General Site Questions

1. Who's in charge of the website and who runs the Support Groups, HelpNet, and the Chat?
2. How old do I have to be to use the website?
3. How does this website survive on the Internet?
4. If I join staff, will I get paid?
5. How does the Website banning system work?
6. Does HelpingTeens.org contain banner ads or other advertisements?
7. Where can I send feedback about HelpingTeens.org?
8. I have a suggestion for the site. How can I be heard?
9. How can I contact the owner of HelpingTeens.org?
10. What is HelpingTeens.org Privacy Policy?
11. I have found a broken link on HelpingTeens.org. How can I report it?
12. How do I make HelpingTeens.org my start page?
13. How do I clear my browser history and cache and cookies?
14. How can I bookmark HelpingTeens.org?
15. Your site is really slow. What's wrong?
16. Where do I post my question?
17. Which section would be most useful to me?
18. I get pop-ups when I visit your site. How do I get rid of them?
19. I'm confused! How do I navigate your site?
20. How long has HelpingTeens.org been around?
21. Who should we thank for this wonderful FAQ?
22. Are there other sites like HelpingTeens.org?
23. Where does HelpingTeens.org get its name and why did the name TeenHelp.org change to HelpingTeens.org?
24. What services or products can I donate to HelpingTeens?
25. Can I donate money to HelpingTeens?
26. How can I contact HelpingTeens about a legal issue related to the site?
27. I'm interested in purchasing HelpingTeens. Is it for sale?
28. My school or place of business blocks HelpingTeens.org's site. How can I have this fixed?
29. I am a member of the press. How can I contact the site owner to retrieve information?
30. Can I advertise on HelpingTeens.org?
31. Can I recommend HelpingTeens.org to someone?
32. Where can I get banners to link to HelpingTeens.org with?
33. I want to help design more banners for HelpingTeens.org. How can I help?

Support Groups Questions

1. How old do I have to be to use the Support Groups?
2. What is that little picture on the side of people's names?
3. How do I get or change an avatar/icon beside my name?
4. What is a "PM" and "IM" and how do I send one?
5. How do I empty my PM's to recover all of my PM space?
6. What is a signature or profile and how can I create or edit one?
7. How do I change my Username?
8. How many posts do I need to change ranks?
9. What are the rules I must follow?
10. I have a warning or two. Will they ever go down?
11. I WANT TO HELP OUT!!! I want to become a Support Groups Moderator. How do I become one?
12. What's the difference between the "General" forum and "Chit-Chat"?
13. I'm logged in but I can't post...What's wrong?
14. I have lost my password. What can I do?
15. What is my profile? Can I change it?
16. I didn't get the validation email? What next?
17. How do I search?
18. What is BBCode and how do I use it?
19. How do I create and vote in polls?
20. How do I create and post in topics?
21. What are "Important Topics"? How are they different?
22. What is the notepad in my user control panel?
23. What are attachments?
24. Can I send emails to HelpingTeens.org Members?
25. What are smilies? How do I use them?
26. What are topic/forum trackers?
27. I get so much email from the Support Groups. How can I stop it?
28. How do I report a post that is rude or violates a rule?
29. What does the black dot beside posts mean in the topic view?
30. Do I need an account? How do I sign up?
31. Ok, I have an account, how do I log in?
32. I keep posting but my post count isn't increasing. What's going on?
33. I want to change my Support Groups name. Is there any way that I can change my name and keep my post counts, instead of registering a new account?
34. My family or someone I don't want knowing, has possibly found or has found this website. I want to protect my privacy. How can I make sure they can't find me?

Live Chat Questions

1. How old do I have to be to use the Live Chat?
2. What rules do I need to follow in the chat?
3. Who are those people with the @ beside their name?
4. What is a PM? How can I PM someone?
5. Who can I PM for help?
6. Can I PM someone without an @ beside their name to ask for help?
7. I WANT TO HELP OUT!!! Can I PM someone to give help?
8. How do I change my nickname?
9. How long is my nickname allowed to be?
10. Can I use spaces in my nickname?
11. I can't see the web chat. What do I do?
12. Why was I kicked out of the chat room?
13. Why can't I enter the chat room?
14. Why does the chat sometimes look empty?
15. How can I enter the chat room anonymously?
16. Which IRC commands can I use? How do I use them?
17. How do I change my text colour?
18. What can I do if someone insults me or breaks rules?
19. What is IRC? How do I use it?
20. Someone on the chat room is mean. Can I ignore them?
21. Who is Computer? What does he/she do?
22. I don't like your web chat. Are there other ways to connect?
23. What is Java?

Articles Questions

1. What kind of articles can I submit?
2. How do I submit an article?
3. How are the articles sorted?
4. I've already submitted my article. Can I make changes/updates?
5. I want to contribute an article? Are there any etiquette requirements?
6. How will I know if my article gets used?

