Announcement and About messages are special postings, created by moderators, that appear on pages and are not subject to being reordered or archived. These are a way to communicate static (non-changing) information to visitors. For example, an announcement message is frequently used to share guidelines for using or posting to a topic, or to announce system downtime or upgrades.

The difference between Announcement and About messages is simply the following. Announcement messages appear before the list of threads. About messages appear after the list of threads. The placement is the only difference between the two. All editing procedures are identical.

For either an Announcement or About message to appear on your page, you must first select one or both from the location tab. This enables the tab for Announcement and About messages.

The text of an Announcement/About message is specified in the text box within the "Enter/Edit" section. You may use any formatting tags except image and attachment uploading uploading. To enter (or change) an Announcement or About message, use the text box to enter your message. Then, click on the "Preview/Save Message" button.

If your Announcement or About message has formatting errors, you will be given an error message and will not have the option to save the message. If your message is free from formatting errors, a preview of your message will be displayed in a table. You have the option to revise the message (by typing into the text box and then clicking on "Refresh Preview" to see your changes) or to save your message by clicking on "Save Message." You may cancel your editing by using the navigation bar on the top of the page to return to the subtopic you were editing.