| FAQ Table of Contents |
|
|
 Setting Up & Managing Your Account |
| Is there a fee to join Riding Arizona? |
|
No but we have Supporting Members. If you find the site valuable please consider becomming a Supporting Member. You can do so here: http://ridingarizona.com/store/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=29
Additionally, you must use/maintain a valid working email address for your account to remain active. If you utilize a FREE email account and messages sent to that address fail, you will be asked to update your profile to include a working email address. Failure to do so will result in the termination of your account.
|
| Do I have to register to access the site? |
|
Registration is not required to view some areas of the Riding Arizona site. However, many sections of Riding Arizona require an account to gain access. Additionally, if you wish to post a new topic or reply to an existing topic - registration is required. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes.
The information you provide during registration is not outsourced or used for any advertising by RidingArizona.com.
If you believe someone is sending you advertisements as a result of the information you provided through your registration, please notify us immediately.
|
| I created an account but my Username and Password are not working. What else do I need to do? |
|
When you create an account, a welcome email is sent to you that contains an account activation link. The email message will be sent automatically from shannon@ridingarizona.com when you register for an account. If you have SPAM filters setup on your email account, you will need to add shannon@ridingarizona.com to your trusted account list. If you do not, you will not receive the email with the activation key in it. Your account is not activated until you click on the link in this message. Riding Arizona will not go through any anti-spam processes to facilitate the activation of your account. You need to add shannon@ridingarizona.com to your trusted list of email senders.
If you do not have the message containing the activation link, send an email to Shannon@RidingArizona.com with your Username and email address.
|
| I have anti-spam filters on my email. What can I do to receive the activation email? |
|
When you create an account, a welcome email is sent to you that contains an account activation link. The email message will be sent automatically from shannon@ridingarizona.com when you register for an account. If you have anti-SPAM filters setup on your email account, you will need to add shannon@ridingarizona.com to your trusted account list. If you do not, you will not receive the email with the activation key in it. Your account is not activated until you click on the link in this message.
Please note, Riding Arizona will not go through any anti-spam processes to facilitate the activation of your account. You need to add shannon@ridingarizona.com to your trusted list of email senders.
If you do not have the message containing the activation link, send an email to Shannon@RidingArizona.com with your Username and email address.
|
| I want to update my email address. How do I do that? |
|
Changing your email address is a two step process. First, change your email address in your User Profile screen, which is accessed by clicking on the My Profile link. Next, you must activate your change by clicking on the link inside the email confirmation that is sent to your newly identified email address.
|
| How do I add a photo to my User Profile page? |
|
Post a test message in the Testing Forum with the photo you want in your profile attached to your test post. Next, view your test post. While viewing your post, right click on the image that you would like to add to your profile. Click on Properties or Image Properties. Copy the address (URL) for the image file. Next, access your profile by clicking on the My Profile link. Paste the URL in the Picture URL line and submit the change.
Additionally, you can post for help in the test section. Many Riding Arizona members are willing to assist.
|
| How do I change my password? |
|
Click on the My Profile link in the top or bottom navigation. In your profile screen you can change your password.
|
| How do I edit my profile? |
|
You may easily change any information stored in your registration profile by using the "Profile" link located near the top of each page. Simply identify yourself by typing your Username and Password and all of your profile information will appear on screen. You may edit any information (except your Username).
|
| How do I add my name to the Member Map? |
|
One of the fun features here is our Member Map.
This is a member's only feature, meaning that you must be logged on to see the map. It's also an opt-in feature, meaning that unless you fill in certain information in your member profile, you won't show up on the map.
To get your "pin" on the map, you must enter your "GeoCode" into the appropriate field of your profile. The GeoCode plots your location on the map and your entered city, state, and photo show up in the info window that opens when your marker is clicked.
Here's the section of your profile where the GeoCode data goes:
Your GeoCode is simply your latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, separated by a comma. You can obtain your GeoCode in several ways, but the easiest is to use the RA GeoCoder.
