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Pet Shed forums FAQ (Frequently-Asked-Questions)

By Pet Shed writer Anonymous
September 28, 2007.

Pets

The Shed FAQ (Frequently-asked questions) Guide

[1.0] Registration and Login

[1.1] Do I have to register?

[1.2] Why do I need to register at all?

[1.3] How do I register?

[1.4] I have a username and password, how do I login?

[1.5] What do I do if I forget my login ID and/or password?

[1.6] I registered but cannot log in!

[1.7] How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings?

[1.8] I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!

[2.0] Pet Shed Forum user-profiles and settings

[2.1] How do I change my settings?

[2.2] What is a profile?

[2.3] How do I add a signature to my post?

[2.4] What is an avatar?

[2.5] How do I set my avatar?

[2.6] I don't know how to reduce my avatar to the approved size.

[2.7] But I don't even have digital photos, just prints!

[2.8] What are forum ranks?

[2.9] How do I change my rank?

[2.10] How do I set the date format?

[2.11] The times are not correct!

[2.12] I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!

[2.13] How do I turn off email-tracking?

[2.14] Why won't The Shed accept my photo?

[2.15] When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.

[3.0] Privacy and security

[3.1] How do I change my password?

[3.2] How do I change my Username?

[3.3] How do I change my notified email address?

[3.4] What Profile settings are required?

[3.5] What if I don’t want my name displayed in the member lists?

[4.0] Navigation

[4.1] What is a forum category?

[4.2] What is a forum?

[4.3] What is a Thread?

[4.4] When I view a Forum I don’t see any threads/posts?

[4.5] I just posted a message, why don’t I see it?

[4.6] What are the different icons next to threads?

[4.7] What is an announcement thread?

[4.8] What is a sticky thread?

[4.9] What is a locked thread?

[4.10] Can I sort threads when viewing a forum?

[5.0] Posting

[5.1] How do I post a topic in a forum?

[5.2] How do I edit or delete a post?

[5.3] Can I use HTML?

[5.4] What is BBCode?

[5.5] What are Emoticons (or smilies)?

[5.6] How can I use smilies?

[5.7] How do I post a new message to a forum?

[5.8] How do I reply to an existing post?

[5.9] How do I edit my posts?

[5.10] How do I delete my posts?

[5.11] Can I post images?

[5.12] My Post has words replaced with ***?

[5.13] Are there any censor features?

[5.14] How do I add a signature to my posts?

[5.15] How do I add an avatar to my posts?

[5.16] How can I report an inappropriate post?

[5.17]How do I create a poll?

[5.18]How do I edit or delete a poll?

[5.19]Why can't I vote in polls?

[5.20]What are Announcements?

[5.21]What are Sticky topics?

[5.22]What are Locked topics?

[6.0] User groups and permissions

[6.1]What are Permissions?

[6.2]What is an Administrator?

[6.3]What is a Moderator?

[6.4]What is a role or user group?

[6.5]How do I join a Usergroup?

[7.0] Private Messages

[7.1]What is a private message?

[7.2]How do I send a private message?

[7.3]I cannot send private messages!

[7.4]I keep getting unwanted private messages!

[7.5]I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!

[1.0] Registration and Login

[1.1] Do I have to register?

You are free to browse The Shed's forums and threads as much as you like. However you must register if you want to become part of the Pet Shed community and start posting yourself. Registration is free, and you are not required to reveal your real name to the community – only a nickname which you choose for yourself. You are required to give us your actual email address, however (this information will not be made public unless you choose to release it).

[1.2] Why do I need to register at all?

If all you want to do is browse the forums you don't have to register. However registration will allow you to contribute to discussions as well as give you access to additional features not available to guest users, such as avatars, private messaging, emailing to fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.

[1.3] How do I register?

The Shed Forums are linked to the Petshed.com website - just sign up with Pet Shed and we'll automatically create an account to make you an official 'Shedder'.

[1.4] I have a username and password, how do I login?

After successfully registering with Pet Shed, you should have a username and password emailed to your specified email account. You can then visit The Shed's login page and enter your username and password to login.

[1.5] What do I do if I forget my login ID and/or 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. Also, all of the pages that require you to identify yourself with your username and password carry a "lost password" link that you can use to have your username and new password emailed instantly to your email address of record.

