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Site FAQ


History of TwinTurbo.NET:

 TwinTurbo.COM started in Feb of '96. David H ran it then off the office server. The original forum was for all years of Zs. Once traffic picked up, David split it into '70-'83 & '90+. Morgan's Z31 board (now www.z31.com) handled the Z31s off site, saving bandwidth & leaving Morgan's traffic alone. Graphics only changed once during the history of TwinTurbo.COM. I think I have copies of the original menubar somewhere. Bandwidth use became a concern at his office, so David got together with Blair to move the site over from Austin to Houston. Blair was on ISDN (64k at the time I think???), so we used ALL of that pipe for about a year. Blair told me they had been talking about getting on an OC3 pipe for more speed. Unfortunately, the OC3 was provided by autoforums.com the current home to TwinTurbo.COM. David bought a Venom 550 & lost interest in the Z community, the forum went to autoforums & Blair had no idea it was going to turn out that way. :-(

The couple months after when TwinTurbo.COM moved from Blair's server to autoforums.com lots of people were a little more than upset. The format had changed (no longer Matt's PERL scripts). Then a month into that, the banners started. :-( Very little if any moderation left the forum in sad shape for about a year. Autoforums finally got around to moderating it again at that time.

I got TONS of mail about this, because the whole time I had been running (now) www.TTZD.com & had been very active on the TwinTurbo.COM forum. They were asking me to start my own forum. I had it built on an SGI server here at the office, but it was BASIC Matt's PERL scripts stuff. I met Greg Fields somewhere during this time & started talking about programming. 'Sure, we can do that! No problems there.' Gave Greg a password to the server & off he went. We spent a lot of time figuring out the logistics to make this forum flow, the login, the delete, the FAQ, etc. We went live late the night of June 3rd, 1998. Within no time, TwinTurbo.NET was getting more traffic than TwinTurbo.COM or any of the other forums that had been started for the same reasons as TwinTurbo.NET. We kept working on the scripts (V1.0), but the server was MAXED out, so I got Steve Simmons involved and got a a dual 300 mHz w/ 256M RAM NT4.0 server built. We started porting the scripts from UNIX to NT (V2.0) & changing some things up & went live with the new TwinTurbo.NET server in October of 1998. MUCH faster now. Courtesy & SGP offered to pick up the tab on the server hardware (thanks guyZ!) as out first sponsors on the forum.

We hit 1,000,000 on the counter (which is ONLY the initial access to the page, not every message read etc.) on 5-29-99 4:55 pm by Chris B.. Just days before our 1st birthday on 6-3-99. I never imagined it would move this quickly.

We hit 2,000,000 on the counter even faster then the first 1,000,000. on Dec 28, 1999 5:49 pm 2000000 by Justin (OKC).

V3.0, now known as V2K, because we launched on the evening 1-1-2000, is a work in progress. The development got stale and we couldn't go any further without getting it under 'real' use. The entire site is now hand-coded by us. There is no free-ware stuff involved, although we kept the user end look and feel of it the same, the programming going on behind the scenes is totally different. We adopted this because it would allow us a lot of new flexabilities as we continue to improve the site.

Dallas DamonZ


What are the recommended tools for using TwinTurbo.NET?

 Your browser & OS are: , If it's 4.0 or higher you're in good shape. TwinTurbo.NET was designed for 4.0+ browsers, lower versions may not allow you to utilize some features here.

 Your screen resolution is:  , If it's 1024 x 768 or higher, once again you're in good shape. TwinTurbo.NET was designed at 1024 x 768, although we did make it 800 x 600 compatible too, viewing will be best at higher resolutions.


Why can't I log in?

 The number one reason is you don't have cookies enabled. Please check under Edit->Preferences->Advanced-set 'Cookies' to 'Accept all cookies' or 'Accept only cookies...' & check 'warn me before accepting any cookies' depending on preferences for you Netscape users. For Internet Explorer users, it's View->Options->Advanced & basically the same item listings. After compeleting the login process, you can set your cookie preferences to be good as long as the browser window is open. When it closes, the browser will delete the cookie. Or, you can click on the 'Enable 30 day cookie' option. This allows you to log in once a month. More info on cookies can be found here . Certain companies won't allow cookies through the firewall & we couldn't find any info on cookies in relation to WEB-TV. In these instances, we apologize, the original login used IP tracking, but that had more problems & was rather slow compared to the cookie system.


