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Lobby: Edit your profile

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.

You can choose to let other members know more about you, choose an avatar image for your posts, and give other members some additional ways to contact you from your profile. Edit your profile is the second option in your User Menu. (Click here to open your User Menu)

NOTE: In the instructions below, I remind you to click Update to save your modifications. If you are making a lot of modifications at the same time, you can enter them all and only click Update once to save yourself some loading time.

Options:

• ICQ -- You have to have an ICQ number to offer ICQ, but other members don't have to have it to contact you. The community has a very nice ICQ gateway. If you have ICQ, fill in your number. The community software will do the rest.
   
• AOL-IM -- Both sender and receiver have to have AOL-IM in order to talk. If you have it installed, enter your member name. The community software will do the rest.
   
• Avatar Image -- This is the little picture many members have to the left side of their posts. You have a lot of options in how to get one of your own.
   
  • The easiest is to use one of the pre-loaded Avatars. Click the following images link, as shown in the image below. In the window that opens up, simply click on the one you want to add, and click Update.
    
     
  • Next simplest is to use an avatar from the Community-Created Avatars Gallery (From the window that opens, click Avatars in the header, as shown in the image below.
    
    You'll be presented with member-created images, and specific instructions on how to use them.
     
  • Third, and only an option if you have a website and it permits the hotlinking of images -- and most don't -- you can link and image directly from your own site. Make sure the image is no larger than 48x48 pixels.
     
  • Finally, and somewhat trickier, you can create your own image and upload it to this site in a three-step process. Again, create the image no larger than 48x48, and only in GIF or JPG format. (Animated and transparent gifs are supported).
     
    • Step One: Post a message on any board, and use the Attachment box at the bottom of the post box to upload your image from your hard drive. Post your message.
       
    • Step Two: Open the message you just posted, and scroll to the bottom of your post. You should see your image displayed there, and a link to the right of it. Copy that link.
       
    • Step Three: Paste the link you copied into the Avatar Image box, and click Update.
       
• Gender -- You have to pick one. Default is Male.
   
• City -- If you're 18 years old or older and want to include this, you may. If you're under 18, leave it blank.
   
• State -- If you're under 18 but older than 13, you can include your state.
  
  
• Country -- If you're under 18 but older than 13, you can include your state.
   
• Homepage -- You need to fill in the entire URL, including http:// to get a live link. You may include your homepage URL if you're older than 18, though if it includes personally identifiable information (your real name, the name of your town, or your photograph) I recommend that you don't.
   
• Hobby -- The box is small, but you can write more than you're given room for.
   
• Comment -- Use your comment to tell people about yourself. For some of what you can do with the comment box, take a look at my comment. Use the site version of HTML to format your information, adding bullets, text formatting, text links, etc.
   
• Signature -- Your signature will show up beneath every post you do while you're logged in. You can add site art, links, tables, formatting, your own artwork, etc., as well as quotes, notes, and your name.
  • To include artwork, including writing pips: Paste in the link for each piece of artwork you wish to use. Do not use any form of HTML, for example: <img src="link"></a> or [link: ...] If you want to keep your images on one line (to create a single line of writing pips, for example), paste one link, hit your spacebar, and paste the next link. Do not press Enter. Pressing your Enter key will cause links to stack.
     
  • To include tables -- keep all HTML on one line -- do not format the text in indented HTML. Examples:
    
    Use this format --
     
    [table][tr][td]Text[/td][/tr][/table]
     
    Not this format --
    [table]
         [tr]
              [td]Text
              [/td]
         [/tr]
    [/table]
     
  • Click this link for help with the Community version of HTML
    

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