BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums FAQ
Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.
THE Rules
Forum Rules
Registration to this forum is free! We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. If you agree to the terms, please check the 'I agree' checkbox and press the 'Register' button below. If you would like to cancel the registration, click here to return to the forums index.
Although the administrators and moderators of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums will attempt to keep all objectionable messages off this forum, it is impossible for us to review all messages. All messages express the views of the author, and neither the owners of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums, nor Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. (developers of vBulletin) will be held responsible for the content of any message.
By agreeing to these rules, you warrant that you will not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative of any laws.
The owners of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason.
GROUND RULES:
The rules governing this message center are quite simple and they will be enforced. Our desire is to promote a positive environment for communication among members of the Martial Arts community. Forums will be assigned a "moderator" who will govern the flow of messages and restrict inappropriate content. The purpose of a moderator is not to censor your message content, but to prevent violations of the rules.
1. Your Name: The name should be your real "full" name, however you may use a "handle" (alias) if you desire. The "handle" should be in keeping with good taste. You are REQUIRED to put your FULL REAL NAME (first and last name) in the "Real Name" field in your user profile. Failure to comply with this policy will result in account suspension.
2. Password: Your password will be automatically generated and sent to you via email. Why are passwords required? Simple. We want to ensure that messages that are posted are from you and not someone else who is impersonating you. This can be a problem in some Message Forums and we wish to avoid this.
3. Your REAL E-Mail Address: Why? First, so we can send you your password so you can post messages. Also, so others on the forum can contact you directly, or if need be you can have your password emailed to you in case you forget. Your email address will be verified by sending you your User ID and Password via email. Should we get the email returned as undeliverable, then your User Name will be deleted and you will not be allowed access to post topics. Failure to provide a valid email address will result in you not being allowed to post topics.
If you do not wish to give your real email address, then you might consider getting a free web-based email service through Hotmail.com, Yahoo or others. This will keep your private email address private, yet still allow others to contact you.
All email addresses will be kept absolutely confidential and will never be released to any outside source.
4. Keep your topics and messages on subject. If the Forum is about Karate for example, then keep it about Karate. Off subject posts may be moved or deleted by the Forum's Moderator. So make sure you put your post into the appropriate forum.
5. Keep your posts focused on relevant issues. Postings like "who can beat-up who", rude, or inflammatory in nature are NOT permitted and may be deleted by the Forum's Administrator or moderator.
6. Keep it clean. Hateful, racist or slanderous comments and messages about other persons, fellow members or others Martial Arts will NOT be permitted. You may voice your opinion, but again keep it clean. "Flaming" (the trashing of anothers post) will not be permitted. VIOLATORS WILL HAVE THEIR MESSAGES DELETED, ACCESS REMOVED, AND BANNED WITHOUT WARNING. If you disagree with an opinion related by another member, please counter that opinion with your own, but do not resort to insulting the originator. You will be respectful of your fellow members under all circumstances.
7. You may only have ONE account. Those who are discovered to have multiple accounts, or to be impersonating another user will have their membership terminated without notice.
8. Do not cross-post your thread into multiple forums. Even if the topic may cover multiple arts & forums, please choose the forum which most closely fit the topic of your post and post once in the appropriate location.
9. Do not SPAM our forums. Please do not spam our forums. We have provided one forum, "Member Announcements" were you can post information on events, and other announcements.
10. Do not use Instant Messenger slang or shorthand to make your posts. Posts should be typed in clear and concise language, with the aim of using correct spelling and punctuation in order to best facilitate communication with your fellow members.
11. Loud, obnoxious signatures are prohibited. Signatures should not be large graphics that take too long to load or cause the width of the forum table to be altered. Likewise, text should be formatted to be tasteful and not be distractive. Graphics used in signatures will be no larger than your avatar (approximately 120 pixels in width or height), and text will be no larger than size 4 (14pt).
12. DO NOT discuss legal matters! Discussion of pending civil litigation is strictly prohibited. If you have prior knowledge that a crime may be committed or knowledge of a crime that has been committed, do not post anything about it! If you do, the appropriate authorities will be contacted and your account suspended.
13. Posting Images and other files. Members are permitted to post images and other files to their post within the limits of the established file size/dimensions. We recommend that images and other files be linked from another website, but if attached to a post, then file size/dimensions will be strictly enforced. See the related thread in the Member Support area for guidance. Further, posting files/images will not be abused. Images/files must be in good taste and not be offensive or pornographic. Abuse will result in account suspension or termination.
14. If you are a Troll, you are not welcome. A troll is anyone that posts with the intent of provoking or inciting other members just to "get a reaction". Trolls will be banned without warning.
The BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums mission of promoting tasteful and positive communication among members of the Martial Arts community will never be compromised. By checking the "I have read, and agree to abide by the BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums rules" checkbox and clicking register, you are agreeing to abide by the rules above and any future rules that may be implemented.
Your participation is vital to it's success and we invite you to post and have fun.
Registration to this forum is free! We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. If you agree to the terms, please check the 'I agree' checkbox and press the 'Register' button below. If you would like to cancel the registration, click here to return to the forums index.
Although the administrators and moderators of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums will attempt to keep all objectionable messages off this forum, it is impossible for us to review all messages. All messages express the views of the author, and neither the owners of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums, nor Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. (developers of vBulletin) will be held responsible for the content of any message.
By agreeing to these rules, you warrant that you will not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative of any laws.
The owners of BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason.
GROUND RULES:
The rules governing this message center are quite simple and they will be enforced. Our desire is to promote a positive environment for communication among members of the Martial Arts community. Forums will be assigned a "moderator" who will govern the flow of messages and restrict inappropriate content. The purpose of a moderator is not to censor your message content, but to prevent violations of the rules.
1. Your Name: The name should be your real "full" name, however you may use a "handle" (alias) if you desire. The "handle" should be in keeping with good taste. You are REQUIRED to put your FULL REAL NAME (first and last name) in the "Real Name" field in your user profile. Failure to comply with this policy will result in account suspension.
2. Password: Your password will be automatically generated and sent to you via email. Why are passwords required? Simple. We want to ensure that messages that are posted are from you and not someone else who is impersonating you. This can be a problem in some Message Forums and we wish to avoid this.
3. Your REAL E-Mail Address: Why? First, so we can send you your password so you can post messages. Also, so others on the forum can contact you directly, or if need be you can have your password emailed to you in case you forget. Your email address will be verified by sending you your User ID and Password via email. Should we get the email returned as undeliverable, then your User Name will be deleted and you will not be allowed access to post topics. Failure to provide a valid email address will result in you not being allowed to post topics.
If you do not wish to give your real email address, then you might consider getting a free web-based email service through Hotmail.com, Yahoo or others. This will keep your private email address private, yet still allow others to contact you.
All email addresses will be kept absolutely confidential and will never be released to any outside source.
4. Keep your topics and messages on subject. If the Forum is about Karate for example, then keep it about Karate. Off subject posts may be moved or deleted by the Forum's Moderator. So make sure you put your post into the appropriate forum.
5. Keep your posts focused on relevant issues. Postings like "who can beat-up who", rude, or inflammatory in nature are NOT permitted and may be deleted by the Forum's Administrator or moderator.
6. Keep it clean. Hateful, racist or slanderous comments and messages about other persons, fellow members or others Martial Arts will NOT be permitted. You may voice your opinion, but again keep it clean. "Flaming" (the trashing of anothers post) will not be permitted. VIOLATORS WILL HAVE THEIR MESSAGES DELETED, ACCESS REMOVED, AND BANNED WITHOUT WARNING. If you disagree with an opinion related by another member, please counter that opinion with your own, but do not resort to insulting the originator. You will be respectful of your fellow members under all circumstances.
7. You may only have ONE account. Those who are discovered to have multiple accounts, or to be impersonating another user will have their membership terminated without notice.
8. Do not cross-post your thread into multiple forums. Even if the topic may cover multiple arts & forums, please choose the forum which most closely fit the topic of your post and post once in the appropriate location.
9. Do not SPAM our forums. Please do not spam our forums. We have provided one forum, "Member Announcements" were you can post information on events, and other announcements.
10. Do not use Instant Messenger slang or shorthand to make your posts. Posts should be typed in clear and concise language, with the aim of using correct spelling and punctuation in order to best facilitate communication with your fellow members.
11. Loud, obnoxious signatures are prohibited. Signatures should not be large graphics that take too long to load or cause the width of the forum table to be altered. Likewise, text should be formatted to be tasteful and not be distractive. Graphics used in signatures will be no larger than your avatar (approximately 120 pixels in width or height), and text will be no larger than size 4 (14pt).
12. DO NOT discuss legal matters! Discussion of pending civil litigation is strictly prohibited. If you have prior knowledge that a crime may be committed or knowledge of a crime that has been committed, do not post anything about it! If you do, the appropriate authorities will be contacted and your account suspended.
13. Posting Images and other files. Members are permitted to post images and other files to their post within the limits of the established file size/dimensions. We recommend that images and other files be linked from another website, but if attached to a post, then file size/dimensions will be strictly enforced. See the related thread in the Member Support area for guidance. Further, posting files/images will not be abused. Images/files must be in good taste and not be offensive or pornographic. Abuse will result in account suspension or termination.
