Need Help?
We have tried to make this website as easy to use as possible, however at times things can still seem a bit confusing! Below is a whole heap of useful information to help you with the site. If you are still having problems, please post a message on the "This Forum & Website" forum.
Registration / Login
- How do I login?
- Both this site and the forum use the same login. If you have already registered on the forum, you can login by entering your username and password in the form at the top of the page.
- I have forgotten my password.
- Unfortunately there is not an easy mechanism for resetting your password. To reset your password please email support@hartwellvillage.com from your registered email address.
- I have forgotten my username.
- Please email support@hartwellvillage.com from your registered email address, and we will let you know what your username is!
- I am pretty sure my username and password is correct, but it won't log me in.
- Firstly, please try and login directly on the forum, as this may give additional information that might help. If you are still having problems, please email support@hartwellvillage.com from your registered email address, and we will let you know what your username is!
- Do I have to register to use the site?
- No - you only need to be logged in to contribute to the site.
- How do I register?
- You can register for the site here!
- What username shall I have?
- You can have pretty much whatever username you want (subject to our terms and conditions). Choose wisely, as you cannot change your username!
- Is my profile anonymous?
- Unless you enter information into public fields, your personal details are anonymous. No user, other than administrators, can view your email address, and this information is kept secret (unless we are legally obliged to hand it over). However, as a community site, your views and contributions are likely to be more useful if you are not anonymous. You should also note that if you are a moderator of a group or business on the site, your username will be linked to that group or business which may make it more obvious who you are!
Adding Items
- Who can add items?
- Any logged in user can add an item.
- How do I add an item?
- Littered throughout the site are Add symbols
. If you hover over the symbol, a small pop up will appear with details of what type of item it refers to. Just click the symbol to begin adding your item. - Does my item have to be in Hartwell?
- No - provided your item is relevant to residents of Hartwell it can be added, for example local businesses or events in neighbouring villages.
- What does each field mean?
- Next to most field names is a help button
- if you click on this, a little window will pop up with more information. You can also find below more detailed help for some of the common fields you will encounter. - Further help with fields
- There are several main types of fields you will encounter on the site:
- General text fields: This is the easiest field. Most characters are accepted, with a maximum length of 255 characters.
- Forum fields: Checking the "Post item to forum" post will post your item to the forum once it is approved. On the forum, users can reply to your post, and these replies will appear on the item page. It should be noted that item moderators can not moderate forum replies, which are moderated by the forum moderation team.
- Image fields: These allow you to add an image to your item. Images must be in jpg, gif or png format. For legal reasons you must be the rights holder to the image (i.e. the photographers) or the image must be in the public domain. To add an image, simply click the button to select the image from your computer. The image will be automatically resized, but to reduce the upload time, you may want to reduce the size of your image beforehand!
- Location fields: These allow you to select a location. You can either use an existing location on the site, or you can select a general one (i.e. Hartwell, Northants). Locations are pretty important, as a lot of information on the site is sorted based on it's geographical position.
- Address / Map fields: These fields allow you to enter an address, and mark the exact position on a map. Firstly enter the address - then click "Find on map". The site will attempt to location the address on the map. You can fine tune the location by either clicking and dragging the map icon, or by just clicking on the map. The "Show Map" / "Hide Map" map toggles the maps visibility. "Zero" resets the position. See Adding group or business location for further help with this field.
- Link to fields: These allow you to select a group or business to link your item to. This is quite important, as it dictates where your item appears, and which users are able to approve it.
- Description fields: These fields use a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor to allow you to format text. It works in a similar way to programs like Microsoft Word. N.B. Please avoid coping text directly from Word, as the formatting will be messed up. A better approach is to copy your text to Windows Notepad and then copy your text from Notepad to your editor. There will be a more detailed guide to this field coming soon!
- Date fields: In a date field, you can either just type your date (i.e. 24th October 2009), or you can click on the calendar icon
to select your date from an interative calendar. What you enter is automatically converted into a computer date format. - Time fields: In a time field, you must enter a time in words (i.e. 3pm). What you enter is automatically converted into a computer time format.
- What happens once I have added an item?
- Once you have added an item, the item is sent for moderation. This will either be the group or business you linked your item to, or the site moderation team. They will review your item and then approve it to appear on the site.
- I added an item ages ago, but it hasn't appeared on the site.
- Either there is a delay in approving your item, or it has not been approved. For further information please contact support@hartwellvillage.com.
- Does it cost anything to add my group or business?
- For groups and other not-for-profit organisations, there is (nor will be) any charge for using the site. For businesses, you can add details of your business for free, however we will be keeping an eye on traffic this website generates, and we may, at some point in the future, ask for a donation to the site to help with running costs.
Editing Items
- Can I make changes to an item?
