bus faq

[sine nomine]

trees (aka skru dup kid) has written a wonderful board faq. i've made some minor edits and am posting it here. after a couple of weeks, it'll move to the before you post forum.

please don't post comments on the faq in this thread; i'll start another for that. you can post questions that weren't answered, though.

deb
---------------------
Further edits (Version 1.1 ) created 14th August 2005, by the ever-obliging Boogie Man - thanks!
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<A NAME=top>The BUS FAQ

Assuming you've read through the "before you post" section... if you've checked the phpBB FAQ and your question still isn't answered, consult this list before posting a question in the admin/triv forum. You never know... it might come in handy.

<A HREF="#0">0. How do I use BBCode?</a>
<A HREF="#1">1. How can I change my username?</a>
<A HREF="#2">2. How do I post a message to only one user?</a>
<A HREF="#3">3. What's the difference between the outbox and the sentbox?</a>
<A HREF="#4">4. Why aren't my PMs leaving the outbox?</a>
<A HREF="#5">5. My signature isn't showing up, even though I checked the "always display signature" box in my profile. What do I do?</a>
<A HREF="#6">6. What is the board's leadership structure (who are the admins/mods)?</a>
<A HREF="#7">7. Where can I preview the board themes?</a>
<A HREF="#8">8. How do I customize my date and time display?</a>
<A HREF="#9">9. How do I get an avatar?</a>
<A HREF="#10">10. My browser automatically completes address boxes and forms for me. How do I stop that happening for privacy reasons?</a>
<A HREF="#11">11. Where can I find webspace to upload my picture/artwork?</a>
<A HREF="#12">12. How do I insert an image into my post?</a>
<A HREF="#13">13. What do the codes (e.g. SI, SU) stand for?</a>
<A HREF="#14">14. What is the origin of the BUS welcome cow?</a>
<A HREF="#15">15. What are the busses under my username for?</a>
<A HREF="#16">16. I just deleted all my PMs by accident! What can I do?</a>
<A HREF="#17">17. I have a slow connection, so how do I stop the emoticons/smileys from moving?</a>
<A HREF="#18">18. Why aren't new posts aren't showing up on the board?</a>
<A HREF="#19">19. Does getting new ranks earn me any new board privileges?</a>
<A HREF="#20">20. Is there a limit to how big images [that I've put in my signature] can be?</a>
<A HREF="#21">21. How do I find posts made by a certain person?</a>
<A HREF="#22">22. Where are the official BUS chats located?</a>
<A HREF="#23">23. How do I get those "SI-free" medals/badges/coins/tokens?</a>
<A HREF="#24">24. Can I use smaller badges? Are there one day badges? Are there badges for people recovering/recovered/not ready to quit? How about male/female badges?</a>
<A HREF="#25">25. I'm seeing pop-up notifications/getting email notices indicating that I have new PMs, but when I check my inbox, there's nothing new there... what's going on?</a>
<A HREF="#26">26. Where is the BUS server located?</a>
<A HREF="#27">27. Why can't I start a new thread in sourcebook?</a>
<A HREF="#28">28. How can I get emoticons/smileys added?</a>
<A HREF="#29">29. How do I jump to a certain page in a very long thread?</a>
<A HREF="#30">30. Ack, I got a debug mode error! What do I do?</a>
<A HREF="#31">31. Why can't I view the memberlist and usergroups?</a>
<A HREF="#32">32. How can I delete a thread?</a>
<A HREF="#33">33. What does the "report to moderator" link do? What does the "write a report" link do?</a>
<A HREF="#34">34. How do I use the bus photo album gallery program to host pictures?</a>
<A HREF="#35">35. Where's the bus photo album and how do I use it?</a>
<A HREF="#36">36. Is there any way to get rid of the "post views" column?</a>


<A NAME=0>0. How do I use BBCode?

The usage of BBCode is explained here.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=1>1. How can I change my username?

PM/email any of the admins. There's a list of them here.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=2>2. How do I post a message to only one user?

There's a private messaging system on the board. When you log in, there should be a link at the top of the page that says "you have __ new messages." Follow the link, and click on "new post." If you want a message to pop up when you have new PMs or you want to get email when you have new PMs, you can set those options in your profile.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=3>3. What's the difference between the outbox and the sentbox?

PMs that have not been read yet remain in the outbox. Once the recipients have read their messages, the PMs will move to the sentbox.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=4>4. Why aren't my PMs leaving the outbox?

This means that the recipients have not yet read their messages.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=5>5. My signature isn't showing up, even though I checked the "always display signature" box in my profile. What do I do?

