• What are Administrators?

Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire site. These people can control all facets of the sites operation which includes posting news, setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.

• What are Moderators?

Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums, comments, and user profiles from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.

• How do I change my rank?

In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). Most boards use ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators may have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank, you will probably find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.

• How do I post a topic in a forum?

Easy, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can post a message, the facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list)

• How do I edit or delete a post?

Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. 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, this lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied, it also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they should leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.

• How do I add a signature to my post?

To add a signature to a post you must first create one, this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add 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 box in your profile (you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.) All signatures must be 340 x 40 and only Gold Members are allowed to have signatures.

• How do I create a poll?

Creating a poll is easy, when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box (if you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls). You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options (to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 is an infinite poll. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, this is set by the administration.

• How do I edit or delete a poll?

As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or board admin. To edit a poll click the first post in the topic (this always has the poll associated with it). If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option, however if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll.

• Why can't I access a forum?

Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization, only the forum moderator and board admin can grant this access, you should contact them.

• Why can't I vote in polls?

Only registered users can vote in polls (so as to prevent spoofing of results). If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights.

• What is BBCode?

BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator (you can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form). BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.

• Can I use HTML?

No. HTML is not allowed in the Forums, Messages or the user profile pages.

• What are Smileys?

Smileys, or Emoticons are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys though, they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether

• Can I post Images?

Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/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.

• What are Announcements?

Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. Whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions required, these are set by the administrator.

• What are Sticky topics?

Sticky topics appear below any announcements in viewforum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements the board administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum.

• What are Locked topics?

Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll it contained is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.

• What is Reputation?

Reputation is a tool used on TTG to allow members to show their support for another members' contributions. If a member has high Reputation Power, then you can generally make a safe assumption that the member continually contributes good quality posts to TTG and is constantly helping out the members.

There are two types of Reputation, Reputation Power and Reputation Points. Reputation Points are what you can send to other members and also receive from other members and areas of the site (posts, comments etc.). 100 Reputation Points is equal to 1 Reputation Power. Reputation Power is the number listed on members profiles and posts.

• How do I use Reputation?

You can give Reputation Points on a post or on someones account page. There will be a icon on posts and account pages. Whenever you click that icon, there will be a popup window that will show up. In that window, you will be allowed to enter your remarks for the particular user. You can also Agree (Give Reputation Points) to the specific user. Your choice to Agree along with the remarks that you leave for the user is the process of actually giving another member Reputation Points.

• What are the Reputation sending limits?

All members start with 10 sendable gifts per day and 25 sendable points per day. In order to send 25 Reputation Points you must also have 25 Reputation Power. If for instance you only have 10 Reputation Power then you will only be able to send 10 Reputation Points even though the limit is 25.

Sending limits are increased based on the following achievements:

Active Gold membership/subscription: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Gold Member+: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Gold Gifter: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Gold Gifter+: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Ultra Gifter: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Supreme Gifter: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Ultimate Gifter: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Blind Gifter: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day
Blind Gifter+: +10 sendable gifts per day +25 sendable points per day

More achievements will also be added in the future.

• What is Reputation boosting?

Reputation boosting is when one or more members are giving each other Reputation Points for no apparent reason over and over. This action is not tolerated at all on TTG and will result in your account being issued a warning, the ability to use the Reputation system being removed, or your account being suspended entirely.

• What is spam?

Spam is creating of messages that are advertisements, abusive, or otherwise unwanted. Spam posts may contain anything from a single link, to dozens of links. Text content is minimal, usually innocuous and unrelated to the forum's topic, or in a very old thread that is revived by the spammer solely for the purpose of spamming links. Some text is included to prevent the post being caught by automated spam filters that prevent posts which consist solely of external links from being submitted. Examples of spamming that you will see people generally do is, "2020202020". This is used by some members to bypass the 20 character limit filter set in place on TTG to reduce spamming, and will result in a member getting a warning and/or banned from TTG.

• What is the 20 character limit and what is it for?

The 20 character limit is a spamming filter put in place on TTG to help reduce the number of spam posts made by members. If you are unable to put together a quality post and meet the 20 character limit, then please take time to think more about what you are wanting to post. "Looks cool 202020" will get you a warning and possibly get your account banned. Instead, please take the time to properly word your post. "Wow, I think that looks really good!" will meet the 20 character limit and still says the same thing.

• What is flaming?

Flaming is abusing another member on the forums. Negative marks based on: Race, Religion, Sexual Preference, Gender, Previous Posts, etc. that result in negative comments is considered flaming. This will NEVER be tolerated on TTG and will always result in your account receiving a warning and being banned from TTG.

• How do I report a post?

To report a post, you will need to click the icon that says "Report" in the bottom left of the post. This will bring up a pop-up window where you can select the reason that you are reporting the post. Once you click the Submit Report button, the TTG Staff will immediately be notified of the report and will address it as soon as possible.

• What is bumping?

Bumping was an old rule set in place to prevent users from constantly posting on their own topic to bring it to the top of the forums. Although bumping is no longer a rule and you are allowed to post on your own topic, we will not allow constant intentional spam replies to your own topic.

• How can I become Staff/Staff Openings?

If we feel that we require more Staff then we will either contact the specific members who we feel are ready to become Staff or create a Global Announcement to have applications sent in. Asking a staff member about becoming staff, will pretty much guarantee that you will never be staff. If you are unable to follow simple rules such as not asking them, then they will never be able to expect you to uphold site wide rules.

• I see a few people whose name changes colors, what is this?

This is a special designation given to the top 5 posters. Anytime you see a member whose name changes colors, you will know they are one of the top 5 highest posting members on the site.

• What does being "Suspended" mean?

If you are Suspended from TTG, then that means you have done something very seriously wrong on the site and your account has now been suspended. This means you will no longer ever be allowed to log in, post, or use any other features on the site from that account again. In addition, your IP address can also be permanently blocked from ever accessing the site again as well if an Administrator deems it necessary.

• Can I donate to TTG?

No, at this time, TTG does not accept any donations from members. However, if you are feeling generous and want to help out a good cause we recommend the http://childsplaycharity.org/.

• I see General Discussion but am not sure what I can and cannot post there!

General Discussion is used for exactly what it sounds like. Discussions about things that do not have their own specific forum are what this section is mainly used for, just as the description states. All forum rules will still be in effect in the General Discussion section, and the staff will, at their discretion, close, delete, warn, and ban/suspend members who they feel are misusing and/or abusing the forums, members, or anything else. If you have questions, it's always safer to ask a staff member via PM, Shoutbox, or even the Ask the Staff section.

• I am looking for a specific download, where can I find those?

From the homepage of TTG, there is a Download section on the navigation bar. From there, you can browse to the specific section that is relevant to what you are looking for, or, you can utilize the search bar which shows up once you click the Download section tab.

• I am looking for a specific tutorial, where would I find it?

From the homepage of TTG, there is a Tutorial section on the navigation bar. From there, you can browse to the specific section that is relevant to what you are looking for, or, you can utilize the search bar which shows up once you click the Tutorial section tab.

• Why are there so many different types of Administrators?

Administrator: are responsible for ensuring the affairs of the members of TTG are met and ensuring that the forums are properly taken care of in a timely fashion.
Senior Administrator: are in charge of managing all of the staff members and the community.