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Frequently Asked Questions

Published: Wednesday, Apr 11, 2007 3:47PM   By: The alive not dead team    Source: alivenotdead.com

User Accounts

Official Artists

Profile Pages

Blogs

Pictures and Albums

Videos

Events

Friends / Fans

Media Inquiry

Forums

Search and Advanced Search

alivenotdead.com Store

General Questions

Other Features

User Accounts

Why should I register?
Registration allows you to use alivenotdead.com features to the fullest, and it's FREE. You only register once and use your email address and password to access the site. Listed below are some of the things you can do only as a registered member:

  • Subscribe to artist profiles. You'll receive the latest news, blogs, pictures, and event information, direct from your favorite artists!
  • Connect with friends. Add your friends to your friends list and be informed whenever they post a blog, update their pictures, or do something exciting!
  • Express yourself! Get your own profile page and create picture albums, write up blogs, and share a bit about yourself with your friends and family.
  • Post in our forums. It's a great way to meet fans and friends, and learn more about your favorite artists.
  • Participate in promotions. Be one of the lucky folk that are eligible for special alivenotdead.com promotions and giveaways!

We have lots of additional features you can discover on alivenotdead.com, and lots of new and exciting features just around the corner!

Is alivenotdead.com free?
Yes! Since alivenotdead.com is supported solely by advertising, every feature and function you currently see on the site is FREE. In the future, alivenotdead.com may add paid premium services, but all the site services you can currently use are completely FREE.

I forgot my password!
In the "Site Login" box, click the "Forgot your password?" link and follow the instructions. You'll need to enter the email address that we have on file for your account. We'll then email your password to that address.

Is my information and privacy safe?
Yes! Your information and privacy are our highest priority, and we will never send any of your information to another party without your express consent. Please read our privacy policy for more information.

How do I change my email address?
Go to "Member settings" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Then click the "Change primary e-mail" link in the "Basic Settings" section.

How do I change my password?
Go to "Member settings" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Then click the "Change password" link in the "Basic Settings" section.

How do I remove my profile from alivenotdead.com?
Contact us and specify that you want to disable your account. Once your account is disabled, you will NOT be able to log back in to re-enable it! So be ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE it's what you want to do. An alternative is to just delete your blog posts and albums.

Where do I log in?
Every page has a "Site Login" box, located on the right hand sidebar. You can also go here to enter in your login information.

Where do I log out?
The "Logout" link is located at the top, right hand side of every page.

How do I verify my email address?
A message will be sent to the email account you registered with, containing a link to verify your registration and email address. Be sure to check your spam folder and filters if you don't receive the email in a timely manner.

Will I receive unwanted spam from alivenotdead.com?
No! alivenotdead.com will never send you unsolicited emails. Any emails you receive, such as friend requests and birthday reminders, are based on your current Notifications settings. You can modify these settings by going to "Notifications" under the "Settings" tab in your profile.

I'm not receiving any emails from alivenotdead.com.
If you're expecting emails from our site and they never appear, most likely they've been blocked by a spam filter. Check your spam folder, and if you find an email from alivenotdead.com, mark it as "Not Spam." This should prevent future alivenotdead.com messages from getting filtered out.

If you continue having problems with our emails being incorrectly marked as spam, contact your ISP or email provider.

Can I change my username?
Unfortunately, changing your username is not currently allowed, and it's unlikely we'll ever implement such a feature. If you wish to receive a new username, log out and create a new account here, using a different email address than your current account's.

How long will I remain logged in for?
If you click the "Keep me logged in" checkbox when logging in, you will stay logged in on that computer until you manually log out of alivenotdead.com. That way, closing your browser and/or rebooting your computer won't log you out of the site.

Official Artists

What is an "Official Artist's Profile"?
Official Artist Profiles on alivenotdead.com are the official blogs, profile information, picture albums, forums, and fan networks for artists. This means that the artists themselves are directly using alivenotdead.com or working with us to connect with fans and other artists.

How do I become an official artist?
Becoming an official artist on alivenotdead.com means joining a community of professional artists dedicated to helping and connecting with other artists locally and worldwide. In order to become an official artist, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

Identity: We will need to verify your identity to make sure you are who you say you are. We know this seems like a lot of trouble, but we've had problems with users pretending to be artists, making such safeguards necessary.
Qualifications: You will also need to show you are qualified to be considered an official artist on alivenotdead.com. This is so we know you're a dedicated member of your chosen field and can help contribute to our community.

Please review all of the requirements below and email us at artistadd(=at=)alivenotdead.com if you believe you qualify.

How do I verify my identity?
You may choose one of two ways for us to verify your identity:

You know an official artist on our site who can verify your identity and vouch for your credentials. You MUST have this artist contact us and refer you to be added as an official artist.
You have an official website that we can contact to verify that your profile on alivenotdead.com is real. This website must meet a minimum level of professionalism or it will not be accepted. For bands, a MySpace Music or AMP profile is acceptable. In order to verify, you must provide a link on the site to your profile on alivenotdead.com -- one method is to use the profile badge code available here.

If you can't use either of these methods to verify your identity, then we can't add you as an official artist at this time.

What qualifies as an "official artist"?
Our minimum qualifications for official artists are as follows:

First, you must be working full-time in a profession that is listed in our Artists section.

Second, you must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

  • If you work in the film or TV industry, you must have a pre-existing artistic credit on one of the following web sites: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, HKFilm.net, YesAsia.com.
  • If you work in the music industry, you must have a publicly available singles/album available or are regularly performing at live gigs.
  • If you're an athlete, you must have competed on a national (within the United States/China) or international level, and have placed or medaled in-competition.
  • For all other artists, your identity and recognition within your field must be validated by another alivenotdead.com official artist.

I satisfy the criteria above. How do I get my "Official Artist" profile created?

STEP 1

First, please register and create a profile on alivenotdead.com. If you already have an existing profile on our site, there is no need to create a second one.

Note: Our site is not 100% Safari web browser-compatible. For the best experience, please download and use the freely available Mozilla Firefox web browser instead.

STEP 2

Make sure you fully provide the following information on your profile:

Name

Profile Picture (headshot)

About page: Most importantly, please fill out "About Me" and Contact Links, and choose "Yes" for "Show your birthday to other users?" Everything else on this page is optional.

Welcome blog: Write something simple, introducing yourself to people and welcoming them to your alivenotdead.com profile page.

Pictures: Please submit at least 6-10 pictures.

STEP 3

If you have any videos you want to post, please upload them to third-party services (e.g., YouTube, Youku.com, or Tudou) and then send us the links. For music, you may email us the files in MP3 format once we've verified your identity.