This happens sometimes. Contact an admin.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=6>6. What is the board's leadership structure (who are the admins/mods)?

There are three levels of rule interpretation here: deb, board admins, and forum mods.

I'm deb. I take responsibility for the way the board is run, which means that although I take opinions and input from people into account, I make the final decisions on board policy. I value input, though, because lots of times people think of stuff I hadn't considered and bring up valuable points. Still, if you're not happy with board policy, I'm the person you complain to. People who've been here a while will tell you that I can be reasoned with and that I try to hear both sides of things (some of them may also tell you that I'm a mean bitch, but oh, well).

The next level are the board administrators: Laura, Proximity, splitimage, Chimera, limestone, and silverdragonfly

They have my full trust and authority and can be considered to speak for me in most instances. Very rarely, I will change my mind about something one of them has decided. They and I are the only people who can modify or move main board posts -- all complaints or concerns about posts on the main board should be brought to one of them. They can also help you with password changes, email address changes, reactivating your account if the link you get emailed doesn't work, changing your name, deleting threads, adding emoticons, and just about every aspect of using the board. They have full access to the administration area of the board; the only thing they can't do is go directly into the database. You can complain to them about board policy and they will bring it up with me.

The next level comprises the forum moderators:

coping: Laura, splitimage, limestone, Tamrick, thatway, mallie

before and after: silverdragonfly, Chimera, plantt, jomomma, kurdt_kobain, notevenpretty, littlethings

life after self-harm: Proximity, Chimera, amethyst, bojangles

down the long day's arc: splitimage, Chimera, jo_alone, Paradoxis

families and friends: silent_scream

espressions: thatway, psyche, Fragileboy

distractions: angelafree, Pope8586

games!: angelafree, Pope8586

random weirdness: Proximity, Nils, Nate2002, Twitter Mouse

place: plantt, silverdragonfly, p!nk

spirituality: psyche, notmardy

These are trusted board members who can move, edit, and delete posts within the forums they're responsible for. If you have a problem with a post on one of these boards, you should PM the forum moderators and whichever board admins are assigned to that forum. They can help you understand the special rules each forum has. They don't have access to the administration panel and they can't do anything to posts outside their assigned forums, though they do report problem posts to the board admins when they see them.

Jellybob is the resident code monkey. He's a php programmer and has access to the inner workings of the board. If you're having a technical problem, he most likely knows what's going on with it.

Saren and Twitter Mouse are our avatar wranglers. They get custom avatars online for people to use. If you have avatar questions, ask them or a board admin or me. xpinkangelx is in charge of our welcoming new users program, and does a great job. she's the person to contact if you want to be part of the welcome wagon group or if you have problems with the welcome wagon board.
Deskana takes care of the bus photo gallery at http://busmail.org/gallery .

Mama, Skye, gui hong, Bookworm, 'rissy, Joyce, :::Whoops:::, SusanM, Ime, b_one, and ben are board admins who retired after a long time of doing a great job.

Forum moderators emeritus include Threnody, sassy koala, eunomia, MaryFlutterby, huffdad, Pamela, cloudflyer, Stellaria, Alias Grace, and __TX__.

Juri, naked_dave, and discarded are our emeritus avatar wranglers.

I may add new moderators from time to time. It's usually not a good idea to ask me to make you a mod or an admin; if you do, you should ask once and leave it at that. Being a moderator is pretty hard work. Being an admin is harder work and most admins end up feeling a bit distanced from the rest of the board after a while. They're sacrificing a measure of support and comfort in order to make this board a better place, and they're great at it. I could not run this board without them. Also, please don't assume that not being asked to be a moderator or admin means there's something wrong with you. One of the joys of this board is that we have so so many qualified people for jobs like this.

If you have any questions at all, please ask.

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=7>7. Where can I preview the board themes?

You can view and try out the themes here.
Currently we have Access, Chrome_ex, Diddle, Quidditch, SubBlack, SubSilver, subza, and VereorMenInBlack. The number of themes is limited so that software updates (including security updates) can be applied quickly.

