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| New Zealand MX-5 Forum Index |
| NZ MX5 Forum Rules, Ettiquite & Contacts |
| What are the site rules, and what should I not post? The site rules are located here. Please ensure you read and agree with them before you register or post information to this forum. Additionally, you should read this, which will give you a fair idea of what sort of things will get your posts moderated, or a user restricted from posting. Back to top |
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| Someone has deleted or edited my post!! Who do I contact? Your post was likely not sticking to the rules set out for this forum, or against site ettiquite guidelines. Contact the Forum Administrator if you like, but in the most cases you will be unlikely to get a response. Back to top |
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| How do I contact the Forum Administrator? Send an email to admin[at]mx5forum.co.nz or use the Private message feature to contact user 'zorruno'. Note that the Forum Administrator has a real job, and a life outside of this forum, so please don't expect a lightning fast response. Back to top |
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| What do I do if I have a problem with a moderator? Can I contact the forum moderators directly? The usernames of the forum moderators are listed with each forum. You can contact them via the private messaging feature of this forum (click the messages link at the top of the page), or if they allow you to you can click the email link in their profile to send them an email directly. However, DO NOT contact the moderators to comment or complain about their moderation of posts. If you have an issue with a moderator, or problems with their moderation style, send an email to the forum administrator admin[at]mx5forum.co.nz . Moderators are there to moderate forums as per the rules, and if you complain to them, your posts fill likely be filtered in the future, or you may be banned. Back to top |
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| How do I remove my registration or quit this forum? To de-register, send an email to admin[at]mx5forum.co.nz from your registered email address. The forum administrator will send you a reply, confirming you do wish to remove your resistration. You will then need to respond again and your username will be deleted. Back to top |
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| How do I remove some content that I have posted, or someone else has posted that I don't like? You can generally edit your posts yourself (click the 'edit' button beside your post), for a limited time after you have sent the information. If you have good reason to have some information removed or edited later, that either you or someone else has posted, please contact the forum administrator admin[at]mx5forum.co.nz with the details of the post, and you reasons for wanting it edited. There are no guarantees that the post will be edited however, and the administrators decision will be final. Back to top |
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| Classifieds and Buying and Selling |
| What can I buy and sell on the Classifieds section? You can sell, trade and place 'wanted ads' for anything MX5 related, as long as it fits into one of the categories listed. Advertising is free. Abusers of the Classifieds section, including false ads or inappropriate content or comments will be banned. Back to top |
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| Can I place a commercial or trade ad? Commercial adverts are allowed, but you MUST click the 'Trade' button when posting rather than 'Private'. The administrator reserves the right to limit or remove ads from commercial advertisers - if you are unsure, please contact the Forum Administrator. Back to top |
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| Do I have to register to post classified ads? Yes. You need to be a registered member of the forum to post an ad. Registration is just designed to prevent abuse of the forum and is not difficult. Did I mention it was free? Back to top |
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| Can I suggest a new Category? Sure, please post any category suggestions in the Suggestions Forum, or PM/Email them to the Forum Administrator. Back to top |
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| How many ads can I post? At present you can post as many as you like, but please don't get too carried away. Back to top |
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| How long will my Ad be up for? Ads are presently listed for 2 months. You will get a reminder by email automatically when you ad is expiring, which will give you the opportunity to renew, or mark the item as 'Sold'. If you sell the item in the mean time, just go in and edit you ad at any time by clicking the 'sold' button. Back to top |
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| What contact details should I put in my classified ad? It is up to you what details you put in your ad. You may put your phone number, email address, fax number or anything you like. Just remember that anyhing you put in your ad is publically viewable, and will be archived on the internet for a long period of time. Another option is to make use of the Private Message system only, i.e. ask people to PM you if they are interested. A further option is to use the Comments system outlined in the next FAQ, and just request that anyone that is interested in your ad post a comment. Back to top |
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| How does the Classifieds Comments system work? There is a 'Comment' Link on every ad. You can make comments on anyone's advert, and a total number of comments is displayed on the ad's page. At present, only registered users can post comments, but we may open this up to non-registered users in the future too, for ease of people easily being able to respond to adverts. Owners of the ad can delete any comment. The ad owner will also get an email every time a new comment is posted by someone. Back to top |
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| Can I be notified by email when new Ads appear? Yes! If you go to 'My Email Lists' you'll notice there is a list called 'Classifieds Announcements'. If you subscribe to this, all newly posted ads will be emailed to you as soon as they appear, (or possibly after a small delay). Back to top |