[1.6] I registered but cannot log in!

First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then you may be under 13 and not permitted to register with The Shed. Another possibility is that you haven't activated your account yet. When you registered an email was sent your nominated address which you need to open and click on the link contained. This not only activates your account, it confirms to Pet Shed that your nominated email address is valid and is yours. One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the board administrator.

[1.7] 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 board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.

[1.8] I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!

The most likely reasons for this are: 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. This sometimes happens when an account is left idle for an extended period. It is usual for online forum administrators to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Unfortunately once an account has been deleted it cannot be retrieved. Try registering again to get involved in discussions.

[2.0] Pet Shed Forum user-profiles and settings

[2.1] How do I change my settings?

All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database in your profile. To alter them click the Profile link (generally shown at the top of pages). This will allow you to change all your settings.

[2.2] What is a profile?

A profile is information about your account that controls how you view information within The Shed's forums. This includes details about posts you’ve contributed to, personal information you wish to share with the wider community such as your web address, as well as settings that control how you interact with the rest of The Shed, such as: time zone, contact details, avatars, and many other settings.

[2.3] 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. You can edit your signature from your personal profile page.

[2.4] What is an avatar?

An avatar is a feature of the forums which allows for a personal image to be displayed next to your name and forum rank inside your posts.

[2.5] How do I set my avatar?

You can edit your avatar from your personal profile page. Note: only official Pet Shed employees or moderators are permitted to use the Pet Shed logo as their avatar.

[2.6] I don't know how to reduce my avatar to the approved size.

Check out The Shed's easy-to-read avatar-creation guide. Still don't get it? That's OK. Perhaps the best thing to do then is to find a friend who is computer-literate and ask them to help convert your avatar for you. Alternatively, there are always fellow Shedders around who are more than happy and capable of helping you. We'd love to help you do it, but then we'd never have time for new features and other fun stuff.

[2.7] But I don't even have digital photos, just prints!

If you only have print or traditional film you have several easy solutions. One is to find that computer-literate friend and ask them if they can scan your photos and convert them into web-ready images. Alternatively, have your undeveloped film printed right onto a CD. Another sneaky way to digitize prints is to use a digital camera to take a picture of your pictures! Then upload them straight onto your hard drive.

[2.8] What are forum ranks?
Each registered Pet Shed forum member is given a title that reflects his or her "rank" on this board. Administrators have whatever name they like (but try and restrain themselves to 'Administrator', while moderators are usually given the title "Pet Shed moderator". Some members are given special titles, either for exceptional service, contributions or stupidity while in The Shed. All other users are given their titles based on the number of posts they have made:

Posts Title

0 Newbie

10 Flea egg

and so on.

[2.9] How do I change my rank?

In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank -- you will probably find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.

[2.10] How do I set the date format?

The date format used to display any date information can be configured from your profile.

[2.11] 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. So if you are not registered, this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun!

[2.12] 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 board 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.

[2.13] How do I turn off email-tracking?

Email tracking is a feature which will send emails to you when messages that you are subscribed to change. You can turn off all email tracking globally from your profile.

[2.14] Why won't The Shed accept my photo?

You all have great photos to share, and we at Pet Shed want to share all of them. Unfortunately posting digital photos onto the internet can be tricky. The problem is that cameras take photos with enough data resolution to print a 3' x 3' printout (The more megapixels the more data it stores). On the web, however, where each photo has to be downloaded, you don't need as much detail – in fact you need images to contain as few details as possible.

The average camera stores a photo with a minimum of 1.2MB (approx. 1228k) of data, while the average web photo is only 20k. (It can take a user on a dial-up connection several minutes to download a couple of 1228k photos ... let alone the rest of the forum page and text).

So to handle this problem you need to convert your full-resolution photo to a web-ready image. Most modern photo software have a feature to save a photo for the web or to send as an email.

Check out our avatar-creation guide for tips on how to minimize the size of your images.

[2.15] When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.

Sorry, but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form. This is to prevent malicious use of The Shed's internal email system by anonymous users.

[3.0] Privacy and security
[3.1] How do I change my password?

Your password can be changed on your personal profile page.

[3.2] How do I change my Username?