STEP 4

Once you've completed your profile, send us an email at artistadd(=at=)alivenotdead.com with a link to it and/or your username and, if necessary, the name of the official artist who is endorsing you. Once we have verified that all the information in Step 2 is filled out, we will activate you as an official artist on our site.

If I become an official artist, will I have my own forum?
By meeting certain requirements, you can. Those artists with an active community of fans, or those artists for whom we've received several requests for a forum can get their own forum added to alivenotdead.com. If you're an official artist, please email our editors at artisthelp(=at=)alivenotdead.com for further information.

I'm an official artist. How can I get highlighted on the home page?
If you're an official artist, that means we're already in contact with you. Just contact our editors and they will help you with whatever you might need.

I'm an official artist. How can I add my event to your events highlight on the home page?
Create an event using the events system. Our editors will review all new events from artists and approve and highlight where applicable.

I'm an official artist. Can I have my news article links listed in the News section?
If you're an official artist, that means we're already in contact with you. If a recent news article has been published that you want us to know about, email our editors at artisthelp(=at=)alivenotdead.com.

I'm an official artist. How can I advertise my current project on the top banner?
If you're an official artist, that means we're already in contact with you. If you would like to see if your project is eligible for placement on the top banner of alivenotdead.com, email our editors at artisthelp(=at=)alivenotdead.com.

How do I get in touch with an official artist?
It is each official artist's prerogative to choose how open they are to contact by their fans. You can try to reply to their blog, post a greeting in their guestbook, or provide interesting discussions in their forum, but in the end it's up to the artist to initiate contact with the users.

Someone is pretending to be an official artist. What can be done?
Official artists all have a special "Official Artist Profile" banner (see below) displayed right below their profile picture, so you can be sure which profiles are really official artists and which ones are fakes. If you find someone impersonating an official artist, please click the "Report inappropriate content" link, located on the bottom of every page, to notify us of the problem.

How can I use an official artist's profile skin?
An official artist's profile skin is for use just by that person. However, we have a selection of profile skins which you can select by going to "Profile themes" under your profile's "Profile" tab and selecting a design that appeals to you.

How do I find an official artist?
To access the "Official artists" section, click the "Artists" tab located at the top of every page. You can search for artists by views, latest added, alphabetical, or by latest entry. Categories on the left hand side allow you to filter artists by such criteria as Film -> Actor, Music -> Singer/Band, etc.

How will I know when an official artist updates their blog?
There are several ways to learn if an artist has updated their blog. By clicking the RSS button on the right hand side of their profile page, you can subscribe to their blog feed via applications like My Yahoo and Google. If you're registered as a fan, recent activity on their page will make their name appear on the "Updates Feed" section on your right hand sidebar, and clicking the name will expand a list of what they've updated. You can also automatically receive news of their blog if you're a fan and subscribed to community email updates.

How can I help spread the word about my favorite artists?
Be a better fan! The "Promote this artist" feature lets you invite your friends to check out profiles of your favorite official artists. Through positive word-of-mouth, these artists can receive more support in producing great work. When your friends check out the site and register, they'll automatically become listed as fans of your promoted artist and as your friend.

Each official artist's profile has a "Promote this artist" button on the right hand side of the page. Or you can go to "Promote an artist" under your profile's "Invite" tab. From there, choose an artist to promote from the dropdown menu.

There are four ways to use this feature:

1.) Search for and invite friends based on your email address books at Gmail, MSN Hotmail, .Mac and Yahoo! Mail.
Click "Web Email" to expand the box. Enter your email address and password in the provided space and click the "Send invitations" button. You may do this for as many address books as you have, although we recommend not spamming your friends over and over.
2.) Search for and invite friends based on your Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster accounts.
Enter your email address and password in the provided spaces to search these social networking sites.
3.) Upload offline address books to be searched through. Click the "Upload a contacts file from an email client" link to expand the box. Then click the "Browse…" button and navigate to the address book that you wish to upload. alivenotdead.com currently allows the following address book types to be uploaded:
Entourage
Outlook CSV
Outlook Express 6 CSV
Thunderbird LDIF
vCard
Windows Address Book
4.) Create an invitation link. Click the "Invitation Link" to expand the box. A link to send to friends will be generated that you can copy and paste into emails and instant messages.
After you search for friends, a list of found and not found friends will appear. You can send them invitations to check out the artist's profile, and optionally add a personal message by clicking the "Add a personal message" link.

Profile Pages

How do I change the look of my profile page?
We have a collection of profile skins that you can view by going to "Profile themes" under your profile's "Profile" tab.

From there you can select whichever design appeals to you.

How do I add embeddable videos (YouTube, MySpace, etc.) on my profile page?
You can only embed videos as part of a blog entry. While adding or editing an entry, click the "Add Videos" button. You may then add a link to a video hosted by any of the popular video services such as YouTube, QQ, and Sina. Click the "Submit" button, then the "Insert" button.

How do I change my profile information?
Go to "Edit my details" under your profile's "About" tab and you can change any of the information provided in your profile there.

How do I change my profile picture?
Go to "My headshot" under your profile's "Profile" tab. Click the "Browse…" button to upload a new profile picture for others to view.

How do I manage my blog entries?
To add a new blog entry, you can either click the "New entry" link located at the top of every page, or go to "Add a blog entry" under your profile's "Blog" tab.

To modify previous blog entries, go to "Manage blog" under your "Blog" tab. All of your previous blog entries are accessible from there.

How do I manage my picture albums?
Go to "Manage picture albums" under your profile's "pictures" tab to access and edit all of your picture albums and images.

How do I complete my profile?
You can start the process by going to "My headshot" under your profile's "Profile" tab to upload your picture or avatar.

Fill in your information by going to "Edit my details" under your "About" tab.

Your profile page contains the basic information that allows your friends and other alivenotdead.com users to find and contact you. Fill out as much or as little of the profile as you want, but keep in mind that the more information you enter, the better the chance of connecting with old friends and like-minded site users.

Can I track visitors to my pages?
Yes. In the "Statistics" box on the right hand sidebar, you can view your total profile visits and your most recent visitors. Clicking these links will show you a list of who they are.

How does my guestbook work?
Your guestbook contains greetings and messages from visitors to your profile and blog. Click your profile's "Guestbook" tab, or click the "comments" link in your "Statistics" box to view them. You can also delete any unwanted comments, using the "Delete" link located to the right of each comment. If you want to be notified whenever someone writes in your guestbook, go to "Notifications" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Who can sign my guestbook?
Anyone may sign your guestbook. You may, however, delete unwanted individual comments. Click your profile's "Guestbook" tab, or click the "comments" link in your "Statistics" box, then click the "Delete" link located to the right of each comment you want to remove.