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| Can I get Live RSS feeds of the newest Ads? Yes! On the main Classified page there is an Orange Icon marked 'RSS 2.0' (near the bottom of the screen below the categories). This can be subscribed to with a feed reader or live bookmark on your browser, and you can have a live feed of all the new adverts. Back to top |
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| NZ MX5 Forum Garage |
| What is the MX5 Garage? The Garage is designed to be a place where members can list, detail and show off their MX5s. There is also information on MX5 Vendors, repair centres and garages and also you can list details of your insurance costs and Dyno results for others to compare. Any registered user of the forum can upload details of their MX5(s) Back to top |
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| I'm having problems uploading images in the Garage. There is a limit to the size of each attachment (file size, and number of pixels wide/high) you upload (which will depend on your allocated limit) and also a limit to the total space of all the attachments you have uploaded. If you require more space for attachments, or are having any problems with attachments whatsoever, please email the Forum Administrator and they will attempt to sort it out asap. Back to top |
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| How do I modify or change the details of my MX5 in the Garage? Go into the garage home page and click on the link in the 'My MX5s' box that shows the vehicle you want to edit. You can then add your insurance premiums, vehicle modifications, Dyno results and more. Back to top |
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| NZ MX5 Forum, Email and the Mail2Forum feature |
| How do I get the discussions by email so I don't have to look at the web site all the time? This forum has a plugin installed called Mail2Forum. It is a pretty amazing feature that allows you to receive and respond to forum posts using standard email. This is great if you prefer getting your discussions via email, and not by visiting the web based forum. Click the 'My Email Lists' button at the top of the page to set this up, or for more details on how to use this feature, see here. Back to top |
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| I'm getting emails all the time from this site? How do I unsubscribe? You will only get the occasional email from the forum administrator, or forum team, unless of course you are set up to receive emails using the Mail2Forum feature set up with the 'My Email Subs' button. If you want to unsubscribe from receiving emails, login, click the 'My Email Subs' button and untick all the mailing subscription boxes. Back to top |
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| I don't want to promote spam, are email addresses hidden? Generally, all forum users' email addresses are hidden from anonymous users. In some circumstances, other users may be able to see what your email address is, eg. if you activate specific features in your profile. Only the forum administrator can see everybodies email adresses all the time. We suggest you make use of the 'Private Message' feature for contacting people in regards to forum posts, and even classified ads. If you specifically post an email address into a topic the forum however, that is a different story - and everyone will be able to see this (it is online forever!). There is a relatively simple obfuscation script installed that turns all email address that are posted into a 'javascript' script, which should fool many spambots, but possibly not all. If you feel you really have to post an email address, then it is often a good idea to write 'john [at] ihug dot co dot en zed' or another equally cryptic method. Back to top |
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| I've changes my email address. No Problem, just log in, and click the 'My Profile' link in the menu. You can enter your new email address there which will chnage the address that any forum emails get sent to (including classifieds etc). Back to top |
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| I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this forum! We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this forum includes safeguards to try to track users who send such posts. You should email the forum administrator with a full copy of the email you received and it is very important this include the headers (these list details of the user that sent the email). They can then try and take some action. Back to top |
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| Private Messaging |
| What is Private Messaging? Private Messaging (often just called PM) is a simple way to contact other members of this forum. Click on the 'Private Messages' option in the menu, or you will often see a 'PM me' button beside someone's post or profile. You can type a message to them in the box which they will pick up when they next log into the forum. Users will generally also be emailed immediately, to let them know they have a new PM waiting. Back to top |
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| I cannot send private messages! There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, the forum administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire forum, or the forum administrator has prevented you individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why. Back to top |
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| I keep getting unwanted private messages! In the future we will be adding an ignore list to the private messaging system. For now, though, if you keep receiving unwanted private messages from someone, inform the forum administrator -- they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages at all. Back to top |
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| Giving and receiving Karma |
| What is Karma? Karma is a friendly ratings system whereby users can give or take away points from users to show that they appreciate (or dislike) the help that they are given in the forum. Please read the Karma - Rules of Enagement before using the Karma system, or if you want to know how it works. Back to top |
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| NZ MX5 Forum Design and Features |
