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Forum News: New Book Nook now open, discussing J D Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye"
Hot Thread: Stand In Line! The Harry Potter Theme Park/Ride!
Mod Thread: Nominate an Actor/Actress of the Month to discuss

Frequently Asked Questions

GETTING STARTED
Q: How do I register?
Q: What if I forget my password?
Q: What is a forum?
Q: What is a thread?
Q: What are moderators and administrators and what do they do?

READING AND POSTING
Q: How do I read what other people have posted?
Q: How may I make a post?
Q: May I start a thread?
Q: May I create a forum?
Q: How do I use the reply and quick reply windows?

THE PERSONAL CONTROL PANEL
Q: What is the control panel?
1. Getting rid of all the annoying smilies people use in their posts
2. Blocking pictures
3. Placing a picture (avatar) next to your name
4. Adding a personal signature to your posts
5. Adding a picture to your signature
6. Changing the default color of the text in your posts
Q: The time on my reply is all wrong. Why is that?
Q: My first language is not English. Is there a way I can get this forum translated into my own language?

DIFFERENT POSTING OPTIONS
TEXT APPEARANCE
Q: How do I get make my text bold, underlined italicized?
Q: How can I get some words in different colours in my post?
Q: How can I change the size of the fonts (letters) in my post?
Q: Is there a place I can go to see all the different available codes of this board?

IMAGES
Q: Is it possible to block pictures from the posts I want to read?
Q: How do I find the internet address (URL) to the picture I want to use?
Q: What formats (types) of images are allowed on the Lounge?
Q: Can I upload images/avatars directly to the Lounge?
Q: How can I share the pictures I have stored on my own computer or that I find online?
Q: Is there a size limit to the images you allow?
Q: Why do you have a size limit to the images you allow?
Q: How do I resize my picture to fit your limits?

QUOTES AND LINKS
Q: How can I get a quote from other people’s posts set apart in a special frame in my post?
Q: How do I post a link to an internet address?
Q: How do I label my internet link, as in "go here!" or Leaky?

SMILEYS AND ICONS
Q: I find smileys silly and annoying. Is there a way I can avoid them when reading other people’s posts?
Q: How do I get smileys in my post?
Q: How do I disable smilies in my posts?
Q: I have noticed that some posters have a small smiley or another small image in different colours next to the date and time of their post. What are they and how can I get one like that in my post?
Q: I have noticed that on the content list of threads in the various forums, some threads have a small icon next to their title, like a small smiley or something. What’s up with that?

CONTACT WITH OTHER FORUM MEMBERS
Q: Is there a way to communicate with other members besides on the main forum?
Private Message
Messenger
Personal Profile
Personal Control Panel
Q: Who exactly are the other members who can read my profile?
Q: How do I know if a certain member is online?

MISCELLANEOUS
Q: I don’t like the way my post came out. Can I change or delete it after I have posted it?
Q: What should I do if I see a post that needs moderating?
Q: What is the warning bar ("Warn 0%") that shows up when I post? Why is it there?
Q: Why can't I get into the Shrieking Shack arcade?
Q: What can I do if my account is not working right and I cannot find a way to solve it in this FAQ?
Q: Sometimes the posts I add look very different on the board than how I wanted them to appear when I posted them. Why is that?
Q: Is there a way I can overrule the standard settings of the board, to post something special?
Q: What are the titles next to my posts?
Q: Where can I find a list of all of the member titles and when they change?
Q: What are the lightning bolt images next to my posts?
Q: How do I change my name?
Q: How do I delete my account, or have it deleted for me?
Q: How do I get on staff at the Lounge/Leaky?
Q: What can I do to get myself noticed as a good member by those who bring on staff?
Q: Is that... a GOOGLE AD?

~*~

GETTING STARTED

Q: How do I register?
Only registered members may post on this forum. If you'd like to register, go here and follow the instructions to setting up your account.

Q: What if I forget my password?
No worries at all. Go here and follow instructions to retrieve it.