Can I add a theme to my profile page?
Yes. Go to "Profile themes" under your profile's "Profile" tab to see the selection.

Each profile may be previewed first, and you can switch themes as often as you want.

Can others see that I've visited their pages?
Yes. The owner of any blog or profile page you visit will be able to see that you've visited.

What types of profile pictures are allowed?
As long as you don't violate any image copyrights or post anything pornographic, offensive, or illegal, then any profile pictures you like should be fine. Many fans use images of their favorite artists in their profile pictures to show their support. This is fine so long as you are not trying to pass yourself off as that artist.

What is the "About" section in my profile?
Your profile page contains the basic information that allows your friends and other alivenotdead.com users to find and contact you. Fill out as much or as little of the profile as you want, but keep in mind that the more information you enter, the better the chance of connecting with old friends and like-minded site users.

Why are there links from my "About" section?
The links can help you find users with similar interests. If you have the name of your favorite band on there, for example, clicking it will lead you to a listing of fellow fans.

What categories are available for my "About" section?
You can list your vital stats (location, age, reasons for wanting to meet people, etc.), background (school, place of work, hobbies and interests, etc.), favorites (music, movies, books, etc.), and contact links if you have pages on other sites like Xanga and Sina Blog. Additionally, you can use the general "About Me" textbox to say something about yourself that wasn't covered in the above.

Are there size limits to how much I can put in my "About Me" listings?
The limit of text that you can put in your "About Me" listing is around 65,000 characters, including spaces.

What is a profile announcement?
This is an optional message, 250 characters or less, that will appear at the top of every page of your profile.

Will you be adding new themes?
Yes. There is no set schedule for releasing new profile themes, so keep your eyes peeled for new additions to alivenotdead.com!

Can I design my own theme?
Unfortunately, site users can't design their own theme. We do not currently have any plans for adding this feature in the future.

What are profile medals and how do I get them?
Medals are a way to decorate your profile and show how supportive you've been of your favorite artists. Whenever you receive a new medal, your friends and fans will also find out about the award in their notifications menu. Currently, you can get a medal by purchasing an artist's product through the alivenotdead.com store. This feature will be expanded in the future, so that artists can reward their most active fans for their support.

How do I promote my profile?
Make a profile badge, which people can click to visit your alivenotdead.com profile. Go to "Create a profile badge" under your profile's "Invite" tab. There are several options for customizing the appearance of your badge (e.g., your number of fans, number of people whom you're a fan of), which will be refreshed once a day. After you've made your badge, you can copy and paste the resulting HTML code to insert into your blog, email signature, bulletin boards, and other web profiles such as Facebook and MySpace.

Blogs

How do I set up my blog?
Setting up your blog is very easy. Go to "Manage blog" under your profile's "Blog" tab. From there, you can add a new entry or import your blogs from other sites like Xanga. For more help on adding and editing blog entries, please see the other questions in this FAQ.

How do I add a blog entry?
Click the "New entry" link located on the top of every page, or go to "Add a blog entry" under your profile's "Blog" tab.

To add a basic entry, enter a subject, choose a category and label, and then type your entry in the textbox.

The WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor allows you to easily set how your blog entry appears. It works the same way as a standard word processor. For example, to bold a specific word, select the word with your mouse and then click the bold button.

Experienced HTML coders can click the "HTML View" checkbox to edit the raw HTML code directly.

Additional options exist for more advanced entries. You may add pictures, videos, control access to the blog entry, and timestamp it.

To add pictures to a blog entry, click the "Add pictures" button. You may then upload images for use in this entry, or add pictures from your alivenotdead.com albums.

To upload images from your computer, click the "Browse…" button, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and select the images that you want. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To upload an image from another site, insert the image's link into the "Image URL" form, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and click the "Submit" button. Repeat for as many pictures as you want to add. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To add pictures from your alivenotdead.com picture albums, click the "From Album" tab. A list of your pictures will be displayed, and you can click the ones you want to add.

To embed videos, click the "Add Videos" button. You may then add a link to a video hosted by any of the popular video services such as YouTube, QQ, and Sina. Click the "Submit" button, then the "Insert" button.

The Advanced Options tab lets you set who may view your entry, whether readers may leave comments, and the entry date. Setting the date is useful if you wish to backdate an entry.

You can then either save your entry for later editing by clicking the "Save and continue" button, or you can publish it by clicking the "Publish entry" button.

If you save your entry, it can be accessed later under the "Drafts" tab found in your "Manage blog" page. If you have a lot of drafts, you can search for it by filtering the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Then click the "Edit" link next to the entry under the "Operation" column.

How do I edit a blog entry?
You may edit your blog by selecting the entry from your main blog page, or by going to "Manage blog" under your profile's "Blog" tab. On your main blog page, locate the entry you wish to edit and click the "Edit entry" link. If you're at the "Manage blog" page, locate the entry you wish to edit. If you have a lot of entries, you can search for it by filtering the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Click the "Edit" link next to the entry under the "Operation" column.

You will then be taken to a page similar to the "Add a blog entry" page. You may then edit your entry and either save it as a draft by clicking the "Save draft" button, or re-publish it by clicking the "Publish entry" button.

How do I format a blog entry?
Formatting a blog entry is done via the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, which duplicates many of the functions found in standard word processors. You may bold, underline, or italicize your text, add HTML links, tables, and more.

What is HTML View and how do I use it?
"HTML View" is optional and allows access to the raw HTML for a blog entry. This is meant to be used by experienced HTML coders and grants slightly greater control over a blog entry. For the majority of alivenotdead.com users, the formatting and control offered by the WYSIWYG editor will suffice.

To access "HTML View", check the "HTML View" checkbox located below the textbox.

What are the blog entry categories?
Blog categories represent a way to quickly and easily categorize your entry for your readers.

The blog categories currently are:

Standard Entry
Video
Information
Press Release
Event
News

Can everyone see my blog entries?
By default, all registered alivenotdead.com users can see your blog entries. You can change the default setting by going to "Member settings" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Choose an option in the "Entries by default viewable by" dropdown in the "Privacy Settings" section. To edit the privacy setting for a specific entry, go to its edit page, click the "Advanced Options" button, and choose an option from the "Viewable by" dropdown.

To edit the privacy setting for multiple entries, go to "Manage blog" under your profile's "Blog" tab. If you have a lot of entries, you can filter the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Check off each entry you want to change, or click the top checkbox to check off all of them, then click the "Profile privacy" radio button. Select an option from the "Entries viewable by" dropdown, and then click the "Update privacy" button.