Link Exchange Questions

1. How do I join the link exchange?
2. What are the requirements of joining?
3. Where can I see a list of member sites?

Website Banning Policy

1. How does the banning system work?
2. On the Support Groups, what is the warning system? How is it used?
3. Can a warning I have received in the Support Groups be reversed?
4. In the Support Groups, What does it mean to be warned? How is the warning level visualized?

Q:  Who's in charge of the website and who runs the Support Groups and the Chat?
A:  The current owner of the domain 'helpingteens.org' is Adam Marshall (OverDrive), a resident of Toronto, Canada. The website as a whole, is run by a group of specially chosen Administrators who are in charge of maintaining the content of the website, the Live Chat and the Support Groups. Breaking apart the individual sections:

Website Content: Adam and Skye
Live Chat: Adam
Support Groups: Adam, Stephanie (PurplePoemPuppet), SexyLittleDoll & Jared (FiZzBaW).
SuperMods: Jaegermeister, Jake, & Lena

Within the Support Groups, Super Moderators (or Supermods) have the ability to moderate over all of the forums, and Moderators have the ability to moderate over ONLY their designated forums. To see who currently runs some or all of the Support Groups, please go view the "Moderating Team." To see who's in charge of a particular forum, check below the link to that forum on the main Support Groups page.

Within the Chat, Adam runs the server and all services and Skye helps with maintaining good working conditions of the server and services.

If you need the help of an Administrator or Moderator, check the bottom of the main forum page to see who's online, the color of each name will tell you who's an Administrator/Supermod/Moderator so you can PM someone for help.

Q:  How old do I have to be to use the website?
A:  People of any age may use the website. However, our Staff must be in the range of 14 through 24 years old inclusive.

Q:  How does this website survive on the Internet?
A:  This website is a 100% non-profit and a 100% non-cash flow website. This website survives on the goodness of people's hearts who donate their time and/or their services to this cause. Our web server has been donated, our chat server has been donated, our website template has been donated, our HelpNet has been donated, and most of all, our time has been donated. The only thing that was paid for is the domain name 'helpingteens.org' and that is by Adam Marshall, the owner of the domain name.

Q:  If I join staff, will I get paid?
A:  As said above, this is a 100% non-cash flow website which means no one on this site is paid. If you become staff, you will be donating your time to this site.

Q:  How does the website banning system work?
A:  Because this is a major part of the FAQ, we have created a special section for it. Please see the Website Banning Policy section as it explains everything in detain.

Q:  Does HelpingTeens.org contain banner ads or other advertisements?
A:  HelpingTeens.org does not contain any banner ads or other protruding advertisements, however we do have our vital sponsors links strategically placed on the site where it is not obtrusive. We do this because these are the crucial sponsors that donate the integral parts of the site such as the hosting.

Q:  Where can I send feedback about HelpingTeens.org?
A:  Our site feedback page would be the place to submit your feedback and questions about the site.

Q:  I have a suggestion for the site. How can I be heard?
A:  If you have a suggestion to improve the Support Groups or the site in general, you can either post it in the Suggestions forum or submit it as a Feedback Request.

Q:  How can I contact the owner of HelpingTeens.org?
A:  The owner contact page would be the place to contact the owner of the domain.

Q:  What is HelpingTeens.org Privacy Policy?
A:  The privacy policy can be found in the Terms Of Service document.

Q:  I have found a broken link on HelpingTeens.org. How can I report it?
A:  Our error message page that you receive when you go to a broken link will have a button to report the error that you receive. All you need to do is just click the "Report This As A Broken Link" button at the bottom of the error page. This will automatically notify us about the broken link so that we can fix it.

Q:  How do I make HelpingTeens.org my start page?
A:  Netscape 4.0-7.1

1. Click the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences."
2. Click on "Navigator."
3. In the "Navigator Starts with" section or in Netscape 7.1, "Display on Navigator Startup," select "Home page."
4. In the "Home page" section, type "http://www.helpingteens.org/" in the text box.
5. Click "OK."

Internet Explorer

1. Click Here to set your homepage to HelpingTeens. If this does not work, please follow the instructions below.
2. Click the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options."
3. Click on the "General" tab.
4. In the "Home page" section, type "http://www.helpingteens.org/" in the text box.
5. Click "OK."

America Online

1. Make sure you are on our front page, www.helpingteens.org.
2. Click the link below with your right mouse button and select "Copy URL to Clipboard."

   HelpingTeens

   * If the "copy" option didn't appear, highlight the following address: http://www.helpingteens.org/. Go to the "Members" drop down menu and select "Preferences."

3. Click on the "WWW" icon.
4. Click on the "Home Page" box at the bottom of the pop-up window and then depress your "Control" (CTRL) and "V" keys (at the same time) and paste in the address. If the address does not appear in the box, simply type in what you tried to paste from above.
5. Click the "OK" button.

