The Olive Starlight Orchestra Group FAQs. Hopefully this information will help you find your way through the maze that is the Internet. At least for the Olive Group site. We've tried to compile the most frequently experienced frustrations with messages, posting, files, and so on. PART I - MEMBERSHIP PROBLEMS 1. Q: Yeah, but how do I get INTO the site itself? A: Are you subscribed? If you are, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OliveStarlightOrchestra and sign in with your username and id. If not, see question #2. 2. Q: What username? What id? I didn't sign up for this. Someone else automatically added me! A: Then send an email to olivestarlightorchestra-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (or to samoolives@yahoo.com) with whatever account name/email address you want to use for this purpose, and we'll make sure you're included. (Of course, if you're reading this, then you probably are a member already.) 3. Q: Yadda, yadda, yadda. But how do I actually log IN?!?!? A: Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OliveStarlightOrchestra/ and click on Sign In. (You can click on Join This Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OliveStarlightOrchestra/join) if you aren't a member.) You'll need a Yahoo I.D. to get in, though. If you don't already have one, click on Sign Up Now. Make sure you UNSELECT the "Send me special offers" at the bottom or else you'll be inundated with spam. Once you have an I.D. and password then Signing In should be pretty straightforward. 3’ (3-prime) Q: Why even bother if I’m already signed up? You’ve got my email address. YOU fix it! A: Sorry, no can do. But it really isn’t that hard for you to set yourself up. First, sign up for a freebie Yahoo account. Go to www.yahoo.com and click on MAIL. The direct approach is: http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_register?.intl=us&new=1&.done=http://login.yahoo.com/config/exit?.src=ym&.lg=us&.intl=us&.done=http%3a%2f%2flogin.yahoo.com%2fconfig%2fmail%3f.intl%3dus%26.lg%3dus&.src=ym&.partner=&.p=&promo=&.last= You’ll have to cut-and-paste the above mess into your browser window. Anyway, that gets you a freebie account, complete with Yahoo I.D. (makeupanyname@yahoo.com). You put the email address that you wanted for the OSO Group site under Current Email Address. And again, make sure to UNSELECT the "Send me special offers" at the bottom or else you'll be spammed to death. They’ll ask you to type in some sort of wriggly, warped word at the bottom of the form. If you don't, they won’t give you an account. It’s usually some sort of 4-letter word… 4. Q: I don't want any part of this bull$#!t! Get me outta here! A: Your loss, dude! Just let us know with an email to samoolives@yahoo.com or to olivestarlightorchestra-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com and you're history! Alternately, you can do it yourself by logging into the group and going to Edit My Groups (http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups?sort=m&order=a&page=1&edit=1), and checking the Leave Group box. PART II - EMAILS 1. Q: How do I get all these stupid emails to stop?!?!? A: Click on EDIT MY MEMBERSHIP in the upper right corner of the screen. (In the dark blue bar.) Or go to MY GROUPS and then click EDIT. Change your Message Delivery (third option) to No Email. Or Special Notices, if you prefer updates from the moderator(s). But if you leave it as Individual Emails or Daily Digest, you'll get everything posted on the Message Board. 2. Q: What's the difference between those options? A: It's really quite simple. + Individual Emails - Messages (ALL messages posted on OSO!!) are delivered one at a time to your email inbox. + Daily Digest - Messages (ALL messages) are delivered in batches of 25 or daily, whichever comes sooner. You still get everything, but in one lump mailing. + Special Announcements - This means you will receive email messages only when the group moderator posts a "Special Announcement" message. No Message Board postings. + No Mail - Just what it says. You can still post, and email others, but you don't get any Message Board stuff clogging your Inbox. 3. Q: Can I email other Olives in the group? A: Sure! Just click on Members in the left-hand column, and then click on the email address of the character you want to contact. Don't forget to scroll down the ENTIRE browser window to get to the grey SEND button at the bottom of the screen. 4. Q: Why am I receiving duplicate emails? A: Er, well, that's a special feature that only you have. We're not sure yet why it's happening, but it might have something to do with having Alternate Email Addresses on your account. We promise to find out what it really is and tell you REALLY SOON! 5. Q: My machine's gone haywire and has been spamming everyone else with attachments and virii!! It's really not my fault. How can I stop email attachments from reaching group members? A: You can't. It's up to the moderator(s). Tell them to change the Settings for the group; they need to click on the Edit button in the Posting section, and click on "Discard attachments." And then make sure you get a decent virus scanner installed as soon as possible! You'll be doing everyone a favor. 