Frequently Asked Questions
Login and Registration Issues
- Why do I need to register?
- You may not have to, it is up to the administrator of the board as to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However; registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing of fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few moments to register so it is recommended you do so.
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- What is COPPA?
- COPPA, or the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, is a law in the United States requiring websites which can potentially collect information from minors under the age of 13 to have written parental consent or some other method of legal guardian acknowledgment, allowing the collection of personally identifiable information from a minor under the age of 13. If you are unsure if this applies to you as someone trying to register or to the website you are trying to register on, contact legal counsel for assistance. Please note that phpBB Limited and the owners of this board cannot provide legal advice and is not a point of contact for legal concerns of any kind, except as outlined in question "Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?".
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- Why can’t I register?
- It is possible a board administrator has disabled registration to prevent new visitors from signing up. A board administrator could have also banned your IP address or disallowed the username you are attempting to register. Contact a board administrator for assistance.
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- I registered but cannot login!
- First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then one of two things may have happened. If COPPA support is enabled and you specified being under 13 years old during registration, you will have to follow the instructions you received. Some boards will also require new registrations to be activated, either by yourself or by an administrator before you can logon; this information was present during registration. If you were sent an email, follow the instructions. If you did not receive an email, you may have provided an incorrect email address or the email may have been picked up by a spam filer. If you are sure the email address you provided is correct, try contacting an administrator.
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- Why can’t I login?
- There are several reasons why this could occur. First, ensure your username and password are correct. If they are, contact a board administrator to make sure you haven’t been banned. It is also possible the website owner has a configuration error on their end, and they would need to fix it.
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- I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
- It is possible an administrator has deactivated or deleted your account for some reason. Also, many boards periodically remove users who have not posted for a long time to reduce the size of the database. If this has happened, try registering again and being more involved in discussions.
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- I’ve lost my password!
- Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset. Visit the login page and click I forgot my password. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.
However, if you are not able to reset your password, contact a board administrator.
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- Why do I get logged off automatically?
- If you do not check the Remember me box when you login, the board 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 Remember me box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc. If you do not see this checkbox, it means a board administrator has disabled this feature.
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- What does the "Delete cookies" do?
- "Delete cookies" deletes the cookies created by phpBB which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. Cookies also provide functions such as read tracking if they have been enabled by a board administrator. If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.
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- How do I avoid being banned? (i.e., forum code of conduct)
- General, basic courtesy towards other users of the online forum is expected for all those who post new topics and replies. Posts containing abusive or topics of a harassment nature will be locked and the poster will be warned if the poster is a registered user; if an anonymous user, the poster' IP will be blocked for a to-be-determined period based on the severity of the posted content.
Generally there will not be any problems with users on the forum, but there are a few things that will cause your account to be disabled without warning:
- Physical or verbal threats against another user
- Sharing login information
- Making multiple accounts
- Non-Fogu web site solicitations with referral links
- Flooding the forum with posts in a short amount of time
- Reaching 3 warnings in 90 days
- Plagiarism or taking credit for other people's work
- Asking for information on where to download illegal games, programs, etc.
- Posting inappropriate content (such as pornographic images or any content that might make another user feel uncomfortable)
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User Preferences and settings
- How do I change my settings?
- If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the board database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link can usually be found by clicking on your username at the top of board pages. This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.
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- How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
- Within your User Control Panel, under "Board preferences", you will find the option Hide your online status. Enable this option and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
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- I want to change my user name. What do I have to do?
- If you want to change your registered user name, send a Private Message to Cherubae, the board administrator. Permitted user name changes include changing case, spacing, typos, and other minor grammar updates.
If you want to completely change your name to something new or different, you will need to have your account disabled so you can reuse your email address to create a new account. Your rank and post count will not transfer to your new account.
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- The times are not correct!
- It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your 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. If you are not registered, this is a good time to do so.
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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 incorrect, then the time stored on the server clock is incorrect. Please notify an administrator to correct the problem.
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- My language is not in the list!
- Either the administrator has not installed your language or nobody has translated this board into your language. Try asking a board administrator if they can install the language pack you need. If the language pack does not exist, feel free to create a new translation. More information can be found at the phpBB® website.
