Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: What do I do if there is an advertisement on the site that I feel is inappropriate or obnoxious?

Advertisements pay the bills that are required to keep Hotcouponworld a free site for everyone and we strive to have advertisements that are relative to the content and/or members of the site. However some of the ad channels on our site are not fully controlled by us. So sometimes an ad appears that is just inappropriate (although it will never be X-rated) for the site or an obnoxious ad (talking, flashing, etc) appears. We would be happy to find this ad and block it from appearing in our advertisement rotation.

Please feel free to send a private message to one of the administrators of Hotcouponworld - Queenofthehivemomof5, Hotcouponmama, or Spb. Or you may use the Contact Us link located at the bottom of the page to send us an email. Included with your message please let us know what the ad is for and what location is appearing on the site (Top, left or bottom) and what the problem is with the ad. We will then look into it and if the ad truly is inappropriate for the site or obnoxious we will then proceed to block the ad. Once we put in the block for the ad it can take up to 4 hours for the ad to get blocked.

Please do not start a thread or post on the site about the ad. The most efficient way to let us know is to contact us directly. Sometimes we just don't see the threads on the forums.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: What does "Non-participant" mean?

When a member is banned it will say "Non-participant" under their username. Sometimes a member is banned forever and sometimes it is a temporary ban from the board.

This is our policy on banning members (and of course there are instances where we have to just make a decision)

- Spam - zero tollerance for it we ban them all. This makes up 99% of our banned member list. Spam is 30 points and we don't usually give warnings.

- Accured infractions. It takes ALOT to accumulate infractions in order to get yourself a perma-ban. This rarely happens. Remember that most infractions expire. So you have to continue to break the rules in a short time span or constantly repeat any non-expiring infraction in order to get 30 Points OR 10 Infractions. Take also into account that bad trades are serious non-expiring infractions and that it only take (I think) two to get yourself banned.

From the community rules:

All infractions have consequences, here you will find how many points and how many infractions it will take to give users a consequence. 10 Points OR 6 Infractions = 2 Day Ban from the board 20 Points OR 8 Infractions = 5 Day Ban from the board 30 Points OR 10 Infractions = Permanent Ban from the boardRule violations are not a frequent occurrence, but they do happen. Most members are respectful to one another and follow the rules. We feel that knowing the rules and what will happen if you break the rules is good for the forum and community at large.

- On a case by case basis. Sometimes we just have to make an executive decision for the good of the community to keep out trolls, trouble makers, people involved in illegal activity. Additionally we don't tollerate anyone being outright hateful or disrespectfull to the admin or moderators.

If someone was perma-banned and they come back it is because they made good on the bad trade or appologized sincerely.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: What links are allowed or not allowed in my signature?

From our Community Rules

All off-site links (links that direct members off of Hotcouponworld.com to another website) are not allowed without either permission or a Hot Entrepreneur Subscription* Websites, Blogs, or Social Networking Sites In order to obtain permission to link to your website, blog or social networking sites we are asking that you add a banner to Hotcouponworld.com on your website. You can find our banners along with instructions on how to get permission to add a link to your signature at the following link: Share Hotcouponworld. Google Documents Links to google documents are allowed without permission provided the google document contains only your couponing have or wish lists. Google documents to spreadsheets, price books, savings trackers, etc are not allowed without permission from an administrator first. Referral Links Referral links are not allowed in member signatures unless said member has a Hot Entrepreneur Subscription* Business Links Business links are only allowed if a member has a Hot Entrepreneur Subscription* *Hot Entrepreneur Subscription information can be found at this link Tickers, banners or other images Our site settings are set to not allow images in signatures other than Hotcouponworld provided smilies. This setting is in place to help speed up load time for those members that are on a slower internet connection. All off site links that have met these guidelines will have the following smiley inserted by the member in the provided signature space. Members that are found to have unapproved links in their signatures will have their signatures removed by an administrator and are subject to the infraction system.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: What is a Wiki?

The Wiki feature here at HotCouponWorld is a special feature that we have added to certain forums that allows all registered member of HotCouponWorld to be able to add a Wiki post to a thread in any of the forums that this feature is turned on for.

The Wiki is then added to the thread in the second post spot of the thread. The Wiki is then a post that everyone can edit. This allows the HotCouponWorld community to maintain one list of deals, coupons or information without having to read a entire thread of posts to get the deals or information.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: How Do I Add A Wiki To A Thread?

If the forum permissions permit it any registered and logged in member can add a Wiki to a thread. To add a Wiki to an existing thread simply look for the community wiki box located under the first post of a thread (in a thread that has multiple pages of posts the Wiki can be found in the second post spot on each page. There you will see a message that says
"Be the first to write the wiki in this thread. Click here to get started." and the "Click here" part will be a click-able link that you can click to start the wiki.

Here is a screenshot of where to find the community wiki post.
__________________________________________________ ____

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: How Do I Edit And Add To An Existing Wiki?

To edit or add something new to an existing wiki in a thread simply navigate to the Community Wiki post and in the lower right hand corner of that post you will find a button that reads "Edit". Clicking that edit button will open up the edit Wiki feature. At the top of your page you will see the Wiki as it exists, scrolling down your page a bit you will then see the post editor box where you can now edit the Wiki.

NOTE: If you are using Google Chrome as your internet browser you will see what is called BB Code when editing the Wiki. BB Code is Bulletin Board code and is similar to HTML code. Unless you are very familiar with reading and editing in BB Code we suggest that you switch to another browser such as Fire Fox or Internet Explorer.

Once you are done editing the Wiki, click the "Save" button to save your edits. Additionally you may want to click the "Preview" button to preview your wiki edits before clicking the "Save" button.

We ask all members to be respectful of the work that goes into a community Wiki by following the headers that may already be started in a Wiki post to offer organization of lists of information and deals. Also be mindful of any Wiki "rules" that the moderator has asked all members to follow.

The content contained in the Community Wiki's are subject to the Community Rules, please do not add content to the Wiki's that break the rules.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: How Do I Create A New Thread?

A: To start a new thread or a new topic in a forum first navigate to the forum that you wish to make your new thread in and then look near the upper left part of your screen for a button that reads "New Topic". Click that button and you will be directed to a screen that allows you to start a new thread.

Screenshot:


On the "Post New Thread" page you will be prompted to create a title for your thread and to enter the message body. In some forums you may also need to select an appropriate thread prefix for your thread to help keep the forum you are posting in organized.

You are also given the options to change the font, font color, font size, add smilies, attachments, links, pictures and other fun things to your post.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Q: Why Can't I Leave Feedback From A Trade?

Only members of either the Trader In Training or Trader Groups can leave feedback for trades for other members. To join the Trader In Training group you must first read the trading rules, agree to them and then join. All of this can be found at the following link: RULES: Trading Forums: Share the Wealth - MUST READ