The comments board is created by livefyre, and is hopefully easy to use, and intuitive to navigate, but the following advice may be useful to those unfamiliar with 'comments boards' and 'forums'.

Posting a comment

Type your comment in the blank box at the top of the comments section. Clicking on the 'pencil' icon gives options for making words bold, underlined etc.

When you have finished your comment, click the 'Post comment as...' button. This will open a new window which will ask you how you wish to 'log-in' (see below).

Once you have logged in via this method your comment will be added to the conversation.

Once you have logged in the 'Post comment as...' button will change to 'Post comment'. Clicking this button will add any further comments you write, and you will only see the 'Post comment' button until you log-out

Logging in

You have numerous options for how you wish to log-in. The list on the left of the pop-up window gives options of social media account which you can use as your profile for posting comments. If you choose, for example, the facebook option, you will be asked to log-in to your facebook account. The exact process will vary depending on the option you select. You may be given the option of posting your activity to your social media account too - but there will also be a choice to decline this option.

If you are already logged in to your social media account then when you elect to use that profile there will be no further necessity to log-in.

If you do not have, or do not wish to use, any of the social media options given, then you can create an account with livefyre. This is a simple process of setting up an account name, password, and giving a contact email address. See below for more benefits of having an account.

The benefits of having a livefyre account

Whilst there is no necessity to have a livefyre account you may find it to be beneficial as it will:

• Allow you to control how often (if at all) you are notified of new activity on the conversation. You can choose to be emailed (or not) when someone replies, likes your comment etc
• All comments made using that account, across all the different conversations and webpages, will be collated, providing easy reference should you wish to find an earlier comment
• You can provide a biography, and picture, which will allow others to know a little bit about you

An annual 'refresh' of the messageboard

When a messageboard is used to locate partners for a particular congress, messages relating to a specific year will be removed shortly after the conclusion of one year's event in preparation for the next event. This is to avoid any confusion as to when the message was posted and whether it relates to the current year. Should you wish to preserve any information, please copy it and save a personal copy, as once it is removed it cannot be recovered.

'Forum etiquette'

The comment boards will be moderated, but it may not always be possible to remove inappropriate comments promptly, and nor should it be necessary to do so. Please police yourself. Please treat the comments section as you would a conversation at your bridge club. If you wouldn't say it at the table, don't say it here. The EBU standard of 'Best Behaviour at Bridge' always applies.

Please remember that the authors of the sim pairs commentaries have done their best to write something that is accurate, informative and interesting. Constructive feedback and observations are encouraged - hostile criticism and insults are not. If you wouldn't say it to their face then don't type it on the comments board.

Forum etiquette means maintaining a standard of posting behavior that is acceptable and appropriate. It includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• You can disagree with someone's opinions, but calling that person an idiot or a profane name is most likely inappropriate. You may think you know the person well enough, or that it is 'just banter', but keeping it civil is never the wrong thing to do.
• Trolling - by which we mean saying something inflammatory simply to annoy others, or get attention - is never acceptable.
• Do not post personal information about another poster (such as name, address, age) if they have chosen not to share it themselves.
• If you make a mistake in a post then it is usually accepted practice to make a correcting statement in a new comment, particularly if the conversation has moved on. Editing or deleting a post when others have already replied can lead to confusion as their comment no longer has context, and can sometimes unfairly make them look silly.
• Don't make the same post repeatedly. If you realise you have done so by accident then delete the multiple posts.
• Don't post IN BLOCK CAPITALS. It is the equivalent of shouting and, like shouting, is both hard to take in and makes you the centre of attention whether you deserve it or not. Make your point in a measured way, and if it is valid it will get the attention it deserves.

Most of all treat others as you would like to be treated. Behaving as a reasonable adult is always the best course of action. Just because there is 'anonymity' online does not condone offensive behaviour.

If a poster becomes harassing, obscene or personal, do not retaliate. Instead, simply click on the 'flag' button beneath the comment, and that will alert one of the moderators to the inappropriate activity. This also applies to any posts you consider to be 'spam'.