Q: What is a forum?
A forum is a place where people can gather online to have discussions. This board is divided into categories, forums and threads. Threads make up forums, and forums make up a category. Only moderators and administrators

Q: What is a thread?
A thread is the simplest form of discussion on this forum. It is a list of posts relating to a topic, which is displayed in the title.

Q: What are moderators and administrators and what do they do?
Moderators and administrators run the forum. Moderators are mostly responsible for the content monitoring of the site; they will be the ones to give helpful pointers on appropriate thread titles/subjects and the ones to point out when a post is inappropriate. They keep the forum a friendly place for those who read it. Meanwhile, administrators keep the forum friendly for visitors, by doing things most people never see. They make a lot of decisions about permissions on the forum, about the layout and structure and many other things. They also appoint moderators and approve decisions on which moderators are looking for guidance. All moderators and administrators are here for you. The entire idea is to keep Leaky Lounge friendly and safe. This means the mods and admins are your friends, not the Forum Cops. They are here to help, and no issue is too trivial.

READING AND POSTING

Q: How do I read what other people have posted?
Simply click on the title of the forum or thread you wish to read.

Q: How may I make a post?
You have two options: Go to the bottom of the thread and use the "Quick Post" feature, or click the button at the top and bottom of the thread that says "reply." For more information on posting, see this part of our FAQ

Q: May I start a thread?
Yes. Keep in mind that any thread does not add to the conversation, is rude or disrespectful or has too much netspeak in its content will be deleted. If the moderators find the thread inappropriately named they may rename it for you. Please don't be offended; the goal is to make the site the most user-friendly place we can, and so we have to watch the posts closely. However we encourage our users starting threads and getting involved in their discussions.

Q: May I create a forum?
No. Only administrators may create forums. If there is a forum you'd like to see us create, please leave us a note in the Room of Requirement.

Q: How do I use the reply and quick reply windows?
The add- and quick reply windows are the two places by which you can add your thoughts to a thread. In the quick reply box, which is at the bottom of any thread, you can add a note without having to load the whole reply screen. Simply type the text you'd like to use in the body. The difference between this and the "reply" box is that the latter has more options. In the reply box you can click a smilie without having to open the smilie help card, and you can choose an icon to adorn your post.

THE PERSONAL CONTROL PANEL

Q: What is the control panel?
To the top left of every page of this forum, above the picture of the trio in the pub, is a link called ”Your Control Panel” This is a portkey to your personal control panel, where you have acess to a lot of different options for this board. You can set the clocks of the board to match your local time, you can change the board's language to be any of twelve languages, and you can block images and smileys etc. You can also get a signature and an avatar in your posts, or change your standard post colour.

If you click on the ”Your Control Panel” link, you will get to the front page of the control panel. Here you get an easy overview of the control panel’s functions and how you can get acess to them. Below are presented explanations on how to use some of these functions, in question and answer form. There are several other functions available, we suggest you spend some time checking them out. Your Control Panel is fairly self-explanatory. If you run across any problems, don’t hesitate to contact a moderator or an administrator for help.

Here are several useful things you can do with the personal control panel:

1. Getting rid of all the annoying smilies people use in their posts:
1) Click ”Account Options”
2) Find the question: "Do you wish to view images in posts, such as smilies and posted images?"
3) Click on the blue arrow bar next to the box with “Yes” in it to the right of this question
4) Click No

Note: If you block smilies, you will also block the images people have in their posts

2. Blocking pictures
1) Click ”Account Options”
2) Find the question: ”Do you wish to view images in posts, such as smilies and posted images? “
3) Click on the blue arrow bar next to the box with “Yes” in it to the right of this question
4) Click No

Note: If you block images, you will also block the smilies people have in their posts

3. Placing a picture (avatar) next to your name
1) Click ”Personal Info”
2) Click ”Avatar Options” This gets you to the page where you can use your own image that you host off-site.

To use an avatar:

Check the general terms of this board for the use of images in your posts. Here you will also find answers to how you find the address of your picture, how you resize it, and links to websites that offer to store your pictures for free.