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- What are the images next to my username?
- There are two images which may appear along with a username when viewing posts. One of them may be an image associated with your rank, generally in the form of stars, blocks or dots, indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the board. Another, usually larger, image is known as an avatar and is generally unique or personal to each user.
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- How do I display an avatar?
- Within your User Control Panel, under "Profile" you can add an avatar by using one of the four following methods: Gravatar, Gallery, Remote or Upload. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and to choose the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars, contact a board administrator.
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- What is my rank and how do I change it?
- Ranks, which appear below your username, indicate the number of posts you have made in the HM/SoS sections of the board or identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators. In general, you cannot directly change the wording of any board ranks as they are set by the board administrator.
Your rank will automatically change as you post to the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons sections of the forum. The Back Fence, Webpage Comments, Posting Games, and Other Games sections do not increase your post count and rank when you use them.
Keep in mind that the ranks are just for fun. Some users will have low ranks (but intelligent posts) while others may have a higher rank because they tend to post more nonsense-like topics.
New Seedling - 0 to 49 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank01.gif)
Growing Garden Gnome - 50 to 99 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank02.gif)
Wacky Weed Puller - 100 to 149 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank03.gif)
Crazy Cow Herder - 150 to 199 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank04.gif)
Snazzy Sheep Sweeper - 200 to 249 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank05.gif)
Huggy Chickens - 250 to 324 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank06.gif)
Tubular Turnip Farmer - 325 to 399 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank07.gif)
Custodian of Corn - 400 to 474 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank08.gif)
Carrots... yum - 475 to 549 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank09.gif)
Not the Eggplant Wizard - 550 to 624 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank10.gif)
Spinach Bodyguard - 625 to 699 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank11.gif)
Pick Potatoes, not boogers - 700 to 999 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank12.gif)
Ultimate Farming Fanatic - 1000 to 1999 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank13.gif)
UNoT Extreme Mooomber - 2000 posts
![](/hmforum/images/ranks/rank14.gif)
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- Why do some people have colored backgrounds?
- Users who have reached 2000 posts will be given the privilege of changing the color of their post backgrounds. They may also change the color of their text so it does not conflict with their chosen background color.
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- When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login?
- Only registered users can send email to other users via the built-in email form, and only if the administrator has enabled this feature. This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
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Posting Issues
- How do I create a new topic or post a reply?
- To post a new topic in a forum, click "New Topic". To post a reply to a topic, click "Post Reply". You do not need to register an account before you can post a message asking for Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons help, but you do need to register if you want access to the Back Fence or Posting Games sections.
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- How do I edit or delete a post?
- Unless you are a board administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post, sometimes for only a limited time after the post was made. 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 which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own discretion. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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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 via your User Control Panel. Once created, you can check the Attach a 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 button in the User Control Panel. If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form.
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- How do I create a poll?
- When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the "Poll creation" tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under "Options per user", a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.
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- Why can’t I add more poll options?
- The limit for poll options is set by the board administrator. If you feel you need to add more options to your poll than the allowed amount, contact the board administrator.
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- How do I edit or delete a poll?
- As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.
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- Why can’t I access a forum?
- Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post or perform another action you may need special permissions. Contact a moderator or board administrator to grant you access.
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- Why can’t I add attachments?
- Attachment permissions are granted on a per forum, per group, or per user basis. The board administrator may not have allowed attachments to be added for the specific forum you are posting in, or perhaps only certain groups can post attachments. Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you are unable to add attachments.
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- Why did I receive a warning?
- You may receive a warning if you did not follow the posting guidelines (see Why was my post locked?) as well as for the following reasons:
- Posting a topic as an anonymous user with the intent of causing distress to the other members, such as "so and so sucks" or "harvest moon is for lame people". You look even more foolish when you log back into your account and reply to your own topic, stating how you disagree with the anonymous person. We can tell it is you.
- Breaking the "10 day rule" by replying to a topic that is older than 10 days, which brings it back to the "live" discussions and confuses other board users.
- General rudeness and mistreatment of other users. Just because you can’t physically see the person, you don’t have the right to treat them as though they don’t exist.
