Read first: The Newbie Process

[TeafortheSoul]

The Newbie Process
Hello everybody and welcome to SnitchSeeker! We're pretty sure that we're the best Harry Potter themed website around and we are glad you've decided to join in the fun. In this thread you will find an overview of how to get started in the SS community. Established in 2002, SnitchSeeker is a Harry Potter fansite, forum, and news site with a large member base and an active and welcoming community. Most of our discussions and activities focus on J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books and movies, and our members are passionate about the Wizarding World. Here on SS there are various places for discussing almost any Wizarding topic that appeals to our members with new discussions added often, new fan-fiction or news to read, and active games and roleplays in which you can participate.

How do I get started?
After you register for an account, the first thing every new member should do is read the Rules and FAQ. You'll find most of your questions can be answered by reading through the appropriate section. If you are curious about something in particular, try searching the FAQ with a keyword and all the relevant rules and answers will be returned for you. We are an all ages site and our rules are designed to ensure that SS stays a safe environment for all members of our online community. If you can't find the answer to your questions, or you still aren't sure, newbies can post in The Question Thread, located in the Site Resources forum and a mod or admin will help you with any issues you are having.

As a newbie, not all of our forums will be visible to you, and you will not yet be able to post in most of those which are visible. You need to graduate from the Platform before you have full access to SnitchSeeker. You can do this by making ten legitimate posts to prove to us that you are human, and that you are willing to follow our rules. These ten posts can be made in this very forum, and you'll find it won't take you very long. The Platform is a great way to get the hang of how posting works without stressing out about being punished. While you are a newbie and still learning our rules, you won't get in trouble for accidentally breaking them.

Always make sure you read the first post of every thread! This is where you'll find out the rules to a game thread, what the topic of discussion is in more detail than you'll find in the thread title, or any restrictions on how to post. Remember, you can revisit the site rules and FAQ anytime you like. It's always good to double check things if you aren't sure.

Below is our quick start guide to help you through the process. We encourage you to refer back to this thread as often as needed. You can also find more information and guides about various aspects of SnitchSeeker in our Site Resources which contains threads and ongoing help for our community.

___________


How to Register

SPOILER!!: registering

• To register, follow the link at the top of the forum, or click here.
• Read the overview of forum rules and select 'agree', and then the register button
• Fill out the registration form, including your desired username, and a valid email address. Remember that you can't easily change your username, nor are you permitted to make another account if you mess it up, so make sure you don't make any mistakes, and choose a handle that you'd like to be known as on SS.
• You can fill in the other fields if you wish, but these can be edited later.
• Submit your registration and wait for an email from SnitchSeeker.com to confirm your registration.

FAQ
I haven't received my account activation code!
My new username doesn't work!
Can I change my username?
Multiple account policy
Contact us

Congratulations! You're a Platform 9¾ Newbie! So what's next?

SPOILER!!: now what?

• After the registration process is complete you can begin making the ten posts that are required to graduate to member status.
  
  
• Your username will look like this when you first start posting:
  Newbie
  
  
  
• As a Newbie you can only post in the Newbie Forum (Platform 9 3/4).
  Please note that posting for Newbies in the News Forum has deactivated due to the prevalence of spambots. You can still read news articles but you won't be able to post until you reach member status.
  
  
• Your ten posts need to be on topic and follow site rules in order to be considered legitimate. This means that you need to take into account any instructions given in the first post of a thread in which you are posting, and keep the content of your post appropriate for SS.
  
  
• The ten post rule is in place in order to keep the SS community safe for all members and to be sure that everyone who joins in the fun knows our rules. Having a ten post minimum means we can stop spammers and advertisers before they become a problem, and be sure that new members are welcomed into the community and any questions can be addressed quickly and easily.
  
  
• If you make spam posts they will be deleted or merged and your account will be set back to Newbie status, even if you've started posting elsewhere. A spam post is an off topic post, or any incidence of posting more than once in a row. You need to let someone else post in the thread before you can post again.
  
