Frequently Asked Questions
Rules of the Dog Run
- All participants must follow these simple rules.
- By accessing “SitStay Dog Run”, you agree to the following rules:
- We want you to have fun and learn something, but use of the SitStay.com forums is a privilege and not a right. We reserve the right to deny the use of this area at any time without stated reason. In other words we can remove you if you abuse the system.
- We want everyone to enjoy this area, so be aware that the posting of abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or sexually-orientated material is strictly prohibited. Users who post such material will lose their privileges and be sent to their kennels.
- We are not a classified advertisement system. We do not allow posting items/services for sale.
- We do not want the forums to be a dumping ground for dogs. With that in mind, only neutered or spayed dogs, not for sale, can be listed in the forums and/or in the user profile. The posting of dogs or litters for sale may result in the loss of privileges.
- We do not want our forums to infringe on the rights of others. The posting of copyrighted, trademarked, or otherwise protected material is strictly prohibited.
- We want our forums to be educational and helpful, so the posting of advertising or other commercial speech is strictly prohibited (unless you telling others about the great stuff in the SitStay Store).
- Do not post the contents or any portion of private messages in a public forum without the written consent of the author. That means do not post any contents of a private message on our boards or anywhere else. Also please know that the SitStay.com Forum Administrator can view the contents of private messages at any time.
- Unsolicited private messages that are offensive, commercial, or otherwise unwanted by the recipient may result in the immediate loss of privileges.
- We want this area to be civil, polite and informational. It is not to be used as a place to degrade a particular product, company or person. Be nice!
- Top
- Can I use the forum and photo gallery for free?
- Yes, reading, posting, saving photos, it's all free. You must follow our rules though. We reserve the right to remove any member for any reason without warning.
- Top
Login and Registration Issues
- Why can’t I login?
- Have you registered for our board? Are your username and password correct? Is the moon in the seventh house? Is Jupiter aligned with Mars?
- Top
- Why do I need to register at all?
- If you want to post messages or photos then you must register an account. You'll need a valid email address to register because we'll send you an activation email. That way we eliminate spam on our board which makes it better for everyone.
- Top
- Why do I get logged off automatically?
- If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you login, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else on your computer. To stay logged in, check the box at login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc.
- Top
- How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
- Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”, you will find the option Hide your online status. Enable this option with Yes and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
- Top
- I’ve lost my password!
- Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset. Visit the login page and click I’ve forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.
- Top
- I registered but cannot login!
- First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then one of two things may have happened. We require new registrations to be activated. If you were sent an e-mail, follow the instructions. If you did not receive an e-mail, you may have provided an incorrect e-mail address or the e-mail may have been picked up by a spam filer. If you are sure the e-mail address you provided is correct, try contacting us.
- Top
- I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
- Attempt to locate the e-mail sent to you when you first registered, check your username and password and try again. It is possible we deactivated or deleted your account for some reason. Also, we periodically remove users who have not posted for a long time to reduce the size of the database. If this has happened, try registering again and being more involved in discussions.
- Top
- Why can’t I register?
- It is possible we banned your IP address or disallowed the username you are attempting to register. Contact us for help.
- Top
- What does the “Delete all board cookies” do?
- “Delete all board cookies” deletes the cookies which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. It also provides functions such as read tracking. If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.
- Top
Forum User Preferences and Settings
- How do I change my settings?
- Visit the User Control Panel; a link is in the upper left corner of this page. This will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.
- Top
- The times are not correct!
- It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are not registered, this is a good time to do so.
- Top
- How do I show an image below my username?
- This is known as an avatar. You can upload an avatar using the User Control Panel (link in the upper left corner). avatars can''t be larger than 90 x 90 pixels. If you need to resize an image to fit this, use resizeimg.com.
- Top
- What is my rank and how do I change it?
- Ranks, which appear below your username, indicate the number of posts you have made or identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators. In general, you cannot directly change the wording of any board ranks as they are set by the board administrator. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank. We will not tolerate this and the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
- Top
- When I click the e-mail link for a user it asks me to login?
- Only registered users can send e-mail to other users via the built-in e-mail form.
- Top
- What are the signature requirements?
- Signatures appear at the end of your posts. They can contain text, smilies, and bbcode. Signatures are limited to 255 characters including smilie and bbcodes. Images in a signature can be no larger than 100 x 100. We'd rather you use the avatar feature instead of images in your signature.
- Top
Forum Posting Issues
- How do I post a topic in a forum?
- To post a new topic in a forum, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You will need to register before you can post a message.
- Top
- How do I edit or delete a post?
- You can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post within 24 hours after the post was made. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own digression. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
- Top
- How do I add a signature to my post?
- To add a signature to a post you must first create one via your User Control Panel. Once created, you can check the Attach a signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio button in your profile. If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form.
- Top
- How do I create a poll?
- When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.
- Top
- Why can’t I add more poll options?
- The limit for poll options is set by the board administrator. If you feel you need to add more options to your poll then the allowed amount, contact the board administrator.
- Top
- How do I edit or delete a poll?
- As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.
- Top
- Why did I receive a warning?
- We have a set of rules for our site. If you have broken a rule, you may be issued a warning. Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you were issued a warning.
- Top
- How can I report posts to a the Administrator?
- You should see a button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.
- Top
- What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?
- This allows you to save passages to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved passage, visit the User Control Panel.
- Top
- Why does my post need to be approved?
- Because we think so, that's why.
- Top
- How do I bump my topic?
- By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can “bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then topic bumping may be disabled or the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be sure to follow the board rules when doing so.
- Top
Forum Formatting and Topic Types
- What is BBCode?
- BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
- Top
- Can I use HTML?
- No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead.
- Top
- What are Smilies?
- Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether.
- Top
- Can I post images?
- Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
- Top
- What are global announcements?
- Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel.
- Top
- What are announcements?
- Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted.
- Top
- What are sticky topics?
- Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible.
- Top
- What are locked topics?
- Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
- Top
- What are topic icons?
- Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content.
- Top
Forum Private Messaging
- I cannot send private messages!
- There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, the board administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire board, or the board administrator has prevented you from sending messages. Contact a board administrator for more information.
- Top
- I keep getting unwanted private messages!
- You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, inform a board administrator; they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages.
- Top
- I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!
- We are sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so e-mail the board administrator with a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail. The board administrator can then take action.
- Top
Forum Friends and Foes
- What are my Friends and Foes lists?
- You can use these lists to organize other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.
- Top
- How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?
- You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.
- Top
Searching the Forums
- How can I search a forum or forums?
- Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advance Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum. How to access the search may depend on the style used.
- Top
- Why does my search return no results?
- Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search.
- Top
- Why does my search return a blank page!?
- Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.
- Top
- How do I search for members?
- Visit to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link.
- Top
- How can I find my own posts and topics?
- Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
- Top
Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks
- What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
- Bookmarking is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board.
- Top
- How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?
- To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic” link within the topic itself.
- Top
- How do I remove my subscriptions?
- To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.
- Top