1) Copy the URL (internet address) of your picture.
2) Look for the headline ”Your avatar” on the left side of the avatar page.
3) Paste the URL (internet address) of your picture into the small window to the left of the ”Your avatar” headline.
4) Check the height and width of your picture,
5) Add the correct numbers in the width and height boxes right below the address window

Note: Our maximum size for avatars is 100 pixels wide by 100 pixels high.

6) Click the ”Add my own image as my avatar” button
7) Click the ”Upload” button at the bottom of the avatar page.

Note: You cannot upload pictures from your own computer on this board. Therefore, the ”Upload your own avatar” option on the avatar page will not work.

4. Adding a personal signature to your posts
A personal signature may be automatically added to all the posts your write on this board.
1) Click ”My Controls”
2) Click ”Edit signature”
3) Type your signature into the white text frame in the center of the page.
4) Maximum length of a signature on this board is 300 characters.
5) Click the ”Update my signature” button at the bottom of the page to save your signature.

5. Adding a picture to your signature
To post a picture in your signature, you must type the image code in by hand in the signature text frame, see above. You want it to look like this:

CODE

[IMG]full internet address of picture, beginning with http:// inserted here[/IMG]

Note that you cannot use pictures stored on your own computer, and that all images must be 200x100 pixels in size as stated in The Rules.

6. Changing the default color of the text in your posts
If you want a different color on some individual words or sentences only, HERE is where you find an explanation of how to do that. If you want to change the standard color the text in your posts will automatically get, here is how you do it:
1) Click ”Personal Info”
2) Click ”Edit your profile”
3) Look for where it says ”Post Color” at the bottom left side of the profile page
4) Click on the blue arrows bar to see a list of colours. You can see which ones of these we have available on our board HERE
5) Scroll down the list till you find the colour you want. Click that colour
6) Click the ”Amend my profile”button at the bottom of the profile page.

Q: The time on my reply is all wrong. Why is that?
The most likely reason is that you live in a different time zone from the one the clock of this board is set to match. You can set the board clock to match your local time. Here’s how:

1) Click ”Account Options”
2) Look for where it says ”You may adjust the base time zone” on the left side of the page. Notice the current time of the board.
3) Click on the blue arrow bar next to where it says ”Hours” .
4) Click on the right number of hours you need to add or subtract to the current board time to set it according to your current local time.
5) Click the ” Change my Account Options”button at the bottom of the account page.

Q: My first language is not English. Is there a way I can get this forum translated into my own language?
You cannot get the names of discussion topics (threads) or people’s actual posts translated. But you can change the general language of this board. Then things like links, explanations in Your Messenger, Your Control Panel etc., will be printed in the language you choose. Here’s how you do it:

1) Click ” Account Options”
2) Look for where it says ” Please select a language for the board interface” on the left side of the page.
3) Click on the blue arrow bar to the far right of where it says ”English” .
4) Click on the language you want. At the moment, you can choose from English, Spanish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Slovenian, Russian, Arabic, and simplified Chinese, respectively, on the blue arrow bar.
5) Click the ”Change my Account Options”button at the bottom of the account page.

DIFFERENT POSTING OPTIONS

TEXT APPEARANCE

Q: How do I get make my text bold, underlined italicized?
1) Look for these buttons just above where you type your post in the Posting or Quick Reply windows. "B" is for Bold "I" for italics or "U" for Underlined text.
2) Click on the button with the code function you want: For example, B for Bold. The button you clicked will now have a * on it.
3) The first part of the code will now appear in your text box, looking like this: [ B ]
4) Type the text you want to appear in bold right next to this code, no space in between.
5) Click on the B button again. Then it will no longer have the * on it, and the last part of the code will appear in your text, looking like this: [ / B ].

Note: The slash in front of the B functions as a stop sign, meaning: stop the bold print. If you forget the second click on the code button, all the text after your first code will appear in bold on the board.

