Lost Forum FAQ - MUST READ before posting a new thread

[Gabs]

Lost Forum Frequently Asked Questions


AVATARS

To upload an avatar, go to User CP > Edit Avatar. If it’s saved on your computer, use the ‘browse’ button to upload it. If you’re linking from somewhere else on the web, use the Enter Avatar URL field to fill in the link. The remote file upload feature is currnetly not working; save the avatar to your computer and then browse for it.


SIG BANNERS

To put an image (banner) into your signature, first you need to upload it to your own webspace (photobucket, imageshack, whatever). Go to User CP > Edit Signature.Then, put the address of your banner in [*img]imageURLhere[/*img] tags, without the asterisks. Save and you should be good to go. Alternately, you can now upload your sig image direct to the forum. There's a 'signature picture' box where you can browse for and upload a banner, as you would an av. Once it's up, click the 'Insert Signature Picture' link, which will place SIGPIC BB code in your signature. Place the code where you want the sig to be, then save.


LINKS IN SIGNATURE

Type in the words you want to show for the link. For instance, if you want to link to LF, type Lost Forum. Then you highlight that name, click the URL button, and put in the link.

To add color to the link, simply highlight the key word, put your color tags on that, and put the URL tags around it:

[*URL="http://lost-forum.com"][*COLOR="Blue"]Lost Forum[/COLOR][/URL]

LINKS VIA BANNERS

To put a link in your banner, select the image link, including IMG tags, and add the URL link:

[*URL=your link here][*IMG]SIG image here[/IMG][/url]

An example of a real banner link:

[*URL="http://lost-forum.com/showthread.php?t=30813"][*IMG]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/GabsHardy/sigs/LFLockeTruthinessSig.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Minus the asterisks.


SPOILER TAGS

To use the spoiler tags, enter what you want to tag, and put the spoiler code in: [*spoiler] [*/spoiler] minus the *. It will show a black rectangle, which can be read by double clicking or highlighting. If you would like to avoid viewing the Spoiler forum altogether, click on the little minus (-) sign on the top right corner of the Spoiler forum header.


CUSTOM TITLE

In order to change your title to your own personalized one, you must have been a member for at least 100 days.

To change your title: User CP > Edit Profile > Custom User Title


STANDARD TITLES

Until you have reached the 100 day requirement for a custom title, this is the standard ladder your title will follow, based on post count:
0-100: Junior Member
101-500: Member
501-1000: Advanced Member
1001-5000: Senior Member
5001-10,000: Veteran Member
10,000+: Gold Member


POST COUNTS

To view the post count of yourself or any other member, go to the profile and scroll down to Forum Info. It will show Total Posts; that is the post count.


USER NOTES

User notes are little notes that you can leave for other members. These are only available if you have been a member for over 100 days. To leave a note, go to the members profile and scroll down to Forum Info > User Notes > Post User Note. Leave a note like you would any normal post. To view your own notes, go to your profile > Forum Info > User Notes > View. Note that these do not increase your post count.


R-RATED FIC FORUM

To be given access to the R-rated fic forum, a member must have at least 15 posts and have been a member of Lost Forum for at least 60 days. Members must also be over the age of 16 and agree to the stated Lost Forum Terms of Service for the R forum. If you fulfill these requirements, you may PM the Fan Fiction Moderators to be given access to this forum. Please, be patient. It can take some time to get you set up with your permissions.


SEARCHING FORUMS

To search a forum (note: a good thing), go to the top of that forum. In the upper right hand corner, you'll see 'Search this Forum.' Click that, enter your search term, hit go, and you're done. See tutorial on the search function here.


CHANGING USER NAME

To change your username, PM a Mod or Admin with your request. As soon as it can be done, your SN will be edited. Keep in mind, you can only change your name once- be sure it's something you'll want to keep.


