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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Here are brief explanations for some of the questions that you may have
about the Madison Online (R) Classifieds.
How does this system work?
On the front page for the Madison Online (R) Classifieds, you will see a number of sections, such as "Employment", "Housing", et cetera. If you click on one of these sections, you will then be taken to the front page of that section, where you can view, post, modify, or delete ads within that section. You can click on "Search Ads" and view ads immediately without registering. If you want to post, modify, or delete an ad, however, you will need to log on to the system. If you are a new user, you need to click on "Register For An Account". This is a quick (and FREE) process that allows you to select a username and password. It also asks for your name and e-mail addresss so that it can e-mail you a confirmation notice when you post an ad. Once you have registered, you can then logon from now on with your username and password. Therefore, please make a note of your username and password, because you will need to know them if you ever want to modify or delete your ad in the future.
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How does the logon process work?
If you want to post, modify, or delete an ad, you will need to log on to the system. If you have never logged on here before, please click on the "Register For An Account" button. This is a quick (and FREE) process that asks for your name and e-mail address. You will also be asked to choose a username and password. Make sure that you make a note of your username and password, because you will need to know them if you ever want to modify or delete your ad in the future. Once you've filled in the information, click on the "Submit Information" button. If you have successfully registered, you will see an acknowledgement page. If not, you should see a page explaining why your registration wasn't successful. Normally, this would occur either when someone else is already using the username that you chose, if you forgot to fill in one of the fields, or if your password in the 2 password fields didn't match. If you successfully registered, click on the "Logon to the System" button. At the "Enter Your Logon Information" page, enter your username and password and click on the "Logon To The System" button. In the future, anytime that you want to post a new ad, modify your existing ads, or delete an ad, you can go straight to the logon screen and enter your username and password.
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I forgot my username. Can I still logon?
If you ever forget your username, at the logon screen, you can click on the "Search For Old Account" button. When the next screen comes up, enter your e-mail address on the form and click on the "Submit Search" button. The script will display the usernames (if any) associated with that e-mail address. For obvious reasons, it will not tell you the password, so please make sure that you make a note of your password when you first register.
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I forgot my password. Can I still logon?
If you ever forget your password, at the logon screen, you can click on the "Forgot Your Password?" button. When the next screen comes up, enter your user name on the form and click on the "Submit Search" button. The script will e-mail your password to the e-mail address that you used when registering your account.
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Are the usernames case-sensitive?
Yes. Therefore, if you use the username "Joe", you must be sure to type in "Joe" when logging on in the future, as "joe" would not work.
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How do I post an ad?
From the main page, click on the "Place Free Ad" button and logon as described above. You will then be taken to the "Post a Classified Ad" page. Here, you will see a form with many fields. Most of these are optional, although filling in more information helps people who are looking for your specific information to find you. When you have filled out the form, click on the "Post my ad" button. You should then see an acknowledgement page if your ad was successfully posted.
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Do I have to use my real name when posting a message?
No. Even if you use your real name when you register (and we encourage that), you do not have to use your real name when you post an ad. The script will simply publish whatever you put in the first and last name fields. If you feel more comfortable, you can use a nickname or pseudoname.
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Can I put HTML tags anywhere in my posts?
No. You can not use HTML tags in the body of the message.
If you put HTML tags in your message, the script will just throw out everything in between the
<>'s. You do have the option, however, of putting a link to a picture of something if you have posted it somewhere else on the Web.
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How do I put a picture up with my classified ad?
You have the option of putting up a picture of yourself, your car, your house, or some other item that you are trying to sell along with your classified ad. In order to do so, however, you must have already posted this picture somewhere on the World Wide Web or have added it through our add-ons program. If you have, then fill in the "URL of Picture" field with the
exact URL for where this picture is located on the Web. The picture must be in .GIF or .JPG format. If you do it correctly, the picture will then appear with your ad as a clickable link back to the original picture. In order to keep the display from getting too unwieldy, the script will automatically format all pictures to a width and height of 85 pixels square. If your picture differs significantly from a square shape, it may appear distorted in the display.
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What if I don't have a picture somewhere else on the
Web?
If you don't have the picture posted somewhere else on the Web, then you won't be
able to post one using the automated form (the rest of the form will still work, however). If you
have a scanned or digital photo (in .GIF or .JPG format) and would like to include it with your listing, we can add it for you using our add-ons program.
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How do I add a sound clip or video clip to my personal ad?
You have the option of adding a sound clip and/or video clip to your personal ad (this option is available only for personal ads). In order to do so, however, you must have already posted this sound clip or video clip somewhere on the World Wide Web or have added it through our add-ons program. If you have, then fill in the "URL of Sound Clip" or "URL of Video Clip" field with the exact URL for where this sound clip or video clip is located on the Web. Sound clips must be in .WAV or .AU format. Video clips must be in .AVI or .MOV (Apple QuickTime) format. If you do it correctly, your ad will contain a sound or video icon that will be a clickable link to your sound clip or video clip.
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What if I don't have a sound clip or video clip somewhere else on the Web?
If you don't have a sound clip or video clip posted somewhere else on the Web, then you won't be
able to post one using the automated form (the rest of the form will still work, however). If you have a sound card and microphone with your computer and have the ability to make a sound file (in .WAV or .AU format), and would like to include it with your listing, we can add it for you using our add-ons program. Similarly, if you have the ability to make a video clip (in .AVI or .MOV format), and would like to include it with your listing, we can add it for you using our add-ons program.
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How do I change the picture that I have posted with my ad?
Choose "Modify Your Ad", search for it, choose it from the search display, and then change the URL that you put in the "URL of Picture" field. Or in the alternative, since the picture that you posted with your ad resides on another web site, you can easily change the picture to anything that you want to by simply changing the file at that web site while keeping the same filename, assuming that you have control over that site.