Click the "Lookup" link under the GeoCode field in your profile. Use the map navigation to pan and drill down to your specific or general location. By clicking on the map a marker will be added to the map. You can add as many markers to the map as you wish, until you get one that represents the location you would like to show as your marker on the RA Member Map.
Once you are satisfied with the marker placement click it again to see the latitude and longitude for the location. That is your GeoCode. Highlight, cut and paste those numbers into your profile and you are all set.
You can be as vague (our reccomendation) or precise as you wish when entering your GeoCode. Use the center of your town, your post office, or your actual address. Our map uses the Google mapping engine, so you can pan, zoom in and out, and overlay satellite photos on the map.
|
| How do I change my UserName? |
|
Do a search to make certain the name you want is not already taken. Then send an email to Shannon@(no_spam)RidingArizona.com with your existing Username and your preferred Username.
Remove (no_spam) from the email address above.
|
| I noticed on posts that members are ranked from Neutral to 5th Gear. How do I switch gears? |
|
Active members are the core reason why the Riding Arizona site has been so successful. As you participate by posting questions, offering replies and sharing your experiences, you can move to the next gear based on your total number of posts.
Neutral = 0-4 posts
1st Gear = 5-50 posts
2nd Gear = 51-250 posts
3rd Gear = 251-1250 posts
4th Gear = 1251-2750 posts
5th Gear = 2751+ posts
|
| What are the rules for signatures? |
|
Signatures cannot include URLs, graphics, website links, items for sale, or hyperlinks, with the exception of an email address hyperlink. Signatures are limited to 200 characters. Web site URLs, personal sites, and businesses websites should be added to one's Profile or the OHV Links directory, not within one's signature. Riding Arizona reserves the right to edit, without notice, any user profile that violates these rules.
Your signature is editable by clicking on "Profile" at the top of any forum page and entering your Username and Password.
|
| How do I subscribe or unsubscribe from the Riding Arizona newsletter? |
|
Go to: http://ridingarizona.com/forum/newsletter/
Once there you can create a subscription or delete one.
|
| RA Website Tips |
| Tip #1: Icons & What They Mean |
|
Related to the status of a specific thread/topic:
 Represents posting a new thread or one that has no new posts since your last visit.
 Represents a HOT topic (at least 15 replies) that has no new posts since your last visit.
 Represents a topic that has new posts since your last visit.
 Represents a HOT topic (at least 15 replies) that has new posts since your last visit.
 Represents a sticky topic, one that has been locked on the top of the list to make sure you see it.
 Represents a locked topic.
 Allows you to jump to the last post/reply within this thread.
 Allows you to view archived topics (normally topics older than six months).
Related to events/riding dates:
 Represents an event or ride. Also shows in the calendar on the specified date of the event.
Once inside a specific thread, you will see these icons above each member's posts:
 Allows you to check the profile of the member who posted.
 Allows you to check the homepage (if one is entered in their profile) of the member who posted.
 On topics/posts you have submitted, allows you to edit your submission.
 Allows you to PM or private message the poster.
 Allows you, depending on which one you click, to reply or reply with quote.
 Escorts you to the top of the page.
 Allows you to send this topic to a friend.
 Creates a printer friendly (without website headers and footers) layout of a post.
That's it. I know there are a few more icons but these represent most of the ones that will allow you to navigate the RA website more effectively.
|
| Tip #2: Active Topics |
|
Within the top and bottom navigation is a link called Active Topics. Clicking on Active Topics pulls all topics that have new posts since your last visit to Riding Arizona. This is a quick and easy way to see only those topics that are new, without having to sift through each section of the site.
Additionally, you can set the period of time that you would like topics to be considered active. Look for the Active Topics Since drop-down on the Active Topics page. The default time period shows all new posts on topics since your last visit. However, you can change the period to the last 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day etc. to allow you to filter for smaller time periods.
|
| Tip #3: Signatures - Do's & Don'ts |
|
I want to highlight one of Riding Arizona's site rules(http://ridingarizona.com/forum/rules.asp) to make sure you are aware of it. Rule #5 deals with signatures.