- Only an item's moderate can make changes directly to an item, however any logged in user can suggest changes.
- How to I suggest changes?
- When you are viewing an item, select "Make Changes" and enter the details of the change you would like to make. These changes are sent to the item's moderates who can then take them into account and update the item.
- I suggested changes to an item ages ago, but it hasn't changed.
- Either there is a delay in updating the item, or your changes have not been approved. For further information please contact support@hartwellvillage.com.
Item Ownership
- What does "official item" mean?
- An official item is one where the group or business it relates to has a moderation presence on the site and has approved the item.
- What does "unofficial item" mean?
- An unofficial item is one that has been added by a member of the community and then approved by the site admin team. The item has not been approved by the group or business it relates to.
- If I add something to the site, do I own it?
- Yes, but you grant us a license to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute your content. This basically means we can ensure a single set of rules for how the site's content can be used by others.
- How can others use content on this site?
- In general, most content can be used by others provided credit is given to this site. However exceptions, such as copyrighted images and logos, may apply, so please contact support@hartwellvillage.com before reusing any content from this site.
- I am involved in a group or business and want related items to be official
- Please email support@hartwellvillage.com and we will set you up as an official moderator. In some cases we may need to ask for proof.
- I want to have some content removed from the site.
- Please email support@hartwellvillage.com to discuss this further. Content which is licenced or copyrighted elsewhere, is incorrect, is illegal or goes against our terms and conditions, will almost always be removed.
Technical Problems
- Things are appearing odd in my browser
- The site is designed to work correctly in most modern browsers. If you are using Internet Explorer 6, we will personally come around to your house and upgrade you for free! Otherwise if some parts of the site are not looking right, just let us know at support@hartwellvillage.com
- I keep getting an error notice about having Javascript switched off
- The site uses some advanced features which require Javascript. For normal users, the site will still function correctly without Javascript, but you will be missing out on some of the advanced features. If you are a moderator however, the moderation functions require Javscript enabled. Find out how to enable Javascript in your browser.
- I tried to add an item, and the page didn't load properly
- Sounds like something went wrong - hopefully we received an error report, but it would be handy if you could let us know what you were doing by emailing support@hartwellvillage.com
- I am having other problems with the site
- Please email support@hartwellvillage.com at let us know what problems you are having.
- I have some suggestions as to improvements to the site
- We would love to hear ideas and suggestions, please email support@hartwellvillage.com and let us know what your ideas!
Tags
- What is a tag?
- Tags are user added keywords or labels which help describe content on the site. Tags can be used to find content across the site that relate to topics you are interested in.
- How do I add a tag?
- Any logged in user can add tags to content. Simply select the "Tags" option for an item, and then type your tag word or phrase into the box. You can also use tags which others have used - the more times a tag has been used for an item, the bigger it gets!
- I think a tag is inappropriate, what do I do?
- If you think a tag is inappropriate, just click the little red flag
to the right of the tag. This will temporary remove the tag until it can be checked by one of the moderators. You can only do this if you are logged in. - How do you define inappropriate?
- Tags are inappropriate if they are a) incorrect (e.g. "beer" referring to a children's easter egg hunt), or b) abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated or illegal. Irrelevant tags are generally ok, as the user might think it is relevant!
- Do you monitor repeat offenders?
- We keep track of the number of times each user has added an inapproiate tag and the number of times a user complains about an acceptable tag. We reserve the right to remove the access of repeat offenders.
- Why use tags?
- Tags provide a great "at a glance" view of a particular item. It also means you can view items throughout the site which relate to a particular tag, for example the 'beer tag'
- Can we turn off tags relating to a group or business I moderate.
- It is possible to turn off tagging for a particular item, however in the first instance we would prefer to keep the site consistant throughout. If you are having particular problems please email support@hartwellvillage.com.
- What is Twitter?
- At its simplest, Twitter is a mini-blog where people can record their thoughts or what they are up to in 140 characters or less.
- What is the difference between Twitter and Facebook?
- Twitter is a bit like status updates on Facebook. However unlike Facebook, it's not about connecting with people you know, but about following people that interest you.
- How are you using Twitter?
- Initially the plan is to use Twitter to connect with people in and around Hartwell, and to advertise village events and news. We also hope to generate some great content, such as photos and maybe even videos, from events, which will appear on the site live.
- How can I read your Tweets (messages on Twitter)?
- The last 5 tweets appear in the Twitter section on the right hand side of every page on the site. You can view our full profile at http://twitter.com/hartwellvillage.
- I just don't get Twitter.
- Twitter isn't for everyone, so don't worry if you don't get it.
Other Stuff
- I want a site like this for my village or town
- The site is custom built, but has been designed to be easy to modify and rebranded. To discuss further please contact our developers, Wheredidthetigergo.