The access settings for a blog entry are, in order of least private to most private:

Viewable by Anyone
Viewable by Any member
Viewable by Fans and friends
Viewable by Friends

How do I make my blog entry private?
To edit the privacy setting for a specific entry, go to its edit page, click the "Advanced Options" button, and choose an option from the "Viewable by" dropdown.

To edit the privacy setting for multiple entries, go to "Manage blog" under your profile's "Blog" tab.

If you have a lot of entries, you can filter the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Check off each entry you want to change, or click the top checkbox to check off all of them, then click the "Profile privacy" radio button. Select an option from the "Entries viewable by" dropdown, and then click the "Update privacy" button.

The access settings for a blog entry are, in order of least private to most private:

Viewable by Anyone
Viewable by Any member
Viewable by Fans and friends
Viewable by Friends

What are blog labels?
Blog labels are similar to blog categories, but are customizable on a per-user basis. They allow you to categorize your entries by subject, event, etc.

You can add a new label for an entry or use an existing one. To add a new label, select "+Add new category…" from the "Label…" dropdown.

To apply a label to multiple entries, go to "Manage blog" under your profile's "Blog" tab.

If you have a lot of entries, you can filter the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Check off each entry you want to change, or click the top checkbox to check off all of them, and then click the "Label" radio button. Select an option from the "Label…" dropdown, and then click the "Update Labels" button.

Can I have more than one label per blog entry?
You may only have one label per blog entry.

How do I post comments?
To post a comment on an entry that allows comments, click the "Add a comment" link found below the entry.

You may then type your comment into the provided textbox.

You may also subscribe/unsubscribe to future blog updates from the author by checking/unchecking the box marked "Subscribe to future updates".

Can I edit or delete my comments on another user's blog?
You may delete comments that you've previously added. Go to the blog entry that contains your comment, and then click the "Delete" link.

Can I delete comments made on my blog?
Click the "Delete" link found next to the comment that you wish to remove.

How do I prevent users from adding comments to my entries?
When editing or adding an entry, you may choose to prevent users from adding comments under the Advanced Options tab.

Someone posted an inappropriate comment on my blog. What do I do?
Click the "Report inappropriate content" link, located on the bottom of every page. It will take you to a form you can fill out and send to us.

How do I add pictures to a blog entry?
To add pictures to a blog entry, click the "Add pictures" button. You may then upload images for use in this entry, or add pictures from your alivenotdead.com albums.

To upload images from your computer, click the "Browse…" button, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and select the images that you want. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To upload an image from another site, insert the image's link into the "Image URL" form, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and click the "Add Image" button. Repeat for as many pictures as you want to add. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To add pictures from your alivenotdead.com picture albums, click the "From Album" tab. A list of your pictures will be displayed, and you can click the ones you want to add.

How do I embed videos into a blog entry?
To embed videos, click the "Add Videos" button. You may then add a link to a video hosted by any of the popular video services such as YouTube, QQ, and Sina. Click the "Submit" button, then the "Insert" button.

What are my feeds?
"My feeds" provides a listing of the newest entries from your subscribed blogs. It’s a convenient way to see the latest updates from your friends and the artists that you're a fan of.

How do I import blog entries from other sites to my alivenotdead.com blog?
See the FAQ entry "How do I use the blog import tool?"

Which sites can I import my blog entries from?
You can import entries from Blogger, Friendster, Livedoor, LiveJournal, MSN, MySpace, QQ, Sina, Sohu, Xanga, Yahoo, and any other blog service that supports RSS feeds, such as Facebook.

How do I save and then edit a draft of an entry?
When adding or editing a blog entry, you can save it as a draft by clicking the "Save and continue" (for a new entry) or "Save Draft" (for an edited entry) button.

The entry can be accessed later under the "Drafts" tab found in your "Manage blog" page. If you have a lot of drafts, you can search for it by filtering the list by Label, Category, and/or Subject keyword. Then click the "Edit" link next to the entry under the "Operation" column.

What is the RSS icon?
The RSS icon provides access to the RSS feed for a specific user or official artist.

What can I do with an RSS feed?
Using an RSS feed from alivenotdead.com allows you to load it into an aggregator site or custom RSS reader. It is intended to be used by advanced users.

Is there an easy way to keep my alivenotdead.com blog updated with entries from my [other website] blog?
See the FAQ entry "How do I use the blog import tool?"

Pictures and Albums

How do I create a picture album?
Click the "New picture album" dropdown link (under "New entry") located on the top of every page, or go to "Add an album" under your profile's "pictures" tab.

Fill out a title for the album and then upload pictures by clicking the "Choose" button. For selecting multiple files at once, press the "Shift" key. Standard album categories include "Standard Album", "Artwork", and "Event". You can select a category in the "Label…" dropdown box or create a new one by selecting "+Add new category…"

After your pictures have been uploaded, you can add a caption and select which picture to use as the cover. Under "Advanced options", you can also choose whether to allow comments or not, set viewing permissions, and select the album date.

How do I upload pictures?
Go to "Manage picture albums" under your profile's "pictures" tab. Click the "Add/manage pictures" link next to the album you want to add pictures to. Click the "Choose" button to start uploading pictures. For selecting multiple files at once, press the "Shift" key. Repeat this procedure as many times as you wish, until all of the desired pictures have been added to the album.

What file formats can I upload?
pictures can be in GIF, JPG, or PNG formats.

What are album labels?
When viewing your picture collection, these categorized labels allow you and other site users to easily filter through your albums.

Who can see my pictures?
In the "Advanced options" for editing an album, you can choose whether anyone, all registered site members, fans and friends, or just your friends can access your pictures. Keep in mind that the cover picture and album title will still be viewable by the public.

Is there a limit to how many pictures or the size of the pictures I can add?
There is currently no formal file or album size limit, but the physical limit for uploading is 32 MB. This means you can only upload a maximum of 32 MB at any single time.

How do I tag people in my pictures?
While managing an album or browsing pictures, click the "Tag" button above the picture you wish to add tags to, and click on a person. A menu will appear, allowing you to select among a list of names, or manually type in a tag. You can tag multiple people in a picture. The people you tag, and additionally, their friends and fans, will receive a notice in their notifications menu.

How do I view what pictures I've been tagged in?
When someone tags you in a picture, you will get a notice in the notifications menu on your homepage. You can also go to "pictures I'm tagged in" under your profile's "pictures" tab and see other users' pictures tagged with your name.

