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Lobby: Edit your preferences

YOUNG MEMBERS: If you are under 18 years of age, I request that you use a pen name instead of your real name in your profile. If you gave your real name when you joined, you have two options. One -- From Edit your preference, choose Yes in the Hide your profile box. Two -- While you are logged in, send me a private message asking me to change your member name. Send me the pen name you want to use.

If you are under 13 years of age, you must go to Edit your preference and choose Yes in the Hide your profile box. Not doing is sufficient cause for me to delete your membership.

(Click here to open your User Menu)

Preferences: Required

These determine what options you will have as you use the community and how the system will operate for you.

Hide your profile: Hiding your profile is required for all members under the age of 13, and recommended for all members under the age of 18. If you have hidden your profile, no one but you can see your profile information. The system default is No.

Use private messaging system: This is the recommended method of communication on the site. It keeps your e-mail address hidden, and in very fast and effective. The only information revealed in private messaging is the username. The system default is Yes. Recommended setting is Yes.

Allow other registered users to send you emails? Your address will remain hidden from the person sending you the e-mail, but will be revealed if you choose to respond. When you send an e-mail, your personal e-mail address will go under cover of the community e-mail address, but will be revealed if the recipient chooses to respond. The system default is Yes. No recommended setting.

Allow administrator to send you email notices? I send out very few e-mails. I make sure the ones I send out are important. If we have system problems along the lines of the FeaturePrice debacle, where most users lost the site, Administrative E-mail may be your only way of keeping up with what's going on. The system default is Yes. Recommended setting is Yes.

Automatically login when you return? The setting your choose depends on your computer situation. If you're the only person using your computer and don't want to have to type in your username and password every time you come back, choose Yes. If other people use your computer and might be tempted to use your account, choose No. You are solely responsible for anything done by your username, no matter whether you are the one who did it or not. Protect your username and password. The system default is No. No recommended setting.

Notify via email when you receive a private message? If you visit the community daily, choose No. You'll avoid cluttering your e-mail inbox, and still get your messages in a timely manner. If you only visit the community every few days or less, you may want to check this option Yes, to avoid missing messages from friends. System default is No. No recommended setting.

Participate in user rating and feedback? You can only rate other users if you permit yourself to be rated. The community encourages positive ratings for members from whom you have received help. At this time, you can only rate each member once, and these ratings cannot be modified. We are looking for a way to permit the editing of ratings. System default is Yes. Recommended default is Yes.

Use MARK time stamp feature? This requires that you manually mark as read the topics and messages that you have read. Members who have used this feature have said it's a royal pain. Default setting is No. Recommended setting is No.

Notify via email when you are added to a buddy list? Buddy lists are basically user-compiled phonebooks -- all the people you regularly keep in touch with, with all the means of communication that they have chosen to offer. It's nice to know when you've been added to someone's list, but is by no means necessary. System default is Yes. No recommended setting.

Make signature editable for each post? If you choose Yes for this, the HTML for your signature will show up in the bottom of each of your posts, where you can then mess around with it if you so choose. It will duplicate each time you go in to edit a previously posted message, however, and can be annoying to have to clip out. System default is No. Recommended setting is No.

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