Important info on passwords:

 The transaction between your browser and TwinTurbo.NET is not a 'secure' transaction. Please DO NOT use your office passwords/e-mail passwords/or any other important passwords. Doing so is very unwise in any website passwording situation. These can be 'lifted' during the transaction. If you are using an important password to access TwinTurbo.NET, please go here to change your password to something less security sensitive.


How do I edit my user profile?

 Simple, just click here for a page that allows you to edit your profile.


Who else is a member here?

 Check the member directory here .


What's the .HTML/Footer message window used for in the new user login?

 Information put in this window of the Member Profiel Editor is tacked to the end of the message you post like a signature file for e-mail.


How do I make the .HTML for the signature?

  First off, whatever image you want to use has to be on a server somewhere on the internet. Find the address for that image itself by right clicking on it & selecting 'copy image location'. Next, use this basic line to display an image:

<IMG SRC="http://whateverthelocationoftheimageis">

For example:

<IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/dziiisig.jpg">

Yields:

which is my pre-made signature that is always tied to the TTZD logo like this:

<IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/dziiisig.jpg"><IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/ttzdsig.gif">

Or this on the screen:

Now there's one other basic thing you'll need to know & that's how to make a link:

<A HREF="http://addess(URL)ofpageyouwanttolinkto">sometextorimageyouwanttomakealinkoutof</A>

For example (tieing two things together):

<A HREF="http://www.ttzd.com"><IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/ttzdsig.gif"  BORDER=0></A>

Yields:

There are some other small things you can add to the .html to it a little nicer. This is my complete signature:

<A HREF="mailto:damonz@ttzd.com"><IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/dziiisig.jpg" ALT="Click here to e-mail me!" BORDER=0></A><A HREF="http://www.ttzd.com" target="_top"><IMG SRC="http://www.ttzd.com/sigs/ttzdsig.gif" ALT="Click here for Twin Turbo Zs of Dallas!" BORDER=0></A>

Which makes:

Click here to e-mail me!Click here for Twin Turbo Zs of Dallas!


How do I put pictures in posts or make 'La-Z-links'?

 Put this in the message where you want a link: [[LL|URL of whatever page|optional title]]. Fill in 'URL of whatever page' with the URL of whatever page you want to link to. The optional title is what actually gets shown as the link in the message, it's not reqired.

 Put this in the message like the La-Z-Link macro above,but for an image: [[LI|URL of whatever image]]. Fill in the 'URL of whatever image' with the URL of whatever image you want to display. Use [ Preview ] in the message posting window to make sure it's what you want and then [ Post ]. Simple!


What's with all the voting?

 It's democracy in action! We have a specific number that has to be met for the message to be deleted (along with any follow-ups) or be flagged for the FAQ. If you think it qualifies, vote your mind! On [Vote to Delete], if there's an  next to it, it is being voted off. When it goes, all followups go with it. This can happen anywhere in the message tree.  next to it means it's almost gone.  is toasted! :) Three strikes, you're out (more or less, the actual number is higher)!!! When deleted, a message line will appear showing where the message was & who posted it, showing your vote does make a difference. While there are 's on the forum, you can simply click on the 's to vote against, you don't even have to read it if you don't want to (this will help kill flames as rapidly as possible). The [Vote to FAQ] works much the same way, except it will send the message to the FAQ area to be inserted into the upcoming FAQ. ,,... You'll have to read the message to vote for it... otherwise we can't make a concise FAQ for the forum. We'll start developing the FAQ from here on out. Read FAQ info below:


FAQ info:

 The FAQ we mantain here is a collection of messages boiled down to the pertinent info, hopefully in the most objective fashion possible. When [Voting to FAQ] keep in mind that all messages involved in the voted thread will be taken into account. We never expect one post to cover all aspects of a topic. When a single message in a thread gets voted in, it's flagged & we'll examine the contents of the entire thread & then grind out the most concise answer possible. What does this mean? While the thread is on the forum, & one message is being voted on, if better info is present elsewhere in the thread, keep voting on the one message already garnering votes. All will be involved instead of splitting the vote between two messages & never getting either of the messages totally voted in.