14. If you are a Troll, you are not welcome. A troll is anyone that posts with the intent of provoking or inciting other members just to "get a reaction". Trolls will be banned without warning.
The BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums mission of promoting tasteful and positive communication among members of the Martial Arts community will never be compromised. By checking the "I have read, and agree to abide by the BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community Forums rules" checkbox and clicking register, you are agreeing to abide by the rules above and any future rules that may be implemented.
Your participation is vital to it's success and we invite you to post and have fun.
Account Suspended for Failing to Comply with the "Real Name" Rule?
If you have just joined and you have found that
your account has been suspended, it is because you have failed to follow the
rules concerning entering your Full Real Name (first and last) in the Full Real
Name field during your registration. Instead, you have entered just a first
name, a couple of initials or other such nonsense. We take our rules here
seriously and most of our member have been more than happy to comply with them.
So if you want to be a part of our little online community, here is what you can
do.
1. Although your account is suspended, you can still alter your Member Profile by going to the User CP. Click on Edit Profile and enter your FIRST and LAST name as required. If you still cannot change your user profile, please email me at the below address with your username, first and last name. I will update your profile for you.
2. Once you have changed your Member Profile to include your first and last name, email the Admistrator and we will reenable your account.
As a warning to potential new members, if I or one of my moderators discover you have not entered your real full name as required when you register, your account will be suspended without warning. You received more than adequate warning in our rules and during the registration process.
1. Although your account is suspended, you can still alter your Member Profile by going to the User CP. Click on Edit Profile and enter your FIRST and LAST name as required. If you still cannot change your user profile, please email me at the below address with your username, first and last name. I will update your profile for you.
2. Once you have changed your Member Profile to include your first and last name, email the Admistrator and we will reenable your account.
As a warning to potential new members, if I or one of my moderators discover you have not entered your real full name as required when you register, your account will be suspended without warning. You received more than adequate warning in our rules and during the registration process.
Why the real name rule?
Since BudoSeek! began requiring that members
post under their full, real name we have been asked why this is a requirement.
This is a valid question when one considers the anonymous nature of the internet
and that most internet discussion forums do not require this. However, BudoSeek!
is not most internet discussion boards, nor are we the only one with this rule.
The primary reasons for this rule are as follows:
1. What we strive for here is a good exchange of information between martial artists in a friendly atmosphere. In the ten years that BudoSeek! has been active, it has been shown that members posting under their real names take more responsibility for what they say and how they conduct themselves on the forum. We have less flaming and other violations of the rules which are there to ensure good order and the smooth flow of discussions. There are many people who may be quite nice in person, but even a cursory glance at several discussion boards shows that when some of these same folks are afforded the anonymity of the internet, manners go out the window. They flame, insult, and say things to other people that they would never dare say to their faces. BudoSeek! is simply not the place for such behavior.
2. It is a matter of integrity. If a person has something to say then they should not have to hide behind a screen name or 'handle' to say it. Some semblance of pride in authorship results from people posting under their real name, something that is noticeably missing from posts made only under a handle.
3. The real name rule also improves the signal-to-noise ratio. People are less likely to post inaccuracies or plain old nonsense knowing that post is going to be around and readable for years and is tied to their name.
4. While it isn't possible to make BudoSeek! some kind of 'digital dojo', we really want to foster a feeling of community where martial artists of many styles from around the world can get to know each other. Real-life friendships can be formed, connections made, and many of our members have traveled great distances in order to train with one another. As such, the first step in becoming part of a bigger community is being straight with who you are, and your background.
While some members and potential members may be uncomfortable with using their "real name", experience has shown that it is not likely to be a problem with regard to privacy issues. Member's email addresses are always kept private and never released to outside agencies. A member is not required to post their location either (although it's nice if they do), not even what country they are in. So anyone looking for the 'John Smith that posted something about Wing Chun' is going to have to track down every John Smith in the world. More information is available about a person from their trash, their business card, or a phone book than what is divulged here. It really is a non-issue.
The bottom line is that he who pays the bills makes the rules, and no one is forced to register on this site. If you disagree with any of the rules, you are free to lurk as a guest or to go elsewhere. If you do register however, checking the box that you agree to the rules shown below, then you have in effect signed an electronic contract and the administration has every right to expect you to comply with those terms and conditions that you just agreed to.
Special thanks to Super Mod David Craik for co-authoring this and helping me organize my thoughts on this matter.
