Unofficial Infrequently Asked Questions
UIAQ Related Questions
Q: Do we have an Official JoeUser FAQ?
A: Not that I can find, this is an attempt at an Unofficial one. Feel free to add questions (or answers) as comments, I'll update this article accordingly.
Q: Why do some of the answers have a name in parentheses?
A: The name in the parenthesis is the person who provided the answer to the question, although I will often reword things.
Q: Who helped with this and should be thanked?
A: The following people contributed: Draginol, KarmaGirl, Dan Kaschel, greywar, Jepel, NetBadger, Gideon MacLeish, chiprj, JillUser, Dr. Guy, shadesofgrey, Manopeace.
Q: I really like this FAQ and want to steal/copy it for my own usage.
A: I don't mind in the least, just if you find some way to make money from this give Stardock their fair share (or more).
Q: The answer to one of your questions is wrong.
A: Please tell me when/if you find any mistakes. I can't fix what I don't know is broken.
General JoeUser Questions
Q: What are the rules on JoeUser.com?
A: See the terms of service (3. Member Conduct appears to be the important part). Of special note, do NOT insult another blogger in the title of an article.
Q: How does the scoring system work?
A: Simple answer, your score goes up the more you write articles and post comments. More complex answer, read The Scoring System.
Q: How do I log out of JoeUser?
A: On the sidebar, next to your name, will be a red button. Click it to log out of JoeUser. (Gideon MacLeish)
Q: How do I delete my account?
A: Contact pford@stardock.com to delete your account. (KarmaGirl)
Q: Who's in charge of this place and how do I find them?
A: Brad Wardell, also known as Draginol is the guy in charge. T-Man and KarmaGirl are also admins. Be advised, these people are very busy, so try not to bother them needlessly.
Article Writing Questions
Q: When writing an article it asks for an external URL, what is this?
A: Specifying an external URL will place a link to the URL at the bottom of your article. (Dan Kaschel)
Q: How do I indent my text?
A: Manually insert " " multiple times. Or use an html editor, such as Word or Frontpage (greywar). Instead you could use blanks lines between paragraphs (Dan Kaschel)
Q: I want to add smileys to my articles/comments, how do I do this?
A: If you use any of the following JoeUser will convert them to graphics for you: 
LOL 
(
| 
These will make the following graphical smileys: 
Q: My article isn't fit for all audiences, how do I control access?
A: When creating an article you have certain options that will restrict access. On the right side there is a "Select your viewing audience:" option. Choosing "Just Me" will only allow you to view it, "Custom Audience" will only allow the audience you have selected. As a simpler way to keep anonymous people out, select "This Article Contains Adult Content." next to the Submit Article button. Doing so prevents people without a valid account from reading the article, and warns people that it's adult content.
Q: People's quotes are in yellow boxes, how do I do that?
A: If you have javascript enabled, select the text you want to quote and hit the Q button that is in the bottom left corner of the text area (JillUser). If you don't have javascipt, cut and paste the text you want to quote and put it inside quote code. Example: [quote] quoted text [/quote] (Dr. Guy).
Q: I posted an article by mistake, how do I get rid of it?
A: At the bottom right of each of your articles are both an edit and delete button. You may edit the article to change what is in it or delete it altogether.
Q: I posted a comment by mistake, how do I get rid of it?
A: Unless it is on your article, you don't. You can edit your already posted comments if you want. Or you can ask the owner of the article to remove the comment.
Finding your way around
Q: Where do I find other peoples blogs?
A: Towards the top of any page is the Blog Index which is an alphabetical listing of every blog on the site. You may also click on a users name to bring up their information, which includes their blog. The sidebar (usually on the right but can be on the left) includes a link to the Top Sites
Q: How do I get informed when comments are added to an article?
A: On the top right corner of each article is a magnifying glass, click it and the article will be added to your Watch List. When new comments are added an email will be sent to your account.
Managing your blog
Q: I don't want someone to comment on my article, how do I make them go away
A: You can delete comments to your article for a temporary fix, or add the user to your blacklist, which will prevent them from commenting again.
Q: How do I prevent anonymous users from commenting to my blog?
A: When posting (or editing) an article you can set who is allowed to respond. If you select registered users then anonymous users cannot comment. (Manopeace)
Q: I blacklisted someone, how do I unblacklist them?
A: Go to the "My Account" option, and then "Manage Site Black List". From there you can add or remove users to your blacklist. (shadesofgrey)
Q: Some people have a "My Favorites" tab on their side bar, how do I set this up on my blog?
A: Go into the "My Account" area and then "Manage Site Custom Links". First you'll have to make the first section heading, put whatever you want it to be called into the link title box and hit add link. Then use the drop down box in the "My Custom Links" area to pick what heading you want the link to appear under. Put in the URL for the link and give it a title, then add away.
Q: Certain people have a small picture attached to their posts/comments when viewed in the forum, how do I do this?
A: This is the Personal Icon, a feature of WinCustomize, but due to the shared nature of Stardock's database it's also usable on Joeuser. To setup one, go here. On the left side of the screen it mentions Personal Icon, click browse and select the graphic you want to use. Then "Update Images" in the bottom corner and you should be all set.
Q: How do I put a picture in my sidebar?
A: Simple answer, put the html code for the picture in the link title and leave the URL blank. More complex answer, read this article (chiprj)
Terms explained and/or defined
Q: What is a "skinner"?
A: A skinner is someone that skins applications, which is changing how they look. JoeUser.com's 'sister' site, WinCustomize.com is frequented by many skinners. (NetBadger)
Q: What is "hijacking"?
A: Hijacking is when your comment to someone else's article is completely off topic and steers the thread in another direction. Sometimes this is done by posting a link to one of your own articles.
Q: What is "flaming"?
A: Flaming is the term used to describe intense shouting matches/debates online.
Q: What is "trolling"?
A: Trolling is when someone posts something that has no redeeming value and is only looking for attention. Ignoring trolls is usually wise. On JoeUser we can take points away from trolls by using the trolling button on their comments.
Error Messages and what they mean
Q: I get the error "The request cannot be processed at this time. The maximum amount of time for a script to execute was exceeded.", what does this mean?
A: The server is busy, wait a few minutes and refresh the page.
Q: When trying to read an article I get the message "Sorry. The article requested does not exist.".
A: Many possible reasons: the article was deleted, the article is flagged adult content and you're not logged in, the servers are having difficulties (see above or below)
Q: Sometimes articles don't load at all.
A: Stardock has recently released Galactic Civilizations II and the fallout from that has caused intermittent problems on JoeUser.com. It is being worked on (Draginol).