Q:  How do I clear my browser history and cache and cookies?
A: To clear your cache find your browser and operating system and follow the instructions.

Internet Explorer 5.0 for PC

1. From the top menu bar, click Tools, and select Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box. (This process may take a few minutes)
5. Click Settings.
6. Click View Files.
7. Click CTRL-A to select all files.
8. From the top menu bar, click File, and select Delete. Answer yes to deleting all files. Once this window is empty, click the X in the top right corner to close the window.
9. Click OK. Click OK.

Internet Explorer 6.0 for PC

1. From the top menu bar, click Tools, and select Internet Options.
2. Click the General Tab.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box. (This process may take a few minutes)
5. Click Delete Cookies.
6. Click OK on the Delete Cookies dialog box.
7. Click OK.

Netscape 6.x and 7.x for PC

1. From the top menu bar, click Edit, and select Preferences.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Memory Cache button.
5. Click the Clear Disk Cache button.
6. Click OK.

Mozilla FireFox 1.x for PC

1. From the top menu bar, click Tools, and select Options.
2. Click Privacy.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear.
5. Click Cookies.
6. Click Clear.
7. Click OK.

America Online for PC

Close AOL if it is open, by clicking Exit on the File menu above the AOL toolbar. On the Windows taskbar, click Start, and point to Programs. Point to AOL, then click AOL System Information. In the AOL System Information window, click the Utilities tab. On the Utilities tab, click Clear Browser Cache. The arrow at the right of the text box on the Navigation bar displays a dropdown menu that lists the last 25 areas or Web pages you have visited. If this list (or history trail) becomes too long and confusing, you can clear the list in the middle of a session. You can also clear out all the items on the list automatically each time you sign off or switch screen names. To clear the history trail Sign on to AOL. On the Settings menu on the AOL toolbar, click Preferences. In the Organization section of the Preferences window, click Toolbar. Do one or both of the following: To clear the history trail immediately, click Clear History Now. To clear the history trail every time you sign off or switch screen names, select the Clear history trail after each Sign Off... check box.

Netscape 6.2 for Mac

1. From the top menu bar, click Edit, and select Preferences.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Memory Cache button.
5. Click the Clear Disk Cache button.
6. Click OK.

Netscape 7.x for Mac

1. From the top menu bar, click Edit, and select Preferences.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Cache button.
5. Click OK.

Safari 1.0 for Mac

1. From the Safari menu select Empty Cache.
2. At the Are you sure message, click Empty.

Mozilla 1.4 for Mac

1. Click Edit, and select Preferences on the menu bar.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Cache button.
5. Click OK.

Q:  How can I bookmark HelpingTeens.org?
A:  Internet Explorer - Within Internet Explorer CLICK HERE to add HelpingTeens.org to your favourites list, or go to the main HelpingTeens Homepage, click the "Favorites" menu, then "Add to Favorites." At this point you can click OK to bookmark it in the main section of "Favorites" or you can click the "Create In >>" button to create it inside of a folder.

Netscape/Mozilla - Within Netscape/Mozilla, go to the main HelpingTeens Homepage, click the "Bookmarks" menu, then "Bookmark This Page." Where it says Create In, choose what folder you wish it to be created in and click OK.

Q:  Your site is really slow. What's wrong?
A:  There are 3 possible reasons that the site could be running slowly. The main reason is probably that the server that is trying to serve you pages to see, is running at 100% by another site or sites on the server. This causes HelpingTeens to have to make the CPU run on overtime, but at a price of being a bit slower. The 2nd possible reason is that our backup scripts are doing their normal backup routine. This happens 2 times a day at approximately 12 noon Eastern and 12 midnight Eastern. This backup script only lasts about 5 minutes so it should resume back to normal after this point. The third and last possibility is that the connection to your Internet or the connection on the Internet to our server is slow.

Q:  Where do I post my question?
A:  We have several places where you can post your question. You can post it in the Support Groups, HelpNet, or the Live Chat.

Q:  Which section would be most useful to me?
A:  There are 4 sections that allow you to get the help that you need. The first section is more of a do-it-yourself type research through our Articles and Resources. This method allows you to gain valuable information through our continually growing Articles section that have been packed with information on a variety of topics. This also gives you a lot of Resources that you may contact and learn from for help near your home area.

The second section is the Live Chat. This method is best if you are looking to talk to someone in real time to get answers to your problems. The problem is that since it is in real time, it may not be possible to talk with a mentor at the time that you enter. This means that you may need to come back a few times before you get an answer to your question, or if other people are in the room, you may share it with them in public to allow a group-type answer from them.

