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Just the FAQs (a.k.a. HELP!)

If you are a New Visitor you may want to start with our Welcome Mat or How to Chat pages. Important terms to understand:
Public Access: Limited access to the Chathouse (Excluded from some floors)
Registered: Unlimited access to the Chathouse(Access to all floors)


Scroll down or use these "jump ahead" links
CGI ERROR SERVER/DATABASE ERROR MESSAGES
E-MAIL CHANGES TIME OUT/ROOM FULL
HANDLES USING IMAGES
PASSWORDS * CONTACT CHATHOUSE STAFF

PASSWORDS

I am a Non-Registered User What do I use for My Password?
Use any Temporary Password you want with any Temporary Handle you want to use when you enter a Public Access Chat Room.

I Registered and Applied for a Password, But I Didn't Receive Anything Yet
The response time from our database is immediate, for the most part. In some instances your service provider may have a firewall setup that delays mails from autoresponse systems. If you have not received your password within 4 hours, please go to Registration and re-register. Be careful to type your E-mail Address correctly with no extraneous stray spaces, marks, or brackets, as this is THE MOST COMMON REASON Passwords go astray. As long as you have a valid E-mail Address and your E-mail Address is entered correctly, the response should be immediate. [AOL Customers Please Note: we have had reports of this e-mail taking up to 2 days to reach AOL customers.]

My Password Doesn't Work
If you have been having trouble remembering or properly entering your Password, you might want to try just copying it from the E-mail we sent you, and pasting it in the box when you are prompted for a Password. Please remember that Handles and Passwords are case sensitive and MUST be typed exactly as they appear in the E-mail sent to you when you Registered... i.e.; joker is different from JOKER is different from jOkEr... Be careful to type your Password correctly as this is the most common reason Passwords "don't work." If your Password is too difficult for you to remember, go to Edit Profile and Change your Password.

I Forgot My Password (or My Handle)
Go to Registration and reregister Our server will send you e-mail again with your current registration Profile from our database which will include your current Password. You don't have to fill out the whole thing again. Do include your E-mail Address and make sure your E-mail Address is typed CORRECTLY. Include your Handle, too, if you know it. If you don't remember your Handle, just type a guess. We will look up your original registration in our archives and then send you an E-mail which will tell you your Handle and Password.

I Want to Change my Password or my Handle
Go to Edit Profile to change your Password or Handle in your current registration Profile.

I Have a Problem with My Password Not Covered by the Above Information...
Non-Subscribers may send mail to passwords@chathouse.com but should note that this is a FREE service and you will receive only an automated response.
HANDLES


Choosing a Handle

When you start chatting you need to pick your handle carefully. Your handle will determine the type of people you attract. Choose a sexy handle and you'll be hit on, probably a lot. Choose a political name and be ready for arguments.

I Forgot My Handle (or My Password)
Go to Registration and reregister. Our server will send you E-mail again with your current registration Profile from our database which will include your current Handle(s). You don't have to fill out the whole thing again. Do include your E-mail Address and make sure your E-mail Address is typed CORRECTLY. We will look up your original registration in our archives and then send you an E-mail which will tell you your Handle and Password.

I Want to Delete My Handle
You can't delete your Handle, but if do not use it for 30 days, and it will be automatically deleted. You are allowed to Register up to 4 Handles, so if you would like to add a new handle, go to Edit Profile. DO NOT REGISTER AGAIN! If you are a Subscription Member (whose Handles don't automatically expire!) and you wish to Change a Handle, please write to VIP@chathouse.com for personal attention. [We are currently working on a new Edit Profile feature for Subscribed Members that will allow you to Change your Handles online whenever you wish.]

My Handle got Deleted
If you are a Registered Member, but NOT a Subscribed Member, your Handle will expire if not used for 30 days. Also, if you are not a Subscribed Member, please note, our Registration database sometimes gets upgraded, overloaded, or simply crashes. There are no guarantees for this FREE service with regards to your Handles. Subscribed Members, by all means, if you have any problem with your Handle, please send E-mail to VIP@chathouse.com for personal attention.

I Want to Add a Handle
Go to Edit Profile to add Handles to your current Profile. You are allowed up to four Handles per Registration Profile (all on one Password and one valid E-mail Address).