Riding Arizona does encourage our members to employ the signature feature within your profile. Be creative; list your bikes, other OHV hardware, your email address or list your sponsors, etc. However, user signatures should not include URLs, graphics, website links, items for sale, or hyperlinks, with the exception of an email address hyperlink. Web site URLs, personal sites, and businesses websites should be added to one's Profile or the OHV Links directory not within one's signature.
Riding Arizona reserves the right to edit, without notice, any user signature that violates this rule.
I run a script weekly (or more often) that scans all member's signatures. The script will blank out your signature field if it finds any form of a website address. It will not remove email addresses. Please make sure your signature does not violate Riding Arizona's site rules.
|
| Tip #4: Adding A Photo or Avatar To Your Profile |
|
1. Post a test message and attach the picture/image to your post by clicking on the paperclip icon. Follow directions in the pop-up.
2. Go back to the test message you posted in step 1.
3. Put the mouse pointer over the image you posted in Step 1. Click on the right mouse button and look for the image URL.
4. Copy the image URL. You can do this by highlighting the URL, clicking on the right mouse button and selecting Copy or just writing it down.
5. Click on Profile in the top or bottom menu to edit your profile. You will be asked to login again to edit your profile.
6. Paste the URL for the photo or image in the Photo line if you are adding a photo or Avatar line if you are adding an avatar.
8. There are no file size limits for photos being added to your profile BUT THERE ARE FOR AVATARS!!! Avatars should be no larger than 5K in size and no larger than 64X64 pixels. Avatars larger than 5K in size will be removed without notice. Additionally, we ask that avatars be located on the Riding Arizona website.
|
| Tip #5: Image Posting Guidelines & Free Software |
|
There are a few things you should know before you attempt to upload photos to the Riding Arizona website:
1. If you plan to upload an image, please note the maximum file size per image is 125K. This will promote dial-up and server friendly images.
2. There are two types of file types you should use when posting photos, JPG and GIF. JPG is the preferred format for photos on the Internet, for the file size is much smaller than GIF. GIF is the preferred format for animations, like banners, or cartoon type images. If you plan to post photos of trails you should use the JPG format.
3. Resolution (pixelation) is important. For the Internet you should use 72 DPI as your defaul pixel setting.
4. If you reply with quote to a post that includes a photo/image, please, for the sake of site performance, do not include the image a second and third time in your reply. Over time, this puts a large burden on the performance of the Riding Arizona site. Simply remove the line that contains the link to the image and leave the remaining text untouched.
5. If you need image editing software, you can download free software on the Internet. Here are two of the better ones I could find for free but there are many out there:
EZ Thumbs (*Riding Arizona's favorite pick)
http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/
PhotoPlus
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/serif/ph/ph5/index.asp
Here is a sample for your review. This photo is 96K.
|
| Tip #6: Editing, Deleting & Adding Photos To Your Posts |
|
After you submit a post you may find the need to edit or delete it. To edit your post you need to find your specific post. Click on the  image right above your post. This will allow you to edit your post.
To delete your post, click on the  image above your post. If you created a new discussion topic you will need to click on the  image.
To add images/pictures to your posting, click on the  image just above the Post New Topic/Post Reply button. You can include multiple images in your posting.
|
| Classified Ads |
| How do I place a classified ad? |
|
Riding Arizona classified ads are a great way to showcase your dirtbike, quad or trailer in front of anyone who visits the Riding Arizona website. For $5.95 per item (FREE for Supporting Members), your add will show until sold and can include as many pictures as you would like. Additionally, our ads allow interested parties to ask questions about the item being sold and afford you the ability to respond accordingly, therefore, increasing your item's exposure. You can even edit your ad, if needed.