How do I share my pictures with people who aren't alivenotdead.com users?
While managing an album or browsing pictures, click the "Share" button above the picture you wish to show other people. The URLs for the album and individual picture will come up for you to copy and paste to others. Unchecking the "Enforce privacy settings" checkbox will allow people to view your links even if the pictures are set to private.

How do I add my pictures to my blog?
Click here to learn how.

Someone posted an inappropriate comment on one of my pictures. What do I do?
Click the "Report inappropriate content" link, located on the bottom of every page. It will take you to a form you can fill out and send to us.

How do I report an inappropriate picture?
Click the link "Report inappropriate content", located on the bottom of every page. It will take you to a form you can fill out and send to us.

What types of pictures are allowed? Are there any copyright issues?
As long as you don't violate any image copyrights or post anything pornographic, offensive, or illegal, then any pictures you like should be fine.

Videos

Can I upload videos?
You can't directly upload video files onto alivenotdead.com, but you can embed videos on other sites as part of a blog entry.

How do I add videos to my blog?
Services such as YouTube, MySpace, Google Video, Tudou, and more are easily embeddable by clicking the "Add Videos" button and entering in the URL to the desired video.

For other services, click the "HTML View" checkbox, located above the "Add pictures" button, and enter in the code provided by the video hosting provider.

What types of videos are allowed? Are there any copyright issues?
If the video is being embedded from a recognized video hosting service such as YouTube or Tudou, then you should be safe posting it on alivenotdead.com. Standard copyright policies apply.

How do I report an inappropriate video?
Click the link "Report inappropriate content", located on the bottom of every page. It will take you to a form you can fill out and send to us.

Events

How do I create an event?
Click the "New event" dropdown link (under "New entry") located on the top of every page, or go to "Add an event" under your profile's "Events" tab.

The required fields, marked in red, are "Subject", "Start date", and "Location", but the more fields you fill out, the more helpful information your guests will have.

Fill out the event description field to get your guests excited about your upcoming event. This works just like creating an alivenotdead.com blog entry, including the ability to add pictures and embed videos. "Advanced Options" gives you the standard alivenotdead.com privacy controls, except you can also make the entry viewable only by guests, and toggle whether to allow unregistered site visitors to RSVP.

You can save your information as a draft. Or, when you're ready to proceed to the next step, click "Next Step".

You'll then be taken to the "Upload Image" tab, where you can click the "Browse…" button to optionally upload an image to associate with your event. For the best image quality, use the JPG format, sized 200 x 150 pixels. Click the "Upload image" button after selecting a file.

To be taken to the guest list, click the "Publish event" button. You can fill out a message for guests here, and you'll also be presented with a list of your friends and fans. Either check off specific people to add to the guest list, or check off all friends and/or all fans. To remove a guest from the invite, click the "X" next to their name. To remove all guests whom you haven't saved to the list yet, click the "Clear all" link. To invite people who aren't alivenotdead.com members, enter their email address, separated by commas, into the provided textbox (keep "Allow Public RSVP" toggled on if you do this).

What are featured guests?
Featured guests are the focus of the event (e.g., the headliner band for a concert, the birthday boy or girl for a private party, the main DJ for a rave at a local club). You may add or remove featured guests in the Event Info section during event creation or management. The featured guest's fans and friends will automatically find out about the event as well.

How do I format my event's description?
Formatting an event's description is done via the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, which duplicates many of the functions found in standard word processors. You may bold, underline, or italicize your text, add HTML links, tables, and more.

What is HTML View and how do I use it?
"HTML View" is optional and allows access to the raw HTML for an event description. This is meant to be used by experienced HTML coders and grants slightly greater control over the description's appearance. For the majority of alivenotdead.com users, the formatting and control offered by the WYSIWYG editor will suffice.

To access "HTML View", check the "HTML View" checkbox located below the textbox.

How do I add pictures to my event's description?
In the Event Info section, click the "Add pictures" button. You may then upload images for use in this entry, or add pictures from your alivenotdead.com albums.

To upload images from your computer, click the "Browse…" button, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and select the images that you want. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To upload an image from another site, insert the image's link into the "Image URL" form, located under the "Upload picture" tab, and click the "Submit" button. Repeat for as many pictures as you want to add. Click the "Upload All" button and wait for the files to upload. Then click the "Insert" button.

To add pictures from your alivenotdead.com picture albums, click the "From Album" tab. A list of your pictures will be displayed, and you can click the ones you want to add.

How do I embed videos into my event's description?
In the Event Info section, click the "Add Videos" button. You may then add a link to a video hosted by any of the popular video services such as YouTube, QQ, and Sina. Click the "Submit" button, then the "Insert" button.

Who can view my event?
You can configure access to your event page by clicking the "Advanced Options" button while creating the event.

The dropdown options are, from least private to most private:

Viewable by Anyone
Viewable by Any member
Viewable by Fans and friends
Viewable by Friends
Viewable by Guests only

Can my friends who aren't alivenotdead.com members also be invited to my event?
Yes! To invite people who aren't alivenotdead.com members, enter their email address, separated by commas, into the provided textbox in the guest list section (Keep the "Allow Public RSVP" option toggled on so they can reply!).

Can I post private events, like birthday parties?
Yes! When creating your event, click the "Advanced Options" button to see the privacy options. For example, you can set the "Viewable by" option to "Guests only".

How do I manage my created events?
Go to "Manage my events" under your profile's "Events" tab. To view an event's page, click its name. To delete an event, click its "Delete" link. To edit an event, click its "Edit" link, and from there you can change your event info, and invite or remove guests. You can also check off multiple or all events to delete them or change the labels, categories, or privacy settings.

How do I see who has RSVP'd and who has viewed my event?
Go to "Manage my events" under your profile's "Events" tab.

Click on the name of the event you wish to view. You'll be taken to a page that lists all of the guests, their RSVP status, and their comments. By default, the guest list is displayed in thumbnail view. If you click the "View all" link, you'll get an expanded view that shows when guests RSVP'd, when they last viewed the event, who invited them, and whatever messages they may have included.

Will my guests get an event reminder?
Yes. When invited guests log into alivenotdead.com on the day of the event, they will see an event reminder, along with their RSVP status, in the notifications menu on their homepage.

I was invited to an event. Can I invite more people?
Yes. On the event's page, click the "Invite friends" button to add more guests. Please be respectful if using this feature! If the event isn't open to the general public, and you aren't sure if the organizers would want more people added to the list, first ask them for permission!

How do I keep track of upcoming events?
Click the "Events" tab in your profile, and it will bring up a list of upcoming events you've created or been invited to. There are also tabs for "My events" (all events that you've created) and "Past events".

