Frequently
Asked Questions
General
2.
What
are the site guidelines?
Membership
2.
What
information is required for registration? How do I register?
3.
Why
do I need to have a valid email address? What are you going to do with the
information?
4.
I
created a profile. Now what?
5.
What
if I didn't get the validation email or I have lost my password?
Private
Messages
1.
Is
there a private message feature?
2.
How
do I access my private messages?
3.
Can
I prevent other members from sending me private email messages?
4.
Does
my email address show up in the private message?
5.
When
the message shows up, who is it from? What is the subject line?
6.
Someone
sent me a private message, but I never received it. What happened to it?
7.
Can
I put html tags in private emails? Are attachments allowed?
8.
Can
I block specific members from sending me private messages?
Fun
Stuff - Smileys, Pictures and Sounds
2.
What
special formats can I use in my posts?
3.
Can
I put smileys in my posts?
4.
Can
I put pictures in my posts?
5.
There
is a big X where my I expected my picture to be. What happened?
6.
What
types of sound files can I add to my profile?
7.
Is
there a limit to size of the sound file I attach to my profile?
8.
How
can I add a picture to my profile?
9.
Is
there a limit to what size picture I use?
Muzzling,
Banning and Other Administrative Issues
1.
When
I tried to post, I got a message telling me that I had been muzzled. What does
this mean?
2.
I
can't send private messages. What does this mean?
General
1.
Who operates this
site? top
SargassoSea is a privately operated site. If you have questions about the
policies wish further information about the site, please contact the site’s webmaster or administrator.
2.
What are the site
guidelines? top
Sargasso Sea is a safe place on the Internet to openly discuss the issues
that touch our lives.
Our detailed guidelines can be found by clicking here.
Membership
1.
Is membership
required? top
Yes, you must
be a registered member to view and post on the forums. You must be at least 18
years old to register.
2.
What information
is required for registration? How do I register?
top
You will be required to create a unique user name and provide a valid email
address. No other information is required.
Click here
to register.
3.
I created a
profile. Now what? top
Once you have completed registration, an email will be sent to the email
address in your profile in order to validate your email address. Follow the
link in the email to finish the registration process.
The first time you log in you will be re-directed to the Sargasso Sea
Guidelines page. Please review all of the guidelines. Clicking the Go To Forums
button acknowledges acceptance of the terms of membership which includes
adherence to the posted guidelines.
4.
Why do I need to
have a valid email address? What are you going to do with the information?
A valid email address is required for registration. This allows us to
validate your member status. It is also a way to discourage trolls from posting
here.
We will use the email address on your profile to send administrative messages
and warnings and to forward private messages. We will never sell your email
address or other personal information. You will not receive SPAM as a result of
being a member here.
5.
What if I didn't
get the validation email or I have lost my password? top
If you have forgotten or lost your password, click here
to reset your password. You will be required to enter your user name or the
email address listed on your profile. A new password will be sent to you via
email. If you wish, you can change your password on your profile once you have
logged in.
If you have tried this and still have password or membership issues, please
contact the site administrator.
Private
Messages
1.
Is there a private
message feature? top
Yes. Private messages can be sent from any thread by clicking on the
mailbox underneath the member's name in the left margin of their post. After
clicking the mailbox, your browser forwards to a private message window. Type
in your message and click the Send Email button.
As a new user, PEMs are enabled. You must disable
them if you do not wish to receive them.
2.
How do I access my
private messages? top
Private messages are sent to the email address you have provided in your
profile.
3.
Can I prevent
other members from sending me private email messages? top
Each member decides whether they wish to receive private messages. If you choose
to block incoming messages, you will not be able to send private messages to
other members. If a member has PEMs enabled there will be a mailbox icon under
their member name.
Private emails are enabled and disabled in your member profile. If there is a
checkmark in the Enable PEMs box, private message can be sent to you by other
members. These messages will be forwarded to the email address in your member
profile.
4.
Does my email
address show up in the private message? top
No. The registered email addresses for the sender and receiver are hidden.
5.