Unfortunately, you can't. Your Username is tied to your Pet Shed account, and cannot be changed. Sorry, you're stuck with it. You are only allowed to link one account to your email address, so in certain cases the Administrator may be kind enough to delete your account so you can start again.

[3.3] How do I change my notified email address?

Once logged in, you can change your private email address from your Profile page. However, you may also need to update your email address on your Pet Shed account settings page to keep things in synch.

[3.4] What Profile settings are required?

The only profile setting that is required is your private email address. This is the email address that is used when you subscribe to the forums, when a forgotten username/password is emailed or when the management sends you an email. Your private email address is not publicly displayed by default. If you wish to share an email address publicly, choose the appropriate option in your profile. The other settings in your profile are optional.

[3.5] What if I don’t want my name displayed in the member lists?

You can set the option in your profile and your name will not appear in any member listings, including the listing of who is online.

[4.0] Navigation

[4.1] What is a forum category?

A forum category is a top-level grouping of related forums. A forum category contains one or more forums.

[4.2] What is a forum?

A forum is a grouping of related threads of discussion. A Forum contains zero or more threads and zero or more sub-forums.

[4.3] What is a Thread?

A thread is a grouping of related posts. A thread contains at least one post. The first post becomes the Thread and replies to the original post increment details on the Thread, such as the reply count or last post.

[4.4] When I view a Forum I don’t see any threads/posts?

A forum may not display any threads if there are no threads in the forum or if filters on the forms have been applied and no threads match the filter. An example of a filter is filtering to display threads newer than a certain date, such as threads new in the past two weeks.

[4.5] I just posted a message, why don’t I see it?

A forum may or may not be moderated depending upon how the forum has been configured. After posting a message in a moderated forum you may receive a message stating that the post is awaiting moderation. Once the moderator(s) approve your post you post will become visible. The moderators may choose to move, edit, or delete your post to ensure that the post is topical to the current forum.

[4.6] What are the different icons next to threads?

The icons next to threads when viewing a forum indicate different status. You can move your mouse cursor over these icons to see what the different status / types of threads are.

[4.7] What is an announcement thread?

An announcement is a special post type that is always displayed at the top of a forum for a configured amount of time. The purpose of an announcement is to increase the visibility of certain topics.

[4.8] What is a sticky thread?

A sticky topic is a special post that causes a post to sort to the top of a forum for a specified amount of time. A sticky topic is similar to an announcement, whereas an announcement is displayed separate from other threads and usually does not allow replies.

[4.9] What is a locked thread?

A locked thread is a special post that does not allow replies. Once a user locks a post or an administrator/moderator locks a thread no more posts are allowed.

[4.10] Can I sort threads when viewing a forum?

Yes, you can sort threads when viewing a forum by Author, Replies, Views, and Last Post. The default sort for a forum is to display the newest threads first (Last Post descending). To sort simply click on the options button at the bottom of the screen and select your desired sort order and click 'Apply'.

[5.0] Posting
[5.1] How do I post a topic in a forum?

Easy -- click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You 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.

[5.2] How do I edit or delete a post?

Unless you are the board 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 should leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.

[5.3] Can I use HTML?

Yes and no. You cannot type HTML directly into the editor. Instead a standard HTML textbox is used and BBCode can be used to mark-up posts.

[5.4] What is BBCode?

BBCode is a special syntax for formatting plain text posts. BB Code is similar to HTML, but offers just a few basic functions, such as hyperlinking, image display, bolding and italicizing. 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.

[5.5] What are Emoticons (or smilies)?

Emoticons are graphical elements that can be added within the body of a post to add emotions to the post. Common examples are the use of smilies within the contents of a post. 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.The Shed offers users a choice of pre-defined emoticons, however the administrator can add additional ones if you ask nicely.

[5.6] How can I use smilies?
Smilies are keyboard characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile :) or a frown :( . This message board automatically converts certain smilies to a graphical representation. You can use our Instant Smilies buttons for automatic generation. For example, if you type :o in your post, it will automatically be converted to - a shameful face. The various smilies you can choose from can be seen to the left of your text box when you post.

[5.7] How do I post a new message to a forum?

You can post a new message to a forum in several ways. When viewing a forum you should see an image button reading New Topic. Clicking on this image button will take you to a form for posting a message or ask you to login first.