  
• We recommend you post in any of the following threads within the Newbie Forum:
  Introduce Yourself
  Why do you like the wizarding world of Harry Potter?
  Which do you prefer, the films or the books? And why?
  Poll: Why did you join SnitchSeeker?
  Poll: What is your favorite Wizarding World supplementary material? And why?
  Poll: Which is your favorite Harry Potter film? And why?
  Poll: Which Harry Potter book is your favorite? And why?
  What is your favorite Wizarding World-inspired experience?
  Game: True and False about the Rules
  Game: Quiz about the Rules
  Game: Harry is My Man!
  
  There is also at least one 'Meet the Mod' thread that you will find in the Newbie forum which changes each month; this is where you can ask questions to the host of the thread and get to know them better.

I made my ten posts! Now what?

SPOILER!!: ten posts!

• First of all, if any of your ten posts are not considered legitimate, or don't follow the posting rules of the individual threads as well as our site standards, you may find some of your posts get deleted. This won't happen if you read the instructions carefully. For instance in the thread 'Which do you prefer and why?' the most common reason a post is deleted is because the whole answer isn't given. You need to say which AND why. Likewise in the game threads, there are very specific instructions given in the first posts. But don't worry if you make a mistake, the Newbie forum is set up so you can learn!
  
  
• If your posts are definitely legitimate and you're ready to go, then all you need to do is wait for the site to automatically change your usergroup to 'member'. It may take up to an hour for SS to recognize that you now have enough posts to be a full member, so please be patient.
  
  
• You'll know when you are a member because your username will look like this:
  Member
  
  Flobberworm
  
  
• If you were wondering what a Flobberworm is, you can find that out here.
  
  
• Once you are a member you will be eligible to take the sorting quiz when it is next open. More information about the sorting can be found here.

So what can members do that newbies can't?

SPOILER!!: member vs newbie

• A member can customise their profile information through their user cp (user control panel)
• Members can customise their avatar, signature and profile picture.
• A member's avatar can be up to 100x100 pixels compared to the 80x80 pixels which a newbie is limited to.
• A member can upload their own avatar, while a newbie must use one of the SS-provided avvies.
• Members can see some forums which are hidden for newbies.
• Members can upload images to their personal albums and add fanart to the site gallery.
• Members can use the Private Message (PM) system
• Members can use the Visitor Messaging (VM) system
• Members can leave Usernotes (UNs)
• Members can edit their posts (but they can't delete them)
• Members can participate in discussion threads and post new discussion topics
• Members can write and respond to fanfiction
• Members can have a graphics shop and participate in graphics contests
• A member can be sorted into a house for the school RPG
• A member can be placed into a job for the Ministry of Magic RPG
• Members can enter site contests
• Members can post in the news forum

This is just a handful of the things that members can do on SS!

___________

What if I Still Have Questions?
We encourage all newbies and members to check the site rules (where you can do a keyword search) and the site resources (where there are guides and FAQs on several important topics) before asking a question as you are likely to find the answer you need on your own without having to wait for a response. If you do not check these places first you'll likely find that you'll be directed to these resources anyway when your question is addressed.

No question is a stupid question, and your time as a Newbie is the perfect opportunity to ask questions about things you aren't yet clear on. You should ask any general site related questions in the Question thread. Only moderators and admins answer questions here, so you can be sure that you will get the most up to date answer, and where an answer isn't known, we will find out for you and communicate via PM if further correspondence is required. We also have a Technical Support and Advertising Issues thread where you can report any tech or invasive ad problems that might come up and get help troubleshooting them.

Some forums of SS also have their own question threads, particularly where there are very specific rules or more specialized information regarding that area. The main ones you need to know about as a new member are listed below, but there are other question threads, which are usually stickied at the top of forum in question, so do take a look in the area which you have questions about before posting elsewhere. If in doubt you can always post in the Question thread.


Specific Question threads
Fanfiction Announcements, Requests, Questions - This thread is where you can ask any and all questions relating to your Harry Potter Fanfiction.
SSRPG Guidelines & FAQ - This is where you can ask any SnitchSeeker RPG specific questions (Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and the Ministry of Magic)
The Quibbler - This is where you can ask questions about The Quibbler, the community and members part of the forum.
Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes! - This is where you can ask questions about Harry Potter-related games.

Also remember that you can always directly PM or VM the moderator of a specific forum if you have questions specific to that particular area.