How do I post a new topic to Chowhound?

First, you have to decide which board to post to (see "Where should I post?"). Once you decide where to post, there is an Add New Topic button on the main page for every Chowhound board. It leads to a page where you can enter the title—try to keep it short but descriptive—and the message for your new topic. You can also add photos to your post. Use the Post My Reply button to submit your topic.

If you're already reading a message thread and want to post a new topic on the same board, click the title of the board at the top of the thread to return to the main page for that board. If you want to post a new topic to a different board, you can find the list of all boards using the Boards menu—click on the arrow to the right of the word Boards in the navigation bar.

How do I reply to a post?

Click Reply and type in your response, then click Post My Reply.

Where should I post?

What does Link to a Place mean?

How do I link to a place?

What happens with these linked places?

Any places you have linked to a thread will show up at the bottom of your post. To the right is a box called Places Mentioned that includes all the places linked to in that thread—by you and other Chowhounds. If you click through to one of the links, you'll find the place's entry in the database.

What are these places for? What can I do there?

The Places database is not for spirited debates about good or bad chow; that's what the threads are for. Places is for straightforward information with the added benefit of personal experience. Each field is editable. Clicking any of the Edit buttons will open up all the fields. The fields at the top are for contact and other general information. In the Cuisine, Atmosphere, and Main Dish Costs fields, you can enter multiple words or phrases, but they should be separated by commas. In the Local Knowledge area, you can detail fine points and expand on the information in the fields above. Think about these questions: What's the best time to go? What's the best table? Where's good parking? What's on the menu and the wine list? Are there any secrets to getting a reservation? What have other people written about it? You can include links. When you are finished, click Save. This area is a wiki, meaning it's eternally editable by any Chowhound. It is moderated, and your username will be appended to any changes you make. We keep a history of who has edited what in case of malicious editing; changes can be reversed.

How do I search for something?

In the search box, enter the keywords you're looking for. You can use exact phrases, as well as Boolean search terms. There are also options for searching just within the title, or for Chowhound posts by specific users or on specific boards. Examples of your options are:

Basic:
Match a word: armadillos
Match all words: armadillo strip
Match an exact phrase: "armadillo strips"
Match any words: armadillo OR strips
Match one word but not another: armadillo NOT strip

Advanced:
Match only in the title: title:armadillo
Match within a board by name: board:chicago
Match items a user has contributed to: user:"john mose"
Combine commands: armadillo OR wolves NOT strip user:"john mose"

What other options are there for using search?

You can click on "Show options" on the search results page to refine your results. You have four options:

Between: Enter the dates you want to search. You can use actual dates (Between: 2007-01-01 and 2007-01-31) or use natural language to describe the dates (Between: 1 year ago and last month).

Sorted By: By relevance of your keywords, or by date (newest first or oldest first).

Board Group: Search within a specific subset of the Chowhound boards (all of the New York–area boards, for example) or choose a board group and then choose a specific board.

Board: Limit your search to a single Chowhound board.

What do all these sections of my CHOW do?

There are a number of sections in my CHOW—click the arrow to the right of the words my CHOW in the navigation bar to see your options.

My Posts: A list of recent threads you've participated in on Chowhound. You can use this to check for replies and new information in threads you've started or commented in. You can see this section on other people's profiles to follow their posts as well.

Reading List: If there are other hounds whose comments you're especially interested in reading, you can add them to your reading list. Their recent posts will then appear in this panel.

To add someone to your reading list, first go to the person's profile page (click on a username or avatar on any recent post). On the right-hand side, under the avatar, there's an option to "Add this hound to your reading list" (or, if that person is already on your list, to take him or her off it). The avatar will appear under People I'm Reading, and his or her posts will appear on your Reading List.

All Activity: A list of your recent posts, comments, and other contributions to CHOW and Chowhound. You can see this section on other people's profiles to follow their posts as well.

Favorites: You can add recipes, stories, and Chowhound threads to your list of Favorites and keep track of them here. To add a story or recipe from CHOW, click the Add to Favorites link at the top of each page. To add a Chowhound thread to your favorites, click on Favorite Topic in the Topic Options menu at the top of each thread.

Photos: See all the photos you've uploaded to the site with your posts. You can see this section on other people's profiles as well.

Settings: Change your email preferences and account settings.

What are all these options in Topic Options?

Favorite Topic: Clicking this box will add this thread to your list of Favorites. You can find all your Favorites saved in your my CHOW profile.

Email to Friend: Allows you to send a link to a post to a friend, so he or she can check it out him- or herself.

Send to Cell: Send a link to a thread in a text message to a cell phone.

Print: Prints a thread without ads, sidebars, etc.

Add to Delicious: del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site that allows you to create and tag public bookmarks. If you're a member, you can use that link to add the current thread to your bookmarks.

Digg This: Digg is another collaborative site for finding and sharing content on the Web. If you're a member, you can use that link to submit the current thread to Digg.

What's a hack?

A hack is an adaptation of a recipe that already exists on CHOW. You know how you're always tweaking recipes to adjust them to your personal taste? This is a feature that lets you save those tweaks and create your own version of any recipe on our site. Click the Hack button on the top left of a recipe, and all the fields — ingredients, instructions, and so on — turn into fields that become editable, so you can change 2 tablespoons of butter to 3, for example. Then you can save your hack, and presto: You've got your version, saved with you as the author. The original remains in our database, but now you've got your own hack, saved to myCHOW.

You can hack CHOW recipes and recipes from other members, but not recipes that we've licensed from books. (On these, you'll see that the Hack button is grayed out, like this one.)

Similarly, if other Chowhounds have hacked a recipe, you'll see those in the list below the video player. Check out how others have adapted recipes — you might like them better, or you might think you can do better yourself.

What's a member recipe?

A member recipe is your own original recipe. (Be sure to read the small print, though: Copyrighted material should not be posted on the site.) Share your creations with friends, post links to the Home Cooking board, or just keep them to yourself for future reference.

And here's how it's done: To publish a recipe, click the Publish a Recipe button — it's in multiple places, including on all recipes, on the CHOW home page, and in the CHOW header at the top of all pages. Or just click here. You'll see a bunch of empty fields, ready and waiting for your culinary masterpiece. You can upload a photo, and associate the recipe with other recipes on CHOW. Let us know how it works for you, and what's not clear.

The National Arbor Day Foundation provides a thorough guide to enabling Javascript in most contemporary browsers.

What is a Chowhound?

A Chowhound is someone who spends nearly every waking moment planning her or his next meal. Whether eating in a white-tablecloth restaurant or grabbing takeout on the way to work, Chowhounds hate to ingest anything undelicious. They won't hesitate to go far, far out of their way for even slightly better.

Isn't that the same thing as a foodie?
No. Foodies eat what they're told. They lap up hype about the "hot" new restaurant/cookbook/ingredient. They'll explore unfamiliar neighborhoods, but only with their Zagat securely in hand.

Chowhounds spurn established opinion to sniff out their own secret deliciousness. The places they find today will show up in newspapers two years from now and in Zagat in four, by which time they'll undoubtedly have grown crowded and overpriced.

So Chowhounds eat as cheaply as possible?
No. Chowhounds go way out of their way to find good food at any price. They're savvy enough to appreciate value. Why buy rugalach at Balducci's when it's available at the baker's outlet in Brooklyn at a fraction of the cost? But they also know certain pleasures come at a price- foie gras ain't cheap, and Château Margaux is one terrific drink. No pleasure is gladly missed.

But if it's simply a matter of quality, not economics, why don't Chowhounds stick to four-star restaurants? Those places serve the best food in town, don't they?
Chowhounds believe that's an old-fashioned attitude deliberately cultivated by media and commercial interests.

Why was it built?

To be a grass-roots alternative to traditional media, where food-obsessed individualists can exchange tips. Or read the posts from the sidelines. Everybody knows that obsessed people make for the most entertaining reading.

What's the story behind the sale of Chowhound to CNET?

Chowhound ran in the red for many years with antique, overburdened software. By the summer of 2005, we were choking on our own popularity. Our little labor of love had outgrown our ability to manage and pay for it. Something had to change.

Somebody up there must be a Chowhound, because suddenly, online communities were hot again. We started getting calls. But we were wary. Better to close up shop than be acquired by a company that would dumb Chowhound down or turn it into something embarrassing.

Then we got a call from CNET Networks, and were excited by what we heard. The CNET folks recognized the worth of compelling information contributed by expert, passionate people. They thought that with some much-needed improvements, Chowhound could continue to grow while maintaining its values and pleasing its loyal users. In fact, several CNET folks were already Chowhound users.

So we're still here, run by the same crew with the same love, and we got our makeover. Without the burden of managing the site, Jim Leff will write more, and the Chowhound team continues working hard to keep things honest, lively, and passionate. And we'll never again ask you to help us pay our server bill.

But best of all, we'll all continue doing what we do— divulging our finds, eating deliciously, and doing our part to make sure those who cook from their hearts and souls win.

I'm afraid to post a message on the message boards; what if I say something dumb and show that I'm not a true hound?

Don't worry! While Chowhounds can sometimes be wise guys (it comes with being opinionated), we welcome anyone who sincerely wants to join our intrepid quest. Read through some of the thousands of back messages, and take a look at our Posting Etiquette before you post.

Why is there advertising on the site including ads for restaurants?

CHOW and Chowhound exist because of the revenue they bring in from advertisers. As with all media sites, our bread and butter is "endemic" advertising-that is, ads that relate to the content and personality of the site. Yes, we do accept restaurant advertising.

But we do have restrictions: All ads must conform to CBS policy; the policy is explained here. Every advertisement must be explicitly labeled as such. We do not allow promotion camouflaged as editorial content or user posts; one of the responsibilities of our moderators is to ferret out and delete posts from interested parties who don't disclose their affiliation. (For elaboration on the Chowhound policy regarding restaurant insiders, see here.)