The third section is our Support Groups, which is a massive support forum. This method is really good if you are looking for a variety of answers on different subjects from all different sets of personal opinions. We also have a MASSIVE database that you can Search from to gain answers to your questions. It's really good if you are looking for a place to read and help others yourself. Our forth section is our HelpNet team. This is a one-on-one email-response mentoring method. This method along with the Live Chat method would be the best method for you for privacy and anonymity issues.

Q:  I get pop-ups when I visit your site. How do I get rid of them?
A:  Our site does not have any pop ups except those you click (such as the live chat popup window) or that you opt-in for (such as the Support Groups "Do you wish to get a pop up notification when you get a new private message?" option inside of My Controls > Board Settings). If you are receiving any other types of pop ups while on HelpingTeens.org, you may have spyware or ad-ware in your computer. Please visit the Computer Forum's topic about How to Maintain Your PC and Spyproofing Your PC.

Q:  I'm confused! How do I navigate your site?
A:  Our site has our main sections at the top of every screen. Our Home, Articles, Chat, HelpNet, Groups. This is how you navigate to the main sections of our website. Our Home section has many sub-sections on the navigation menu on the left side. These are sub-categories of the Main website. If you get confused of where you are, the top 5 buttons will tell you. When you are in anything to do with the main site, the grey button will be Home. If you are in anything relating to the Articles section, the grey button will be Articles. If you are in anything relating to the Live Chat, the grey button will be Chat. Subsequently if you are browsing our Support Groups, the grey button will be Groups, and the same goes for HelpNet.

Q:  How long has HelpingTeens.org been around?
A:  HelpingTeens used to be TeenHelp.org until the domain was sold to a person on Ebay (even though there was a prior deal with Adam Marshall to sell it to him). We moved the content and changed the name to HelpingTeens.org on June 20th 2004. The TeenHelp.org domain started by Branden Thomas of Oklahoma started on July 13, 1998. You can read more about it in our History section.

Q:  Who should we thank for this wonderful FAQ?
A:  This is a collection of the most freuqently asked questions we recieve on a daily basis regarding the site, its policies, etc... There is no one person responsible for the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) you see here. They were written by the administration of this site.

Q:  Are there other sites like HelpingTeens.org?
A:  Yes, there are a great number of sites like HelpingTeens.org. Each have their own set of members that are there to help others. Each have their own sets of rules and helping methods and depending on your issues, your personality, and other factors, you may find one site better than another. Our Link Exchange will give you some of the sites that have the same principals as our own.

Q:  Where does HelpingTeens.org get its name and why did the name TeenHelp.org change to HelpingTeens.org?
A:  Our History section gives the timeline as to when TeenHelp.org became HelpingTeens.org. A quick synopsis of the events is that Winston Cheng bought the domain name TeenHelp.org off of eBay. During some talks with him before the Administration gave him access to the servers, he mentioned that there was an opportunity for him to make some money by putting up hidden links on the site to which he had already had offers and said it was a possibility in the future. Adam Marshall and Skye were appalled by this and they decided that it would be a very bad move to give the content over to Winston. Over the next couple of days Adam starts thinking of what could be done to save the community from being USED to make someone some cash. Adam Marshall was exploring the opportunity of buying a new domain and migrating the content to the new name. Over another day, Adam came up with a list of about 20 domains that were available that had something to do with helping and advice giving for teenagers. One of them was HelpingTeens.org and a poll to all of the Administrators showed that HelpingTeens.org was the best one of the list of approximately 20 domains. Adam Marshall then registered the domain name HelpingTeens.org and 2 days later after Internet propagation, the Administrators transferred all of the content and announced that TeenHelp.org was changing callsigns to HelpingTeens.org. Later on, Winston Cheng says that he was only joking, but Adam and the other Administrators still did not trust him after how he said it. Adam pursued the purchasing of the TeenHelp.org domain from Winston but before the final version of the contract was drafted, Winston backed out. See the History section for more information.

Q:  What services or products can I donate to HelpingTeens?
A:  If you think you have a service that may be of use to HelpingTeens please contact us through our Feedback form. A brief list of past services and products we've had is: website hosting, IRCd server hosting, Angel's Feather pins (for staff), books of all kinds (relating to our goals), website software & licensing, and more.

Q:  Can I donate money to HelpingTeens?
A:  You can click on the Donate link on the left navigation menu.

Q:  How can I contact HelpingTeens about a legal issue related to the site?
A:  You can use the Owner Contact form to contact the owner about legal issues.

Q:  I'm interested in purchasing HelpingTeens. Is it for sale?
A:  Simple answer: No. Even if you think you would buy this site for $30,000 US Dollars (as some people think that everyone has their price), the owner still would not sell it.

Q:  My school or place of business blocks HelpingTeens.org's site. How can I have this fixed?
A:  Unfortunately, if your place of business or school blocks the HelpingTeens.org website, there is not much that you can do. You can go to your Network Administrator or a school's teacher and ask them to allow HelpingTeens.org. Other than that, there's not much that you can do.

