[woody]

This is the 'one stop' IH8MUD User Guide - questions pertaining to the site, your status, post count, the color of the sky and why your cat is losing hair will all be covered and linked here!


UserGroup info:

• Unregistered: Unless you register, you can't post...but you can browse the forum and search without limitation.
  
  
• Awaiting Confirmation: You have obviously registered a username, but haven't replied to the activation email....these frequently get lost in your Spam/Junk folders and may need to be hunted down. Need that confirmation resent? Resend Activation Codes (and don't forget, Yahoo, Hotmail and a bunch of others catch these in your SPAM filters...check to be sure you don't have your filters set to autodelete these too!)
  
  
• Noobies: Once you've registered, you fall into the 'noobie' category, and are stuck here until you post 10 times in a non-Chat area. You cannot upload an Avatar yet, your attachment folder is pretty darn tiny, you are limited to 5 total PM's and there are some other limits in place, including limited capabilities within your Signature line. Participate, and you'll move up quickly. (and no, hitting 10 doesn't INSTANTLY upgrade you...gotta wait for the server to process first!)
  
  
• 10+ Regulars: Obviously, you have over 10 posts and are on your way to being a contributing member. You can now upload an Avatar from your User CP, your Attachment space is large enough for 1000+ images, you have a 2-stall Garage available and some other things 'open up' as well, including links in your Sig line....
  
  
• 250+ Club: Once you top 250 posts, your Attachment space becomes unlimited! A few other minor things free up as well (Including a 5-stall Garage), but attachments are the biggie...a reward for those who participate a lot!
  
  
• Silver Star: $20 a year as a support for the forum...animated avatars, a PM limit of 500, personalizable user title, 10-stall Garage and some other perks (including almost NO banner advertising!) Join Here!
  
  
• Gold Star: Identical status to the Silver Star, but a few folks have asked for recognition for a greater donation to the site...a special thanks to those few who have!!
  
  
• Red Star: For our great bunch of supporting Vendors...these are the experts in the field with the products and knowledge to help...they support us, I hope you support them! Vendor List
  
  
• Green Star: Our esteemed crew of Tech Moderators...they manage the FAQ's, keep threads on track and are the daily glue that helps keep the forum friendly and the Tech Threads on track!

Forum Guidelines:
Follow these simple guidelines, observe how others participate, and you'll stay on my good side
First off, 'MUD is run as a sole dictatorship...I'm 99.999% easy going, as most folks will attest, but there are a 'few' things that drive me nuts.

1. Chat - There is a Chat section for Chat, or you can Chat all you like in your clubhouse. Keep it outa tech and outta classifieds. sChat is for 'off color' discussions, etc....you'll catch on. See 'Group Memberships' for access to these private areas.
   
   
2. Tech - obvious....ask a question, provide an answer...'search noobie' is NOT an answer unless you also perform the search, show how you found the answer, and answer the question. Nothing I hate more than 'search noobie'.
   
   
3. Classifieds - these do NOT belong in Tech. Period. (another pet peeve)
   
   
4. Vendors/Businesses - There is a Vendor corner...I love project builds, but unless you are a PAYING Vendor, please sell your wares in the Merchandise Storefront - this corner is specifically for small business to get started. Oh, and answering a Tech question with 'buy this' isn't an answer, it's soft selling, and I don't like it.

Group Memberships:
Some areas of the forum are 'hidden' from guests and those who don't wish to view them...if you desire access to these areas, you can request it by first accessing your User CP and then the Group Memberships. Note that the Chat subforums do not require approval from a group leader for access.


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Did you lose your password? Reset Password


Did you change emails and FORGET to update your information before you lost access to your old one? Email me
(Yes, I MUST know your old email addy before I can initiate a change...)


Ever wonder where the phrase 'ih8mud' came from, the site history and why the site was named? Click Here


Cursing!! Yeah, some people do....and as I've always said, it can be occasionally appropriate! The Curse Censor is automatically activated in your User CP > Edit Options with a select few words, feel free to add more words or turn it off entirely! (and FYI, I suggest NEVER using curse words in the thread title...I may or may not remind you....)


Living with DialUp internet access? Bummer...but there are solutions....check your User CP > Edit Options and UN-check the Signatures, Avatars and Attachment boxes under the Thread Display Options - no images = faster loading.


35% RULE! (Yes, this warrants it's own link!) Simply put, kids frequent the site and adults may have their young children on their lap. Avatars must be FAMILY SAFE, pics in your profile must also be FAMILY SAFE, pics in the Tech sections musts be FAMILY SAFE and all photos posted in Chat or sChat must follow the 35% rule. Not sure what it is? Search a bit, or push the limits....if you get banned, then you'll know the line! (And yes...I set the line, may move it on a whim, and it's based on what I would allow my 5-year-old niece to see...try me...there isn't much tolerance on this one...)


RSS Feeds Ever wondered if you could pull in the latest threads from the 40-series section into your MyYahoo page? Or, if you could pull the latest 5 threads from your Clubhouse Corner onto your club home page? Yep, it's possible....and a slick way to keep your site visitors up-to-date on your club activity!


Photo Attachments! Per the limits above, you can attach images to your posts....the current forum software is SUPPOSED to auto-resize everything, but check this thread for some possible other solutions. Wonder how some folks get their images inline after they upload them? Here are those tricks!


'Security Token' problems... These may appear when you try to upload images and tell you to 'contact your administrator'....the issue is most likely with the cache settings on YOUR computer, and the 'administrator' you need to contact is a teenage child (your own or the neighbors, since they normally know more than adults when it comes to computer tweaks). Simply, use your browser Tools to clear the cache and restart the browser. If the images you are trying to upload are VERY large, then please resize them prior to upload.


Browser Selection: Personally, I'm a fan of Firefox and have been for a while....


Subscriptions: Recurring Subscriptions are great for those who know they plan to support the site long-term, but if you change your mind someday, there are instructions on how to un-sub via Paypal


Need to Report a Post? Hit the button next to any post (left side), include a quick reason and a thread will be generated in the Moderators corner...we'll address it as quick as we can!