I Want to Use HTML in My Handle
Only Registered or Subscribed Members may use HTML in their Handle, or, their Handle itself may be an image. Go to our HTML Tips and follow the instructions to include HTML in your handle. Then go to Registration (if you have not yet Registered) and enter the handle with HTML included, or to Edit Profile (if you have already Registered) and follow the instructions to Add a Handle. (Each Registration profile is entitled to up to four active Handles per valid E-mail Address.)

I Want to Delete a Handle
Do not use a Handle for 30 days and it will automatically expire. Subscribers (with guaranteed Handles that don't expire!) currently will have to write to VIP@chathouse.com to have a Handle manually deleted. [We hope to have a Subscribers Feature for editing and changing Handles in the very near future.]

E-MAIL CHANGES

My E-mail Address Has Changed
Simply Reregister with all new information. (Your old Registration and Handles will expire if not used for 30 days.) If you are a Subscribed Member and you wish to have your Registration Profile edited (so that you will maintain your Registered Handles) please send a message to VIP@chathouse.com Please indicate your Old E-mail address, your New E-mail address, your Password and Handles you wish to retain.

USING IMAGES

I Want to Use an Image... for My Handle, in ch@tmosphere, while Chatting...
If you wish to use an image, the first thing you need to know is the image's actual URL or web address or location. For example, your image might be a .gif or a .jpg with a URL something like this:

http://www.exampledomain.com/yourname/picture.gif


The second thing you need to know is some HTML (hyper text markup language) to hyperlink this image where you wish for it to appear. You will type something that looks like this if you simply want to call the image (image source equals...):

<img src="http://www.exampledomain.com/yourname/picture.gif">


Or, if you want to create a hyperlink with Text that will link to your picture, you will type something like this (hyper reference to...):

<a href="http://www.exampledomain.com/yourname/picture.gif">Click here to see my picture</a>


If you want to use an image for your Handle, go to Edit Profile to add a new Handle using the <img src="http://www... tag.

For more info, look for the link "HTML Tips" while in any Members Only Chat Room or check out some of the WWW Resources (such as "A Beginner's Guide to HTML") on the Channel1® Support page for other HTML and WWW resources.

If you're interested in being included in the Family Tree and having your image be eligible for "Chatter of the Minute" you must be a Subscribed Member.

CGI ERROR

I Receive a Message that says "Cgi Error"
Microsoft Internet Explorer sometimes does not store CGI variables correctly, especially CGI variables of pages in its cache (i.e., not the one that you are currently viewing). This problem seems to happen most often when a chatter uses the "Back" button while chatting. If our server does not receive all of these variables properly, it returns the error message: "Cgi Error." In order to eliminate this problem, we recommend that chatters use Netscape to view the Chathouse.

TIME OUT/ROOM FULL

I Keep Being Timed Out of Rooms
Be sure to click on the "chat" button regularly. If you do not click "chat" (even if you have nothing to say!) at least once every 600 seconds you will be timed out. See our How to Chat page for details.

I Get "Timed Out" or a "Room is Full" message even though I've been clicking my 'chat" button and I know there are empty slots...
Your browser is not set up correctly. Go to the "Options" menu in your browser, under "Network Preferences," and make sure that in the "Cache" menu you have the "verify documents" option (or for Macs, the "check documents" option) set to "every time." This may sound confusing, but if you don't do this, you may often be timed out, or see the same messages repeated over and over again. Please refer to the help section in your browser, as all browsers are different.

After chatting for a few minutes my computer locks up and I get a message that "Files are Downloading", and I have to reboot, or I get a CGI error message..
Our chat system uses forms, and some browsers do not handle forms in the standardized way. Reference Microsoft's info on Explorer "known problems" located at www.microsoft.com/ie/ You should be using Netscape to access our site, and take advantage of all of our features. You can obtain this browser at: http://www.netscape.com usually for Free.

SLOW!!!!
There are many reasons this problem can occur. Remember that you're connected to a multi-billion dollar network that is the greatest technological wonder in the history of mankind...so you can expect some screw-ups from time to time. The Internet is like a chain, and if there is an outage or problem anywhere in between our server and your server, you will experience slow connections or Time Out problems.

SERVER AND DATABASE ERROR MESSAGES

There are, unfortunately, a variety of Server and Database Errors that can occur with a system as large and complex as the Chathouse. Search here for your error, and the reason you may be receiving it.





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