| Where is the V8 Swap Forum, and the Lighting Forum, and the Auctions, and the live Chat, and... and...? We plan to start reasonable simply with this forum and progressivly add features and more forum topics. Please feel free to send suggestions to the Forum Administrator or Forum Team member, but don't expect that lots of features will be added overnight. Back to top |
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| Why no avatars? We're keeping it simple and functional to start with. We may add avatars as a feature later on. Back to top |
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| What features are planned? Depending on time and enthusiasm, we plan to do more with managing images and video, there should be a full site template redesign sometime to make it perrrdy, a minimal template for low bandwidth users (geeks...), and a few other bits are in the pipeline. Back to top |
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| I don't really like the look of this forum. Can you fix it? Only if someone helps. We would like to completely retheme the site, so if someone with some graphical ability wants to volunteer... Back to top |
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| Login and Registration Issues |
| Why can't I log in? Have you registered? You must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the forum? (It is pretty unlikely, unless you have been particularly naughty!, however A message will likely be displayed if you have.) If so, you may like to contact the forum administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. Usually this is the problem; if not, contact the forum administrator. Back to top |
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| Why do I need to register at all? You don't have to in order to view and search most forums, classifieds, the garage and photos. Registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as being able to post, private messaging to other users, emailing users, and the ability to belong to various usergroups. Registration is not designed to make you life difficult, but is necessary for a number of reasons and only takes a few minutes. Registration also prevents anonymous users abusing the forum. Back to top |
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| Why do I get logged off automatically? If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the forum will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the forum from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc. Back to top |
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| How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings? In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to forum administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user. We do suggest that in the interest of creating a good online community, you allow your username to show up, as it is nice to see who else is around when you browse. Back to top |
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| I've lost my password! Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time. Back to top |
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| I registered but cannot log in! First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If you know they are correct then maybe your account need activating. This forum requires all new registrations be activated, either by yourself or by the administrator before you can log on. When you registered it would have told you that activation was required. You will have been sent an email, so follow the instructions in that email. If you did not receive the email then check that your email address is valid. One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the forum anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the forum administrator. Back to top |
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| I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore! The most likely reasons for this are that you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the latter case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for forums to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions. Back to top |
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| User Preferences and settings |
| How do I change my settings? All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the My Profile link (at the top of pages). This will allow you to change all your settings. Back to top |
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| How do I change my username? You cannot do this yourself. You may be allowed to change your username by contacting the forum administrator, and the admin may or may not decide to change it for you depending on your reasons for wanting it changed. Let them know your current username, and what you would like to change it to. Back to top |
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| The times are not correct! The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. Back to top |
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| I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong! If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The forum is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time. Back to top |
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| My language is not in the list! At present, we are running this forum in the English language only. It is also unlikely this will change. Back to top |
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| How do I get those little image below my username? There may be a number of images below a username when viewing posts (This will depend on what and when various features are enabled). The first is an image associated with your rank; generally these take the form of stars or blocks indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the forums (e.g. forum moderators have a special set of stars). There may also be some small picturesBelow this may be a larger image known as an avatar. An avatar is generally unique or personal to each user. At present, avatars are not enabled for any user, however we may do so in the future. Back to top |
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| When I click the profiles, or email link for a user it asks me to log in. Sorry, but only registered users can view profiles, send private messages or send email to people via the built-in email form. This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users. Back to top |
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| Posting Issues |