1. What we strive for here is a good exchange of information between martial artists in a friendly atmosphere. In the ten years that BudoSeek! has been active, it has been shown that members posting under their real names take more responsibility for what they say and how they conduct themselves on the forum. We have less flaming and other violations of the rules which are there to ensure good order and the smooth flow of discussions. There are many people who may be quite nice in person, but even a cursory glance at several discussion boards shows that when some of these same folks are afforded the anonymity of the internet, manners go out the window. They flame, insult, and say things to other people that they would never dare say to their faces. BudoSeek! is simply not the place for such behavior.
2. It is a matter of integrity. If a person has something to say then they should not have to hide behind a screen name or 'handle' to say it. Some semblance of pride in authorship results from people posting under their real name, something that is noticeably missing from posts made only under a handle.
3. The real name rule also improves the signal-to-noise ratio. People are less likely to post inaccuracies or plain old nonsense knowing that post is going to be around and readable for years and is tied to their name.
4. While it isn't possible to make BudoSeek! some kind of 'digital dojo', we really want to foster a feeling of community where martial artists of many styles from around the world can get to know each other. Real-life friendships can be formed, connections made, and many of our members have traveled great distances in order to train with one another. As such, the first step in becoming part of a bigger community is being straight with who you are, and your background.
While some members and potential members may be uncomfortable with using their "real name", experience has shown that it is not likely to be a problem with regard to privacy issues. Member's email addresses are always kept private and never released to outside agencies. A member is not required to post their location either (although it's nice if they do), not even what country they are in. So anyone looking for the 'John Smith that posted something about Wing Chun' is going to have to track down every John Smith in the world. More information is available about a person from their trash, their business card, or a phone book than what is divulged here. It really is a non-issue.
The bottom line is that he who pays the bills makes the rules, and no one is forced to register on this site. If you disagree with any of the rules, you are free to lurk as a guest or to go elsewhere. If you do register however, checking the box that you agree to the rules shown below, then you have in effect signed an electronic contract and the administration has every right to expect you to comply with those terms and conditions that you just agreed to.
Special thanks to Super Mod David Craik for co-authoring this and helping me organize my thoughts on this matter.
Trouble logging in? Look here first!
Every so often, we have members that have
trouble logging in. Thankfully this is pretty rare, but it can be particularly
frustrating to new members that may want to contribute. So, I have put together
a few tips for helping you get online.
First, for this and other general usage and troubleshooting, please visit out the FAQ. You will see several categories at the bottom. Give them a click, and you may find the answer you are looking for.
Problems with logging in can be due to several factors. Browser settings, firewall, ad-blockers, ISP, etc. could be the cause of your problem. Basically anything on your end that fliters Internet traffic can cause this problem. So here are a couple of things you might try.
1. Prior to trying to log in, clear your cookies. You can do this by clicking this link.
You can also manually clear your cookies by going to where the cookies for your computer are stored and deleting everything with "budoseek.net" in the cookie name. The location depends upon the type of browser you use. If you need help in this regard, send me an email and let me know which browser you use and what your operating system is.
2. Passwords are CaSE sENsiTivE and you must type it in exactly as you did when you first signed up. So make sure that your CAP LOCK is off on your keyboard. If you just forget your password, click the 'Forgotten Your Password?' link on any page that requires you to fill in your password.
3. Check your browser settings.
a. If you are using Internet Explorer, right-click on the desktop and the Internet Properties dialog box should appear. Click on the Privacy tab. Make sure that the privacy level is set no higher than "Medium". You can also go to the Edit button and manually type in "budoseek.net" in the text box labeled "Address of Web Site". Then Allow. This should take care of the problem.
b. If you use Netscape or Mozilla, open the browser and then click "Edit" in the menu bar, then click the + to the left of "Privacy and Security", then click "Cookies". First, ensure that "Enable cookies based on privacy settings" is clicked. Then click "View". Make sure that the Privacy Settings are set to Medium or Low. Then click OK. If this does not work, try to change your Cookie settings to "Enable all cookies", and then try to log in.
4. Have a firewall? Some users with ZoneAlarm Pro and Norton Internet Security has reported problems in logging in. Try disabling the firewall for a few minutes and then try logging in. If that worked you know this is the problem. You can either leave it disabled while surfing the forums, or you can try to change the settings to make BudoSeek! a trusted site. Consult your programs Help files, but somewhere in there, you can indicate which sites are trusted or you can accept cookies from. You will probably have to type in the domain name, so just type in budoseek.net.
If you continue to have problems, please feel free to contact the webmaster at webmaster@budoseek.net. Please give a detailed description of what problem you are having and what steps you have taken to resolve the problem. Also please indicate what web browser you are using and your operating system.