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What should I put in the "Text of Ad" box?
Please describe the item that you are trying to sell in as much detail as you can. If you're posting a classified ad advertising a car, tell people about the year, make, model, number of miles, options, etc. If you're posting a classified ad advertising a piece of real estate for sale or for rent, tell them about the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and other rooms; about the amenities; etc. If you're announcing a garage sale, be sure to tell readers the exact time and location of the garage sale and describe some of the items that will be available. For personal ads, tell people what you look like, what you do for a living,
what your hobbies and interests are, where you're from, etc. Also, don't be afraid to say what
you're looking for both in terms of physical or personality traits and in terms of the relationship.
If you want someone who is a specific age or looks a certain way or has certain political or
recreational interests, say so! Being honest about both what you're really like and what you
really want will help to avoid misunderstandings in the future. If you're posting a help wanted ad, tell people about the type of work, what skills, education, or experience is required, what the rate of pay is, the geographic location of the job, and any other information relevant to this particular position. If you're posting an employment wanted ad, tell potential employers about the type of work you desire, your skills, education, and experience, what salary level you are seeking, what geographic areas you would prefer to work in, and any other relevant information about yourself.
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Why didn't my classified ad show up?
Your classified ad most likely did not show up because either you were in the wrong section (such as "Housing" instead of "Personals") or you specified search criteria that don't appear in your ad. If so, please verify that you are in the correct section and then broaden your search by leaving more of the search fields blank.
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How do I modify my ad?
At the bottom of every page you will find the "Modify Ad" button. If you click on this button, you will see a search form (once you have logged in). Narrow your search by filling in the fields with information specific to your ad (such as your last name, etc.) and click on the "Search for Item to Modify" button. You should get a listing of all ads that fit your search criteria. Click on the radio button to the left of the ad that you want to modify and click on the "Display Modification Form" button. The next page will display your ad with a modification form beneath it. The current information from your ad will already be filled in, so you only need to modify the fields that you want to change. Once you have filled in the form, click on the "Submit Modification(s)" button. You should then see an acknowledgement page if your ad was successfully modified. If you tried to modify an ad that you did not submit, the script will deny your request.
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How do I remove my ad?
At the bottom of every page you will find the "Delete Ad" button. If you click on this button, you will see a search form. Narrow your search by filling in the fields with information specific to your ad (such as your last name, etc.) and click on the "Search for Item to Delete" button. . You should get a listing of all ads that fit your search criteria. Click on the radio button to the left of the ad that you want to delete and click on the "Submit Deletion(s)" button. You should then see an acknowledgement page if your ad was successfully deleted. If you tried to delete an ad that you did not submit, the script will deny your request.
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Why didn't my search turn up any hits?
Your search criteria may have been too narrow. Go back to the search form and leave more of the search fields blank, or click on the "New Search" button and do a general search. For the broadest possible search, simply click on the "See All Ads" button.
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How do I navigate the search results page?
Unless you used the Advanced Search form and chose the Long Results format, your search results are displayed using the standard grey and blue tables. The left column (headed by "#") displays the number for each hit. The other headers represent the most important categories for this particular section. You can quickly re-sort your results in different ways by clicking on the category headers at the top of the table (for example, to sort by Date Posted, simply click on the Date Posted header; all of your search criteria will be maintained). To see more of your search results, you can click on the "See Next X Hits" button beneath the table or use the navigation bar beneath this button.
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How do I see the full details for a particular ad?
If you're viewing your search results from the standard blue and grey table, you can see the details for any ad by clicking on the word "Details" in the row for that ad. This link is contained in the Details column on the right-hand side of the table. Or, if you would like to see the full details for all of your search results, you can go to the Advanced Search form and select "Long" in the Results Format field.
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What is that bar for at the bottom of the search results page?
It's a navigation bar, similar to the one used by the AltaVista search engine, that lets you quickly jump to other groups of your search results. That way, you don't have to keep clicking on the "See Next Group" button, like you do at most search engines, if you want to jump to other groups of search results. Each button represents a group of search results, with the number beneath the button representing the number of the last hit within that group. If your search results in more than 20 groups, only the first twenty groups are accessible through the buttons. To get to groups beyond the twentieth group, you would need to click on the last button, and once that group is displayed, keep clicking on the right arrow or the "See Next X Hits" button to see groups beyond that. The green button indicates the group of search results that is currently being displayed. All of the groups that you have not seen yet have a blue button, while the groups that you have already seen have red buttons. The arrow at the right operates in the same manner that the "See Next X Hits" button does, in that it takes you to the next group. The arrow to the left takes you back to the group prior to the current one.
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What do all of those abbreviations in the personal ads stand for?
Below are some of the most commonly used abbreviations for personal ads and what they mean:
- M--Male
- F--Female
- W--White
- B--Black
- H--Hispanic
- A--Asian
- J--Jewish
- S--Single
- D--Divorced
- M--Married (not that we're encouraging this)
- Wi--Widowed
- G--Gay
- Bi--Bisexual
- C--Christian
- P--Professional
- NS--Non-smoking
- ISO--In Search Of
- y.o.--Years Old
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How do I contact someone who has posted a classified ad?
All of the classified ads will list either the e-mail address of the person who posted the ad or their phone number. The e-mail listings are also links, so you can click on the person's e-mail address to send the person a reply message.
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What are your future plans for the Madison Online (R) Classifieds?
We have many exciting new features planned for the Madison Online (R) Classifieds.
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Netphoria, Inc. is not responsible for the validity of the information posted
on this web site by third parties or the non-payment of either party for goods.
Please send your questions, comments, or bug reports to the Webmaster.
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