THE BASIC CBOX

Ah yes, the Cbox.. Many people have come to love (and rely on) this feature of our site.

What's the Cbox? Well - the Cbox is a live chat of sorts, always able to be refreshed. It allows you to talk quickly to any user online at the time, without flooding the forums or the like. If you scroll down to the bottom of any page on this site - you will see the Cbox there - no doubt with people talking in it.


Now, you may be wondering the basics of how to use the Cbox, right?
The first thing you will do, is notice all the text - those are people talking..


Protecting your Username
Down below the main bulk of text, you will see a space to type in "Name".. go ahead and type in your Username there. Or, if you have yet to sign up with the site, please just type in a name that is appropriate. Please, please please... If you actually have an account at this site - make your Cbox name the same as your username here... it prevents all sorts of confusion!

Once you've typed in your name - at the far bottom-right or the Cbox, there is a link that says "Profile" - go ahead and click on that to password protect your name. Why password protect your name? Well - this is a sure-fire way to prevent people from pretending to be you. Surely some of you remember when we had problems with "pretenders".. well, now those problems will all go away - if, of course, you password protect your name.


Wait... What's that Url or Email space?!
Often times, you'll see somebody's name in blue up where they're talking.. if you click on their name - it'll open up a link in a new window.. often to a picture, or their profile here on HxR. We love this feature. :3

If you're having problems linking something (like your character's profile) to your cbox name, it's probably because the url is too long. Don't worry! With this simple and easy to use site - you can make your url's short enough to work in the cbox with ease. :3


Don't Forget the Rules!
Oh yes.. there are rules for the use of the Cbox, like there are rules for every aspect of the site. All of these rules, are of course for your protection and safety - please read them before you get too much further.


Now What?
So.. you've made yourself a profile, protected your name.. perhaps you've even linked your name so that it will take people back to nice places, right? Well - go ahead and type messages, and talk with friends and strangers! :O Oh, I forgot to tell you how to actually send messages, right? Well.. the last field to type in is the "message" field.. Go ahead and type up your message (up to 500 characters) - and then press the "Go" button. Ta-da! Your message will appear in the Cbox for all to see now!

TROUBLESHOOTING


How do I see messages that were posted after me?
Sometimes, if you do not refresh your page in your Internet browser often, like when posting a message, the Cbox will say the same thing for a long time. To see newer messages, simply push the 'Refresh' button at the right corner of the Cbox. Then, you can stay active in the conversation, and don't have to refresh your Internet page to see the new messages. Please refresh and see who responded before posting a message like "Hello, anyone there?" Sometimes, people are there, but you just haven't seen them yet.

It won't let me post! Why is that?
Well, sometimes there are errors, either in the Cbox, or the message you type that stop you from being able to post. Here's a list of things that may have happened to stop you.

-You didn't enter a name.
When this happens, the Cbox will pop up a tiny window that says 'Please enter a name'. It will redirect your cursor to the name box, where you can then type a name, and hit enter to post your message.

-You didn't enter a message.
Well, sometimes we hit the enter button on accident, or some other thing prevents us from actually putting a message in the bar. When this happens, the very top of the Cbox will say 'Posting...' for a while before stopping and saying 'Posting failed'. To correct this mistake, simply enter a message and try again.

-You are not connected to the Internet.
This happens to me a lot. My Internet connection will be dropped as I'm trying to post, and I'll get an error! A small pop up will come up that says you failed to post, and once you hit 'Ok' it will redirect you back to the Cbox. To fix this, simply get your Internet working again, and attempt to post again.
Note: The Cbox will fail to refresh when you are not connected as well.

-The Cbox made an error.
Well, technology isn't perfect. Sometimes the Cbox will give you an error, even when everything is okay on your end. Then you should simply wait a few seconds after the error message, and you can try again. It usually works the second time. Rarely, you'll need to try a third time.

-You are banned.
Well, sometimes a staff member sees you break rules, and decided you're not allowed in the Cbox anymore. They will ban you. You will be able to see all the messages, and even refresh the Cbox, but if you try to enter a message, it will give you an error similar to the one when you type no message at all. There is no way to fix this error unless a staff member lets you back. (This is unlikely. If you think you were banned for an unjust reason, take it up with me in a PM.)

It deleted some of my message, why?
Well, there is a limit of characters (letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks) that a single Cbox message can hold. If you're unsure how much that is, you can just watch your text. When you have reached the limit, it'll stop showing the things you type at the end of your message. You can post a second message with the remaining information if you wish, or shorten your current message.

SMILIES and FUN STUFF


Want to "spiff up" your Cbox conversasions? Try these codes!


Post a Link

Make Text Bold

Make Text Itallic

Make Text Underlined

Change the color of your Text

MODERATION

Here is some advice for you, if you happen to be "hired" as a moderator of the cbox:

When you log in to the Cbox, you will notice that by each user's name there will be a small "X" and a small "O"...


The "X" will delete the post.
The "O" will ban the member from the Cbox.



Do not, obviously, push either of those buttons unless absolutely needed.