First, for this and other general usage and troubleshooting, please visit out the FAQ. You will see several categories at the bottom. Give them a click, and you may find the answer you are looking for.
Problems with logging in can be due to several factors. Browser settings, firewall, ad-blockers, ISP, etc. could be the cause of your problem. Basically anything on your end that fliters Internet traffic can cause this problem. So here are a couple of things you might try.
1. Prior to trying to log in, clear your cookies. You can do this by clicking this link.
You can also manually clear your cookies by going to where the cookies for your computer are stored and deleting everything with "budoseek.net" in the cookie name. The location depends upon the type of browser you use. If you need help in this regard, send me an email and let me know which browser you use and what your operating system is.
2. Passwords are CaSE sENsiTivE and you must type it in exactly as you did when you first signed up. So make sure that your CAP LOCK is off on your keyboard. If you just forget your password, click the 'Forgotten Your Password?' link on any page that requires you to fill in your password.
3. Check your browser settings.
a. If you are using Internet Explorer, right-click on the desktop and the Internet Properties dialog box should appear. Click on the Privacy tab. Make sure that the privacy level is set no higher than "Medium". You can also go to the Edit button and manually type in "budoseek.net" in the text box labeled "Address of Web Site". Then Allow. This should take care of the problem.
b. If you use Netscape or Mozilla, open the browser and then click "Edit" in the menu bar, then click the + to the left of "Privacy and Security", then click "Cookies". First, ensure that "Enable cookies based on privacy settings" is clicked. Then click "View". Make sure that the Privacy Settings are set to Medium or Low. Then click OK. If this does not work, try to change your Cookie settings to "Enable all cookies", and then try to log in.
4. Have a firewall? Some users with ZoneAlarm Pro and Norton Internet Security has reported problems in logging in. Try disabling the firewall for a few minutes and then try logging in. If that worked you know this is the problem. You can either leave it disabled while surfing the forums, or you can try to change the settings to make BudoSeek! a trusted site. Consult your programs Help files, but somewhere in there, you can indicate which sites are trusted or you can accept cookies from. You will probably have to type in the domain name, so just type in budoseek.net.
If you continue to have problems, please feel free to contact the webmaster at webmaster@budoseek.net. Please give a detailed description of what problem you are having and what steps you have taken to resolve the problem. Also please indicate what web browser you are using and your operating system.
Logged in but still can't post? Awaiting Confirmation?
If you are able to log in but cannot post, it
is likely that your account has not been activated. Our forums require that our
new members verify their email address by clicking a link in an email that is
sent to the email address that you register with. That way, we can verify that
you are using a real email address! If you have not received an activation
email, it is likely that whatever email system you are using thinks the
activation email is spam, and has sent it to your spam/junk mail/etc folder.
This especially seems to be the case with Yahoo and Hotmail accounts. So if you
have not received an activation email, then please check your spam or junk mail
folder. If you would like to have the activation email sent to you again,
click this link and then type in the email address you registered with.
An activation email will arrive in your email inbox in a few minutes (if it
doesn't, check your junk mail/spam folder!).
If you still require assistance, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@budoseek.net.
If you still require assistance, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@budoseek.net.
Safe Surfing Tips
If you keep track of the news, it seems that
every week brings a slew of more threats to your computer and privacy from
viruses, worms, spyware, and other malicious code! However, you do not have to
be at the mercy of the lowlife that would try and screw up your computer and/or
invade your privacy.
So below are some simple things that you can do to protect yourself.
1. Make sure that your operating system is updated with all patches. In Windows, you do that my clicking Windows Update. In a Mac, click the little Apple in the upper left hand corner and click "Software Update". In Linux, follow the instructions for whatever distribution of Linux you use.
2. Make sure that your anti-virus software is UP TO DATE. Just having is installed will not do squat for you. You have to update the program and its virus definitions regularly (like every other day!!). If you do not have Anti-Virus protections, there are several excellent FREE products. AVG Anti-Virus Free, AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, and ClamWin Antivirus are all excellent products. I run a complete scan of my computer at least once a week. Since it can take a while, I do it before going to bed, or you can also have it set so that is scans at a predetermined time of your choosing. Also, some of the above will scan your incoming email and some will not. However, most of the commercial products (like from Symantec and McAfee) will scan your incoming email.
3. Make sure that you have some type of Anti-Spyware product installed. Windows Defender is an excellent product from Microsoft, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware SE are my personal favorites. Like anti-virus software, you must update the program frequently and run complete scans on your system. I do mine at least once per week.