The U and I buttons work in the same way

Q: How can I get some words in different colours in my post?
We don’t have any colour button on this board, so you have to insert the colour code by hand. You want it to look like this:

CODE

[COLOR=red]Your text[/COLOR]

You need to type the the name of the colour you want next to the = sign.The colour of the text in this example would have been red on the board.
Here is a list of the colour names you need to type to change your text into the various available colours on this board:
black
white
red
blue
yellow
limegreen
green
orchid
teal
orange
gray
pink
aqua
khaki
purple
maroon
tan

Note: You can also change the board settings so that the whole text in your posts will always appear in a special colour other than the standard black. To learn how to do this, go HERE (Link to personal control panel section). PLEASE be cautious picking a color that doesn't stand the chance of rendering other users blind.

Q: How can I change the size of the fonts (letters) in my post?
We don’t have any size button on this board, so you have to insert the size code by hand. You want it to look like this:

CODE

[SIZE=3]Your text[/SIZE]

The number next to the =sign defines the size of the letters. 1 will give the smallest available letters, 10 will give the biggest.

Q: Is there a place I can go to see all the different available codes of this board?
Yes.
1) Look for a link labeled ”BB Code Help” directly below the textarea in the ordinary posting window, or to the left in the quick reply window.
2) Click on the link.
3) You should now get a small pop-up window with samples of all the available codes listed. To the left are the actual codes, to the right will be the results you get.

Notice that each code has a starting code within square brackets, then the text you want to affect, then a stopping code within square brackets, starting with a ”/”.

For an example of how these codes look, see the colour or size examples above. For a more detailed description of how the codes work, see the bolding, italics and underlining question above.

Note: You are welcome to test these things out, but please do so in the pinned Testing thread in Knockturn Alley, not in the ordinary discussion threads of the forum. Test-posts of this kind may be slightly annoying to other posters if they appear in the middle of a discussion, and will be removed.

IMAGES

Q: Is it possible to block pictures from the posts I want to read?
Yes, it’s possible to block images when reading this forum. To learn how to do it, go HERE

Q: How do I find the internet address (URL) to the picture I want to use?
Different internet browsers have slightly different ways of doing this. Here are a few examples:

Internet Explorer:
1) Right-click on the picture and click "Properties"
2) Highlight the text after "Address: (URL)"
3) Right click on the highlighted text and click "Copy"

Mozilla Firefox:
1) Right-click on the picture and click "Copy Image Location"

Opera:
1) Right-click on the picture and click "Copy Image Address"

Q: What formats (types) of images are allowed on the Lounge?
1) You can check the format by looking at the letters after the last dot in the picture’s address. (For how to find the picture’s address, see the above question) We only allow the following formats on this board:
.jpg
.jpeg
.gif
.png

Q: Can I upload images/avatars directly to the Lounge?
No. Images uploaded directly would be stored on our server, and we don’t have enough server space to allow that.

Q: How can I post the pictures I have stored on my own computer or that I find online?
Luckily, there are several sites on the net that offer to store your images for you for free. If you have your own images to post, we require that you go to one of those sites and upload them there first. Here are a few links to some useful sites of this kind:

Image Shack
Photo Bucket
TinyPic

Follow the instructions on those sites, and you will be able to upload your images. Alternately, you can use this image uploader from ImageShack:

Q: Is there a size limit to the images you allow?
Yes. The current size limit is in our rules page (rule #7).

Q: Why do you have a size limit to the images you allow?
For the convenience of the board. Some members have slow connections and too many large images would take forever to load. It may also be annoying to have to scroll down past an image that occupies half the page, before you reach the next post you want to read. After all, fun discussions among us Potterfans are the main purpose of this forum; it’s not meant to be a picture album.

Q: How do I resize my picture to fit your limits?
Different picture programs have slightly different ways of doing this. Here are two examples from MSPaint:

How to resize an image in MS Paint by percentage:
1) Open the image
2) Go to the "Image" menu and click on "Stretch/Skew..."
3) Put in the desired percentages and click "OK"
4) Save the image (make sure that its name ends in ".jpg" and not ".bmp")

How to resize an image in MSPaint by pixels:
1) Open the image
2) Go to the "Image" menu and click on "Attributes..."
3) Put in the desired pixel numbers and click "OK"
4) Save the image (make sure that its name ends in ".jpg" and not ".bmp")

Note: If you have a huge image you want to share, and you don’t think it looks as good when resized to fit our size limits, then paste or type the full address, starting with "http://" directly into the posting or quick reply textarea. It will show up as a link when you submit the post.

