Here are some tips to help you get started with Discourse:
Reading
Selecting a topic title will always take you to the newest unread reply within it. To go to the top ↑ or the bottom ↓, select the reply counter or the date of the last reply.
To read more, scroll down!
Topics above the light red line are new or updated since your last visit. If you have read a topic to the end, its title will appear light gray instead of black.
When new topics or replies are published, they appear automatically; there is no need to refresh the page.
Navigation
For search, the menu, or your user page, use the buttons in the top right corner.
When reading a topic, use the timeline on the right side to jump to the top, bottom, or your last reading position. On smaller screens, select the bottom progress bar to expand it:
https://blog.discourse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/discourse-mobile-progress-bar.mp4
If you have a physical keyboard, you can also press ? to display the list of keyboard shortcuts.
Replying
Press any 
Reply button to open the editor panel at the bottom of your browser. Continue reading (and even navigating to different topics) while you compose your reply; minimize the editor for more space. Drafts will be automatically saved as you write.
To insert a quote, select the text you wish to quote, then press the Quote button that appears. Repeat for multiple quotes.
To notify someone of your reply, mention their name. Type an @ to start selecting a user.
To insert a standard Emoji, use the : character and type its name, or use traditional emoticons like ;).
To generate a link preview, place the link alone on a line.
Your reply can be formatted using basic HTML, BBCode, or Markdown:
This is **bold**.
This is <b>bold</b>.
This is [b]bold[/b].
For more formatting tips, try our 10-minute tutorial.
Actions
There are action buttons at the bottom of every post:
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To let someone know you appreciate their post, click the heart. Share the love!
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Get a copy-paste link for any reply or topic using the link button.
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Use the … button to reveal more actions. Flag to bring an issue to the attention of the author or the staff. Bookmark to find this post later in your profile.
Notifications
When someone replies to you, quotes you, mentions your @username, or even links to one of your posts, a number will immediately appear in the top right corner of the page. Click it to access your notifications.
Don’t worry about missing a reply; you will be notified by email of all notifications that occur while you are away.
Your Preferences
Any topic older than 2 days is considered old.
Any topic you have actively participated in — by creating, replying, or reading for an extended period — will be automatically tracked and will display an unread reply counter.
You can change the notification settings for each topic using the notification control on the right side of a topic page.
You can also configure notifications by category if you want to watch or ignore every new topic in a specific category.
To change any of these settings, go to your preferences.
A Trust-Based Community
It is a pleasure to welcome you! As you participate, you will gradually earn the community’s trust. You will become a full member, and the functional limitations specific to new users will be lifted. At a sufficiently high trust level, you will have access to new features that allow you to help us manage the community.