An official artist is having an upcoming public event that's not listed on alivenotdead.com. As a fan, can I list the event for them?
Yes! Be a supportive fan and promote events for your favorite artists on alivenotdead.com! Post information on their concert tour schedule, their next movie opening, their art exhibitions, etc. It's a great way to help build an artist's fan network. Be sure to list the artist as a featured guest when creating the event page. Of course, please respect the artists' privacy and only use this feature for their PUBLIC events.

Friends / Fans

What's the difference between friends and fans?
A friend is someone who personally knows another alivenotdead.com user. A fan is someone who would like to keep tabs on another alivenotdead.com user or official artist (to read their blog, receive updates, etc.), but doesn't know the user or artist personally.

How do I add a friend?
On the right hand sidebar of the person's profile page, click the "Add as friend" link. You'll be listed as their fan until they confirm that you're a friend. Your status will then be updated to friends.

How do I become a fan of someone?
On the right hand sidebar of the person's profile page, click the "Become a fan" link.

Can I prevent someone from being my fan?
There isn't any automated way of preventing an individual from being your fan. If someone is harassing you, click the "Report inappropriate content" link located on the bottom of every page. It will take you to a form you can fill out and send to us.

How do I approve a friend?
Click your profile's "Friends" tab, and then click the "New friend requests" link next to "Friend requests". Find the person in the list, and then click the "Yes" option next to "Accept as friend?"

How do I find friends?
See the FAQ entry "What is the Friend Finder?"

What are 2nd degree friends?
2nd degree friends are friends of your friends.

Can I see who my friend is friends with?
On your friend's profile page, click the "Friends" tab to see their friends.

Can I see who my friend is a fan of?
On your friend's profile page, click the "Fan of…" tab.

Can I see who is a fan of my friend?
On your friend's profile page, click either the "Friends" or "Fan of…" tab, then click the "My fans" tab that will appear.

How do I find someone with similar interests to me?
There are several ways to find people with similar interests. If you click the "Members" tab, and then "Advanced Search", a box will expand with a listing of hobbies/interests/favorites. Check off the ones you like and click the "Search" button to find people with those same interests. You can also reach this page by clicking the "Advanced search…" option in the "Search" dropdown located in the top right hand section of every page.

If you want to find people with very specific interests, such as fans of your favorite movie, type it into the appropriate "Favorite" textbox, or click the links in the "Favorites" section of your "About Me" page.

How do I send a message to a friend?
On your friend's profile page, click the "Send a message" button, located on the right hand sidebar. Or click your profile's "Friends" tab. There will be a "Send message" link next to each of your friends.

Can I send messages to users who are not my friend?
This depends on whether their privacy settings allow non-friends to contact them. If this is the case, there will be a "Send a message" button located on the right hand sidebar on their profile page.

How do I invite my friends to join alivenotdead.com?
See the FAQ entry "What is the Friend Finder?"o

How do I change my fan into a friend?
Click your profile's "Friends" tab, and then click the "My fans" tab. An "Add as friend" option is listed next to each of your fans.

I'm a fan of someone. Can I be changed into a friend?
If they wish to upgrade your status to friends, they can invite you to do so.

What are friend recommendations?
You can see who your friends' favorite official artists are, and perhaps discover a great new talent in the process! Go to "Friends' favorite artists" under your profile's "Fan of…" tab, and see which artists are the most popular among your friends. You can also click on each of the artists' profiles to learn more about them.

Media Inquiry

I'm a journalist and want to contact someone at alivenotdead.com. Who can I contact?
You can send a message to our editors.

How do I contact an official artist for professional purposes?
You would need to contact their professional agent, manager, or representative. We do not handle bookings or scheduling for our official artists.

Does alivenotdead.com have a media kit?
No, at this time, alivenotdead.com does not have a media kit. If you have specific questions, you can send a message to our editors.

How do I advertise on your site?
If you are interested in advertising on alivenotdead.com, please contact us here.

Forum

How do I use the forums?
Click the "Forums" tab located at the top of every page, then click on the forum you want to read and/or post messages on.

What is Discuz?
Discuz is the name of the forum system used by alivenotdead.com. You can learn more about them at www.discuz.com.

What is Discuz code?
To create certain effects in your posts, you can use BB Code, a simplified version of HTML.

  • [b]Bold Text Abc[/b] would produce: Bold Text Abc
  • [i]Italicized Text Abc[/i] would produce: Italicized Text Abc
  • [u]Underlined Text Abc[/u] would produce: Underlined Text Abc
  • [color=red]Text Abc in Color Red[/color] would produce: Text Abc in Color Red
  • [size=3]Text Abc in Size 3[/size] would produce: Text Abc in Size 3
  • [font=Tahoma]Text Abc of Tahoma[/font] would produce: Text Abc of Tahoma
  • [align=Center]This is centered[/align] would produce:

    • This is centered

  • [url]http://www.google.com[/url] would produce: http://www.google.com
  • [url=http://www.google.net]Google![/url] would produce: Google!
  • [email]myname@mydomain.com[/email] would produce: myname@mydomain.com
  • [email=myname@domain.com]An Email Address[/email] would produce: An Email Address
  • [quote]This is an example quotation.[/quote] (Quoted Text, similar code [code][/code] for quote program codes)
  • [hide]Hidden Text[/hide] (Hide Text to Visitors Unless Replying to this Thread)
  • [list]
    [*]first bulleted item
    [*]second bulleted item
    [*]third bulleted item
    [/list] (Lists)
  • [qq]688888[/qq] (Links to a person's QQ profile)

What do the different forums mean?
We have two forums (one in English, one in Chinese) for general discussions and announcements. We also have forums for discussions about film and music. In addition, certain official artists have their own forum for their community of fans. The Site Discussion section at the bottom is for posting messages about the site itself, such as feedback and suggestions. For Japanese users, we have a Japanese language help forum.

Can I log in as invisible?
No. Currently, forum users can't log in as invisible.

What are the forum rules of conduct?
As one of our goals is to promote a friendly, mutually respectful environment in the alivenotdead.com forums, the following are the rules of conduct.

If you find an inappropriate post which violates these rules, you can use the "Report" button to contact the moderators.