QUOTES AND LINKS

Q: How can I get a quote from other people’s posts set apart in a special frame in my post?
1) Find the post you want to quote from.
2) Click on the ”QUOTE” button placed to the top right of the post
3) The text of this post will now appear right below the frame where you usually type your post in the posting window.
4) Delete the parts you do not wish to quote.

Note: Please, respect the person you quote from, do NOT change the phrases that you quote in any way! Doing so would be a quick way to finding disfavor on the board.

5) Write your comments in the the usual, empty text frame above the post you quote from.
6) Click the ”reply” button.
7) Your comments will now appear below a separate quote frame in your post. This quote frame will automatically be labeled with the user name of the poster you are quoting from.
8) To insert a quote frame without a name label anywhere in your post, click on the button labeled ”QUOTE” in the posting or quick reply windows, type your quote, then click the ”QUOTE” button again.

Q: How do I post a link to an internet address?
Type the full internet address (URL) in your text, starting with "http://" This will then automatically be converted to a link when you post.

Q: How do I label my internet link, as in ”go here! or Leaky?
1) Click on the button labeled ”http//” above the text frame where you type your post.
2) Type the URL (web address) into the pop-up window that appears.
3) Click OK
4) Replace ”My Webpage” with the label you want.
5) Click OK.

SMILEYS AND ICONS

Q: I find smileys silly and annoying. Is there a way I can avoid them when reading other people’s posts?
Yes. To learn how, go HERE

Q: How do I get smileys in my post?
To insert a smiley – or emoticon - like this

into your text, all you have to do is find a smiley you want from the ones we have stored on our site. Then click on it.

Note: We only allow five smilies per post on this board.

This is how you find our smileys:
1) Look to the left of the text frame in the posting window. Some of the more popular ones are shown there.
2) To see all our smilies when you write in the posting window, click on the link named ”Emotions” right under the frame where you type your text.
3) To see all our smilies when you write in the quick reply window, click on the link named ”View All Emoticons” to the left of the text frame where you type your text.

Q: How do I disable smilies in my posts?
By unchecking the box next to the question: ”Do you wish to enable emotions for this post? ” Note that you have to repeat this procedure each time you post.

Q: I have noticed that some posters have a small smiley or another small image in different colours next to the date and time of their post. What are they and how can I get one like that in my post?
These are called ”post icons”, and you can see the ones we have available displayed at the top of the posting window. They are meant to communicate what you think the overall ”spirit” of your post is about. If you want one of them to appear at the top of your post, simply check the empty circle next to the one you prefer.

Q: I have noticed that on the content list of threads in the various forums, some threads have a small icon next to their title, like a small smiley or something. What’s up with that?
This ”post icon” as it is called, is placed next to a thread title whenever the poster who starts the thread chooses to have a post icon in his or her first post. See the question above for an explanation of post icons and how to get them in your post.

CONTACT WITH OTHER FORUM MEMBERS

Q: Is there a way to communicate with other members besides on the main forum?
Yes. You can do this through something called a "PM" or private message.

Private Message
A "PM" is like a regular e-mail, only they stay here on this forum, a sort of in-house owl message system. A "PM" will be for your eyes only (and for those who you send it to of course). Not even the administrators can see your PMs. They are completely private.

How to send a "PM":

You can do this in one of two ways.

1) Up on the top-righthand corner of the screen are the words "Your Messenger". Click on this, and it will take you to your messenger control center.
2) The second option is to click on the grey button at the bottom of a registered members post that is labeled "PM" and it will take you to a member profile, where there is a link to PM this person. This will also take you to your Messenger.