4. Install and use a Firewall. The Windows firewall sucks and only protects against incoming traffic. You need protection in both directions. You can have a hardware firewall (like you get with a router, or other standalone product) or a software firewall. I recommend BOTH. At the very least, run a software firewall. ZoneAlarm Free is a terrific product and if you want a few more features, try the Pro version.
5. Last but not least, don't use MS Internet Explorer (MSIE) to browse the web! I like MSIE, but it stinks for security. Consider getting Mozilla Firefox! It is a superior product in all respects and much more secure!
So below are some simple things that you can do to protect yourself.
1. Make sure that your operating system is updated with all patches. In Windows, you do that my clicking Windows Update. In a Mac, click the little Apple in the upper left hand corner and click "Software Update". In Linux, follow the instructions for whatever distribution of Linux you use.
2. Make sure that your anti-virus software is UP TO DATE. Just having is installed will not do squat for you. You have to update the program and its virus definitions regularly (like every other day!!). If you do not have Anti-Virus protections, there are several excellent FREE products. AVG Anti-Virus Free, AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, and ClamWin Antivirus are all excellent products. I run a complete scan of my computer at least once a week. Since it can take a while, I do it before going to bed, or you can also have it set so that is scans at a predetermined time of your choosing. Also, some of the above will scan your incoming email and some will not. However, most of the commercial products (like from Symantec and McAfee) will scan your incoming email.
3. Make sure that you have some type of Anti-Spyware product installed. Windows Defender is an excellent product from Microsoft, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware SE are my personal favorites. Like anti-virus software, you must update the program frequently and run complete scans on your system. I do mine at least once per week.
4. Install and use a Firewall. The Windows firewall sucks and only protects against incoming traffic. You need protection in both directions. You can have a hardware firewall (like you get with a router, or other standalone product) or a software firewall. I recommend BOTH. At the very least, run a software firewall. ZoneAlarm Free is a terrific product and if you want a few more features, try the Pro version.
5. Last but not least, don't use MS Internet Explorer (MSIE) to browse the web! I like MSIE, but it stinks for security. Consider getting Mozilla Firefox! It is a superior product in all respects and much more secure!
Tweaking your web browser: Multiple Browser Connections
Hey everyone, have you ever wanted to download
multiple files and yet found that Internet Explorer or Firefox limits you to one
or two connections to the same server at a time? Pretty frustrating! I ran
across a browser tweak that will allow you to have multiple simultaneous browser
connections to a particular server. This means you can download multiple files
at a time without waiting for one to complete first.
I have linked instructions for tweaking your browser in both an MS Word and Adobe PDF file. The tweak for Firefox is pretty easy, but the Internet Explorer tweak requires that you modify the Windows Registry. It is pretty easy, but if you are NOT comfortable modifying the Registry, then just download Firefox and make you modifications there. Either way, follow the directions carefully!
I have linked instructions for tweaking your browser in both an MS Word and Adobe PDF file. The tweak for Firefox is pretty easy, but the Internet Explorer tweak requires that you modify the Windows Registry. It is pretty easy, but if you are NOT comfortable modifying the Registry, then just download Firefox and make you modifications there. Either way, follow the directions carefully!
About the Chat Room
In order to use the chat, you must have Sun
Microsystems Java Virtual Machine installed on your computer. If you need to
need to download it, please go to http://www.java.com and follow the
instructions. You must also be a registered member of this site.
If you look at the top of any page on the Navigation Bar (NavBar), you will see the new chat menu (illustrated above). This addition to the NavBar is a drop down menu that gives you access to the chatroom either as an embedded window or in its own separate window. It also gives you access to a page that indicates who is in the chat room (Who's Chatting).
Also, if there is anyone in the chat room, a number will be indicated in brackets to the right of the menu. That way you can see at a glance if anyone is in the chat, and if you want to see who it is, you can use the drop down menu and click "Who's Chatting?". The number that indicates how many are in the chat room updates every 60 seconds or so. So if you want to see if updated, you will have to reload the page you are curently on.
Once you are in the chatroom, you can use any number of features available to you. So don't be shy about playing with some of the controls. The worse you can do it get disconnected and then you will know next time not to do whatever you did again (unless you want to be disconnected). One of the more popular features is being able to look up a member's profile while in the chat. They way, you can address them by their name and not just their "handle". To do this, click on their name in the pane (on the right) that shows the members who are in the chatroom, and then right-click their name. Click "Profile" and a separate window will open to their public member profile.
Finally, all rules of conduct required of members in the forums apply to the chatroom. The Administrator has the ability to pull chat logs (including private chats) in order to investigate reported violations of the rules. So be nice and have fun!
