forums Registration Declined?

The most common reason for a membership to be declined is because a real name was not used in the Display Name field. I personally review each Display Name and decline those memberships that do not comply with this policy. We use real names on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board because over the years it has proven to keep the discussion more personal and friendly.

If your membership is declined, you can register again, this time using a version of your real name in the Display Name field, and your membership will be approved.

Please e-mail me if you have any concerns about this policy so we can discuss them.

Rules & Terms Of Service For Forums

Your participation in the discussion forums is subject to the conditions set forth on the Legal Information & Privacy Statement page and the discussion forum Terms of Service page. Please take a few minutes to read and understand the information contained in these pages, which spell-out proper etiquette for posting and prohibited actions or behaviors.

When I see a minor rule violation on the bulletin board, I will usually post a message bringing the violation to the member's attention, rather than send an e-mail to the member. I don't do this to embarrass people. I do it because it's much faster for me to post a message than to send an e-mail; because some people register using e-mail accounts that are checked infrequently; and because members can learn from each other's mistakes. So please don't take it personally if I bring a violation to your attention in a post...it's nothing to be embarrassed about.

Adding Photos & Videos To A Post

Adding A Photo

To add a photo to a discussion forum post, it must first be hosted somewhere on the Internet. The bulletin board does not have the ability to upload and store your photos.

Most Internet Service Providers give you free storage space where you can upload photos or host a personal website; contact your provider for details. You can also sign-up for free photo hosting services on the Web through MSN, Yahoo!, Photobucket, ImageShack, Webshots, or other similar sites.

• Photos should be no larger than 1024x768 pixels and 300KB in file size.

Once your photo is hosted on the Internet, there are two options for adding it to your bulletin board post:

• Post The Photo As A Link

  This is the preferred method because it allows readers to decide if they want to download and view your photo. This is especially important for people with slow Internet connections.
   
  There are two ways to link to your photo:
   
  1) Paste the photo's URL into your message. The bulletin board will automatically convert it to a clickable link like this:
  
  http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisket1_photos/brisket11.jpg
   
  or
   
  2) Click the "URL" button located above the box where you type-in your message. Paste the photo's URL and type a description into the pop-up box and you'll get a clickable link like this:
   
  My awesome brisket!
   
   

• Post The Photo Inline
   
  This method displays your photo on-screen as part of your message. It is discouraged because of the performance impact it has on readers with slow Internet connections.
   
  Whenever possible, please post thumbnail images that are clickable to the larger version of the photo. Whether posting thumbnails or full-sized photos, try not exceed 1MB worth of photos per post. This means three 300KB normal-sized photo, or 10 100KB photos, or any other combination of photos as long as the total does not exceed 1MB.
   
  Photos larger than 1024x768 pixels or 300KB should be posted using the linking method described in the previous bullet point.
   
  To add an inline photo to a post, click the "Display Image" icon located above the box where you type-in your message. (The icon has a picture of green mountains on it.) Paste the photo's URL into the pop-up box and it will appear along with your message text as part of your post.

Adding A Video

To add a video to a discussion forum post, it must first be hosted somewhere on the Internet. The bulletin board does not have the ability to upload and store your videos.

Let's assume you have a YouTube video that you want to include as part of a discussion forum post.:

1. Right-click on the YouTube video and select "Copy embed html".

2. Click the "Display Video" icon located above the box where your type-in your message. (The icon looks like a film strip.) This adds two FLASH_VIDEO tags to your post.

3. Paste the embed html between the two FLASH_VIDEO tags and it will appear along with your message text as part of your post.

Changing Your Forums E-Mail Address Or Password

• Click the "Go" button, then click "Personal Zone", then click "Profile".

• Click the "View/Edit Complete Profile" link.

• Click the checkbox next to the item you want to change, enter and confirm your new e-mail address and/or password, then click the "Submit" button.

If you change your e-mail address, you need to complete the e-mail address confirmation process:

• Open your e-mail program.
• Open the discussion forum confirmation e-mail message.
• Click the "Confirm email address" link in the message.
• Go to The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board and login using your e-mail address and password.

Supporting TVWB

The Virtual Weber Bullet is presented free of charge for your enjoyment and education, but it does cost money to produce and maintain the website. If you appreciate the quality and usefulness of information provided by TVWB, see Support The Virtual Weber Bullet for information about how you can help.

Terms of Use

Learn How You Can Support TVWB