6. Q: Are there any rules and/or regulations about what can and cannot be said on the board? A: Whaddaya think this is, some stinkin' Pinko Commie place where y'all have no freedom at all? Actually, there are no "official" rules on what can and can't be posted. On the other hand, trying to sell Viagra on OSO will probably get you canned pretty fast. Basically we expect everyone to be mature enough not to go overboard on any subject. For example, there was this one instance where a couple of members disagreed with each other over whether something should be permitted, and the two were grown up enough to discuss it in a totally rational matter and come up with a solution that was satisfactory to both parties. (And as an added bonus, the various and sundry body parts that were left on the floor after their "discussion" was completed were generously donated to the nearest hospital as potential transplant material.) PART II - MESSAGE BOARDS 1. Q: What's a message board? A: See the vertical bar that reads "Home, Messages, Post, Chat" and so on? That's the main navigation bar. Clicking on any of those choices will get you around most of the site. Try it and see. 2. Q: Okay, I found the message board. Hey! There's a TON of messages here! How do I read them? And how come I can only see 50 at a time? A: To read a message, click on the blue name and the message will appear like magic. To see ones you may have missed, click on PREVIOUS or NEXT, floating in the light blue bar above the list of messages. 3. Q: Huh? What's that stupid picture doing on my screen? I thought you said I'd get a message when I clicked on one! YOU LIED TO ME! A: Oh yes, that. Er, that's rather unfortunate and unavoidable. It's the advertising that Yahoo sells so we don't have to pay for membership. It will show up every fourth message or so. Just ignore it by clicking on Continue To Message. 4. Q: Oh, there it is! Whooo! I gotta reply to this one about the camel incident. How do I do that? A: You can click on Reply, just above the message itself. Just edit the message in the big box in the middle of the screen. Oh, and don't forget to scroll down the ENTIRE screen when you're done (not just the message window, but the whole thing) so you can click on the grey SEND button. 5. Q: That's all well and good. But I want to say something new. How do I do that? A: You can click on Post in the navigation bar to the left. You'll get the same screen as if you pressed Reply, as above, but the message window will be completely blank. Just waiting for you to thrill us with your witticisms. But don't forget to scroll down the ENTIRE screen when you're done so you can click on the grey SEND button. PART III - MEMBERSHIP 1. Q: I clicked on Members and now I see yellow happy faces all over the place. What are they? A: The yellow smileys show your online status. That means other people who are online can chat with you. If you click on someone else's smiley, a Yahoo Messenger window opens up. Of course, you have to have it installed on your computer first. (They give you a quick download link so you can do this and receive yet more spam advertisements. Still, it's kinda fun.) 2. Q: Ok, now I know what they are. Now how do I make them go away? A: You'll have to logout first. Go to the Yahoo! Profiles Page (http://edit.profiles.yahoo.com). Check the special box to Hide Online Status and you'll be invisible next time you're in the group. 3. Q: How can I to change my ID without changing my ID. (I want to call myself olivezoo instead of olivestarlightorchestra.) A: First go into Edit My Membership (up on the dark blue bar above the message board). Then click Add New Profile (next to the profile selection window near the top). Create/edit a new profile but make sure to UNCHECK the Directory Listing at the bottom 'cause you don't want to be inundated with spam. Click the grey Create Profile button to return to Edit Memberships page. Now scroll down the Yahoo Profile selection window to the one you want. Yahoo apparently lets you have up to five aliases. Try not to abuse the privilege. PARI IV - OTHER STUFF 1. Q: What else can I do on the OSO site? A: Look at the left-hand navigation bar. You can do all sorts of stuff: + CHAT - You need to have Live Update active (Netscape browser) in order to chat with others. See the Smiley Face discussion above. You may also want to read the Yahoo Helpfile... + FILES - Read, edit, or drop off any kind of file you want to share, as long as you have the moderator(s)' permission. Which you should have. Some of the files are in folders. You should know how to navigate through folders by now, right? + PHOTOS - Same as above, except it's kinda hard to edit them. Still, you can download and edit, then upload them again. Yahoo also "allows" you to buy them, but don't bother. It's not worth it. + BOOKMARKS - New and exciting web sites all over the place! Feel free to add your own favorites. Really! + DATABASE - Just what you'd think. So far we've mostly got Olive quotes but you can make and add your own. Sometimes you can edit/add to the files that are there already... + POLLS - Questions and answers already in. You just click on one or more of the choices. Feel free to add your own! + CALENDAR - Duh. So far we've got July birthdays and a couple of parties marked. Again, add your own favorite dates! (At the discretion of being edited by the moderator(s).) + PROMOTE - Ignore this. It's not worth it unless you're doing Web design. We hope you find this information useful. If not, tough noogies. Be sure to let us know if there are any other questions you want answered. We'll add it in, if we feel like it! Sincerely, The Moderators (Aka The Ozzies) (Also John T., Joy, Keith, and whoever else can figure out the password.) (If you can't figure it out, you either have to bribe the moderators or else avoid cheesing them off.) (At least one "Moderator" has a history of pranksterism...)