TUTORIAL - Joining TrainBoard/RailImages

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Every week we hear from people that are having problems joining the site. In most cases they simply don't understand the process or don't carefully read the information as it is presented during the process.

LOST PASSWORDS OR E-MAIL CHANGES

If you have joined before and can't log in because you cannot remember your password or have changed your e-mail address and do not have access to it any longer, do not join again in an effort to solve the problem.

The lost password retrieval process can be started by clicking here. You will need to know the e-mail address you joined with and be able to access that mail now.

If you have changed your e-mail address since you registered and do not have access to it any longer, then you can contact us to resolve the issue.

TO JOIN

If you are joining now, you can click here to begin the process.

Likewise, there are "join" links on the main page at http://www.trainboard.com and on the forum home.

These links are visible to people who are not presently logged into the site.

PROCESS OVERVIEW OF JOINING THIS SITE

1. You fill out a short form on this site to choose a username, password, and enter your e-mail address. You may also set other options if you choose.
2. When you have completed this short procedure an e-mail arrives instantly at the address you entered. (If you entered a fake e-mail address, as some people do, you will be stuck at this point. The e-mail is sent by automation and may be detected as spam by various spam controls. If you have access to these tools, check any spam folders available to you. There is no need to wait for this e-mail to arrive longer than 10 to 15 seconds from the time you registered until you should take action to find it.)
3. Open the e-mail and you are given a link to click on. Clicking on this link activates your membership and logs you in to the site.
4. After activating your membership, another e-mail will arrive that welcomes you to the site. At this point you are registered and may go into the My TrainBoard section of the site to set many options and enter additional information.

This process is the standard method of joining a discussion forum. If you encounter problems, we are here to help.

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The first screen you are presented with asks for your date of birth.

We occasionally hear from people that refuse to join or are angry that we ask for a date of birth.

We do not attempt to steal your identity and we do not sell or give away personal data about our members.

We are required by law to ask for your birth date.

If you are not comfortable providing this information, then please quit the process at this point.

Click Proceed otherwise.

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Please read the rules.

If you accept, then check the box and click Register.

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Choose a username. It CAN have spaces.

We see people join as John_Doe and it is because they think that usernames can't have spaces - they can.

This is also where you choose a password. Choose something that you can remember.

Correctly enter (twice) your e-mail address.

Also, look at the image and enter the code or letters that are displayed.

This process ensures that robots do not join the site in order to post spam messages. It is not to throw up roadblocks in the joining process to a person who wants to join.



Some of the images are easier to read than others.

If you have trouble reading the one presented to you, click on Refresh Image to get another.

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Below what we did above, note this information.

You can enter the TrainBoard ID of a person who referred you. If no one did, leave it blank.

Note also that here you can set your time zone. Not a week goes by that we don't get an e-mail from a new member that tells us that the time on the forum is all screwed up. Here's why.

This can also be changed in My TrainBoard once you are a member.

We also encourage you to let us send you e-mail. We do not sell your e-mail address, bomb you with spam, or otherwise bug you. This is just if we need to contact you or send an occasional announcement.

Once everything is set, click on Complete Registration.

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Here's where a LOT of people go wrong; They don't read this information:



So, you go to your e-mail and check it:

Look for this - Subject: Action Required to Activate Membership for TrainBoard.com



This is what the e-mail you will receive looks like.

• You must click on the link to activate your membership, or otherwise follow the other instructions!
• NOTE THAT THE ACTIVATION ID ABOVE IS NOT YOUR PASSWORD. IT IS ONLY USED IF YOU CANNOT CLICK ON THE LINK AND HAVE TO ACTIVATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP MANUALLY! WE DEAL WITH THIS ALL THE TIME. (And yes, we are using different colors here to try to get your attention!)

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When you click on the link, you are now a member and look at the upper right hand part of the image - you are logged in.

You will also receive another e-mail:

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We get a lot of e-mail from people that are bogged down in this process.

A common complaint is that the process "goes in circles."

It does not go in circles - look carefully at the process above.

In 90% of cases we are able to resolve the issue by simply asking questions and pointing out where the user is going wrong.

In 10% of cases, people get mad and just leave because it is "too complicated."

We are regularly reminded by people that joining this site is not supposed to be as complex as entering Fort Knox.

True, and it is not.

It takes only minutes to join and the process is straightforward.

This system is designed to

• Verify that each member is a person with a valid e-mail address.
• Minimize spam posts to the forum.

Again, it is not designed to be difficult. And, we are here to help in a friendly manner if you do have problems.

We get complaints when people get confused during the registration process and we get them on the other side of the coin:
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So, we are doing the best we can.

If you are a new member, we welcome you.

If you have questions or problems with the process, please contact us.

Charlie