I am just curious when you log onto CC what do you do? I like to look at the pictures, and the topics but rarely do I go to the forums. If I have time I will check the last uploads. The amount of times I check on CC I only have time to check the home page.

Ha ha ha - isn't it funny how we get into a pattern of things..... I start by checking out the newest upload page then i go into the forum and browse "how do I" then "cake decorating" then "general". Then i go back to any posts i've made in the last couple of days to see if anyone has asked any questions about what i've said... but i haven't posted very much so that usually doesn't take very long... then i do a forum search for whatever caught my eye or whatever topic brought me to CC in the first place that time.

I probably spend 2-3 hours on here everyday... you guys are just so awesome!

That's too funny saramachen! I do the exact same thing usually with a coffee in hand. By the time I'm finished 2 hours are gone

Yes this site is addicting. And No I dont get anything done! By the time I check out the forums, my tea is cold and everyone is wondering where supper is!

I stay "logged in" all the time. I look at the front page then go straight to the forums page and look at the latest post since my last visit. Funny how predictable we can get.

This is such a funny topic!
After my emails checking is done I open CC. All this is done in the couple hours I give myself in the morning before my kids wake up for school. Right now I've been back and forth between my emails and CC for the last couple of hours since the kids are still asleep being Saturday.
I look at the pics on the front, then read the front page topics. Then go to the last uploads. Sometimes if the newest additions intrigue me enough, I will look at that persons photos of all their cakes. But if I like a cake now, I save it to my folders I've created instead of 'favorites'. I also like to go to the 'uncommented' and like to leave comments if I hadn't already. But for me, it's emails and CC!!!
Thanks for starting this post. WE ARE ALL ADDICTS TO CC!!!
That would be another Topic.....anyone on here that's NOT a CC addict!

Forums first: general, cake dec business, cake decorating, disasters, how do I, cupcakes, cookies, lounge (in this order)

I usually only browse the gallery if I am looking for something specific.

Forums first for me too. I start near the top at "How Do I?" and work my way down...I generally skip "Candy Making..." and "Cake Decorating Business", and everything from "Announcements" down.

I also never log out, although it happens on its own sometimes.

Coffee and CC go hand in hand. I generally stop by Starbucks (vice #1) on the way back from taking the kids to school and log on to CC (vice #2) and spend some quiet peaceful "me time. Check out the lastest pics, look for any pics when I need a thought, then the forum. Not doubt I am an addict even with the warning posted!

well, i start out intending to look for a recipe, and see a topic that catches my eye, so i wind up reading a couple of those, then a pic catches my eye, so i look at a couple of those... i think i have Cake ADD, i cant focus on what i came here to do, then i wind up closing it out and going... CRAP! i forgot to get the recipe!... so i go back and chase my tail again. maybe its just me... i hope not...

I always check the home page for any interesting topics....check my pm's and then go to the General Forum...sometimes the lounge...sometimes how-to...depends on how much time I have to surf.

Thanks for sharing, I wish we got paid for the amount of time we spend on here!

I always start with a coffee in hand! I love having a laptop so i can take it into the kitchen when i am doing cakes... to easily remind me what my inspiration cake looked like, or instead of printing the recipe or just to browse as my cake bakes... The recipes on this site are super! I forgot to mention i end up searching for one recipe or another almost everyday!

I bring up the pic, right click on my mouse, save it to my "Cake Folder" of a thousand different types. I have one main folder called "Cakes". then within that folder are several folders such as Valentines, Animals, Wedding, etc.
I know it takes away from the 'favorites' listing on everyones pics, but I lost so many wonderful pics when CC crashed. I love looking at all the pics for ideas. I wish I would have saved them under the 'owner' of that cake, but forgot to do that in the beginning. If you do it that way, you can always reference them or acknowledge them for their pic. Then, if you get too many, you can pull those from your computer and put on disc, flash drive, etc.
This way I don't have to go through a million pics to find one I'm looking for. It's already under a specific folder.
Hope that helps.

How did you know I read CC everyday? Have you been following me around? Am I in trouble? Just kidding. But I confess, anyway. I go to my e-mail first to see if there are any new posts on topics I'm watching, comments on my photos, PMs, etc. Then I log on to CC, look at the new pictures, save any that I really like, and the I check out the forum posts on the main page. After that, I check out the new recipes. That's just my normal routine. If I need to find a particular recipe, learn a new technique or get inspiration for something I'm doing, then I do the proper searches. Sometime in all this I try to get in touch with some of the friends I've made on CC. Believe it or not, I still find time to make cakes and, oh yes, hold down my day job.

Edited to add something I left out.

My top 3 are email, CC and facebook.

When I get up I check my email and I usually have a bunch of emails from CC about new replies to forums, so I start there reading all the new posts to topics, then I go to the CC homepage and look at the pics and top forum posts. Then I go to the forums and click on the corner where it says " new posts since last visit" and read from there - and then my day is over and its time to go to bed! haha!!

WHere is the "my forum topics" tab? I see "my photos" and "my favorite photos" and "my forum info" and all of that, but I don't see how I can access just MY forum topics that I've posted. LOL - obviously, I'm a newbie here, but my routine goes - newly posted pics, and then forums (how do i and cake decorating).

Go to your Private Messages, then select watched topics.

Ignore my last post! I found it...and couldn't feel any dumber! LOL.

I barely have time to see new cakes anymore..so after I take a fast look at the one in the hompage, I go and answer a few questions in the forums..
Edna

Morning routine is put on coffee, turn on computer, feed cat and dogs, sit down at pc to check emails then start on homepage of CC to browse new pictures and topics with coffee in hand. My how time flies when your having fun. Next thing I know an hour (or more) has past and I have to play catch up doing my chores. Oh well. Everytime it is coffee break time I sit back down to see if anything new has come up. Of course, I always look for inspiration when I have a new cake come up. BTW, is there a CC Anonymous?

Like the idea of folders. I can never find anything I thought I saw before.

Email and CC ... I live in those two screens.

I check the forums by clicking "View posts since last visit". This keeps me updated on the newest threads and comments in all categories. I can't remember the last time I clicked into each individual forum.

When I view pics, I go to the gallery and click "Latest Uploads", so I can see the most current and go backwards. This way I never miss a photo that may have slipped by on the rapidly changing home page.

come to think of it, I rarely rarely RARELY even see the home page anymore!

Thanks Indydebi, I didn't know about the since your last post tab. No wonder you are so "in the know!"