Your Messenger

This is your gateway to the world of private emails! Here you check to see if you have new messages, compose new messages, and so forth. This is what you will see:

QUOTE

This is your private communications center. All of your messages sent and received are private. Not even the board administrator has direct access to your messages. Please respect the privacy of other members at all times.

New Message Status
You have no new messages [ Go to your inbox... ]

A brief overview of your messenger

Inbox: This is where all your messages go when they are sent to you; it works just the same as your email 'inbox'
Address Book: This is where you can add/delete and edit members to your address book. This allows you to store your friends' membernames for quick reference
Preferences: You may set up your messenger preferences from here.
Send New Message: This is where you can send private messages to other members of the forum.

Across the top of your messenger control section are the above topics listed. To send a "PM", simply click on the "Send New Message" option. It will take you to an area where you type in the addressee, the subject, the note itself, hit send, and poof! your owl is dispatched.
Note: You also have the option of "make a copy of this message" and "notify me when message is read." If you want these, you must check the boxes for these options.

PLEASE NOTE: Personal Messages are not to be used to harass, hurt, spam, or bother any other member of this forum. If you are getting PM's from a person who is offensive to you in these messages, please report this to any moderator or adminstrator and the problem will be dealt with.

Your Inbox will contain all the new messages you receive. You can keep them here for as long as you want. You may store up to 50 PMs at a time.

The Sent folder are where copies of all PMs you have sent are kept. To access what you have sent, click the appropriate link in your messenger. If your inbox is reaching its maximum limit, try deleting some of these copies so that you don't lose PMs that you have received.

Address Book works just like it sounds. You can add the names of the people who you want to have readily at hand to send PMs to, just like regular email.

Preferences: Right now you have folders in which to keep your PMs: 'sent items', 'saved', and 'inbox'. If you want to keep a grouping of, for example, all your PM's from your best friend here on the forum, name a new folder "my buddy." All your new messages will still come into your inbox, but once you've read them, you can check the boxes and use the "Move To" and the drop-down box just below the message list to move the messages into folders you've added.

Personal Profile
Your profile is what you want others to know about you. All this information will be available to the registered members of the Leaky Forum. There are several options where you can choose which information to display or NOT to display - it's up to you.

On the upper-lefthand side of the screen you will see the words "Your Control Panel". Click on this and you will be taken to a different center, or control panel where you will see this overview:

Personal Control Panel
Personal Info: This is where you can amend your personal profile for other visitors to view
Email Settings: This is where you can change your email settings
Topic Tracker: This is where you can view and/or change which topics you have added to your email notify list
Account Options: This is where you can change the way the board looks, which language to view the interface with and other board functions
Modify Account: This is where you can change the details you signed up with, such as your email address and password

To "Edit your Profile", simply click on the phrase from the top that reads "Personal Info" and it will take you to the page where can edit or create your personal profile. It'll allow you to create a signature to leave under each message you post. It will also allow you to enter any contact information, such as your website address, ICQ number, etc. Also, in order to have your birthday listed, it does require the year of birth, alas..

If you want people to have other options to contact you, these can be filled out and will be reflected on each post you make on the main forum by way of the buttons that you will see across the bottom each of each post. You have the options of having a button for your personal email (NOT the private forum message),and a number of instant message options, and a website address.
The Instant Messenger options the Leaky Lounge forum currently lists:
AIM, YahooIM, ICQ, Skype, Google Talk, and MSN IM.
Note: A button for sending PMs to members will appear under every member's posts. There is no option to remove this button.

Please remember that we at Leaky respect the rights of others to their privacy. If you do NOT want to identify any of these things, you DO NOT have to add them. You still can get your "PM"s without displaying your personal email address. The choice is simply up to you.

EMAIL SETTINGS: You may change your personal email settings here. This will allow you to keep your email address hidden and you'll also be able to specify your preferences on any emails sent to you via this board. To change your e-mail settings, simply check the boxes for those you want, or uncheck them for those that you do not want.