Q:  I am a member of the press. How can I contact the site owner to retrieve information?
A:  You can use the Owner Contact form to contact the owner to retrieve information.

Q:  Can I advertise on HelpingTeens.org?
A:  The simple answer is no. The more complex answer is yes, depending on what is being offered. If you are looking at putting banners or text links on the website for profit indirectly or directly, the answer is no, even if you are offering lots of money, the answer is still NO!. However, if you are providing us with a service that is useful to us, as an example, our Support Groups uses InvisionPower Board, and their link is at the bottom of the application.

Q:  Can I recommend HelpingTeens.org to someone?
A:  Yes, we encourage the recommendations to others whether it be by email, snail mail, a poster in a school, word of mouth, or any other type of advertising. We have developed a script to help you recommend this site to your friends through email. Visit the Recommend Us section of our main website.

Q:  Where can I get banners to link to HelpingTeens.org with?
A:  We have had a few people who were gracious enough to donate their time to create nice attractive banners for HelpingTeens. You can use the code provided to you on our Link To Us page to put a link with our banner on your own page.

Q:  I want to help design more banners for HelpingTeens.org. How can I help?
A:  HelpingTeens.org welcomes any new designs for banners. Your best bet is to contact us through our Site Feedback page telling us that you wish to help create new banners and we will respond from there on how to go about it.

Q:  How old do I have to be to use the Support Groups?
A:  People of any age may use the Support Groups. However, our Staff must be in the range of 14 through 24 years old inclusive.

Q:  What is that little picture on the side of people's names?
A:  It's called an Avatar or Icon.

Q:  How do I get or change an avatar/icon beside my name?
A:  Login and look to the upper right-hand corner of the Support Groups screen. Click on the "My Controls" link. On the left side of the window there will be a list of options. To add/edit your avatar click "Edit Avatar Settings." You may choose a pre-installed avatar or upload one from your own computer or link from a site, but make sure the image follows the set guidelines. Don't forget, when adding your OWN avatar; MAKE SURE you fill out the correct size of the picture where it asks. If you do not, your picture will look distorted.

The guidelines are "Avatar Dimensions - Maximum Width = 100 pixels, Maximum Height = 100 pixels, Maximum Size = 40 kilobytes." To find out if your picture meets those requirements, open the file in Internet Explorer and right click on the picture. Left click properties and you will see "Dimensions" and "Size."

Q:  What is a "PM" and "IM" and how do I send one?
A:  A "PM" is a Personal Message, like a local instant messaging system and "IM" stands for Instant Message. Personal messages are a function which is included in the Support Groups as a way of communicating with other people who are online at the current time (or offline, and will be delivered when the user goes on next time). If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can see who is currently viewing the Support Groups. If you see somebody you would like to message there, click on their name and go to "Personal Message" and then fill in the boxes like you would an email. Alternatively, click on "My Controls" in the top right corner and click on "Compose New Message" under the "Messenger" section.

When a new personal message is received, a pop up window will show up with the person's username who has sent you the PM and the first part of the subject line. You can then choose to open the PM in that window and it will take you to your Inbox to view the message which you have been sent. Personal Messages are very similar to email in that you have an Inbox which you can keep messages in. It is recommended you empty your "sent items" mailbox every so often so new messages can still come in. There is a limit on how many personal messages you can store in your Inbox and sent items mailboxes and this is indicated by a little "thermometer" bar at the top of the Inbox showing how much space you have left (similar to Hotmail or Yahoo mail).

Q:  How do I empty my PM's to recover all of my PM space?
A:  You need to Archive your messages as it is the easiest way to recover all of your PM space. To Archive your messages:

Click on "My Controls" in the top right corner of the Support Groups
Click on "Archive Messages" on the left side menu
Change Inbox to "ALL Folders"
Change "30" days to "All" days. Keep "and newer"
Change "20" to "50"
Make sure delete messages after archiving is "YES"
Select what format you wish to archive your messages as - For users who don't really care, either the Excel Data File or the HTML Format will do. For Administrators/Supermods/Moderators, please use the Excel Format
Hit "Process"

You will receive an email with ALL of the PM's archived, either as an attachment of HTML or an Excel Data File, and if you click "Back" on your browser and then hit "submit" again and again, you will clear every section of your PM storage space and you will be at 0 percent used.

Q:  What is a signature or profile and how can I create or edit one?
A:  Your signature is a predetermined text message that is added onto every post at the bottom. It usually contains your name and a quote or something. To add/edit a signature or profile, go to "My Controls" and on the left menu under "Personal Profile," click the "Edit Signature" and "Edit Profile info" links respectively. Any settings can be changed from this menu of links.