If you look at the top of any page on the Navigation Bar (NavBar), you will see the new chat menu (illustrated above). This addition to the NavBar is a drop down menu that gives you access to the chatroom either as an embedded window or in its own separate window. It also gives you access to a page that indicates who is in the chat room (Who's Chatting).
Also, if there is anyone in the chat room, a number will be indicated in brackets to the right of the menu. That way you can see at a glance if anyone is in the chat, and if you want to see who it is, you can use the drop down menu and click "Who's Chatting?". The number that indicates how many are in the chat room updates every 60 seconds or so. So if you want to see if updated, you will have to reload the page you are curently on.
Once you are in the chatroom, you can use any number of features available to you. So don't be shy about playing with some of the controls. The worse you can do it get disconnected and then you will know next time not to do whatever you did again (unless you want to be disconnected). One of the more popular features is being able to look up a member's profile while in the chat. They way, you can address them by their name and not just their "handle". To do this, click on their name in the pane (on the right) that shows the members who are in the chatroom, and then right-click their name. Click "Profile" and a separate window will open to their public member profile.
Finally, all rules of conduct required of members in the forums apply to the chatroom. The Administrator has the ability to pull chat logs (including private chats) in order to investigate reported violations of the rules. So be nice and have fun!
Using a custom avatar
Many of you have asked how to create a custom
avatar (those images under your username when you post). So here are some
general instructions, but first the basics.
The Image
1. Find an image that you like, like a photo of yourself, or whatever.
2. Use your image editing software of choice, like PhotoImpact, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc and crop just that part of the image that you what to use. Then resize the new cropped image to be not larger than 114 pixels in height or width.
3. Save the image in jpg (jpeg) format to a location somewhere on your computer.
4. Upload this photo or image to your own web server. Most folks that have an internet connection also have free webspace provided by their ISP. Their ISP's support area should have information on setting up your webspace as well as how to upload the files.
Creating the link
Now that you have the image on your webserver, now it is time to find it and link to it in your Member profile.
1. Open your web browser and go to your website. If you type the name of the image that you created and uploaded to your server that the end of the URL it will appear in your browser window. If you placed the image in a particular folder (directory) on your webspace (like "images") then you would type that at the end of the URL and then your image name. It would look something like this:
2. Now that you have found your image, highlight the URL using your mouse, right-click on the highlighted URL and then click copy.
3. Go to your user profile in the User CP (or just click this link).
4. At the bottom of the page, click where it says "Use Custom Avatar". Then delete all of the text in the textbox labeled "Enter Avatar URL:" and then right-click and then click 'paste". The URL to your image should appear here. If not, go back to step 2 above and repeat the copy and then return and repeat step 4.
5. Click the "Save Changes" button and shazam!, you are finished!
If you have any questions or problems in using a custom avatar, please feel free to contact webmaster via private message or webmaster@budoseek.net.
The Image
1. Find an image that you like, like a photo of yourself, or whatever.
2. Use your image editing software of choice, like PhotoImpact, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc and crop just that part of the image that you what to use. Then resize the new cropped image to be not larger than 114 pixels in height or width.
3. Save the image in jpg (jpeg) format to a location somewhere on your computer.
4. Upload this photo or image to your own web server. Most folks that have an internet connection also have free webspace provided by their ISP. Their ISP's support area should have information on setting up your webspace as well as how to upload the files.
Creating the link
Now that you have the image on your webserver, now it is time to find it and link to it in your Member profile.
1. Open your web browser and go to your website. If you type the name of the image that you created and uploaded to your server that the end of the URL it will appear in your browser window. If you placed the image in a particular folder (directory) on your webspace (like "images") then you would type that at the end of the URL and then your image name. It would look something like this:
2. Now that you have found your image, highlight the URL using your mouse, right-click on the highlighted URL and then click copy.
3. Go to your user profile in the User CP (or just click this link).
4. At the bottom of the page, click where it says "Use Custom Avatar". Then delete all of the text in the textbox labeled "Enter Avatar URL:" and then right-click and then click 'paste". The URL to your image should appear here. If not, go back to step 2 above and repeat the copy and then return and repeat step 4.
5. Click the "Save Changes" button and shazam!, you are finished!
If you have any questions or problems in using a custom avatar, please feel free to contact webmaster via private message or webmaster@budoseek.net.
Posting Photos and Other Attachments
While photos and other types of files can be
put into your posts as attachments, one of the best ways for you to do so is as
a link from another website. This puts the image on another server and creates
very little overhead on our servers, and it keeps you from exceeding your quota
and not being able to upload additional attachments. When you are typing your
message, you can click the "Insert Image" button in the message form toolbar.