- Bypassing the cleverly crafted word censor by adding periods between letters, modifying words with zeros, etc.
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- How can I report posts to a moderator?
- If the board administrator has allowed it, you should see a button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.
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- What is the "Save" button for in topic posting?
- This allows you to save drafts to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved draft, visit the User Control Panel.
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- Why does my post need to be approved?
- The board administrator may have decided that posts in the forum you are posting to require review before submission. It is also possible that the administrator has placed you in a group of users whose posts require review before submission. Please contact the board administrator for further details.
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- How do I bump my topic?
- By clicking the "Bump topic" link when you are viewing it, you can "bump" the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then topic bumping may be disabled or the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be sure to follow the board rules when doing so.
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- Can I advertise my web site?
- Posting a new topic that only contains your web site URL is not appropriate, but you are more then welcome to place your web site URL inside of your signature file. Then it will appear in every post you make.
If someone asks for another web site to find more Harvest Moon help, there are no issues with posting URLs to other fan sites with relevant information. As long as the poster gets the assistance he or she needs then the topic has been successful.
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- Can we talk about rewritable cartridges and emulation here?
- No. This forum is hosted in the United States, where the use of R4 cards and other like items are not legal. While this forum does allow people from all countries to post, discussion of rewritable cartridges for game consoles is not appropriate. If a user mentions they are using a device to illegally play video games (Harvest Moon or otherwise), the account will be banned.
This is also not the forum to use for help using your emulator. If you are posting questions on how to get a game to work with your program, your account will be banned.
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- Where can I download a copy of (insert game name here)?
- Asking where to download illegal copies of video games is not permitted on this forum. If you ask where to download a game, your account will be BANNED. Supplying information on where to download illegal copies of video games will receive the same treatment.
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- What is a « Snuggly Bunny », « What The Eggplant », and other strange words?
- When an offensive word is typed into a post, the forum word filter will replace the word with something more comical. The replaced word will have a set of marks around it (« ») so you can easily tell that the topic author felt the need be unimaginative with expressing their opinions. Occasionally, new words will be added to the word filter, and you can not see a list of existing filtered words.
If you try to bypass the word filter by replacing characters with other characters (e.g. a "o" becomes a "0"), add periods to separate the questionable word's letters, or other techniques to make the word un-filtered, you will be given a warning. If you continue to bypass the word filter then your account will be banned.
Most account users can turn off their word filter. To check to see if you can turn it off, go into your User Control Panel -> Board Preferences -> Edit Display Options. If you can turn off the filter, you will see an option labeled "Enable word censoring". Change the "yes" to "no" and then click Submit at the bottom of the settings page.
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- Can we talk about Action Replay codes?
- AR codes and their uses are perfectly acceptable. The AR device is not illegal (unlike the R4 and other flash cartridges) and asking about codes is allowable. Granted, you may receive replies to your topic from other users indicating that you are taking the fun out of the game, but that is one of the downsides to cheating. If you don't know what AR codes are or how to use them, then please read this Wikipedia article. The UNoT forum users are not here to teach you how to use your cheat device.
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Formatting and Topic Types
- What is BBCode?
- BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. The use of BBCode is granted by the administrator, but it can also be disabled on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
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- Can I use HTML?
- No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead.
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- What are Smilies?
- Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether. The board administrator may also have set a limit to the number of smilies you may use within a post.
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- Can I post images?
- Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
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- What are global announcements?
- Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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- What are announcements?
- Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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- What are sticky topics?
- Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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- What are locked topics?
- Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You may also be able to lock your own topics depending on the permissions you are granted by the board administrator.
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- What is the 10 day rule?
- The UNoT forum can be very active, especially during the time period when new Harvest Moon games are released. Topics that have not been replied to in 10 day or longer are considered to be "finish" and no new replies are required. If you bring an old topic back among the active topics, it causes confusion for other users who are trying to get help, especially since topics over 10 days are usually no longer relevant.
If you bump an old topic back to the active list of topics then you will receive a warning. If you continue to reactivate old topics then your account will be banned.
Each post has a last-post time assigned to it. If you are having a difficult time understanding the default time stamp, you can go into your User Control Panel, go to the Board Settings area, and change the My Date Format to something that works better for you.