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=8>8. How do I customize my date and time display?

the default is day month year time (24 hour clock)

in your profile, there's a field called date format. it has something that looks like this:
d M Y H:i

you change it by changing these codes. here's a list of the codes you can use:

Day of the week
D - day of the week, textual, 3 letters; e.g. "Fri"
w - day of the week, numeric, i.e. "0" (Sunday) to "6" (Saturday)
l (lowercase 'L') - day of the week, textual, long; e.g. "Friday"

Day of the month
d - day of the month, 2 digits with leading zeros; i.e. "01" to "31"
j - day of the month without leading zeros; i.e. "1" to "31"
S - English ordinal suffix for the day of the month, 2 characters; i.e. "st", "nd", "rd" or "th"

Month
F - month, textual, long; e.g. "January"
m - month; i.e. "01" to "12"
M - month, textual, 3 letters; e.g. "Jan"
n - month without leading zeros; i.e. "1" to "12"

Year
Y - year, 4 digits; e.g. "1999"
y - year, 2 digits; e.g. "99"

Time
g - hour, 12-hour format without leading zeros; i.e. "1" to "12"
G - hour, 24-hour format without leading zeros; i.e. "0" to "23"
h - hour, 12-hour format; i.e. "01" to "12"
H - hour, 24-hour format; i.e. "00" to "23"
i - minutes; i.e. "00" to "59"
s - seconds; i.e. "00" to "59"
a - "am" or "pm"
A - "AM" or "PM"
O - Difference to Greenwich time in hours; e.g. "+0200"

Misc
r - RFC 822 formatted date; e.g. "Thu, 21 Dec 2000 16:01:07 +0200"
z - day of the year; i.e. "0" to "365"


you can add text , but any letters have to have a \ before them.

so if you were getting 09 Dec 2002 14:02 and wanted it to look like this:

Monday December 9th 2002 2:02 pm

you'd change the date code field to
l F jS Y g:i a

which would also take up all your room in the field -- you only get 14 spaces.

if you wanted
Mon 9/Dec/2002 2:02 PM

you'd use
D j/M/Y g:i A

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=9>9. How do I get an avatar?

if you want a picture (like my nifty llama, say) to show up with your posts, all you have to do is click on the "Profile" link at the top of the page. Scroll down to the "Avatar control panel" at the bottom (avatar is a complicated word for "cool pic underneath your name").

Click the "Show gallery" button to see what's available. The "reserved" galleries are special -- pictures in there have been chosen specifically by board members for their personal use. only use reserved pictures that you submitted.

fortunately, a lot of very cool people have found some awesome pictures and made them available in the "public" category. feel free to use any of these -- just click the radio button underneath the picture you want.

if you want your own reserved avatar, just email the picture file as an attachment to avatars@busmail.org. nothing triggery, please, and keep the image size to 100 x 100 (100 pixels on each side) or smaller. try to keep the file size below 6k, too, please -- otherwise it'll take ages to load the images. We can make some biger images work, so if you're not sure, send iit in anyway.

if you have questions, ask Saren or Twitter Mouse

<A NAME=10>10. My browser automatically completes address boxes and forms for me. How do I stop that happening for privacy reasons?

Assuming you're using Internet Explorer, go to the menu, select 'Tools,' and go down to 'Internet Options.'
Click on the 'Content' tab.
In the box labeled 'Personal information,' click on 'AutoComplete.'
Uncheck the boxes, and clear forms and passwords.

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=11>11. Where can I find webspace to upload my picture/artwork?

You can use the Hosted area of the bus gallery. Here's how:

Log in.

Scroll to the bottom and click on

hosted

On the page that opens up, look at the top right and click

add photo

A page will pop up and tell you what to do to upload your photo.

The URL for your picture will be

http://busmail.org/gallery/albums/hosted/<filename>

so if your file was called turtle2.jpg (there's one in there called that) and you wanted to use it in a web page or on here, you'd type

Code: Select all

<img src="http://busmail.org/gallery/albums/hosted/turtle2.jpg"> 

edit: you can also find the address for any picture you see online (unless the site has right-click disabled) by right-clicking the pic and clicking properties.

If you don't have an account on the gallery, contact Deskana. Right now, there are no file quotas on the gallery.<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=12>12. How do I insert an image into my post?

Code: Select all

If the picture is online, you can take the URL of the picture and insert it in your post either using <img src="URL"> or [img]URL[/img].

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=13>13. What do the codes (e.g. SI, SU) stand for?

From the BUS guidelines, which can be found in the "before you post" section:

SI = self injury
SH = self harm
SM = self mutilation
SU = suicide
ED = eating disorder
SA = sexual abuse
OD = overdose
IP = inpatient ward at a hospital
LA = extreme swearing, strong self-hatred
REL = religious content
OT = off topic

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=14>14. What is the origin of the BUS welcome cow?

This can be found in the sourcebook, in this thread.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=15>15. What are the busses under my username for?

They're the ranks, your busses change according to how many posts you make.

