# Discourse New User Tips and Tricks **URL:** \ **Category:** General Yo-Yo\ **Created:** [August 20, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277 "2026-08-20T01:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/1 "2018-07-14T04:03:10Z")
These are bits previously in the original Welcome to the YoYoExpert Forum message that people asked about how discourse works compared to the old forum. Ive collected them here to consolidate them all in one place’ -jhb8426- Also here are some tips n’ tricks if you are new to the forums 🤗 > **[Discourse New User Tips and Tricks](https://blog.discourse.org/2016/12/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/)** > > Getting going in an online community can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used the platform before. If you’re new to Discourse, here are a few quick tips and tricks to get you started: ---
**Author:** ![AaronW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/aaronw/32/49251_2.png) [@AaronW](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/AaronW)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/2 "2018-07-20T13:46:38Z")
How do I turn off notifications? Looks like by default every comment you’ve ever made has notifications turned on for it, I’m getting emails for old threads, and would like to shut them all off. ---
**Author:** ![AndreBoulay](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/andreboulay/32/69662_2.png) [@AndreBoulay](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/AndreBoulay)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/3 "2018-07-20T18:08:18Z")
Hey @AaronW! Yes - you can access all your preferences (and notifications) by clicking your ‘avatar’ in the top right of the screen. Then click the ‘gear’ to access settings: ![Screenshot%20of%20Safari%20(7-20-18%2C%202-06-11%20PM)](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/6/c/3/6c3020b11fc59ec363384142273e8a7187749a62.png) From there you click through to your ‘preferences’ and to ‘notifications’: ![Screenshot%20of%20Safari%20(7-20-18%2C%202-06-00%20PM)](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/e/7/b/e7b0daab41c04107d87353f716d4400cc5565f78.png) You can also see what topics you are set to ‘watching’ or ‘tracking’ (or if a post comes up you do not want to track you can click to stop watching/tracking at bottom left of that page). ![Screenshot%20of%20Safari%20(7-20-18%2C%202-05-38%20PM)](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/a/e/5/ae5efab02ecc6ca725c59032124c821ccabf4ba3.png) Let us know if any other questions come up! 😊 ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/4 "2018-07-20T19:43:24Z")
> [@AaronW](#): > > I’m getting emails for old threads By default you should only get emails when - the reply is on a topic you created (and thus you are watching that topic as its creator) - someone directly replied to one of your posts .. and you’re not actively in the browser, pinging the site, of course. In addition to what André said above, you can chance your email preferences in [https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/my/preferences/emails](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/my/preferences/emails) ---
**Author:** ![anon5341354](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@anon5341354](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anon5341354)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/5 "2018-07-20T23:03:07Z")
I’m getting some glitches using it on my phone. Sometimes the reply button won’t work and it displays only a thin sliver of a picture I’ve posted. Also, when I try to move the cursor, I have to press 1cm below it for it to register that I’ve pressed it. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/6 "2018-07-20T23:04:35Z")
There’s a bug in the current version of Android Chrome having to do with the address bar, which can make touches offset by exactly the height of the address bar. Make sure the address bar is either hidden or not-hidden (whatever is the opposite of the current state) and that should help. Scrolling up or down changes the visibility state of the address bar. In general, you want to be on the latest version of Android Chrome though. ( I just checked and supposedly this bug is fixed in Chrome 68 which should be out soon.) ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 4:12am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/7 "2018-08-06T04:12:09Z")
Chrome 68 is out now and should fix that problem, hopefully! Be sure to update Android and your apps regularly. ---
**Author:** ![EthanV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4491bb/32.png) [@EthanV](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/EthanV)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/8 "2018-11-07T11:12:57Z")
Hey, can i ask? What are the codes used to make text bold, use a different font, etc.? What i know of is “_hi_” and “_aaa_” but im unsure about the others. Btw “\_ (insert word) \_” and “\* (insert word) \*” has the same effect hmm ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/9 "2018-11-07T20:16:57Z")
You can press the bold button in the toolbar to make bold. It looks like this ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/3/f/b/3fbfdc6bdc3c642a10f04483cdd0f4c8dde3cea7.png) That will also show you how to type it as well. HTML bold, BBCode bold, and Markdown bold all work. ---
