The thread is currently under construction. Most of questions are posted and answered elsewhere on this board. I also recommend reading A Beginner's Guide To Forum Decorum!! ^^
I'll add more FAQ later. ^^

1. What are these things under my name?



Q. How can I add a picture under my name?
And, what about the picture under my post?

A. The picture under your board ID is called "avatar." The picture under your post is called "signature." To learn how to add "avatar" and "signature," please go down to my next post.


Q. I have "Citizen" under my name. I see some people has "Apprentice" or "Alchemist," etc. What are these, and how can I become "Alchemist"?

A. These are called "Ranks," and they are based on your post counts.
They are mostly for your personal fun, and not much else on our board.
What earns you respects from fellow posters is the content of your posts, and not which Rank you have. Furthermore, we generally look down on posters who make many useless posts for the sole purpose of attaining higher Ranks. Generally speaking, if you enjoy posting on our board, your Rank will go up soon or later, more likely sooner than you expected.
At any rate, after a while, you'll probably forget about your Rank, or what Rank other posters have, most of the time while you are on the board.
Having said that, here are the Ranks we have on our board:
(Also, the square(s) underneath the Rank is "bar(s)" that goes along with the Rank.)

• Citizen (post count = 0 ~ 99)
• Apprentice (100 ~ 249)
• Alchemist (250 ~ 399)
• State Alchemist (Major) (400 ~ 799)
• State Alchemist (Lt. Colonel) (800 ~ 1499)
• State Alchemist (Colonel) (1500 ~ 2499)
• Brigadier General (2500 ~ 3999)
• Major General (4000 ~ ) Same Bars as State Alchemist (Colonel) through Master Alchemist

After that we currently have Lt. General, Master Alchemist, and few more after that, but probably by the time you reach this far I think you really get the idea that Rank is not that important. ^^




Q. Speaking of post counts, I think I made more posts, but my post count says I made only xx (fill in your number here ^^) posts. I think my post count should be higher than it says.

A. Posts in "Spam Central" forum forum are not counted towards your total post counts. Sorry!! Please make posts there for the fun of postings!!



Q. What is this thing that says "Warn" under my name??

I see it only under my name, and I don't see it on any other members!!
Am I in some kind of trouble?

A. No, you are not in trouble at all!!
That is "Warning Indicator," and everyone has it under his/her board ID.
Only that you can see yours, but you can't see other members'.
And likewise, other members can't see yours.
Except, certain board staff can see yours. (and, they can adjust your warning level as well.)
But, as long as you are following the board rules & guidelines, and generally behaving as a good board member, then you don't have to worry about it at all!!
I bet pretty soon you'll forget that thing is even there when you are on the board!!



Q. Speaking of warning, this Forum Rules and Informational Guide (A Must Read) in Red shows up on every page I open!! Does this mean I broke some board rules??


A. No. ^^ That one is designed to show up on most of pages for EVERYBODY, as a reminder for everyone to follow the forum rules and guidelines. And, while we are on the subject, (if you haven't done so already) please take a moment to click on the link and read the Rules and Guidelines for our board!!



Q. Speaking of board ID, is there any way I can change my board name?

A. Yes. Please post and ask for your display name change on Dear Board, Could You Change My Display Name? thread.
Please note that if this is your first time to change your board display name, you can ask it anytime, but after that, there must be more than 6 months since last time your display name was changed.

2. Posting pictures on your post,

Uploading the images to the Gallery, or

Adding picture(s) as your Signature, or as your Avatar, and/or

Adding your personal picture on your Personal Profile page.



Q. How do I upload images to the Gallery?

A. Here is How to upload the image to the Gallery.

*In the Gallery, click on the category you want to post the pic to, then click on NEWIMAGE, then a window will open up for you to fill in the info, then fill in the info, then click on Post Image.

*The image will NOT show up in the Gallery right away.
Also, you may get the "error" message. This is normal.

*After that, the pic is uploaded to the board, then the board stuff (Gallery Moderator) will approve the image for Gallery posting, and then the image will get posted in the Gallery.

*Sometimes it may take a while for the image to get approved.
Meantime, please do not try to upload it again. Please wait for the image approval.




Q. How do I post pictures on my post?

A. Following are basic How to post pics in this forum:

1. Post as an Attachment: (For ADD REPLY only)
(Note: If your pics is larger than 500 pix wide, please use this, or post your pic as a link.)

To use Attachment Function, have your pic file saved in your computer, then,


Click on Browse.., then when find your pic file on your computer, highlight it and click Open,
then click UPLOAD.
When uploading is completed (when going round and round thing stops)
click on Manage Current Attachments(1), but don't click on the Green Cross yet.
On your post composing window, place the cursor on where you want your pic to appear on your post, then click on Green Cross.