The updated list:

-24 one of us 1 yellow
25-74 unpacking boxes 1 yellow
75-149 settling in 2 yellow
150-249 creating your space 3 yellow
250-499 meeting the neighbors 4 yellow
500-749 building community 5 yellow
750-999 growing roots 4 green
1000-1299 sprouting branches 5 green
1300-1599 town councillor 4 pink
1600-1899 orange smartie 5 pink
1900-2299 quintessential regular 4 blue
2300-2699 part of the fixtures 5 blue
2700-2999 bus addict 4 purple
3000-3499 bus mechanic 5 purple
3500-3999 sock rocker 4 red
4000-4499 spiffy maximus 5 red
4500-4999 knows the ropes 4 dark blue
5000-5499 bus conductor 5 dark blue
5500-5999 driving instructor 4 turqoise
6000-6999 awe-inspiring 5 turqoise
7000-7999 just plain inspiring 4 radioactive marmite
8000-9999 beyond inspiring 4 multi-coloured
10,000 + post laureate 5 multi-coloured

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=16>16. I just deleted all my PMs by accident! What can I do?

They're not recoverable, although you could try asking the people who recently sent you messages to resend them; chances are they still have their end of the PM in their outbox or sentbox.

To prevent deleting all your messages, do NOT click "delete all." Check the boxes next to the messages you want to delete, and click "deleted marked."
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=17>17. I have a slow connection, so how do I stop the emoticons/smileys from moving?

If you're on Internet Explorer, you can go to Internet Options under 'Tools.' Go to the 'Advanced' tab, scroll down until you hit 'Multimedia,' then uncheck 'Play animations in web pages.'
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=18>18. Why aren't new posts aren't showing up on the board?

Try pressing down Ctrl and clicking the refresh button at the top of your browser. If that doesn't work, try shift + refresh. Or, you could hit the F5 key.

you can try clearing the temp internet files , if you are really a computer wiz you can try the following (this assumes you are running windows, not a mac):
go to: Start menu \ settings \ control panel \ internet options
when there: under temporary internet files, click settings then under "check for new versions of stored pages" select "every visit to the page" This may slow down your surfing a bit so you may want to decrease the amount of disk space to use a bit while your there.

This information comes from me, a real live computer nerd. PM me if you have any problems. hope this helps.

BTW: if you ever refresh and nothing happens, you can get the absolute newest form of a page by adding ? and any word on the end of the URL
ex: http://www.buslist.org/phpBB?pants
or http://www.buslist.org?abcd
or http://www.google.com?howdy

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=19>19. Does getting new ranks earn me any new board privileges?

No, sorry. They just indicate how many posts you've made.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=20>20. Is there a limit to how big images [that I've put in my signature] can be?

Yes; preferably under 5kb, and definitely under 8kb. Your signature may be rejected if it is too large.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=21>21. How do I find posts made by a certain person?

You can do a search for posts under their username, or you can click on the link in their profile. The latter is more reliable.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=22>22. Where are the official BUS chats located?

The IRC chat is located at http://buslist.org/chat.html
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=23>23. How do I get those "SI-free" medals/badges/coins/tokens?

To get big badges, simply enter the code of the badge you want (without spaces in between the two : and the words) in your post or signature.

: 1_week_si_free :

: 30_days_si_free :

: 60_days_si_free :

: 100_days_si_free :

: 180_days_si_free :

: 1_year_si_free :

: 2_year_si_free :
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=24>24. Can I use smaller badges? Are there one day badges? Are there badges for people recovering/recovered/not ready to quit? How about male/female badges?

Yes, to all of the above. Naked_Dave has made some nifty badges, and they're listed in this thread.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=25>25. I'm seeing pop-up notifications/getting email notices indicating that I have new PMs, but when I check my inbox, there's nothing new there... what's going on?

If the sender(s) deleted the messages while they were still in his/her outbox, you will receive the notices, but not get the PMs.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=26>26. Where is the BUS server located?

The server is actually located in the UK -- Mark (not emark) of bus, britbus, and #bus donated the space. He's in Cambridge.

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=27>27. Why can't I start a new thread in sourcebook?

Only admins can. If you have information that you think might be helpful, post it on the main board and it may be moved to the sourcebook. If you see a thread that you think is something people will want as a reference, PM an admin and ask them to move it.

You may reply to threads already existing in the forum.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=28>28. How can I get emoticons/smileys added?

Email deb (sine nomine).
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=29>29. How do I jump to a certain page in a very long thread?

If you know the page #, times the # by 20, then add &start=[number] to the end of the thread's URL. (e.g. viewtopic.php?t=1000000&start=2340)
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=30>30. Ack, I got a debug mode error! What do I do?