TOPIC TRACKER: This is where you can view and/or change which topics you have added to your email notify list. For example- if there is a particular thread that you are keen on, say a discussion on who is the Half-Blood Prince, or whatever you want, you can "subscribe" to this thread.
To do this, look at the top left hand side of a thread on the forum. Each thread has three options listed, one being "track this topic". Click on this for the thread you want to keep your eye on, and you are all set. You will be sent a notification to your email address if you choose, to let you know more posts have been added to this thread.
To cancel a subscription, you go to this" topic tracker" under your control tracker panel, click on the thread listed to "unsubscribe".

MODIFY ACCOUNT: This is where you can change your password or e-mail address. When you submit a password or e-mail address change, it is not instantaneous, so please be patient while it is processed.

Q: Who exactly are the other members who can read my profile? Why do some of the members here have different colors by their names?
Everyone who is a registered member of the Leaky Lounge and is logged in can read the information that you put into your profile. To see the entire list of members, CLICK HERE.

Q: How do I know if a certain member is online?
Just below the board on the main page, there is a list of active members. The members are color-coded according to which group they belong: red for administrators, purple for forum moderators, green for the Floo team, maroon for reading groups staff, blue for support staff, and black for all other members. Every member that is signed in, as long as they didn't sign in anonymously, will be listed here. Please note that it takes fifteen minutes from the member's last action to have their name removed from this list, so although a member may appear there, it may have been up to fourteen minutes since they were active.
Alternately, you can figure out whether a member is online or not by looking at the wand image just below their name in each one of their posts: if the wand tip is lit, then that member is online; if the tip is black, then that member is offline.

MISCELLANEOUS

Q: I don’t like the way my post came out. Can I change or delete it after I have posted it?
You cannot delete your post once you have posted it. Only moderators and administrators can do that. You can change its content though, but only for one day after posting. This is how you do it:
1. Click on the EDIT button that will show next to the ”QUOTE” button on the top right of your post.
2. Change the text of your post
3. Click the ”Submit Modified Post” button under the text frame in the posting window.
4. The new version of your post will now show on the forum
After one day the edit button will disappear, and you can no longer change your post

Q: What should I do if I see a post that needs moderating?
Click on the "Report" button on the bottom-left of the post, and write a brief description of how the post is breaking the rules or otherwise needs moderating. Click "Submit Report" and your report will be sent to our forum moderators. Please do not take further action on your own; our moderation team is very responsive and will take care of the problem. Please don't feel badly about reporting posts to the moderators; we always appreciate getting reported posts, even if the report doesn't result in modly actions being taken.

Q: What is the warning bar ("Warn 0%") that shows up when I post? Why is it there?
The warning bar tells you how many warning "pips" you've received from our moderators. There are five light blue blocks

and the blocks turn a dark blue one-by-one every time you receive a pip from a moderator for breaking the rules, i.e.

("pips" is another word for the blocks). The warning bar can only be seen by you and the moderating staff, not by any other members. It is there so that you can very easily see how many warning pips you've received.

Q: Why can't I get into the Shrieking Shack arcade?
The Shrieking Shack arcade is only open during special monthly events; at all other times it is closed to the public. We put up a special image of the Shrieking Shack on the sidebar of the Lounge to notify the members of when the arcade is open to the public during these events. If you do not see this image, assume that the arcade is closed.

Q: What can I do if my account is not working right and I cannot find a way to solve it in this FAQ?
Send an e-mail to admin@leakylounge.com with "Error on the Forums" in the subject line and the forum administrators will respond as soon as they are able. Please include your Lounge username in the e-mail.

Q: Sometimes the posts I add look very different on the board than how I wanted them to appear when I posted them. Why is that?
The board has some standard settings. Should the text you want to add be different in any way from these, our program will change it to look like it’s standard text. You can change some of these prefixed settings by the use of the codes described above, but there isn’t a code available for everything.

Q: Is there a way I can overrule the standard settings of the board, to post something special?
Yes, to some degree. The button labeled “Code” in the posting window can be used to create a frame that is a little more tolerant for different types of text than the ordinary space in your post. For instance, we have used the Code button in this FAQ section each time we wanted to show you how a code looks like instead of letting the code change the text the way it is supposed to do.