When the message
shows up, who is it from? What is the subject line? top
The message will be sent from sargassosea@wi.rr.com. The
subject line is: Sargasso Sea: Private Email. The first line of the
email tells you who sent the message.
6.
Someone sent me a
private message, but I never received it. What happened to it? top
Although private messages are sent through our email server as soon as they
have been created, how long it takes to get to your email inbox depends on
internet traffic, our service provider, and your service provider. If you are
concerned about what happened to a private email, please contact the site administrator.
IMPORTANT NOTE - Due to increased filtering for SPAM, it is also possible that your ISP or email
service identified the email as SPAM. In order to avoid this possibility, we
recommend adding the following email addresses to your address book or trusted
senders list: administrator@sargassosea.org, webmaster@sargassosea.org, and
sargassosea@wi.rr.com.
7.
Can I put html
tags in private emails? Are attachments allowed? top
Private emails will be sent as plain text emails. As a result, no
attachments are allowed, and no HTML tags can be used.
8.
Can I block
specific members from sending me private messages? top
No. If you disable your private messages, no one can send you messages, and
you cannot send messages to anyone. If you are having problems with another
member, please contact one of the moderators or administrators for assistance. The
Guideline
page has an easy pulldown menu for contacting all Moderators via PEM. If you are Muzzled, or have PEM’s disabled
please e-mail the site
administrator for assistance.
Fun
Stuff - Smileys, Pictures and Sounds
A tag is geek-speak for the html code used to format how things appear when
viewed from your web browser. Tags allow you to do things like format the text
in your posts, add links that display pictures and other graphics and add
clickable web addresses.
2.
What special
formats can I use in my posts? top
You can center, bold, italicize, underline and strike through your text.
You can quote part of another person's message. There also also special tags
for creating clickable website links and for putting images in the body of your
messages.
Details for how to use these features can be found here
3.
Can I put smileys
in my posts? top
You can select one of the site smileys by clicking on it while you are
creating your post. If you are trying to edit a post, the smileys do not
display. If you know the specific code, you can paste that tag into your post.
You can also paste a link to smileys that are on other sites. Keep in mind that
not all sites allow you to link to their images. Listed below are a few sites
that do allow linking.
Best Smileys
Page
Click Smilies
My Smilies
Crack's Smilies
4.
Can I put pictures
in my posts? top
You cannot paste a picture directly into your posts. However, you can link
to a picture that is online. The picture will show up in the body of your post.
The instructions for adding a picture to your post can be found by clicking here.
5.
There is a big X
where my I expected my picture to be. What happened? top
Usually this means that the tag isn't formatted correctly, the link you
added was invalid, or the site you linked to does not linking. You can edit
your post to check the tags. The most common problem is a space between the tag
and the web address.
Your image tag should look like this: [img]http://awebsite.com/image.gif[/img]
6.
What types of
sound files can I add to my profile? top
You can add one sound file to your profile in either wav or mp3 format.
Once you upload the file, a sound icon will appear in all your posts underneath
your name. Members can listen to sound files by clicking on the icon.
7.
Is there a limit
to size of the sound file I attach to my profile? top
Sound files are limited to 1MB.
8.
How can I add a
picture to my profile? top
You can add a link to an online picture in your profile.
9.
Is there a limit
to what size picture I use? top
Not currently, however we ask you use reasonable
discretion.
Muzzling,
Banning and Other Administrative Issues
1.
When I tried to
post, I got a message telling me that I had been muzzled. What does this mean? top
Your ability to post and send private messages has been temporarily
disabled. Contact the site
administrator for more information.
2.
I can't send
private messages. What does this mean? top
Check your profile to make sure that the Enable PEMs check box has a
checkmark in it. Also make sure that the person you are trying to send a
message to has a mailbox icon displayed under their user name. If your private
messages are enabled and the person you are trying to send to has private
messages enabled, send a message to the webmaster for further
assistance.
If the Enable PEMs checkbox is not checked, enable your messages by checking
the box and then update your profile . If you go back your profile and the box
is unchecked, your ability to send private messages has been disabled. Contact
the site administrator for
more information.
This page was last updated on 18 June 2004.