Avatars/Signatures: As long as you don't violate any image copyrights or post anything pornographic, offensive, or illegal, then any avatars and signatures you like should be fine. Many fans use images of their favorite artists to show their support. This is fine so long as you are not trying to pass yourself off as that artist. When in doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution and make a different selection.
Copyrighted Content: Please do not post content or images which violate copyright laws. An example would be posting an image scan of a print magazine article. Instead, write a summary, quote a few sentences, etc.
Flaming/Trolling: Respect the feelings of other users. You can politely disagree with others' opinions, but please don't engage in personal, derogatory attacks. Also, don't create inflammatory posts designed to provoke and offend other users.
Illegal Activity: Don't post content which violates the law or encourages illegal activity (e.g., posting links to pirated files).
Impersonation: Don't attempt to pass yourself off as another user, an official artist, an alivenotdead.com employee, etc.
Invasion of Privacy: Don't post personal information about third parties that would invade their privacy (e.g., disclosing another user's phone number, address).
Offensive Content: Don't post content or images of an offensive, vulgar, pornographic, libelous, threatening, or discriminatory nature. If alivenotdead.com incorporates a language filter, don't attempt to bypass it.
Spamming: Don't post disruptively repetitive, annoying content (e.g., pyramid schemes, completely irrelevant advertisements).

Unless it is an obvious attempt to violate these rules, we will generally provide a warning the first time around. If the behavior is repeated then we may resort to banning your account and/or I.P. address.

When in doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid questionable behavior.

If you have any questions or require clarity on these rules, please submit a post with as much detail as possible to our Feedback and suggestions forum.

How do I report an inappropriate post?
Next to each post is a "Report" link you can use if you find the content inappropriate.

What type of posts should be reported?
Posts that violate the forum rules of conduct should be reported to the moderators. You can read the rules here.

How do I start a new thread?
Click the "New thread" button on the right side of the page. Fill out a Subject title for your thread and write your message in the main form box. There are many ways to customize your message, such as adding smilies, hyperlinks, bulleted lists, changing font styles, size, color, text alignment, etc. If you click the "Advanced Options" button, you'll find an expanded list of features, such as the ability to add file attachments, check your post's length, preview how it will look, and reset it. Once you've completed your message, click the "Post New Thread" button.

What are Event and Poll threads?
They're specific types of threads you can make by clicking the dropdown option on the "Post New Thread" button. Event threads add specific textboxes for you to fill out. Doing so helps to organize the information in your event announcement.

You can manage your events by going to "My forum posts and subscriptions" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Poll threads allow forum readers to vote on whatever question you pose.

How do I reply to an existing thread?

Click the "Reply" button. Or, if you want to respond to a specific post in the thread, you can click the "Quote" button, located at the bottom of every post. Write your message in the main form box. There are many ways to customize your message, such as adding smilies, hyperlinks, bulleted lists, changing font styles, size, color, text alignment, etc. If you click the "Advanced Options" button, you'll find an expanded list of features, such as the ability to add file attachments, check your post's length, preview how it will look, and reset it. Once you've completed your message, click the "Post New Reply" button.

How do I subscribe to a thread?
Click the "Subscribe" link at the top of the thread. You can manage your subscriptions by going to "My forum posts and subscriptions" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

What's a PM?
"PM" stands for "Private Message". You can send a PM to another user by clicking the "Send a message" button on the right sidebar of their profile page. Or, if you're reading the forums, you can click the "Send PM" link at the top of their post.

Can I send a PM to multiple users at once?
No. You can only send a PM to one user at a time.

What are the "New Posts" and "Mark Read" links for?
Clicking the "New Posts" link gives you a listing of new posts made since the last time you visited the forums.

After you've read all the posts which interest you, clicking the "Mark Read" link marks any remaining new posts as read. This clears your "New Posts" queue, so that only future posts will be displayed as new.

What is WYSIWYG?
This acronym stands for What You See Is What You Get. Writing messages in WYSIWYG mode means the code is hidden from your view; instead, you directly see what your message will look like. For example, if you click the "Bold" button, the text will appear in bold as you type it out, instead of appearing inside "[b]" brackets. Use this mode if you find typing out code to be too difficult or clunky.

What is Custom Status?
Instead of being listed as "Offline" or "Online", you can add your own status description to your forum profile, which will be displayed below your name in all of your posts.

What is a signature?
This is a block of text or image that can appear at the bottom of all your posts, as a way of signing off the message.

What is the PM sound feature?
This is an audio alert to let you know if you've received a private message. There are several alerts to choose from.

What types of avatars can I use?
Clicking the "Board Avatar List" button will bring up a selection of graphics you can use for your avatar. Or click the "Browse..." button if you want to upload a custom one.

What file formats can I use for custom avatars?
Custom avatars can be in GIF or JPG format.

What image size should my custom avatar be?
The maximum file size is 30 KB. The size in pixel dimensions should be 120 x 80.

If I become an official artist, do I get my own forum?
By meeting certain requirements, you can. Those artists with an active community of fans, or those artists for whom we've received several requests for a forum can get their own forum added to alivenotdead.com. If you're an official artist, please contact our editors for further information.

Search and Advanced Search

What can I search for?
Using the "Search" field and dropdown box, located on the top right hand side of the site, you can search for users, official artists, news articles, forum entries, picture albums, and blog posts.

What can I search on?
In the "User" search tab, you can search for people by name, email, or mobile number. In the "Subject" tab, you can use a keyword or phrase to bring up titles of news articles, blog entries, and picture albums. The "Entry" tab is similar, except the search looks through all the content instead of just the titles. In the "Forum" tab, you can search for thread subjects.

The "User" and "Forum" searches additionally have advanced options. For example, you can search for people by such criteria as hobbies and interests, and you can narrow your forum search to specific forums and blocks of time.

How do I do an advanced search?
Click "Advanced search…" in the "Search" dropdown box.

Select the appropriate tab based on what you would like to search for:

Users – registered members and official artists

Forum – Forum posts

Fill out the information you wish to search for and then click Search.

Can I use wildcards?
By default, wildcards will be added to your search terms. For example, searching for the term "hawaii" will also return anything having to do with "hawaiian".

Can I search on multiple terms?
You can search for multiple terms in the forum advanced search. Click the "Advanced Search" link in the forum search tab.

alivenotdead.com Store

I'm a big fan of an official artist. How can I find official merchandise?
alivenotdead.com offers select merchandise for some of our official artists, including CD releases, posters, and T-shirts. To see what we have, click the "Store" tab.

You can also receive updates on our latest products by subscribing to the alivenotdead.com sales blog.

Is this merchandise official?
Yes! alivenotdead.com exists to support artists and to connect them with their fans. We only sell official merchandise and will never offer pirated or bootlegged products.

What forms of payment do you accept?
You can use a credit card or your PayPal account when ordering at our store.

Is my order secure?
Yes! All orders are placed through our PayPal store, which protects your financial information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. Your credit card number is not shared directly with alivenotdead.com. Instead, it is transmitted to PayPal over a secure connection.

