Frequently Asked Questions @ Snooker Island

Frequently Asked Questions

Login and Registration Issues: What’s the deal with registration?; Why can’t I log in?; Why do I get logged out automatically?; How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?; I’ve lost my password!; I registered but cannot login..?; I registered in the past but cannot login any more..?; Why can’t I register?; What happens if I click “Delete all board cookies”?

User Preferences and settings: How do I change my settings?; The times are not correct..?; I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!..?; My language is not in the list..?; How do I show an image alongside my username?; What is my rank and how do I change it?; When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login..?

Posting Issues: How do I post a topic in a forum?; How do I edit or delete a post?; How do I add a signature to my post?; How do I create a poll?; Why can’t I add more poll options?; How do I edit or delete a poll?; Why can’t I access a forum?; Why can’t I add attachments?; Why did I receive a warning?; How can I report posts to an Island Ranger?; What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?; Why does my post need to be approved?; Why/how would I bump my topic?

Formatting and Topic Types: What is BBCode?; Can I use HTML?; What are Smilies?; Can I post images?; What are global announcements?; What are announcements?; What are sticky topics?; What are locked topics?

User Levels and Groups: Who or what are the Island Keepers?; Who or what are the Island Rangers?; Who or what are the Island Scouts?; What are usergroups?; Where are the usergroups and how do I join one?; How do I become a usergroup leader?; Why do some usergroups appear in a different colour?; What is a “Default usergroup”?; What is “The Island Team” link?

Private Messaging: I cannot send private messages!; I keep getting unwanted private messages!; I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!

Friends and Foes: What are my Friends and Foes lists?; How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?

Searching the Forums: How can I search a forum or forums?; Why does my search return no results?; Why does my search return a blank page!?; How do I search for Islanders?; How can I find my own posts and topics?

Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks: What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?; How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?; How do I remove my subscriptions?

Login and Registration Issues

What’s the deal with registration?: You do not need to register in order to read the articles and discussions on the site but you must register if you wish to participate. Registration is free and simple; it helps us to prevent inappropriate contributions from anonymous users but above all it helps you to personalise your experience with access to additional features.; Top

Why can’t I log in?: The most common reason for login failures is a mis-typed username or password. If you can’t log in you should first ensure that you are entering your login details correctly. If you are certain they are correct but you still cannot log in, contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

Why do I get logged out automatically?: If you do not select the option to Log me in automatically when you log in then you may find yourself logged out after one hour. This is by design and helps to prevent misuse of your account by anyone else. If you wish to remain logged in you should select the option at login; however this isn’t recommended if you are using a shared public computer (eg. library, internet cafe etc.).; Top

How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?: By default your online status is visible to other users when you are logged in so they can see you are awake. To prevent this for your current session you can choose to hide your online status when you log in. If you wish to make this setting persistent you can do so via your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”. Note that whatever you choose, your online status will always be visible to the Island Keepers, the Island Rangers and yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.; Top

I’ve lost my password!: No worries. Your password cannot be retrieved but it can be reset easily. Visit the login page and click I’ve forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.; Top

I registered but cannot login..?: Have you received your registration email? If not, please check to see if it may have been picked up by a spam filter before you contact us.; Top

I registered in the past but cannot login any more..?: Attempt to locate the email sent to you when you first registered, check your username and password and try again. If you are still having trouble, contact one of the Island Keepers for assistance.; Top

Why can’t I register?: In rare circumstances we may disable registration to prevent new visitors from signing up. If you are caught in this predicament please come back and try again later. Otherwise, unless you are trying to register with details that have been banned previously, you should be ok - contact one of the Island Keepers if you are still having trouble.; Top

What happens if I click “Delete all board cookies”?: The site utilises cookies to authenticate your login and to help you keep track of which forums and topics you have read. You may wish to delete these cookies if you are having trouble logging in or you would like to reset your record of which forums and topics you have read.; Top

User Preferences and settings

How do I change my settings?: Registered Islanders can alter their settings via the User Control Panel, a link to which can be found at the top of all pages once you have logged in.; Top