| How do I post a topic in a forum? Click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You will need to register before you can post a message. The facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list) Back to top |
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| How do I edit or delete a post? Unless you are the forum admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied; it also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they will generally leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied. Back to top |
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| How do I add a signature to my post? To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form. Back to top |
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| Why can't I access a forum? Some forum topics may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the forum moderator and forum administrator can grant, so you should contact them. Back to top |
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| Why can't I vote in polls? Only registered users can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights. Back to top |
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| Formatting and Topic Types |
| What is BBCode? BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator. You can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page. Back to top |
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| Can I use HTML in my posts? Generally No. This is to prevent people from abusing the forum by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems. Back to top |
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| What are Smileys? Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether. Back to top |
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| Can I post images or files with my posts? Images and some other file types can indeed be shown in your posts. There is a facility to upload a file or image to attach with your post at posting time. There is an 'Attachment Posting Control Panel' showen whenever you make a forum post. Use this to upload and show your images and files. Back to top |
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| I'm having problems posting images. There is a limit to the size of each attachment (file size, and number of pixels wide/high) you upload (which will depend on your allocated limit) and also a limit to the total space of all the attachments you have uploaded. If you require more space for attachments, or are having any problems with attachments whatsoever, please email the Forum Administrator and they will attempt to sort it out asap. Back to top |
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| What are Announcements? Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. Announcements are generally only posted by the forum administrator or forum team members. Back to top |
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| What are Sticky topics? Sticky topics appear below any announcements in viewforum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements the forum administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum. Back to top |
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| What are Locked topics? Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or forum administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons including discussions that have become out of hand (but still useful enough not to delete) or topics that have become a bit too long. Back to top |
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| User Levels and Member Groups |
| What are Administrators? Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire forum. These people can control all facets of forum operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums. Back to top |
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| What are Moderators? Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material in violation of the site rules. They may also tidy up messy posts or correct blatently incorrect information. If your post is edited by a moderator for some reason, it is likely that they will make an edit note or send you a PM giving the reason, but this will not always be the case. Please don't be offended if a Moderator contacts you to tell you that you have not posted correctly, or they have changed your post... they are just trying to keep the place tidy! Back to top |
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| Can I be a Moderator? We are always looking for people to help out with the forum, and usually need more moderators. Even if you have never done that soprt of thing before, it is easy and we'll show you what to do. PM or email the Forum administrator if you are interested. Back to top |
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| What are Member Groups? Member Groups (or Usergroups) are a way in which the community can group users. Each user can belong to several groups and each group can be assigned individual access rights. This makes it easy for administrators to set up several users as moderators of a forum, or to give them access to a private forum, etc. We will likely add various user groups in the future, but at the moment we have groups such as Members of the NZ MX5 Club, members that are in to DIY, Members that advocate Forced Induction and more. Back to top |
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| How do I join a Member Goup? To join a Member Group click the Member Groups link on the menu and you can then view all the available groups. Not all groups are open access -- some are closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the Member Group is open then you can request to join it by clicking the appropriate button. The group moderator will need to approve (or deny) your request (they may ask why you want to join the group). Please do not pester a group moderator if they turn your request down -- they will have their reasons. Also, you may not get a response immediately, as it will depend on how busy the group moderator is. Back to top |
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| How do I become a Member Group Moderator or create a new group? Usergroups are initially created by the forum administrator who also assigns a forum moderator. If you are interested in creating a new Member Group, or moderating an existing one then please contact the forum administrator. Try dropping them a private message, and let them know which user group or forum(s) you are interested in helping to create or moderate. Back to top |