Q:  How do I change my Username?
A:  In order to change your username, PM an Administrator (or all of them) and request it to be changed. When an Administrator changes your username, all they are doing is renaming your username, not physically changing it. Because of the way this renaming happens, all of your post counts, your posts, and your signatures, avatars, personal photos, and so forth are transferred over to your new username.

Q:  How many posts do I need to change ranks?
A:  Check this link for ranks and post counts -- http://www.helpingteens.org/groups/uploads/ranks.jpg

Q:  What are the rules I must follow?
A:  Support Group Rules - http://www.helpingteens.org/sgrules.html

Q:  I have a warning or two. Will they ever go down?
A:  The main idea behind our warning system is that you have 3 warnings and then you get banned for a period of time, subject to our banning methods. Once you get a warning, your warning level will NOT go down. The only way to make it go down is by continuing to get warnings. Once you have reached 3 warnings, you are banned and the time of the ban is subject to the banning methods. After you have served your ban, your warning level goes back to 0 (if we forget to reset it back to 0, please remind an Administrator via PM). If you get a warning, and continue to get warnings on purpose just to get your warning level back down to 0 it will NEGATIVELY AFFECT the way that we look at you on the Support Groups and there may be consequences.

Q:  I WANT TO HELP OUT!!! I want to become a Support Groups Moderator. How do I become one?
A:  In order for you to become a Support Groups Moderator, you must apply to be one on the Staff Applications page. Please make sure that when you apply you have read and meet all the requirements to apply.

Q:  What's the difference between the "General" forum and "Chit-Chat"?
A:  General is a group for problems that need assistance but aren't specific to one of the other areas or have to do with the site such as if you have a comment about the site.

Q:  I'm logged in but I can't post...What's wrong?
A:  If you are a brand new user, the registration process consists of having you CONFIRM your account through an email link that you must click on. Please check the email address that you used to sign up your account and follow the instructions in the email.

Q:  I have lost my password. What can I do?
A:  On the Support Groups Login page there is a section that says " I've forgotten my password! Click here!" After you have entered in your username and the security code displayed on the page, when you hit proceed an email will be sent to the email address that we have on file for that username. The email will contain a link and a security code so that when you enter in the security code to that link, it will ask you for a new password. Once you have entered and re-entered your new password and hit submit, your password will be changed and you will be able to access your account again.

Q:  What is my profile? Can I change it?
A:  Your profile is a section where you can write a bit about yourself. This helps personalize your nickname. It can include a picture of you, an avatar, a signature, information about you such as your interests, whether you are male or female, and more. To change it, login to the Support Groups and click on "My Controls" at the top right corner. On the left menu, you will see "Personal Profile" with the options of "Edit Profile info," "Edit Signature," "Edit Avatar Settings," and "Change Personal Photo." These are the links that you will need to visit to change your profile.

Q:  I didn't get the validation email? What next?
A:  Make sure you are LOGGED OUT of the Support Groups. In the top left corner, you will see "Welcome Guest [ Log In | Register | Resend Validation Email ]" and this is where you will click, on "Resend Validation Email"

Q:  How do I search?
A:  In the upper right hand corner, you will see some links that read: [ Rules & Regulations | Help | Search | Members | Calendar ]. Click on the Search button. Don't forget, you must log in before you can use the Search option.

Q:  What is BBCode and how do I use it?
A:  BBCode stands for Bulletin Board Code. BBCode is a system that will allow you to format your posts in special ways.  The BBCode system uses tags in a way nearly identical to HTML. The primary difference between BBCode and HTML is that BBCode uses square brackets [ and ] instead of angle brackets < and >.

Here is a list of sample BBCode and its output:

[b]Bolded Text[/b]: Bolded Text

[i]Italicized Text[/i]: Italicized Text

[u]Underlined Text[/u]: Underlined Text

[color=red]Red Text[/color] or [color=#FF0000]Red Text[/color]: Red Text

[size=24]Bigger Text[/size]: Bigger Text

[quote]This cheese is delicious[/quote]:

[quote="The Cheese Man"]This cheese is delicious.[/quote]:

[code]if ($cheese == "tasty") { return true; }[/code]:

[list][*]Cheddar Cheese[*]Limburger Cheese[*]Cottage Cheese[/list]:

• Cheddar Cheese
• Limburger Cheese
• Cottage Cheese

[list=1][*]Cheddar Cheese[*]Limburger Cheese[*]Cottage Cheese[/list]:

1. Cheddar Cheese
2. Limburger Cheese
3. Cottage Cheese

[list=a][*]Cheddar Cheese[*]Limburger Cheese[*]Cottage Cheese[/list]:

1. Cheddar Cheese
2. Limburger Cheese
3. Cottage Cheese

[url=http://www.helpingteens.org/]Visit HelpingTeens![/url]: Visit HelpingTeens!  (Link URL:  http://www.helpingteens.org)

[url]http://www.helpingteens.org/url]: http://www.helpingteens.org/  (Link URL:  http://www.helpingteens.org)