Your picture will be posted as an Attachment Thumbnail like this:
Click to view attachment

Click on the thumbnail pic for the enlarged pic window.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Post as an Image: (For FAST REPLY and ADD REPLY)
(Note: Larger pic may show up as a clickable reduced size thumbnail pic on your post.)

Assuming the pic is already saved on your computer, first upload that pic to your on-line image hosting account such as Photo bucket (it's free but need to register) or Imageshack, Tinypic, etc. (free and no need to register) to get the URL of the pic.

Then you can post that pic as an image by either:

a.) using Image Function. (i.e. use "Direct link" code shown on the site for your pic file, and then attach [ img ][ /img ] around it.)

To add "image code," you can either 1.) manually type in the code like this

CODE

[image]URL of the pic[/image]

or, 2.) click on Image function shortcut button, then enter the URL of the pic (use "Direct Link" URL), then click OK




OR,
b.) take "[img code] link" as shown on the site for your pic file, and post that "as is" on your post. (which comes out exactly same as the above ^^)

And the pic will be posted like this:


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Post as a link: (For FAST REPLY and ADD REPLY, and for ANY SIZE pic. )

Assuming the pic is already saved on your computer, first upload that pic to your on-line image hosting account such as Photo bucket (it's free but need to register) or Imageshack (free and no need to register) to get the URL of the pic. Then...

You can post the URL of the pic as a link such as this: My pic

Or simply like this: http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c140/sun...l/thflower2.jpg




Q. How do I add pic(s) to my signature?

A. Assuming the sig pic is already saved on your computer, first upload that pic to your on-line image hosting account such as Photo bucket (it's free but need to register) or Imageshack or Tynypic (both are free and no need to register) to get the URL of the pic.

(Use the one that says "Dircet Link"and add "Image BBcode" to it, or pick the the one that sys "Image" which is exactly the same thing with the Direct Link plus Image BBcode already attached to it. ^^)

Next, click on My Controls that is on the Upper Right part of the forum page to open your Control Panrl, then click on Edit Signature under Personal Profile on the Left side Menu to open the sig edit window.

Then you can add your sig by using Image Function.
(See "How to post pic as an Image" above for how to use Image Function)

Then click on Update my Signature. (Please see the Note below also. ^^)



Q. How can I make my sig pics to line up side by side? My pics get posted stacked up instead.
What am I doing wrong?

A. To make you pics line up side by side, enter your codes side by side, like this:

CODE

[IMG]url of pic 1[/IMG][IMG]url of pic 2[/IMG]

And you will get pics posted side by side like this:

(Pics by caffeine_icons.)


But, if you post the codes on two lines like this:

CODE

[IMG]url of pic 1[/IMG]
[IMG]url of pic 2[/IMG]

Then your pics will get posted stacked up like this:


(Pics by caffeine_icons.)




Q. I don't have any sig!! Is there any place to get some nice sig for me?

A. You are in luck, because we have very talented sig artists who are willing to offer their services free, and make a custom made signature for you!!
For the list of sig artists on our board, go to FMA Board Sig Shop Directory.

Or, if you'd like to make your own signature, you might find some nice pics in our FMA Image Gallery.


Note: You can have a combination of image(s) and texts in your sig space, but the max sig space for our board is 500 pix wide, and 300 pix high, and that includes texts and all sig pics.
Which is, this much space (click on the thumbnail for the Max sig size for our board) :

If your sig is larger than this space, your sig may get edited by the Board stuff.
Or, if your sig pic is within the Max size, but if you have lots of text in addition to the sig pic, you may still get "large sig" notice from the board. If you'd like to avoid that and to be "safe," try to contain your sig pic, plus text (if any) within this "500 pix wide and 300 pix high" range.



Q. How can I add Avatar (picture under your board Id)?

There are two ways to add avatar:

1. Uploading the avatar pic to the board from your computer:

Have your avatar pic saved on your computer, and ready to go.

Your avatar must be no bigger than 120 pixels by 120 pixels in size.
Uploaded avatars from your computer must be no larger than 100 KB.
The following file types are allowed: Files with .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .swf, and .png extensions.

Then, click on My Controls on Upper Right side of this forum page, then on the right side Menu, under Personal Profile, click on Edit Avatar Settings.
Then, click on Browse..., go to your avatar pic file on your computer, open that file, then click on Update Avtar at the bottom.

If using the site upload, sometimes it may take a while to get your avatar to be updated, up to a few days. This seems to be a normal trend. Refreshing may help. but it may still take some time. Please give some time. If this is happening, and you do not want to wait, then use the method #2 below. Your avatar will get updated right away with method #2.


2. Upload the avatar pic to on-line image hosting account, get the URL, then use that URL:

Have your avatar pic saved on your computer, and ready to go.