You will then insert the URL (web address) for your image. If you do not have
your own website, then you can also post images over at places like
Photobucket. You
can then generate a URL to your photo from there, and link to it over here!
The other option is to upload an image or other file to our server. In doing so, you must observe some limits on the size and dimensions of the image/file.
The file size limitation on ALL files is 1MB (megabyte). In addition to the file size limit, images must not exceed 1024 pixels in width and 768 pixels in height. If the limits are exceeded, then your upload will fail.
Additionally, some members have reported problem uploading larger files as attachments when using Mozilla Firefox. If that is the case, then login using Internet Explorer, and the upload should be successful.
Additionally, the uploading of files to our server places a strain on our server and bandwidth. While this has not been a problem, it may in the future. So they and not upload a bunch of useless nonsense just for the sake of uploading! If this becomes an issue, restrictions will be placed on the amount that members may upload.
The other option is to upload an image or other file to our server. In doing so, you must observe some limits on the size and dimensions of the image/file.
The file size limitation on ALL files is 1MB (megabyte). In addition to the file size limit, images must not exceed 1024 pixels in width and 768 pixels in height. If the limits are exceeded, then your upload will fail.
Additionally, some members have reported problem uploading larger files as attachments when using Mozilla Firefox. If that is the case, then login using Internet Explorer, and the upload should be successful.
Additionally, the uploading of files to our server places a strain on our server and bandwidth. While this has not been a problem, it may in the future. So they and not upload a bunch of useless nonsense just for the sake of uploading! If this becomes an issue, restrictions will be placed on the amount that members may upload.
Finally, files/images that are attached or linked should be in good taste. If they are judged to not be so, then they will be deleted by one of my moderators. If you continue to post images/files that are in poor taste, then you may be subject to having your account suspended or terminated.
BudoSeek! Photo Gallery
In order to post photos in our Gallery, you
must first register with in the discussion forums. Non-members may view the
gallery (at least for now), they cannot upload photos. The database for the
Photo Gallery uses the discussion forum member directory to control access, so
if you register in one, you are registered in both. Here are some general
guidelines that you need to follow:
1. Each member has a 2 megabyte upload limit. Therefore, in order to upload more photos, you should try and optimize your photos to as small a size as possible.
2. Maximum image resolution you may upload is 800 x 600 pixels. To me honest, 640 x 480 pixels looks just fine! The actual file size may be up to your 2 megabyte limit, but that would pretty much end your ability to upload new photos, so try and keep the file size small. See the information below on how to optimize your images.
3. Photos and other images may only be uploaded in jpeg format (.jpg). So make sure your same your images in this format.
4. If you are using a software firewall, specifically Norton Internet Security, you may have to temporarily disable this software to view the photo gallery. We have protection on the site that will prevent hotlinking an image, and this is causing the problem with some firewall software. We are working on a solution to this issue.
Optimization. The software for the Photo Gallery will automatically resize your image to 800x600 and reduce the file size to 70% of the original. However, as a general rule, you will probably find that you have better results if you do it yourself. If you use a photo editor such as Photoshop, PhotoImpact, PaintShopPro, etc, you can easily optimize your photos in order to reduce the image down to the required dimensions and even optimize the file size by changing the compression of the image. Generally 60%-70% compression will result in a quality photo for you to share, and substantially reduce the size of the file. Consult your software's help section for information on how to optimize your photos.
1. Each member has a 2 megabyte upload limit. Therefore, in order to upload more photos, you should try and optimize your photos to as small a size as possible.
2. Maximum image resolution you may upload is 800 x 600 pixels. To me honest, 640 x 480 pixels looks just fine! The actual file size may be up to your 2 megabyte limit, but that would pretty much end your ability to upload new photos, so try and keep the file size small. See the information below on how to optimize your images.
3. Photos and other images may only be uploaded in jpeg format (.jpg). So make sure your same your images in this format.
4. If you are using a software firewall, specifically Norton Internet Security, you may have to temporarily disable this software to view the photo gallery. We have protection on the site that will prevent hotlinking an image, and this is causing the problem with some firewall software. We are working on a solution to this issue.
Optimization. The software for the Photo Gallery will automatically resize your image to 800x600 and reduce the file size to 70% of the original. However, as a general rule, you will probably find that you have better results if you do it yourself. If you use a photo editor such as Photoshop, PhotoImpact, PaintShopPro, etc, you can easily optimize your photos in order to reduce the image down to the required dimensions and even optimize the file size by changing the compression of the image. Generally 60%-70% compression will result in a quality photo for you to share, and substantially reduce the size of the file. Consult your software's help section for information on how to optimize your photos.
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