[email]no.one@domain.adr[/email]: no.one@domain.adr

[img]http://www.helpingteens.org/common/images/htban-3.gif[/img]:

Q:  How do I create and vote in polls?
A:  You may notice that some threads on this forum also include a section where you can vote on an issue or question. These threads are called 'polls' and this is how to create them:

When you post a new thread, you may have the option to also create a poll. This function allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread. If you have chosen to post a new poll, there will be an extra two option boxes at the top of the help screen. The first input box will allow you to enter the question that you are asking in the poll. The text field underneath is where you will input the choices for the poll. Simply enter a different option on each line. The maximum number of choices is set by the Support Groups Administrators, and this figure is displayed on the left.

To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the vote button. You may view the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link. Voting in a poll is entirely optional. You may vote for any of the available options, or cast no vote at all. Generally, once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote later, so be sure you have selected the correct poll option for what you want.

An example poll might be:

What is your favorite color?

1. Red
2. Blue
3. Yellow
4. Green

Q:  How do I create and post in topics?
A:  When making a post, you will most likely have the option to use BBCode code when posting. This will allow you to add various types of formatting to your messages. For more information on this, click the 'BB Code Help' link under the text entry box to launch the help window.

On the left of the text entry box, there is the clickable emoticons box - you can click on these to add them to the content of your message (these are sometimes known as 'smilies').

There are three options available when making a post or a reply. 'Enable emoticons?' if this is unchecked, then any text that would normally be converted into an emoticon will not be. 'Enable signature?' allows you to choose whether or not you would like your signature to appear on that individual post. 'Enable email notification of replies?' ticking this box will mean that you will receive e-mail updates to the topic, see the 'Email Notification of new messages' help topic for more information on this.

You also have the option to choose a post icon for the topic/post when creating one. This icon will appear next to the topic name on the topic listing in that forum, or will appear next to the date/time of the message if making a reply to a topic.

If the Administrators have enabled it, you will also see a file attachments option. This will allow you to attach a file to be uploaded when making a post. Click the browse button to select a file from your computer to be uploaded. If you upload an image file, it may be shown in the content of the post, all other file types will be linked to.

Q:  What are "Important Topics"? How are they different?
A:  Important topics are another name for "pinned topics." At HelpingTeens.org we use "important topics" to display important information for that particular forum such as new changes to the rules or information that we feel will be of high value to our members. Only Moderators and Administrators can pin a topic, so if you feel a topic should be pinned as an "important topic" then please contact a Moderator of that forum or an Administrator.

Q:  What is the notepad in my user control panel?
A:  Your notepad is a simple way to store information that you feel is important for your everyday usage of the HelpingTeens.org Support Groups. There is not limit on the amount of text you can store; however, it's always a good idea to keep a backup of this information where you can easily access it yourself.

Q:  What are attachments?
A:  The Administrators may allow you to use the attachment feature of this forum, which gives you the ability to attach files of certain types to your posts. This could be an image, a text document, a zip file etc. There will be a limit to the file size of any attachments you make, as the forums should not be used as an extension of your hard disk! To attach a file to a new post, simply click the [Browse] button at the bottom of the post composition page, and locate the file that you want to attach from your local hard drive. Only certain types of files may be attached: these are the valid file extensions for files to be attached to this forum: gif, jpeg, zip, etc...

Q:  Can I send emails to HelpingTeens.org Members?
A:  Yes, you can send emails to other HelpingTeens.org members, however, they reserve the right to disable this feature so it may not always be available. When you send this email, your real email address IS revealed to the member your sending to as when they respond it will come back to your email address. Perhaps a better alternative is using the PM method.

Q:  What are smilies? How do I use them?
A:  Smilies are small graphical icons which you can insert into your messages to convey an emotion or feeling, such as a joke or embarrassment. For example, if you entered a sarcastic comment, rather than type 'that was a joke', you could simply insert the 'wink' smilie. If you have used email or internet chat systems, you will probably be familiar with the concept of smilies already. Certain combinations of text characters are converted into smilies. For example, :) is converted into a smiling face.

For a list of the smilies currently used by this forum, click here.

Q:  What are topic/forum trackers?
A:  The Support Groups can notify you when a new reply is added to a topic. Many users find this useful to keep up to date on topics without the need to view the Support Groups to check for new messages. There are three ways to subscribe to a topic:

• Click the 'Track This Topic' link at the top of the topic that you wish to track
• On the posting screen when replying to or creating a topic, check the 'Enable email notification of replies?' checkbox
• From the E-Mail settings section of your User CP (My Controls) check the 'Enable Email Notification by default?' option, this will automatically subscribe you to any topic that you make a reply to Please note that to avoid multiple emails being sent to your email address, you will only get one e-mail for each topic you are subscribed to until the next time you visit the Support Groups. You are also able to subscribe to each individual forum on the Support Groups, to be notified when a new topic is created in that particular forum. To enable this, click the 'Subscribe to this forum' link at the bottom of the forum that you wish to subscribe to. To unsubscribe from any forums or topics that you are subscribed to - just go to the 'Subscriptions' section of 'My Controls' and you can do this from there.