HOW TO BECOME A MODERATOR

We work on a strictly "don't call us, we'll call you" basis. Don't send us PMs asking to become Mods. Don't send us PMs asking why so-and-so was chosen to be a Mod. Don't send us PMs asking what you can do in order to become a mod. Just don't.


CHANGING YOUR PROFILE

To edit your profile: User CP > Edit Profile. Here, you can add in your custom title, edit your birthday, home page, and instant messaging info, put in a small biography, and add in various other tidbits of info.


HOW TO CLEAR COOKIES

Many problems with the forum can be solved by clearing cookies. If you can't figure something out, try this first:
1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options. The Internet Options box should open to the General tab.
2. On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Cookies button.


EP NIGHT POLICIES

Episode nights run a bit differently around here. For one thing, new registrations may be disabled that day and into the next morning. Guests/non-logged in users will not be able to see the forums for most of the day. The new episode forum will not be open any earlier than one hour prior to airtime; any talk of the episode before it airs is either spoiler or speculation, and therefore belongs in Spoilers. Pre-ep, some threads will be created by the Mods to direct the discussions and to prevent hundreds of duplicate threads. If duplicates are made, they'll shortly be closed and shipped off to the purgatory forum, which is erased every few days.


HOW TO MAKE A POLL

If you want to make a poll, first you hit New Thread, enter the content of your post, and at the bottom of the screen it has an option to Post a Poll. Check 'Yes, post a poll with this thread' and then Submit New Thread. From there, you'll be able to edit in your poll choices.


BAD POSTS

When you see a bad post- anything that violates any LF Rules, from double posting to sig violation to flaming or spamming- don't correct it yourself. This is considered Mod Whoring, which is a Bad Thing. Instead, use the Report Bad Post button to notify the Mods, and we'll take care of it from there.


DELETING AN ACCOUNT

From time to time, we have members request for their account to be deleted. We don't generally delete accounts by request. It takes time, people change their minds back and forth, other people get confused, and there are generally too many issues for it to be worth it. If you don't wish to be a member of LF any longer, all you need to do is stop visiting us. A "Goodbye" thread isn't necessary either. If you wish to leave, just do it. There is no need for drama.


THREAD SUBSCRIPTIONS

To subscribe to a thread, go to the top of the thread, click Thread Tools, and select the third options, Subscribe to This Thread. You have various options on the subscriptions- you can get every new post e-mailed to you, you can get a collection of new posts e-mailed, or you can just have your subscribed threads show up when you go to your control panel. The purpose is just to make it easier to keep track of threads you like/post/have replied to/forget about/etc. Sometimes you'll get subbed to a thread just by posting in it. If you don't want it, just go to your CP and delete the subscription.


VIEWING YOUR POSTS

To view all posts you've made, go to your profile (Quick Links ~> Miscellaneous ~> My Profile) and go to Forum Info: Find All Posts by your username here. Right below this you'll see Find All Threads Started by your username here, which takes you more specifically to the threads you've started, rather than all posts you've made.


NEW MEMBERS

For those brand new members with less than 5 posts: be aware than the first five of ALL new members go into post moderation, which means the Mods have to check and approve each post before it appears. This includes new threads you may post. Reposting things 10 times will not make it appear any faster, and in fact is more likely to get all 10 posts denied. Post once and be patient; we'll get to things as soon as we can.


30 DAY POST LIMITS

There are three sections of the forum that, historically, have given more than their fair share of trouble with new members registering to cause problems. Those three areas are Spoilers, Episode Downloads, and Serious Discussion & Debate. To limit the issues we've faced in these sections in the past, all three have a 30 day post limit on them. This means that all new members must be registered for at least 30 days before being able to post in any of them.


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As always, the Lost Forum rules must be adhered to for these and all other topics.

[Gabs]

A reminder to READ THE FAQ. It's here for a reason, yet we keep seeing threads popping up to ask things that have been addressed here. Use it and love it.

If you think there's something I left out, feel free to send me a PM.