This is how you use this function:
1) Click the code button above the frame where you type your text.
2) Type the text you want to escape the standard board settings.
3) Click the code button again.

Q: What are the titles next to my posts?
The titles are whimsical inventions of the forum staff. They are each jobs that one could get somewhere in Diagon Alley. There is no rank or hierarchy to the titles, and you will not get any special privileges for advancing from one title to another. The titles will change automatically, and the forum staff will not give out custom member titles to anybody who is not on the forum staff. We've chosen this way to do it because in the past, on other forums, we've noticed that the titles having hierarchy leads to spam. These titles are strictly for fun and carry no superiority over one another. One day you're the editor in chief of the Daily Prophet, the next you're filling rat tonic bottles at the Menagerie. It's an unpredictable world!

Q: Where can I find a list of all of the member titles and when they change?
We do not have a public listing of all of the member titles or of when they change. Only the administrators know this. Half of the fun of the member titles is never knowing what is next, so we've decided to keep them our little secret.

Q: What are the lightning bolt images next to my posts?
Those are called "pips" and they very slowly increase in number as you post more. The current maximum number of pips is currently seven and all members start out with one. They have no effect on you at all besides looking pretty, and forum staff cannot change the number of pips that you have on request. This is the only hint of hierarchy around here, but honestly, we won't think more or less of you based on the number of pips you have.

Q: How do I change my name?
Send a PM to Dreamteam and CC DorisTLC with your name-change request, and allow up to 48 hours for the change to take place. We'll e-mail you once it's happened, and will give you a new temporary password, which you should change to be more secure once you've logged into your account.

Q: How do I delete my account, or have it deleted for me?
We don't allow accounts to be deleted (for accountability purposes), but we can remove the personally-identifiable information from your account. This includes any information that shows up in your profile page, as well as your e-mail address, which only shows up to administrators. Send a PM to DorisTLC and NickTLC with the request and please allow 48 hours for the change to take place. We'll e-mail you at the address we have on file once it's been done.

Q: How do I get on staff at the Lounge/Leaky?
Some job positions on Leaky accept applications. To see the listing of these positions, please go to THIS LINK and follow the instructions on the page to apply for them. All other positions are hand-picked; as such, there is no application or submission process for most of the staff groups at the Leaky Cauldron or Leaky Lounge. The way to get a job here is to be an exemplary member, and it helps to be involved in the project which you'd like to join as staff, i.e. for a Corner Booth staffer, it's good to be a frequent Booth chat participant; for a Reading Groups facilitator, it's good to be a frequent Reading Groups participant, etc.

Q: What can I do to get myself noticed as a good member by those who bring on staff?
Be an exemplary member first and foremost: this means following the rules and being respectful of your fellow members and of staffers. Secondly, demonstrate those qualities that you think would be most desired in a staffer for the section of staff that you're interested in joining. For example, moderators tend to be great at keeping their cool in heated threads.

Q: Is that... a GOOGLE AD?
Yeah, there is. As generous as our readers have been, the fact remains that Leaky's readership is growing in leaps and bounds, faster than even our very generous arrangement with Idologic can stand. We are now shelling out hundreds of dollars a month in overage charges on our account, with no sign of slowing down as we approach book six and movie four. We need to keep an oasis of funds in case we need a second server (as this forum might just require eventually) and in case of other emergencies. There's so much more we at Leaky want to do, and we cannot possibly and will not ask you all for money again. So we had to make a choice: do we just try to make ends meet until our funds run out and don't expand our services, or do we bite the bullet put up advertisements - a way for our readers to support us without having to hurt their own bank account - so that we can continue to grow and expand and bring you the best collection of HP Web sites there is? We chose the latter. If you want to choose it too, support the ads. We don't like it any better than you do, but we have come to appreciate that it's the way we can keep bringing you a quality HP experience, and that is what it's all about.

That's it! For now, that is. This will expand and evolve as this forum expands and evolves, so stay tuned!

Sorting for Half-Blood Prince is delayed, but you can still chat it up in our public forum!

Coming Up:
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