Q:  I get so much email from the Support Groups. How can I stop it?
A:  There are a few reasons why you may get a lot of email from the Support Groups. One of them are your tracked topics and tracked forums. To unsubscribe from any forums or topics that you are subscribed to - just go to the 'Subscriptions' section of 'My Controls' and you can do this from there. Another reason you may be receiving a lot of email from the Support Groups is if you are receiving a lot of PMs. You can turn off email notification from a PM within the 'My Controls,' 'Email Settings,' and remove the checkmark from the box that says 'Send a confirmation email when I receive a new private message.'

Another reason why you may be receiving a lot of emails from the Support Groups is because people are using the 'Email' button either on your profile or below any of your posts. To disable this option so that they cannot use this button, go to 'My Controls,' 'Email Settings,' and remove the checkmark from the box that says 'Hide my email address from other members.' Lastly, you maybe are receiving a lot of email from the Support Groups because the Administrators are sending you notices. You can turn off Administration updates from the 'My Controls,' 'Email Settings,' section. Just remove the checkmark from the box that says 'Send me any updates sent by the board administrator.' Please note, Administrators can decide not to honour this option and forcefully send you an email, but this option is often honoured.

Q:  How do I report a post that is rude or violates a rule?
A:  We are not always able to find every post that is offensive so every post report is very helpful to us and will make the support groups that much more helpful for our members to report a post, please use the 'Report this Post to a Moderator' function found next to each post. We encourage the members to use it to bring any disruptions to our attention. Any reported posts will be reviewed by the moderators of the respective forum, super moderators and administrators. And of course, you are always free to send a personal message (PM) to an administrator should you have any questions or concerns.

Q:  What does the black dot beside posts mean in the topic view?
A:  When you are browsing topics in each section of the forum, you may notice that there is a black dot in the bottom right hand corner of the image on the left side. This denotes that you have already posted at least once in this topic. The image denotes that you have NOT yet posted in this topic, however the image denotes that you have already posted at least once in this topic.

Q:  Do I need an account? How do I sign up?
A:  No, you don't need an account to browse through our Support Groups database. However, in order to fully utilize the abilities of this forum, the Administrators require that you register as a member. Registration is free, and allows you to do the following:

• Post new threads
• Use the Search feature
• Reply to other peoples' threads
• Edit your posts
• Receive email notification of replies to posts and threads you specify
• Send private messages to other members
• Enter events in the forum calendar
• Set up a 'buddy-list' to quickly see which of your friends are currently online

To register, you will need to specify a username and password, and a valid email address. Entering your email address will not leave you open to 'spam', as you can choose to hide your email address, and messages sent to you via email do not reveal your address to the sender in any case. (To verify this, you can try sending an email message to another user.) The Administrators have configured the forum to send you the final part of the registration process by email, so ensure that the email address you provide is valid and working.

Q:  Ok, I have an account, how do I log in?
A:  You can log in using the "Log in" link at the top left of the Support Groups.

Q:  I keep posting but my post count isn't increasing. What's going on?
A:  If you are posting in any forum in The Lounge category (Chit-Chat, Current Events, Off The Wall Polls & Quizzes, Interesting Facts & Quotes, Fashion & Beauty, Entertainment, and Self-Expression), the Announcement Discussions forum, or the Introductions forum, your post count will NOT INCREASE.

Q:  I want to change my Support Groups name. Is there any way that I can change my name and keep my post counts, instead of registering a new account?
A:  You should first figure out what name you want so that we can change it quickly for you. Then check who are the Administrators by viewing the Moderating Team and see if you can find one that is currently online by viewing the Online List. Then PM the Administrator saying that you want to change your name and specify what name you wish to change it to. If you can't find an Administrator online at the time, PM any one of them, or all of them, and one of them will do it for you when they come on.

Q:  My family or someone I don't want knowing, has possibly found or has found this website. I want to protect my privacy. How can I make sure they can't find me?
A:  In order to protect your privacy, you should remove ANY METHOD of identification from your account (Website URL, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Location, Interests, Personal Photo, Avatar (if it's identifyable), and Signature. You will want to change your screenname as well. In order to do that, you should first figure out what name you want so that we can change it quickly for you. Then check who are the Administrators by viewing the Moderating Team and see if you can find one that is currently online by viewing the Online List. Then PM the Administrator saying that you want to change your name and specify what name you wish to change it to. If you can't find an Administrator online at the time, PM any one of them, or all of them, and one of them will do it for you when they come on.