How long will it take for my order to arrive?
Orders are shipped using registered Hong Kong Post AIR MAIL. Delivery time is approximately 3-4 weeks, depending on your location.

What is your return policy?
We will replace defective or damaged orders within 30 days. Please contact us to make arrangements.

I have a problem with an order I placed. Who do I contact?
Please contact us here.

General Questions

How do I search the site?
You can use the "Search" field and dropdown box on the top of the page to search for users, news articles, blog entries, picture albums, or forum threads.

If you need more detailed searching options, choose the "Advanced search…" option.

Where do I report a site error or bug?
Click the "Forums" tab, then go to the "Feedback and suggestions" forum and post a message about the error. Please read this post first, as it lists what information we'll need in order to fix the problem.

What is the shout box on the right sidebar?
The shout box is a fun way for users currently on the site to chat with each other. You can have the shout box constantly update the conversation by clicking the "Auto-refresh" checkbox, while clicking "Time" will allow you to see the date/timestamp for each shout.

How do I post a shout?
To give a shout out to other users, simply type your message into the provided box and press the "Return" key. Type a message and give it a try!

How do I see the latest shouts?
Each time you refresh a page with the shout box, you will see the latest shouts. You can have the shout box constantly update the conversation by clicking the "Auto-refresh" checkbox.

I found an interesting news article. Can I send you the link for the News section?
If you have an interesting article to share, please contact us.

A user is harassing me. What can I do about it?
We want alivenotdead.com's community to be a positive and safe one. If a user is harassing you, don't hesitate to report this! Click the "Report inappropriate content" link, located on the bottom of every page, so we can stop the problem.

Where do I give site feedback or suggestions?
You can post a message on our "Feedback and suggestions" forum. If it's about a site problem you're experiencing, please read this post first.

I have a question not covered here. Where do I ask it?
If you have questions not found in this FAQ, the "Feedback and suggestions" forum is the best place to get your questions answered. If it's about a site problem you're experiencing, please read this post first.

What are your Terms of Service?
Click the "Terms of Service" link, found on the bottom of every page.

What languages are available for alivenotdead.com?
The languages available are English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

How do I see/type in a different language?
There is a "Language" dropdown box on the top, right hand side of every page.

You can also change the language display by going to "Member settings" under your profile's "Settings" tab.

Other Features

How do I learn about new features on alivenotdead.com?
The easiest way to learn about new site features is to subscribe to the community update newsletter. Not only will it list updates about your friends and favorite artists, it will also contain news about the site itself.

You can also subscribe to Admin Bear's blog, which has frequent postings on new and upcoming alivenotdead.com features.

Admin Bear likes fans.

How do I let friends/fans know about my upcoming birthday?
Your birthday is viewable to others if you go to "Edit my details" under your profile's "About" tab and set the appropriate option.

If your birthday is set to be shown to others, your friends will receive a notification as your birthday arrives.

How do I send birthday wishes?
If your friends and favorite artists have set their birthdays as viewable, you will see a listing on the right sidebar, in the "Recent Notifications" section. You can also receive an "Upcoming Birthday" alert via email (provided you're subscribed to community update emails, with the birthday reminder option turned on).

From either of these reminders, you can leave birthday wishes to friends and artists on their guestbooks.

Who can I send birthday wishes to?
You can leave birthday wishes on any of your friends' or artists' guestbooks. However, you will only receive notifications if they have set their birthdate as viewable.

What are community updates?
Community updates are optional email newsletters that you can subscribe to. You can receive updates daily, every three days, weekly, or never. Each email will contain a snapshot of all of your new comments, friend requests, private messages, and more.

How do I receive community update newsletters?
Go to "Notifications" under your profile's "Settings" tab and choose your options.

What is the Friend Finder?
The Friend Finder is a great tool that helps you find your friends currently using alivenotdead.com, and also allows you to easily invite those that aren't to join up. Click the "Find friends" link located at the top of every page, or go to "Find friends" under your profile's "Invite" tab.

There are five ways to use this feature:

1) Search for and invite friends based on your email address books at Gmail, MSN Hotmail, .Mac and Yahoo! Mail.

Simply enter your email address and password in the provided space and click the "Find friends" button. You may do this for as many address books as you have, although we recommend not spamming your friends over and over.

2) Search for and invite friends based on your Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster accounts.

Enter your email address and password in the provided spaces to search these social networking sites.

3) Upload offline address books to be searched through.

Click the "Email application" link to expand the box. Then click the "Browse…" button and navigate to the address book that you wish to upload. alivenotdead.com currently allows the following address book types to be uploaded:

Entourage
Outlook CSV
Outlook Express 6 CSV
Thunderbird LDIF
vCard
Windows Address Book

4) Search email addresses manually. Go to "Invite friends" under your profile's "Invite" tab. Click the "Email invitations" link to expand the box. Then type in the email addresses, separated by commas or separate lines.

After you search for friends, a list of found and not found friends will appear. You can send them friend requests and add a personal message by clicking the "Add a personal message" link.

5) Create an invitation link. Go to "Invite friends" under your profile's "Invite" tab.

Click the "Invitation link" to expand the box. A link to send to friends will be generated that you can copy and paste into emails and instant messages.

How do I use the blog import tool?
Using the blog import tool, which can be found by going to "Blog import" under your profile's "Blog" tab, you can import your blog entries from the following sites:

Blogger
Friendster
Livedoor
Livejournal
MSN
MySpace
QQ
Sina
Sohu
Xanga
Yahoo
Any blog service that supports RSS feeds, such as Facebook

There are two useful modes for the blog import tool: "One-time Import" and "Continuous Subscription".

One-time Import - If you're making the switch from an existing blog site to alivenotdead.com, you can transfer all of your old entries over, and then begin using alivenotdead.com as your primary blog.

Continuous Subscription - If you're planning on maintaining other blogs in addition to your alivenotdead.com blog, you can set the tool to periodically check your other blogs and import new entries.

You can import your entries in four easy steps.

Step 1 - Choose the site and account name that you wish to import from.

Step 2 - Verify the URL or enter a URL for a service not listed in the Step 1 dropdown.

Step 3 - Set the category, label, and privacy options for the imported entries.

Step 4 - Choose either "One-time Import" or "Continuous Subscription".

Please note that you should only import blog entries that are your own. Any accounts that copy unauthorized entries will be banned.

What browsers are supported?
All modern popular browsers are supported. This includes Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape. Safari is mostly compatible except for the WYSIWYG blog editor. If you notice any compatibility issues on the site, please let us know on our "Feedback and suggestions" forum.


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