Your avatar must be no bigger than 120 pixels by 120 pixels in size.
The following file types are allowed: Files with .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .swf, and .png extensions

Upload the pic to the on-line image hosting account and get the URL.
You can get the FREE image hosting account site such as PhotoBucket. Or, if you don't want to open your own on-line album account, you can use Image shuck and other services.

If using PhotoBucket, log in, click on Choose files, get to your avatar oic file on your computer, open it, then click on save and continue at the bottom, then use the upper link that's listed on the right side of "Direct Link." Copy that link.

If using Image shack, simply click on Browse..., get to your avatar pic file on your computer, open it, then click on host it! at the bottom, then use the bottom URL, that is listed left side of "Direct link to image." Copy that link.


Then, click on My Controls on Upper Right side of this forum page, then on the right side Menu, under Personal Profile, click on Edit Avatar Settings.
Paste the URL link of your avatar pic you just copied onto a blank space that's right side of "Enter a URL to an online avatar image." Make sure you don't have two "http://" at the beginning of the URL address. You only need one http:// at the beginning of the URL address. Then click on Update Avtar at the bottom.

If you get error massage, make sure you copy & pasted the URL address correctly. Make sure it doesn't have extra http://, or [img] codes which is not needed here, and make sure no part is mission from your URL, etc.

3. About my account..


Q. I forgot my password. What shall I do?

A. You can use our Password Recovery function.

To start the password recovery process, click on log in.
Then, above the log in boxes, you see a Red box marked "Attention!" and then the bottom part of that box says "I've forgotten my password! Click here!."
Please click on that Click here! part to start the password recovery process.


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Q. Can I change my board display name?

A. Yes. Please post your request on Dear Board, Could You Change My Display Name? thread.

NOTE: Once you change your display name, you have to wait minimum of 6 months before you can change your display name again. Therefore, please choose your new display name wisely.


-----------


Q. While I was registering, I accidentally ended up with multiple accounts, and since each member can have only one active account for the board, I need to close my excess account/I'm "moving on" and would like to have my account deleted.

What shall I do?

A. Please post your request on Could You Delete My Account? thread, and we'll take care of it.

4. How to make Direct Hotlink in the post.
(This continues to the next few posts. Check them all, and choose whichever the method you feel comfortable. )

The basic BB Code for this looks like this: [url="URL of the site here"] Name of the site [/ url]


There are many ways to get to this. I'm going to list Four (4) ways below (Method 1 ~ Method 4)
Choose whichever the way that's easy for you.



Method 1: While composing your post, you can manually type in BB code as shown above, and filling in appropriate URL of the site & name of the site. (Omit the empty space inside the closing BB code, [/ url].)

========

Method 2-a: Using short-cut button

1. While composing your post, when you get to the point where you'd like to insert a direct hyper link, click on "Insert link" short cut button.

Like this:


This will open the site URL box, like this:




2. Copy and paste the URL of the site into the blank space.

(NOTE: Make sure you don't enter "http://" twice.)

Like this:




3. When you click OK, then the SECOND BOX will appear.

Like this:



Erase "Visit My Website" and enter the name of the site in the space.

Like this:




4. After you click on "OK," this will be automatically converted into BB Code.

Like this:



This is the break-down of the code.




5. When this gets posted, it will be automatically turned into the direct hyperlink.

Like this:

4. How to make Direct Hotlink in the post. - Cont.

The basic BB Code for this looks like this: [url="URL of the site here"] Name of the site [/ url]


Method 2-b: Using short-cut button & highlight.

1. Highlight the part (= name of the site) you would like to add the direct hyperlink to.

Like this:




2. Click on "Insert Link" short-cut button.

Like this:




3. Copy and paste the URL of the site into the blank space.

(NOTE: Make sure you don't enter "http://" twice.)

Like this:



It will look like this after you copy & paste the URL of the site:




4. After you click on "OK," this will be automatically converted into BB Code.

Like this:



This is the break-down of the code.




5. When this gets posted, it will be automatically turned into the direct hyperlink.

Like this:

4. How to make Direct Hotlink in the post. - Cont.

The basic BB Code for this looks like this: [url="URL of the site here"] Name of the site [/ url]


Method 3: Post the site URL as is, then edit it later.


1. Go ahead and enter the URL of the site in the post.

Like this:



Then, go ahead and post it (= click on Add Reply at the bottom.)



2. When this gets posted, the board will automatically convert the URL part to url BBCode and make it into a clickable link.

Like this:




3. Click on +EDIT button at the Right Bottom part of that post & choose Full Edit, so that you can edit the post.

Edit window for this post now looks like this:



This is the break-down of the code:




4. Edit the part that's underlined with ORANGE line in the above pic (the part that's supposed to be showing the site name) and enter the correct site name (or whatever you want to call the destination of that link) there.

Like this: (Changed to "FMA Merchandise at Funimation.com")




5. When this gets posted, it will be automatically turned into a nice direct hyperlink.

Like this: