Frequently Asked Questions

frequently asked questions
Registration and Membership Related

• How do I register?
• How do I change my avatar?
• What is the reputation and likes system?
• Why can't I send PMs, change my profile, or make status updates?
• Do I have to post in the "I'm Not a Spambot!" forum?
• I want a name change, how can I do this?
• I want to add a signature to my profile, how can I do this?
• How do I add an image or image that links to my forum in my signature?
• What are the special usergroups and how can I be promoted into one?
• What are 'D Dedicated Members?
• What are Former Staff members?
• What are the requirements to be a ‘D Dedicated Member?
• How often are member promoted to special usergroups?
• Can a member be demoted from a special usergroup?
• What does it mean when a staff member is in a "Staff Member On Hiatus" usergroup?

Advertisement Related

• Why can't I post in the Directory Submissions?
• Why do we need 15 posts before we can make a submission?
• Can I submit more then one site in the Directory?
• Can I submit a non-forum RPG?
• I deleted or put my forum offline for good, but it's still in the directory, what should I do?
• My RPG died a while ago, but I used the same board to start up a new RPG, but my old advertisement is still in the Directory, what should I do?
• Is there a way to re-open my trashed advertisement?
• Can I bump my advertisement?
• I received a pm advertisement from another member, and he/she has advertised their site in that pm. What should I do?
• People ask me to pm them once I open my forum because they saw my idea posted here on RPG-D, can I pm them a direct link?
• Can I make my own buttons to advertise RPG-D on our sites?
• I posted my submission some days ago, but it's still not accepted/looked at. Is there anything wrong?

Community/Posting Related

• What do I do if I feel offended or threatened by another members post?
• How does "Kill It With Kindness" work?
• Why do I have to use the forms?
• Why do I need ten posts to vote in Members Choice?
• Why can't I ask for help/members/staff/graphics in Cbox?
• I'm going away for a while, but I want to let you people know, where could I post?
• I can't post in the forum, it says I don't have permission to post in there. What's up with this?
• Does anyone know where I can find an active ___ RP?
• Where do I post if I am not getting members or need a certain character?

registration and membership related questions

How do I register?
At the top of the forum you'll see a a dark blue bar and in the right hand corner there is a green button that will say "Create an Account". Once you click that you'll be taken to our terms of service and be allowed to register. The process only takes a few moments and doesn't require a validation email, you can go right on and log in from there! By being a registered member you will have access to many portions of the site that guests can't see, such as the codex, skindex, documentations, and interest check sections.

How do I change my avatar?
Once you are logged in, you can click your name at the top right hand corner and then click "My Profile" from the drop down menu. This will take you to your profile which you can edit once you have attained one post. Simply hover your mouse to the default avatar and an option to "Change" will come up, once you click Change it will take you to a prompt that lets you change your avatar.

For most people changing your avatar is a very simple system, however some people have issues uploading avatars. We currently have a file size limit on our avatars to save space, so if you find you're having issues uploading your avatar try compressing the file size as much as possible or use Gravatar. You can find more information about this right here.

What is the reputation and likes system?
Reputation points are determined by how many "likes" members have gained on their posts. Any post you make on RPG-Directory's forums can be "liked" by any member and the more "likes" you have the higher your reputation points will be. You can check out our current "Likes Leaders" on our sidebar or you can look at our Top 100 by clicking on "Reputation" at the top of the forum.

Why can't I send PMs, change my profile, or make status updates?
If you have less than one post on the forums, you cannot do any of these things. Lately we've been getting quite a few malicious spambots, in order to prevent our members from being hassled unnecessarily we changed the settings so that members with 0 posts cannot send PMs, change their profiles, or make status updates. Never fear though, we have a forum called I'm Not a Spambot and by posting there (or frankly anywhere) you can get those permissions back! Sorry for the inconvenience, but the good news is that essentially we're giving you a freebie post just by existing so that's not so bad right?

Do I have to post in the "I'm Not a Spambot!" forum?
You do not need to post in the "I'm Not a Spambot" forum in order to regain your normal permissions. As long as you post anywhere once, you should be good to go! We just created the I'm Not a Spambot forum for folks who would like to lurk for a while before jumping into the community.

I want a name change, how can I do this?
Once you have 15 posts you can change your Display Name by clicking on your username at the top of the forum then My Profile. Once there, on the right hand side will be a large green button that says "Edit My Profile". Click there and then find the "Display Name" tab on the left-hand side (it should be approximately the third one down). You can change your display name every thirty days for any reason, so enjoy.

I want to add a signature to my profile, how can I do this?
Simply click your username in the top blue bar in the upper right hand corner then My Profile. Once you're viewing your profile, click "Edit My Profile" and click the "Signature" tab on the left hand side (it will be in the middle). As a little note here, IPB uses all the same tags as Invisionfree and Jcink except that IPB uses [center*][/center*] rather than [align=center*][/align*].

How do I add an image or image that links to my forum in my signature?
Simply use the following code to your signature (Look above for instructions for getting to your signature):
For a signature with just an image

Code: Select

[img]YOUR IMAGE URL GOES HERE[/img]

For a signature with an image link

Code: Select

[url=URL TO THE SITE YOU'RE LINKING TO][img]YOUR IMAGE URL GOES HERE[/img][/url]

For a signature with a centered image link

Code: Select

[center][url=URL TO THE SITE YOU'RE LINKING TO][img]YOUR IMAGE URL GOES HERE[/img][/url][/center]

What are the special usergroups and how can I be promoted into one?
The colored diamond groups are special user groups which people are promoted to when they submit resources and are active and dedicated around RPGD. It is also connected to the badge system, this is a way for people to get benefits similar to what we offer to *Dedicated members a little bit easier. For more information about what which user group is and how to attain said user group, please see this thread.

What are 'D Dedicated Members?
Dedicated Members are people who have contributed to the RPG-Directory community for a very long time (think years). They have been with us for quite a while and have extremely high post counts, have contributed to our community with many resources, and are well respected among the members and staff.

What are Former Staff members?
Former staff members are people who used to be on staff for at least six months and have contributed substantially to the community at large within that time and preformed their duties as a staff member well. We give former staff members a special usergroup because they volunteered their time and sometimes sanity to the preservation of RPG-D, and that's something we think is pretty special.

What are the requirements to be a 'D Dedicated Member?
You, the members, decide who our 'D Dedicated Members are! We have a nominations thread which you can find here and a couple times a year (whenever the staff have some extra time, usually we plan the promotions around special occasions like our anniversary or holidays). As long as a member meets the requirements and has had absolutely no disciplinary problems reported by members, that person will be promoted!

Up until now the 'D Dedicated Member group was decided by a staff vote done a couple times a year. However, we now feel that this just isn't a good enough indicator of whether people are truly dedicated. We feel now that the 'D Dedicated Members should be a group of people who are the most active, upstanding members of our community. This requires much more flexibility on our part!

What does all that mean? That means, the requirements to be a Dedicated Member are now on your shoulders! Members decide who is truly the most Dedicated. Anyone can be nominated to be Dedicated, however, if a member has had any disciplinary issues within the last six months a member will not be promoted at all. Here are some guidelines we think you guys should follow when nominating *Dedicated Members:

• Nominees should have around 1,000 posts
• Nominees should have been a member of RPG-Directory for about a year
• Nominees may not have any disciplinary problems
  

How often are member promoted to special usergroups?

Members are promoted to special usergroups usually within a few days after posting in the usergroup promotions thread with two exceptions. Former staff, so long as they meet the requirements to be placed in the former staff group, will usually be placed in that usergroup the same day they resigned. 'D Dedicated members are usually promoted a couple times a year, usually during holidays or special occasions.

Can a member be demoted from a special usergroup?
Yes you can. If the staff has found that any Dedicated Member, Former Staff or special usergroup member has needed extensive disciplinary action and needed to be formally warned by a moderator more than twice, then they will be demoted from their user group back to a normal member. Furthermore, inactivity for more than 4 to 6 months for *Dedicated members will also result in a demotion.

What does it mean when a staff member is in a "Staff Member On Hiatus" usergroup?
Sometimes one of our staff members needs to take a 'break' from their normal mod/admin duties due to personal issues, vacation, finals, you name it. A staff member on Hiatus can still be seen around the board, but isn't an active part of our staff team any more. They do have to check in on the staff areas and keep in touch with their manager. A staff member can be on hiatus from a minimum of 1 week, and a maximum of 2 months. In this time period it's the best to pm another staff member with your questions, concerns, ideas etc.

advertising related questions

Why can't I post in the Directory Submissions?
Members cannot post in Directory Submissions until they have gained 15 posts. You can get those posts easily in just a couple hours, by posting in places such as the Welcome, Managing Your Board, RP Talk, and RP Lounge. If you have 15 posts and are still having problems posting in Directory Submissions, contact the Directory Manager (Boleyn)

Why do we need 15 posts before we can make a submission?
This is a very good question. We require 15 posts because we are not 'only' an advertising board. And with those 15 posts, we want members to understand this. We have a lot more to offer next to the advertising, you can find affiliates, find staff members, discuss forum management, look for other RPG's (or post in those threads), you can talk about a variety of subjects or showcase your graphics or writing and find documentations.

As you can see, if you participate in everything, in no time you'll have 50 posts instead of 15. It is also to make the hit and runner members less. We don't like hit and run members. Nobody does.

Can I submit more then one site in the Directory?
So long as you are at least a moderator on all the sites you want to submit and you have over 15 posts, you may submit more than one site to our directory.

Can I submit a non-forum RPG?
Yes you can! We have a section just for non-forum RPGs. Because we don’t have too many sites that fit into this category we only have one section, however, if we get more submissions we will happily change up the organization and add more sections for non-forum RPGs. If you have a non-forum RPG and are wondering where you should put our affiliate banner, usually we will ask you to either place it on the index of your site but we recommend you check with us via Letters to Staff to confirm as every site is different.

I deleted or put my forum offline for good, but it's still in the directory, what should I do?
You can contact any staff member, preferably a Directory staff member, or post to Letters to Staff and we’ll make sure your advertisement is trashed ASAP.

My RPG died a while ago, but I used the same board to start up a new RPG, but my old advertisement is still in the Directory, what should I do?
Contact a directory staff member and your original ad will be trashed, then you are welcome to post a new directory ad for your new site.

Is there a way to re-open my trashed advertisement?
The directory staff prefer that we keep trashed advertisements in the archives, however, a staff member would be happy to grab the information from your old ad so that you can repost it.

Can I bump my advertisement?
Once your advertisement has been accepted and a month (30 days) has passed, you are welcome to bump your ad! We also give members one freebie bump that they can use the first month after their advertisement is accepted.

I received a pm advertisement from another member, and he/she has advertised their site in that pm. What should I do?
Any time you get PMs that are advertisements, contact a staff member or report the PM and we will take care of it for you!

People ask me to pm them once I open my forum because they saw my idea posted here on RPG-D, can I pm them a direct link?
Yes you can. Because another member asked you to see your site it is not pm advertising. PM advertising is unwanted advertising via pm.

Can I make my own buttons to advertise RPG-D on our sites?
[/b]You can make your own buttons to advertise RPG-D, however they will not count as our advertising button if you want to use our directory. We recommend that you only use the official button, because that button is part of RPG-Directory’s brand and we want that brand to be as popular as possible to draw in more members.

I posted my submission some days ago, but it's still not accepted/looked at. Is there anything wrong?
There could be several reasons to this. Sometimes staff are busy so sometimes submissions aren't sorted on a daily basis. Another reasons and in relation to the first could be a back log. This that we have more than 1 or 2 pages of submissions, more than we can handle on a daily basis. Please be patient, it will be sorted asap.

community/posting related questions
Why do I have to use the forms?
Forms are a way for us to make sure that everyone is giving enough information. For sections such as Requesting RPG or Help Me, forms make sure that everyone has the necessary information so that your questions can be solved more efficiently. Right now we’re working on a way to make the forms less cumbersome, so hold tight.

Why do I need ten posts to vote in Members Choice?
The reason we require ten posts to vote in the Members Choice competition is to hopefully prevent newly registered members from voting in case the same person has made several accounts or has recruited people to join RPG-Directory in order to vote. This rule is just to try to keep everything fair!

Why can't I ask for help/members/staff/graphics in Cbox?
The Cbox really isn’t meant to be a place to ask for help/members/staff/graphics, but there are many sections of RPG-Directory that deal just in those things. We’d prefer that you folks check out those areas rather than post in the cbox since we can help you much faster if you use the proper avenues rather than the cbox.

I'm going away for a while, but I want to let you people know, where could I post?
If you are going away for a while, either on vacation or maybe you're just too busy with school, you could let everyone know in the Away Board, which can be found as a subboard in the welcoming board.

I can't post in the forum, it says I don't have permission to post in there. What's up with this?
There could be a few reasons. If you try to post a thread in the Directory Submissions, be sure you have 15 posts. Also it could be you aren't allowed to post in a certain forum because you're still in the New Arrivals member group. After you get 15 posts, you are able to post almost anywhere.

Does anyone know where I can find an active ___ RP?
The ___ meaning the RPG you're looking for. And, well, no we don't really know. One thing you can do is look through the directory. Our directory is laid out in different sub-categories. Furthermore, our button system tells you how active a forum is. A green button means its either a new (submitted) forum, or an active forum. Yellow means it's not that active, but sometimes it's worth checking them out as they've been restarted. Orange/Red means forums haven't been active for a few months. Our directory mods are trying to keep the system up to date so its easier for you to find 'active' forums.

Another thing you could do is post an RPG request. Here you can mention what you are looking for, your wishes and requirements. But be sure to have checked through the directory first!

Where do I post if I am not getting members or need a certain character?
First is obviously our directory. But we have more forums where you could get more members from. For instance, you could keep an eye on the RPG Request forum, requests there are made every single day by members to find an RPG to their liking. If your RPG fits the requesters requirements, you could post in their thread and link them to your RPG.

If you need specific character positions filled, you can go to the Character Wanted Ads forum.

A few other things that could help you make your forum more known is competing in the Member's Choice competition or get your board Reviewed., and post to look for Affiliates.

It's all about getting the word of your forum out. If you actively post around RPG-D, go to the above forums suggested, and put a link in your signature leading to your RPG, more people will find your forum. Which increases changes of new members joining![/left]