The times are not correct..?: This is normally a timezone issue. Registered Islanders may change their timezone settings by logging into their User Control Panel.; Top

I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!..?: If you are sure you have set the timezone and Summer Time/DST correctly but the time is still incorrect, you should contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

My language is not in the list..?: Snooker Island is available in English only at the present time. Other languages will be available in due course.; Top

How do I show an image alongside my username?: Registered Islanders can choose to upload an image (commonly known as an avatar) to show alongside their name in forum listings. The settings for this can be found within your profile preferences, found via the User Control Panel.; Top

What is my rank and how do I change it?: Simply your rank indicates the general number of posts you have made, and you will see it change as your post count increases. It’s quite trivial, so for fun the Island ranking system uses snooker-related terms like ’10-Break Standard’ and ’Pro Tour Rookie’ to describe your volume of posts. You cannot change these terms, and since they don’t mean much in any case you are discouraged from posting unnecessarily just to change your rank.; Top

When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login..?: Only registered Islanders can send email to others via the built-in email form. This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.; Top

Posting Issues

How do I post a topic in a forum?: To post a new topic in a forum, you should click the relevant link on either the forum or topic screens. You will (in most cases) need to register before you can post a message. A list of your permissions in each forum is available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens. For example: You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc.; Top

How do I edit or delete a post?: You can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post, sometimes for only a limited time after the post was made. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if one of the Island’s Keepers of Rangers edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own discretion. Note that you cannot delete a post once someone has replied. If you find yourself desperate to delete a post in such a case you should contact one of Island Rangers for assistance.; Top

How do I add a signature to my post?: Some forums offer their users the option to add preset signature text to the end of their posts. In the interests of keeping the site’s content as compact and relevant as possible, Snooker Island does not offer this option.; Top

How do I create a poll?: When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.; Top

Why can’t I add more poll options?: The limit for poll options is pre-determined by the Island Keepers, so if you feel you need to add more options to your poll than the allowed amount, contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

How do I edit or delete a poll?: As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster or one of the Island Keepers/Rangers. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only Island Keepers/Rangers can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.; Top

Why can’t I access a forum?: Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post or perform another action you may need special permissions. You may request access by contacting one of the Island’s Keepers or Rangers.; Top

Why can’t I add attachments?: In general you will not have the facility to add attachments to your posts.; Top

Why did I receive a warning?: The forum operates by rules which are marked (or linked) at the top of every relevant page. If you receive a warning, it is most likely that you have fallen foul of these rules in some way. If you unsure of the cause, contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

How can I report posts to an Island Ranger?: You should see a button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.; Top

What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?: Available to registered Islanders only, this allows you to save passages to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved passage, visit your User Control Panel.; Top

Why does my post need to be approved?: In special circumstances the Island’s Keepers or Rangers may decide that posts to a particular forum, or posts from a particular user/group, should be reviewed before they are published. If you are in doubt, please contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

Why/how would I bump my topic?: Bumping a topic moves it to the top of the forum on the first page so that it regains its greatest visibility. You may want to do this on occasion when nobody has answered your post for some time. Note that you can get the same effect by replying to the post, and this is certainly what you should do if you wish to add a comment to your ’bump’. Otherwise, to simply bump a topic you should hit the “Bump topic” link at the bottom of the topic’s page. If you do not see this link, it could be that bumping has been disabled or that the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached.; Top

Formatting and Topic Types

What is BBCode?: BBCodes are simple ’magic’ tags which you can use in your posts to render various formatting and content. For example there are BBCodes for simple text formatting (such as bold and italic), and others for inserting richer content such as YouTube videos. All BBCodes are handled by the buttons along the top edge of your message editor; the best way to understand them is to play around in the editor and hit the ’Preview’ button to see what they do.; Top

Can I use HTML?: No. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead.; Top

What are Smilies?: Smilies are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether. The board administrator may also have set a limit to the number of smilies you may use within a post.; Top

