How do I......

[Roger Kugler]

Welcome to the NEW WCHA Classified Ads

To post a new ad:
1. MEMBERSHIP? Are you a WCHA member? Yes? Great! You can post ads for FREE. Not a member? You can join the WCHA for $35 and enjoy all the benefits of membership- Wooden Canoe magazine, FREE ads, etc., OR you can buy an ad for....$35. To to the online store to pay for a membership or an ad.

2. LOG IN using your user name and password. If you haven't registered for this forum yet, do so now.

3. SELECT to category you wish your ad to appear.

4. Click the NEW THREAD button at the top left corner of the main box.

5. Enter a Title, ie, Old Town 1928 Otca $1250 -ST (your state's 2-letter abbreviation) . (Please include the price in the title. It makes it easier for people to browse the ads.)

6. Enter a Description of the item for sale. Be sure to include your FULL NAME, CITY, STATE and contact information, PHONE, EMAIL or to maybe reduce spam, use the forum's private message feature.

7. Add Photos! Everyone wants to see your treasure.
-Scroll down the page and click the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS button. This will open a pop up window.
-Select BROWSE and select your photo from your computer. (Note: Different operating systems work a bit differently so this is only a general description.)
-Click the UPLOAD button.
-You can add up to FIVE (5) photos!

8. SELECT the SUBMIT NEW THREAD button at the bottom of the page.

9. Your post will be sent the the webmaster for membership or payment confirmation then posted to the forum. This can take up to 36 hours but usually less than 12 hours.

10. To delete your ad after a sale, just send a note to the webmaster.

11. If you have ANY trouble posting an ad, please contact the webmaster. Infact, you could just email your information and attach a photo and leave the rest to us!

12. WHY the change? What was wrong with the old Classified Ad program?
-The old classified ad program worked..... but was not terribly user friendly, was cluncky in it's operation and frankly, it was ugly.
-SPAM !!!!! The old system was a spam magnet, sometimes 20-30 per day. Although they never showed up in the listings, they were VERY time consuming to purge for the data base. Of course, while doing so, I would mistakenly wipe out someone's ad or alter something. (Again, my apologies to these victims....)
-An upgrade to a system to stop the spammers is expensive. Moving to the Fourm was a no cost solution.
-The forum classifieds should prove to be very user friendly and provide greater exposure to classified advertisers. The ability to post more than one photo should be a real advantage.