# TUG MEMBERS: Entering the BBS Member Codeword in your TUGBBS profile



## Makai Guy

*This post applies to the following situations:*​
You have paid to become a TUG member, but are being shown on the BBS as "Guest".
You have paid to become TUG member, but you cannot see or access the Sightings/Distressed forum *when logged into TUGBBS.*
You have paid to become a TUG member, and you need to update the BBS Member Codeword in your TUGBBS profile to indicate your TUG Member status.
*PLEASE NOTE*
The bulletin board is provided as a free service to the timesharing community by TUG. You may register as a TUGBBS user and be shown on the board as a Guest without joining TUG.​​*Registering as a user of the TUG BBS is NOT the same thing as becoming a TUG Member.*  To be a TUG Member you must first have paid to *JOIN TUG*.​​Note that if you pay your membership fee via Paypal, this is the one online payment option that must be processed manually at TUG's end, so your membership may not go into effect instantly.  You will be sent an email when your submission has been processed, typically within one business day.​​*Likewise, joining TUG does not automatically register you as a user of TUGBBS -- you must do this yourself.  Please see THIS POST.*​* 
First - Obtain the BBS Member Codeword*

The BBS runs on self-contained commercial bulletin board software, and has no access to TUG membership records.  Consequently, the only way for the TUGBBS to recognize you as a paid TUG Member is for you to enter your BBS Member Codeword from your Member account into your TUGBBS profile information.

To obtain your TUGBBS Member Codeword:

Log into your TUG Member account, using the Username and Password you have established for the Member Login system, here: *Member Sign-in Page*. You'll see a form that looks like this:






When successfully logged in, you will be taken to your Member Dashboard.  The MY MEMBERSHIP area contains your user information:







You will find your BBS MEMBER CODEWORD as shown below:





Note that the BBS Member Codeword is *case-specific* (i.e. must be in the exact combination of upper and lower case letters as shown) and *does NOT include blank spaces at either end*.
*Second - Enter your BBS Member Codeword into your BBS account*

*While you are logged in to the BBS*, click *this link* to open your profile Account Details page (or click your username in the blue bar near the top of the screen, then click "Account details"), where you should be able to scroll down and see the portion of the screen illustrated below.​



Insert the BBS Member Codeword into the TUG BBS Member Codeword field.

The BBS Member Codeword is case sensitive.  In order to be recognized it must be entered in the *exact combination of upper and lower case letters *as it is provided. If copy/pasting from your TUG Member Dashboard, take care not to copy any extraneous spaces at the beginning or end of the codeword.​
Click the *Save* button at the bottom of the page.
*NOTES:*

The BBS checks for TUG Member Codeword changes once per hour, so it may take up to 60 minutes for the board to start showing you as a member.


Once this takes place, any pages you are viewing at the time may need to be refreshed/reloaded in your web browser to show the change.
... and that's all there is to it.

TUG Member status is currently used for three things when logged into TUGBBS:

Your TUG Member status is displayed in a banner in your posts, and as part of your profile information.  If these areas identify you as Guest rather than TUG Member after more than 60 minutes, then you do not have your current BBS Member Codeword stored in your BBS profile.  Your status on existing messages will automatically be updated when you enter the correct code in your profile.


Identified TUG Members are automatically granted access to the private Sightings/Distressed forum.


Identified TUG Members view TUGBBS without ads.
In the future, should your BBS Member Codeword be updated, you will need to update this field in your profile for the BBS to continue to recognize you as a TUG Member.

*If you have followed these instructions, and you are still being shown here on the bulletin board as Guest after more than 60 minutes, then:*

*While logged into TUGBBS, click on the Contact BBS Admin link at the bottom of the page.*
*Send us a message requesting that you be placed into the TUGBBS "TUG Member" usergroup.*
*IMPORTANT: If your chosen TUG Member username is not the same as your username here on TUGBBS, you must provide your TUG Member username so that we can verify your TUG Membership status.*
*Other BBS Help Topics*​


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