Can I post images?: Yes but you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server such as at Flickr or PhotoBucket. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, eg. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.; Top

What are global announcements?: Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement permissions are granted by the Island Keepers.; Top

What are announcements?: Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement permissions are granted by the Island Keepers.; Top

What are sticky topics?: Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the Island Keepers.; Top

What are locked topics?: Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by one of the Island’s Keepers or Rangers. You may also be able to lock your own topics depending on the permissions you are granted by the Island Keepers.; Top

User Levels and Groups

Who or what are the Island Keepers?: The Island Keepers are the founders of snookerisland.com - Roland Cox (aka 'Sonny') and Christopher Hall (aka 'hallenberg'). For more information, look them up in the members list.; Top

Who or what are the Island Rangers?: The Island Rangers are a small group of dedicated volunteers who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally they are present to ensure that the forums remain vibrant with positive and interesting discussion.; Top

Who or what are the Island Scouts?: The Island Scouts aide the Island Rangers in looking after the most popular forums from day to day. Generally they are present to welcome visitors, to encourage discussion, and to keep an eye on forum conduct. As devout snooker fans in their own right, the Scouts regularly create fresh and interesting forum topics for everyone to participate in.; Top

What are usergroups?: Usergroups are groups of users that divide the community into manageable sections. Each user can belong to several groups and each group can be assigned individual permissions. This provides an easy way for administrators to change permissions for many users at once, such as changing moderator permissions or granting users access to a private forum.; Top

Where are the usergroups and how do I join one?: You can view all usergroups via the “Usergroups” link within your User Control Panel. If you would like to join one, proceed by clicking the appropriate button. Not all groups have open access, however. Some may require approval to join, some may be closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the group is open, you can join it by clicking the appropriate button. If a group requires approval to join you may request to join by clicking the appropriate button. The usergroup leader will need to approve your request and may ask why you want to join the group.; Top

How do I become a usergroup leader?: If you are interested in creating a usergroup, please contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

Why do some usergroups appear in a different colour?: Usergroups appear in different colours to make it easy to identify the members of a particular group.; Top

What is a “Default usergroup”?: If you are a member of more than one usergroup, your default is used to determine which group colour and group rank should be shown for you by default. Under certain circumstances you may be granted permission to change your default usergroup via your User Control Panel.; Top

What is “The Island Team” link?: This page provides you with a list of the Island members assigned to deal with your queries, should you have any. Other details (such as which forums they moderate) are also shown in order that you may select the most appropriate member to contact.; Top

Private Messaging

I cannot send private messages!: There are two possible reasons for this; either you are not registered and/or not logged on, or the Island Keepers have prevented you from sending messages. If in doubt, contact one of the Island Keepers.; Top

I keep getting unwanted private messages!: You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, inform a one of the Island Keepers; if necessary they can prevent a user from sending private messages.; Top

I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!: We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so email one of the Island Keepers with a full copy of the email you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the email. The Island Keepers can then take appropriate action.; Top

Friends and Foes

What are my Friends and Foes lists?: You can use these lists to organise other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be shown on the forum index page so you can follow them more closely and see which of them are awake when you log in. They will also appear within your User Control Panel for quick access to send them private messages. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.; Top

How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?: You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.; Top

Searching the Forums

How can I search a forum or forums?: Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Search” link on the forum’s navigation bar (available on all pages on the forum).; Top

Why does my search return no results?: Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced Search.; Top

Why does my search return a blank page!?: Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use the advanced search to be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.; Top

How do I search for Islanders?: Visit to the “Islanders” page and click the “Find a member” link.; Top

How can I find my own posts and topics?: Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Search user’s posts” within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the Advanced Search page and fill in the various options appropriately.; Top

Topic Subscriptions and Bookmarks

What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?: Bookmarking is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren’t alerted when there’s an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred method or methods.; Top

How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?: To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the “Subscribe topic” link within the topic itself.; Top

How do I remove my subscriptions?: To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.; Top

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