I try posting, but get back to the Forum Menu page, check the thread, and my message isn't there.

BillD discovered the solution to this. What happens when your message doesn't post is that you were posting on a copy of the thread that was saved by your browser, not a fresh copy. To force your browser to download a fresh copy, click the "reload" button on your browser (usually a circular-arrow icon) - pushing F5 usually works, too. THEN you can post, and it almost always "takes."

Getting your lost typing back is another matter. It will sometimes come back if you use your "backspace" key or the "back" button on your browser, but not always.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When posting long messages, here's a good thing to do before hitting the "Submit" button:

• Highlight your typed text by hitting CTRL-A
• Copy your text to your clipboard CTRL-C
• If you need to, Paste the text - CTRL-V - into the refreshed message box and submit again.
  
  If you can't do this right away, your typing will be lost forever.
  
  But hey, blame your browser, not Mudcat.
  
  -Joe-