How to place your ad:
1. Post your ad to the appropriate Classified Ads section. The ad will be placed in a queue for review and processing.
2. Supporting Members skip this step. Go to the Riding Arizona store at: http://ridingarizona.com/store/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=32 and place an order for your ad.
3. Supporting Members skip this step. Submit payment (PayPal, money order or check). Fee is PER ITEM in ad.
4. Your ad will appear within 48 hours of receipt of payment. That's it.
5. If your item sells, edit your ad title to reflect SOLD and Riding Arizona will remove the ad promptly.
If you would like to place ads for free all year long become a Supporting Member ($15). You can do so by going here: http://ridingarizona.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=36
|
| Is there a fee to post a classified ad? |
|
If the item you're selling is under $75 or if you are a Supporting Member of Riding Arizona the ad is FREE.
Otherwise, for $5.95 per item, your add will show until sold and can include as many pictures as you would like. Additionally, our ads allow interested parties to ask questions about the item being sold and afford you the ability to respond accordingly, therefore, increasing your item's exposure. You can even edit your ad, if needed.
|
| What do I do when my item sells? |
|
Edit your classified ad title by clicking on the  edit icon above your original ad. Add the word SOLD to the title and Riding Arizona will promptly remove the ad.
|
| Problems Accessing The Riding Arizona Website |
| I forgot my password. How do I reset it? |
|
Go to this page: http://ridingarizona.com/forum/password.asp
There are two different ways to retreive your account information; one if you know your username (Forgot Your Password) and one if you do not know your username (Forgot Username). Choose the option that is appropriate for you and follow the detailed instructions.
If you have forgotten your username the process is a two-step process. You must first recover your username. Then you must reset your password.
|
| I cannot Logout. How do I fix this? |
|
The Riding Arizona website uses cookies to track your Login state. If you cannot logout you have an older cookie that needs removed. Access your browser settings (Tool, Internet Options ->for IE users) and select Delete Cookies.
|
| How come I cannot access the Discounts page or the Trail Guide? |
|
Most users can access these pages without any changes to your browser settings. However, if you receive the You Must Login To Access This Page message you have to setup Riding Arizona as a trusted site.
There is a setting, normally under the security section of your broswer. The setting is to identify Trusted Sites. A Trusted Site is one that you will allow to write and read their cookie from your computer. You need to add ridingarizona.com and www.ridingarizona.com to your list of trusted sites. Make sure to uncheck the Requires HTTPS option. This will allow Riding Arizona to identify that you are logged in when accessing pages on Riding Arizona.
|
| I enter my login and password but cannot click on the login button. Is this browser related? |
|
Yes. The Riding Arizona site does not support Netscape 4.X browsers. To correct this issue, you should upgrade your browser to a more current version of Netscape or try Internet Explorer.
|
| General, Posting & Overall Website Setup |
| How large of a file/image can I attach to a posting? |
|
Files cannot exceed 100K.
|
| What kinds of attachments are allowed? |
|
.mp3
.jpg
.gif
.bmp
.txt
.tpg
.mps
.wpt
.loc
.gpx
.png
.bmp
.doc
.pdf
.tpg
.tpo
|
| Smilies |
|
You've probably seen others use smilies before in e-mail messages or other bulletin
board posts. Smilies are keyboard characters used to convey an emotion, such as a smile
 or a frown
 . This bulletin board
automatically converts certain text to a graphical representation when it is
inserted between brackets []. Here are the smilies that are currently
supported by RidingArizona.com:
|
smile |
[:)] |
 |
big smile |
[:D] |
 |
cool |
[8D] |
 |
blush |
[:I] |
 |
tongue |
[:p] |
 |
evil |
[}:)] |
 |
wink |
[;)] |
 |
clown |
[:o)] |
 |
black eye |
[B)] |
 |
eightball |
[8] |
|
|
frown |
[:(] |
 |
shy |
[8)] |
 |
shocked |
[:0] |
 |
angry |
[:(!] |
 |
dead |
[xx(] |
 |
sleepy |
[|)] |
 |
kisses |
[:X] |
 |
approve |
[^] |
 |
disapprove |
[V] |
 |
question |
[?] |
|
|
| Creating a Hyperlink in your message |
|
You can easily add a hyperlink to your message.