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| phpBB 2 Issues |
| Who wrote this bulletin board? This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyrighted phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed; see link for more details Back to top |
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| Why isn't X feature available? This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Group. If you believe a feature needs to be added then please visit the phpbb.com website and see what the phpBB Group has to say. Please do not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, as the Group uses sourceforge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for features and then follow the procedure given there. Back to top |
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| Whom do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board? You should contact the administrator of this forum. If you cannot find who that is, you should first contact one of the forum moderators and ask them who you should in turn contact. If still get no response you should contact the owner of the domain (do a whois lookup). Please note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this forum is used. It is absolutely pointless contacting phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpbb.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all. Back to top |
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| Attachments |
| How do I add an attachment? You can add attachments when you post a new post. You should see a Add an Attachment form below the main posting box. When you click the Browse... button the standard Open dialogue window for your computer will open. Browse to the file you want to attach, select it and click OK, Open or doubleclick according to your liking and/or the correct procedure for your computer. If you choose to add a comment in the File Comment field this comment will be used as a link to the attached file. If you haven't added a comment the filename itself will be used to link to the attachment. If the board administrator has allowed it you will be able to upload multiple attachements by following the same procedure as described above until you reach the max allowed number of attachments for each post. The board administrator sets an upper limit for filesize, defined file extensions and other things for attachments on the board. Be aware that it's your responsiblity that your attachments comply with the boards acceptance of use policy, and that they may be deleted without warning. Please note that the boards owner, webmaster, administrator or moderators can not and will not take responsibility for any loss of data. Back to top |
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| How do I add an attachment after the initial posting? To add an attachment after the initial posting you'll need to edit your post and follow the description above. The new attachment will be added when you click Submit to add the edited post. Back to top |
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| How do I delete an attachment? To delete attachments you'll need to edit your post and click on the Delete Attachment next to the attachment you want to delete in the Posted Attachments box. The attachment will be deleted when you click Submit to add the edited post. Back to top |
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| How do I update a file comment? To update a file comment you'll need to edit your post, edit the text in the File Comment field and click on the Update Comment button next to the file comment you want to update in the Posted Attachments box. The file comment will be updated when you click Submit to add the edited post. Back to top |
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| Why isn't my attachment visible in the post? Most probably the file or Extension is no longer allowed on the forum, or a moderator or administrator has deleted it for being in conflict with the boards acceptance of use policy. Back to top |
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| Why can't I add attachments? On some forums adding attachments may be limited to certain users or groups. To add attachments you may need special authorisation, only the forum moderator and board admin can grant this access, you should contact them. Back to top |
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| I've got the necessary permissions, why can't I add attachments? The board administrator sets an upper limit for filesize, file extensions and other things for attachments on the board. A moderator or administrator may have altered your permissions, or discontinued attachments in the specific forum. You should get an explanation in the error message when trying to add an attachment, if not you might consider contacting the moderator or administrator. Back to top |
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| Why can't I delete attachments? On some forums deleting attachments may be limited to certain users or groups. To delete attachments you may need special authorisation, only the forum moderator and board admin can grant this access, you should contact them. Back to top |
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| Why can't I view/download attachments? On some viewing/downloading forums attachments may be limited to certain users or groups. To view/download attachments you may need special authorisation, only the forum moderator and board admin can grant this access, you should contact them. Back to top |
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| Who do I contact about illegal or possibly illegal attachments? You should contact the administrator of this board. If you cannot find who this is you should first contact one of the forum moderators and ask them who you should in turn contact. If you still get no response you should contact the owner of the domain (do a whois lookup) or, if this is running on a free service (e.g. yahoo, free.fr, f2s.com, etc.), the management or abuse department of that service. Please note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. It is absolutely pointless contacting phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpbb.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all. Back to top |
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