Q. What the heck does LTH stand for?
Q. What can I find here?
Q. How do I use the search function?
Q. How do I quickly find some “can’t miss” places?
Q. What are LTHForum.com’s guidelines for posting content?
Q. What’s the best way to get good restaurant recommendations from the community?
Q. How do I start a new thread?
Q. Can I edit my posts?
Q. How do I create a link/quote someone/add images?
Q. What else should I know before I get started?
Q. What the heck does LTH stand for?
One night in 2004, around 14 people met for dinner at Little Three Happiness, a cafe in Chicago’s Chinatown, to begin a chat site focused on food. This restaurant also gave our site its name. For more about what it all means, check out Our Story.
Well, it wouldn’t be much fun if we just told you. Exploring the site and making discoveries is one of its joys. But basically, LTHForum.com is a Chicago-based chat site focused on all things culinary. The site encompasses forums that discuss food, drink, gardening, cooking, professional issues, where to eat outside the Chicago area, and local events. You can also find our list of Great Neighborhood Restaurants and Resources, featuring restaurants our membership has felt are deserving of recognition. You do not have to become a member to look around, but you should if you want to post.
Q. How do I use the search function?
You can find a search button at the top of each page. When you click on that button, it shows you a search box. If you put text in there, you are using Google to search all information on LTHForum.com. Below that box is a link to the internal board search. This is what you should use if you just want to search forum topics.
Once you have your search results, or any time you are looking at a list of post topics, you can preview the first post in that topic by holding your cursor over the topic.
Q. How do I quickly find some “can’t miss” places?
We suggest the Great Neighborhood Restaurants section of our site.
Q. What are LTHForum.com’s guidelines for posting content?
Be civil. Be relevant.
That, in a nutshell, is the LTHForum.com posting policy. No obscenity, no going off-topic, no shilling (if you’re associated with a restaurant or business you’re discussing, disclose it, please). And be excellent to one another. For details, please visit the LTHForum.com Posting Guidelines.
Please note that some sections of LTHForum.com also contain their own specific guidelines on posting types of content. For reference, use these links:
Tips and Guidelines for Event Planners and Attendees
Posting Recipes
Read before posting about health code violations or other violations of law
Q. What’s the best way to get good restaurant recommendations from the community?
If you’re looking for the answer to an inquiry, try to be as specific as possible in your question so that you get answers within your parameters. Thinking about the following questions might be helpful:
- What are your food preferences (and dislikes), especially in terms of cuisine and restaurant ambiance?
- What is your budget in general terms (but remember “moderately” priced means different things to different people)?
- Where will you be staying and what transportation do you have?
- What is the size of your party? (are you alone, do you need a restaurant for 30?)
- What decor or vibe do you prefer? (Loud, quiet, romantic, child-friendly)
- Are you coming for any special occasion? (Bachelorette weekend, College visit)
- Do you have particular time constraints? (Breakfast, Brunch, Drinks, All-nighters)
- Does anyone in your party have any dietary restrictions? Is anyone vegetarian, or do they have allergies?
- Would you feel uncomfortable in any neighborhood or type of restaurant? This may be particularly important in terms of selecting cocktail lounges, bars, or taverns.
- If a stranger was visiting your town and wanted information, what would you wish to know to help him/her choose?
When you have provided the information, wait for responses to flow in and be prepared to pick through differing opinions.
Q. How do I start a new thread?
Before you start a new thread, use the search engine to check whether a thread already exists on the restaurant or topic you’d like to discuss. Even if the last post about a particular restaurant was in 2006, we prefer that you add to that thread rather than starting a new one. Adding to existing threads makes it easier for other users to easily find everything that has been posted about a topic.
To start a new thread, first choose the appropriate forum from the Board Index, such as Eating Out in Chicagoland or Something to Drink. Go to that forum and then click “New Topic” on the left side of the page. The first thing you’ll do is enter a title for the thread in the box that says “Subject.” Choose a title that will be descriptive enough to let readers know what the thread is about. A thread on a particular restaurant should have the name of the restaurant and perhaps a few descriptive words, like “Nha Hang Viet Nam – Vietnamese on Argyle.” Finally, when you start a new thread about a restaurant, your initial post should contain the contact information for the place – usually, this is listed at the end of your text.
Yes. This feature is available on every post. Please don’t abuse this power; make meaningful, useful, and minor edits to your existing posts. Keep continuity in mind and do not remove large portions of content. Also, keep in mind that when you edit, other readers are not necessarily notified of what’s been updated. Please err on the side of adding to a thread, rather than editing a post. Any posts that are altered or removed using the “Edit” feature can and may be restored at the moderators’ discretion.
Q. How do I create a link/quote someone/add images?
For information on how to do something in one of your posts, visit the New Look and Operation thread. You can also check our Reference section or our Site Chat board, both of which are listed under Resources, if you’re still confused.
Q. How do I send a private message to someone? What can I send?
You need to be a registered member of LTHForum.com in order to send private messages. The Private Message system built into LTHForum.com is a courtesy intended to facilitate certain minor forms of communication between participants that would not be of interest to the full community.
It is not intended to:
- Enable people to attack others out of sight of the moderators or the community, in a way that would not be allowed on the public boards
- Enable non-participants to be part of the community, while denying their knowledge and input to the whole
Every aspect of the community at LTHForum.com is an outgrowth of the public boards. Participation in any other aspect assumes, in good faith, willing contribution to the board’s primary function.
We have the ability to monitor misuse of the private messaging system, and reserve the right to take action to restrict or terminate privileges as we see fit when we observe activity contrary to the civility and spirit of LTHForum.com as a whole.
Q. What else should I know before I get started?
LTHForum.com is a community. Even though much of our conversation is online, this site was never intended to be purely virtual. We like to eat and we like to gather and we especially like to do both together. And we hope you do too! Please scan the events board to see where and when LTHers are gathering, and (pretty) please join us. Don’t be intimidated because some folks already know each other – there are new faces at each and every gathering.