All that you need to do is type the URL (http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/), and it will automatically be converted to a URL (http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/)!
The trick here is to make sure you prefix your URL with the http://, https:// or file://
You can also add a mailto link to your message by typing in your e-mail address.
This Example:
shannon@ridingarizona.com
Outputs this:
shannon@ridingarizona.com
Another way to add hyperlinks is to use the [url]linkto[/url] tags
This Example:
[url]http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/[/url] takes you home!
Outputs This:
http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/ takes you home!
If you use this tag: [url="linkto"]description[/url] you can add a description to the link.
This Example:
Take me to [url="http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/"]RidingArizona.com[/url]
Outputs This:
Take me to RidingArizona.com
This Example:
If you have a question [url="shannon@ridingarizona.com"]E-Mail Me[/url]
Outputs This:
If you have a question E-Mail Me
You can make clickable images by combining the [url="linkto"]description[/url] and [img]image_url[/img] tags
This Example:
[url="http://www.ridingarizona.com/forum/"][img]/Riding_Arizona_Logo.gif[/img][/url]
Outputs This:
|
| How to format text with Bold, Italic, Quote, etc... |
|
There are several Forum Codes you may use to change the appearance
of your text. Following is the list of codes currently available:
Bold: Enclose your text with [b] and [/b] . Example: This is [b]bold[/b] text. = This is bold text.
Italic: Enclose your text with [i] and [/i] . Example: This is [i]italic[/i] text. = This is italic text.
Underline: Enclose your text with [u] and [/u]. Example: This is [u]underline[/u] text. = This is underline text.
Aligning Text Left: Enclose your text with [left] and [/left]
Aligning Text Center: Enclose your text with [center] and [/center]
Aligning Text Right: Enclose your text with [right] and [/right]
Striking Text: Enclose your text with [s] and [/s]
Example: [s]mistake[/s] = mistake
Horizontal Rule: Place a horizontal line in your post with [hr]
Example: [hr] =
Font Colors:
Enclose your text with [fontcolor] and [/fontcolor]
Example: [red]Text[/red] = Text
Example: [blue]Text[/blue] = Text
Example: [pink]Text[/pink] = Text
Example: [brown]Text[/brown] = Text
Example: [black]Text[/black] = Text
Example: [orange]Text[/orange] = Text
Example: [violet]Text[/violet] = Text
Example: [yellow]Text[/yellow] = Text
Example: [green]Text[/green] = Text
Example: [gold]Text[/gold] = Text
Example: [white]Text[/white] = Text
Example: [purple]Text[/purple] = Text
Headings: Enclose your text with [hnumber] and [/hn]
|
Example: [h1]Text[/h1] =
|
Text
|
|
Example: [h2]Text[/h2] =
|
Text
|
|
Example: [h3]Text[/h3] =
|
Text
|
|
Example: [h4]Text[/h4] =
|
Text
|
|
Example: [h5]Text[/h5] =
|
Text
|
|
Example: [h6]Text[/h6] =
|
Text
|
Font Sizes:
Example: [size=1]Text[/size=1] = Text
Example: [size=2]Text[/size=2] = Text
Example: [size=3]Text[/size=3] = Text
Example: [size=4]Text[/size=4] = Text
Example: [size=5]Text[/size=5] = Text
Example: [size=6]Text[/size=6] = Text
Bulleted List: [list] and [/list], and items in list with [*] and [/*].
Ordered Alpha List: [list=a] and [/list=a], and items in list with [*] and [/*].
Ordered Number List: [list=1] and [/list=1], and items in list with [*] and [/*].
Code: Enclose your text with [code] and [/code].
Quote: Enclose your text with [quote] and [/quote].