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- Why was my post locked?
- There are several reasons why a post would be locked.
- Past the 10-day window: Topics are considered completed if no one has responded to it within 10 days of the last post. If you "bump" a topic that is past the 10-day grace period the topic will be locked, and you will most likely receive a warning.
- Asking for others to play your game: If you don't have the ability to make your own decisions and must ask the other forum members who you should marry, what to name your cows, etc., the topic will be locked. The game's adventure is for you to decide and no one else.
- Topic strays from the original post: When someone posts a topic and the conversation commences, if it begins to stray from the original topic the post might become locked.
- Decision about game purchase: Spending your own money on games is your decision to make. Asking other members whether you should or should not purchase something is not for them to decide. It's your own money and each person's opinion will vary. Do your own research and then choose for yourself.
- Game emulation and downloads: Topics asking where to acquire illegal versions of any video game or other software, will be locked. The topic creator's account will be banned.
- Topics containing subjects of politics, religion, or personal information (such as birthyear/age and real names) are not allowed.
- And please remember to try not to generate spam messages: posts that contain a simple "me too" or other short messages. They are annoying to read by the other members.
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- What are topic icons?
- Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the board administrator.
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Private Messaging
- I cannot send private messages!
- There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, the board administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire board, or the board administrator has prevented you from sending messages. Contact a board administrator for more information.
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- I keep getting unwanted private messages!
- You can automatically delete private messages from a user by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, report the messages to the moderators; they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages.
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- I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!
- We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so email the board administrator with a full copy of the email you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the email. The board administrator can then take action.
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Friends and Foes
- What are my Friends and Foes lists?
- You can use these lists to organise other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.
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- How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?
- You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.
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Searching the Forums
- How can I search a forum or forums?
- Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the "Advance Search" link which is available on all pages on the forum. How to access the search may depend on the style used.
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- Why does my search return no results?
- Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed by phpBB. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search.
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- Why does my search return a blank page!?
- Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use "Advanced search" and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.
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- How do I search for members?
- Visit to the "Members" page and click the "Find a member" link.
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- How can I find my own posts and topics?
- Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the "Show your posts" link within the User Control Panel or by clicking the "Search user’s posts" link via your own profile page or by clicking the "Quick links" menu at the top of the board. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
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Subscriptions and Bookmarks
- What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
- In phpBB 3.0, bookmarking topics worked much like bookmarking in a web browser. You were not alerted when there was an update. As of phpBB 3.1, bookmarking is more like subscribing to a topic. You can be notified when a bookmarked topic is updated. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to a topic or forum on the board. Notification options for bookmarks and subscriptions can be configured in the User Control Panel, under "Board preferences".
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- How do I bookmark or subscribe to specific topics?
- You can bookmark or subscribe to a specific topic by clicking the appropriate link in the "Topic tools" menu, conveniently located near the top and bottom of a topic discussion.
Replying to a topic with the "Notify me when a reply is posted" option checked will also subscribe you to the topic.
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- How do I subscribe to specific forums?
- To subscribe to a specific forum, click the "Subscribe forum" link, at the bottom of page, upon entering the forum.
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- How do I remove my subscriptions?
- To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.
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Attachments
- What attachments are allowed on this board?
- Each board administrator can allow or disallow certain attachment types. If you are unsure what is allowed to be uploaded, contact the board administrator for assistance.
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- How do I find all my attachments?
- To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.
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Board Issues
- Who wrote this bulletin board?
- This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyright phpBB Limited. It is made available under the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPL-2.0) and may be freely distributed. See About phpBB for more details.
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- Why isn’t X feature available?
- This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Limited. If you believe a feature needs to be added please visit the phpBB Ideas Centre, where you can upvote existing ideas or suggest new features.
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- Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
- Any of the administrators listed on the "The team" page should be an appropriate point of contact for your complaints. If this still gets no response then 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 the phpBB Limited has absolutely no jurisdiction and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. Do not contact the phpBB Limited 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 Limited about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all.
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- How do I contact a board administrator?
- All users of the board can use the "Contact us" form, if the option was enabled by the board administrator.
Members of the board can also use the "The team" link.
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