Contact deb (sine nomine) ASAP and she'll have it cleared up.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=31>31. Why can't I view the memberlist and usergroups?

You must be logged in to view either.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=32>32. How do I delete a thread?

You need to ask a mod of the forum the thread's located in to do so for you.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=33>33. What does the "write a report" link do?

This feature allows you report board violations to the BUS staff via a message that gets sent to every mod/admin. You can select from a drop down menu what type of rules violation you are reporting, and the rest follows on in much the same way as a PM. Don’t forget to include a link to the topic in which the rules violation has taken place.

The "report to moderators" link does nothing: use the "write a report" feature only.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=34>34. How do I use the bus photo album gallery program to host pictures?

You can use the Hosted area of the bus gallery. Here's how:

Log in.

Scroll to the bottom and click on

hosted

On the page that opens up, look at the top right and click

add photo

A page will pop up and tell you what to do to upload your photo.

The URL for your picture will be

http://busmail.org/gallery/albums/hosted/<filename>

so if your file was called turtle2.jpg (there's one in there called that) and you wanted to use it in a web page or on here, you'd type

Code: Select all

<img src="http://busmail.org/gallery/albums/hosted/turtle2.jpg"> 

If you don't have an account on the gallery, contact Deskana. Right now, there are no file quotas on the gallery.

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=35>35. Where's the bus photo album and how do I use it?

okay, the way the thing is set up now...

You have to be logged in to see any photos. You can get an account by sending a PM to Deskana.

Right now, there are six albums in the gallery:

bus photo album: for pictures of members

bus meets: meet pictures

random weirdness: the spiritual home of the distractions people

artwork: art you've made

hosted: files you need hosting for

bus logos: what it sounds like

The gallery URL is http://busmail.org/gallery

<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

<A NAME=36>36. Is there any way to get rid of the "post views" column?

<s>You can use board themes Appalachia or fionefour. Neither of them have the column.</s> Not currently.
<A HREF="#top"><i>(back to top)</i></a>

[kurdt_kobain]

how about: How do I put a image in my signature?

and good job trees!

[Ime]

Hiya Great faq..

How about "what happens if i report a post by accident?"

Ime

[kurdt_kobain]

oh, and i guess we have to change the What are the busses under my name one

[Jellybob]

Hiya Great faq..

How about "what happens if i report a post by accident?"

Ime

Like the person who just reported this post

Jon

[sweetsleep]

What does IP stand for?

[Chimera]

IP stands for In-Patient...treatment for mental health issues that is given during a hospital stay.


Jessica

[sweetsleep]

Thanks.

[Setmefree]

How do i insert an image from a CD into my posts? (Not a signature)

[metzli]

The link for the styles demo didn't work, but I found a phpBB2 styles demo here. It has more styles than are available on this board, and not all the ones available here. Also, some of the ones with the same names don't match.

metzli

[pos]

Er, I understand now that my post "My weeked" should not be on "Games." I did not understand that before. I appreciate not being criticized.!!! When I was asked by the admin. staff if the category should be changed i wrote back that i did not understand. I understand now so please do as appropriate. Love, pos

[Wyoming]

Is there a certain number of responses you have to make before you are allowed to make your own post? I really have something I need to talk about and I would like to start a new topic. I'm afraid it would get lost in the topics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Wyoming

[shorty0713]

u just make a new topis go to "bodies under siege" and at the top u can make a new topic . and it wont get lost it will be the first of the new topis until someone makes on after u then it becomes second but when some one comments on it it becomes the first one again. hope i helped
-shorty

[Wyoming]

Actually, when I do that, it keeps taking me back to the main login page and it won't let me log in. I do appreciate your help, though.

[shorty0713]

try staying permently signed in (after ur all done u can log out if u want)
-shorty

[ninda]

How do I add a short cut to my place on my signature.

[guest11]

[url=http://busmail.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=67193]My Place[/url]

Just replace the bit that says "My Place" with whatever you want the link to say.

[guest11]

My Place

That's what the above code shows up as.

[Dina]

It's possible I've mixed things up with another board... but isn't there a function to choose to get a message when a reply has been posted somewhere, but NOT to the e-mailaddress, but by PM? I think I had that function, but now I don't. It's good function anyway so if it's not on BUS I would like it to be one day...

But I would appreciate if someone told me how to get noticed by PM if it is possible.

[guest11]

I think you've got a bit mixed up there. I'm not aware of any such feature. It was mentioned somewhere by someone else, I think.

Dan