Images: Enclose the address with one of the following: - [img] and [/img]
- [img=right] and [/img=right]
- [img=left] and [/img=left]
|
| Moderators |
|
Moderators control individual forums. They may edit, delete, or prune any posts in their forums. |
| Cookies |
|
These Forums use cookies to store the following information: the last time you logged in, your Username and your Encrypted Password. These cookies are stored on your hard drive. Cookies are not used to track your movement or perform any function other than to enhance your use of these forums. If you have not enabled cookies in your browser, many of these time-saving features will not work properly. Also, you need to have cookies enabled if you want to enter a private forum or post a topic/reply.
You may delete all cookies set by these forums in selecting the "logout" button at the top of any page.
|
| Active Topics |
|
Active Topics are tracked by cookies. When you click on the "active topics" link, a page is generated listing all topics that have been posted since your last visit to these forums (or approximately 20 minutes).
|
| Editing Your Posts |
|
You may edit or delete your own posts at any time. Just go to the topic where the post to be edited or deleted is located and you will see a edit or delete icon () on the line that begins "posted on..." Click on this icon to edit or delete the post. No one else can edit your post, except for the forum Moderator or the forum Administrator. A note is generated at the bottom of each edited post displaying when and by whom the post was edited. |
| Searching For Specific Posts |
|
You may search for specific posts based on a word or words found in the posts, user name, date, and particular forum(s). Simply click on the "search" link at the top of most pages. |
| Censoring Posts |
|
The Forum does censor certain words that may be posted; however, this censoring is not an exact science, and is being done based on the words that are being screened, so certain words may be censored out of context. By default, words that are censored are replaced with asterisks. |
| What does it mean if a forum has Moderation enabled? |
|
Moderation: This feature allows the Administrator or the Moderator to "Approve", "Hold" or "Delete" a users post before it is shown to the public.
Approve: Only the administrators or the moderators will be able to approve a post made to a moderated forum. When the post is approved, it will be made viewable to the public.
Hold: When a user posts a message to a moderated forum, the message is automatically put on hold until a moderator or an administrator approves of the post. No one will be able to view the post while it is put on hold.
NOTE: Authors of the post will be able to edit their post during this mode.
Delete: If the administrator or moderator chooses this option, the post will be deleted and an e-mail will be sent to the poster of the message, informing them that their post was not approved. The administrator/moderator will be able to give their reason for not approving the post in the e-mail.
|
| What is COPPA? |
|
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and Rule apply to individually identifiable information about a child that is collected online, such as full name, home address, e-mail address, telephone number or any other information that would allow someone to identify or contact the child. The Act and Rule also cover other types of information -- for example, hobbies, interests and information collected through cookies or other types of tracking mechanisms -- when they are tied to individually identifiable information. More information can be found here. |
| Do I have to register to access the site? |
|
Registration is not required to view some areas of the Riding Arizona site. However, many sections of Riding Arizona require an account to gain access. Additionally, if you wish to post a new topic or reply to an existing topic - registration is required. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes.
The information you provide during registration is not outsourced or used for any advertising by RidingArizona.com.
If you believe someone is sending you advertisements as a result of the information you provided through your registration, please notify us immediately.
|
| I forgot my password. How do I reset it? |
|
Go to this page: http://ridingarizona.com/forum/password.asp
There are two different ways to retreive your account information; one if you know your username (Forgot Your Password) and one if you do not know your username (Forgot Username). Choose the option that is appropriate for you and follow the detailed instructions.
If you have forgotten your username the process is a two-step process. You must first recover your username. Then you must reset your password.
|
| Contact Riding Arizona & Advertising |
| How do I become a Site Sponsor? |
|
Riding Arizona is supported by several Site Sponsors. If you would like to expose your business to our membership go here for more information:
http://ridingarizona.com/store/business
|
| How do I contact Riding Arizona? |
|
Phone: (480) 232-7737
Email: info@(no_spam)RidingArizona.com
Remove (no_spam) from the email address above.
|