**Author:** ![chaotikchiken](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/chaotikchiken/32/8039_2.png) [@chaotikchiken](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/chaotikchiken)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/10 "2018-11-08T00:22:20Z")
@EthanV I can’t take credit for this and wondered this myself when the forum migrated, but another Discourse forum user created this _unofficial_ guide: > **[An Unofficial Discourse User Reference Guide](https://forum.digikey.com/t/an-unofficial-discourse-user-reference-guide/1125)** > > This is a “quick” how-to guide for using Discourse forum/community software. It contains a majority of the common features avialble to users/content editors, but may not have complete coverage of the featureset. If anyone sees anything to add or... Or try this simplified version: > **[Markdown Reference](https://commonmark.org/help/)** @codinghorror might be able to shed light if the YYE Forum follows a similar list of markdown :+1: ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/11 "2018-11-08T02:21:24Z")
That is good advice but it is simpler to press the toolbar button for bold. ---
**Author:** ![WretchedRapture](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/wretchedrapture/32/1124_2.png) [@WretchedRapture](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/WretchedRapture)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/12 "2018-11-18T19:58:23Z")
I’m sorry if this has already been addressed, but I’m just returning to the forum after a long hiatus. Is there any way to view a user’s trade count/feedback or has this feature been scrapped? ---
**Author:** ![vegabomb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/vegabomb/32/199_2.png) [@vegabomb](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/vegabomb)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/13 "2018-11-18T20:02:22Z")
Currently no, there isn’t a way to view it. All of the data though was saved in the migration. It’s being worked on. ---
**Author:** ![smileypants707](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/smileypants707/32/19045_2.png) [@smileypants707](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/smileypants707)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/14 "2018-11-18T20:13:09Z")
Also, _italic_ and **bold** are coded with single and double asterisk ![Screenshot_20181118-141236](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/e/4/f/e4f3d85ae0aeec97d7c00df883e3c0b166ae2b12.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![DyingonAcid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@DyingonAcid](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/DyingonAcid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/15 "2019-08-13T00:50:02Z")
This might be an obvious question, but how do you send PMs? I’ve seen it mentioned several times, even in the FAQ, but I can’t find anywhere that tells you how to do it and I can’t find a button for it anywhere on a user’s page or anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![twitch77](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/twitch77/32/60219_2.png) [@twitch77](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/twitch77)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/16 "2019-08-13T00:55:37Z")
> [@DyingonAcid](#): > > how do you send PMs? All you have to do is click on someone’s name which will cause a little pop up to appear, and click on “message”. 🙂 ![Screenshot_2019-08-12%20What%20should%20I%20make%20a%20forum%20about%20](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/2/d/d/2dd67a4be9494677bfed0455dbfe6e1655fec41c.png) ![Screenshot_2019-08-12%20What%20should%20I%20make%20a%20forum%20about%20(1)](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/1/6/9/1697757ef96ce05e0666d935e4838a4d0710136f.png) ---
**Author:** ![DyingonAcid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@DyingonAcid](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/DyingonAcid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/17 "2019-08-13T01:05:08Z")
I don’t have that button, is there something I need to have done on the forum first? I only just registered today ![59%20PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/3/a/4/3a471bd32eccc4d4d8cf18cb1f146871537d4420.png) ---
**Author:** ![twitch77](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/twitch77/32/60219_2.png) [@twitch77](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/twitch77)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/18 "2019-08-13T01:16:18Z")
Oh, sorry about that. Yeah, as a new member you wont be able to send private messages right away. Once you do these 3 simple things you’ll have the option though… - Entering at least **5** topics - Reading at least **30** posts - Spend a total of **10** minutes reading posts You can find out more here: > **[Understanding Discourse Trust Levels](https://blog.discourse.org/2018/06/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/)** > > The user trust system is a fundamental cornerstone of Discourse. Trust levels are a way of… ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 3:03am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/19 "2019-08-13T03:03:55Z")
Yes this PM rule is tricky, you do have to read a little bit to get the ability to PM. We do this so people can’t grief others by signing up and immediately sending a bunch of PMs. (I mean, there are also definitely posting rate limits on new users but it would still be annoying if someone joined and then immediately sent “only” 3 PMs.) ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277/20 "2019-11-12T02:36:22Z")
It’s kinda like seatbelts in cars. It is a bit more restrictive, but the safety benefits are enormous. Just spend a little bit of time reading and you’ll earn the ability to send PMs. [Next page](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/discourse-new-user-tips-and-tricks/451277.md?page=2)