[5.8] How do I reply to an existing post?

You can reply to an existing post using either the Reply or Quote buttons displayed with the post. If you do not see the Reply or Quote image buttons when viewing a post you either do not have permissions to reply or the post may not allow replies.

[5.9] How do I edit my posts?

Once you have posted in a thread you will see an Edit image button next to posts you have made. This function, which is only available for a limited time after you have posted, allows you to change or delete things you said. Clicking on this image button will allow you to edit your post.

[5.10] How do I delete my posts?

For a short while after creating a new post, you will see a Delete image button next to the post you have made. If a post you have made has one or more replies you will no longer be able to delete the post.

[5.11] Can I post images?

Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] [/img] tag or appropriate HTML.

[5.12] My post has words replaced with 'woof'?

The administrator may have specified a word filter for posts. When word filters are enabled certain words that are deemed to be offensive or not acceptable in The Shed are filtered and replaced with 'woof'.

[5.13] Are there any censor features?
The message board administrators have the power to censor certain words that may be posted. This censoring is not an exact science, however, so certain words may be censored out of context. Please realize that the censoring, if any censoring is being performed, is being done by a computer based on the words that are being screened. Words that are censored are replaced with 'woof'.

[5.14] How do I add a signature to my posts?

See How do I add Signature to my Post? in the User Profile and Settings section.

[5.15] How do I add an avatar to my posts?

See What is an avatar? And How do I Set my Avatar in the User Profile and Settings section.

[5.16] How can I report an inappropriate post?

If you see a post that you believe requires immediate attention from a moderator or administrator, click on the 'Report this post' icon, or email community@petshed.com with all the relevant details about the post (location, content, reason you object etc). The alert goes to the forum moderator(s) and the board administrator via email.

[5.17] How do I create a poll?

Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box. You need to be a registered user to be able to create a poll. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the board administrator

[5.18] How do I edit or delete a poll?

As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll.

[5.19] 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.

[5.20] 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. Whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions required, which are set by the administrator.

[5.21] 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 board administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum.

[5.22] What are Locked topics?

Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.

[6.0] User groups and permissions
[6.1] What are Permissions?

Permissions control what you are or are not allowed to do while browsing the site. The permissions you are granted control all aspects of your view within The Shed's forums.

[6.2] What is an Administrator?

An administrator is the highest permission level within Pet Shed's forums. By default, an administrator has full permissions to perform any action, e.g. moderating posts, approving users, and so on. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.

[6.3] What is a Moderator?

A moderator is the second-highest permission level within Pet Shed's forums. 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 as well as ban users. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material. By default a moderator can perform any number of tasks within a particular forum or set of forums. If you have a problem with a particular forum the best place to start is with a moderator. Moderators belong to varying groups configured by the Administrator.

[6.4] What is a role or user group?

Usergroups are a way in which board administrators can group users. In addition to common permission assignment a role can also be used to display an image for a user in that role. Each user can belong to several groups (this differs from most other boards) 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.Roles make the job of administering and moderating the site easier since users can be assigned to roles and then permission applied based on those roles.

[6.5] How do I join a Usergroup?

To join a usergroup click the usergroup link on the page header (dependent on template design) and you can then view all usergroups. Not all groups are open access -- some are closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the board is open then you can request to join it by clicking the appropriate button. The user group moderator will need to approve 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.

[7.0] Private Messages
[7.1] What is a private message?

A private message is like (but isn't) email within Pet Shed's Forums. No private information, such as the user's email address, is ever disclosed. A private message is not email. Private messages are one-to-one communications that can only be read by the recipient. You can read private messages in your profile section. You can also elect to be notified by email whenever someone sends you a private message (you can set this in your profile). You can also prevent anyone from sending you a private message (also configurable in your profile). Only registered members may send private messages. This option can be disabled by the board administrators.

[7.2] How do I send a private message?

To send someone a private message, look for the private message icon on a post a person creates. You can send a private message through the person's member profile, or from your Buddy List, if you have added the person to your Buddy List.

[7.3] 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 individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why.

[7.4] 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 board administrator -- they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages at all.

[7.5] 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 to track users who send such posts. You should email the board administrator at community@petshed.com 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 take action.

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