Where can I find my post from the other day?

 There's 3 different ways to find it. The easiest would be to use the 'View Personal Posts' link at the top of the forum page. This will display only your messages and their followups. The next way would be to go to Search by Date and enter a date to look through. The last way would be to just keep reading down the forum pages by click [ Next ] at the top or bottom until the message is found.


How come I see a [Delete] link in the message sometimes?

 You can delete your own posts anytime, as long as there are no follow-ups to it. Once a follow-up is present, the link goes away.


What's the Preview button?

 This is a feature that allows you to see your post before it is submitted to the forum. Sometimes it's just difficult to proofread a long post in the 'message' window, or maybe you're trying to use some new .html in there.


What's (n/m)?

 No Message. If you enter a post that can sum it up all on the subject line without having to type a message, the forum notes that there is no message for people that are reading down the main forum page.


The Classifieds forum won't let me post.

 More than likely, you're missing some data in your user profile. We have to require more data here than regular posts to try & cut down on illegitimate for sale items. Read PRIVACY to understand what's involved with the extra data being exposed to the other members. OR you are a very new member and need to spend some time using the site before being allowed to post in the Classifieds forum. People try to scam other people everyday, we are just trying to avoid this. Remember the gym weight and brick from ttSteve? More than one person got caught in that one, luckily no money was lost during the transaction. If you don't feel comfortable doing business like this, DON'T. We just provide this as a service to you. Remember: BUYER BEWARE.


I sold my For Sale item. How do I delete the listing?

 If you go back into your message, there will be a [delete] link that only you get to see. Use it to remove your listing from the board


How do I submit my Z for inclusion in the Rides section?

This is a complicated one, this is what we need and need not do:

    1. All images MUST be 256+ color .jpgs in a minimum of 500 x * resolution.
    2. At least one nice clean shot (or a couple) of the ENTIRE (the entire car needs to be in the picture, nothing cut out) outside with the car on the street/parking lot/etc., so I can clean up the bottom & leave whatever shadow is there around the bottom of the car (just like TTZD's).
    3. Possibly a couple shots of what makes your car unique from stock (interior, bodywork, wheels, etc.) will compliment the list of mods added from your member profile. Show me a close up pic of a stock wheel & I'll show you a pic that won't make it into the Rides section. We all know what the stock stuff looks like. Just like a car magazine shoot only the different things will get in.
    4. I don't need your mods list, you'll take care of that yourself when you start your page.
    5. Please make sure to send your Member ID Number in the e-mail, so we know WHO the pics belong to. If you don't know your number, go to Members --> Directory --> find your profile, it will be listed right below your screen name. It is NOT the temporary number mailed to you for login reasons or the page's hitcounter. In general, finding out who you are wastes more time then actually prepping the pics. If I receive pics without a Member ID number listed in the e-mail, into the trash they go. I'm NOT kidding.
    6. I do not want you to do the whiting-out yourself. It doesn't speed things up, and generally makes things look worse overall. Please e-mail the raw .jpg version with out aditional touch-ups, alterations, etc. I will handle the whiting out of the image for the top of the page.
    7. Do NOT send links to pics stored on the web. most of the time they're on photopoint or some other hosting site & are yet another pain to deal with.
    8. Do NOT embed the images in the e-mail message, send them as attachments (the paperclip icon for you Outlook users) only.
My extra time is very short, consider these rules a courtesy to me and other people who have submitted their pics so things can be done in a timely manner. Non unique pics won't be displayed. The Rides page creator/editor is a part of the Profile Editor under the Member section, editing the Member Profile will also include editing the Rides page once the pics are finished. There is a link to see/start the page at the top of the normal Member Profile Editor page. Use it to see the images and make changes there. Use the regular Member Profile editor to change the rest of the parameters. Please keep in mind this is a time consuming process, any pics that deviate from the above standards and procedure for submission will be refused in an effort to be as timely with other member's Rides pictures. I will spend as much time as neccessary to make your rides looks as good on the site as it does in person, but I can't work miracles with poor scans/images. We reserve the right to refuse any pics submitted for Rides as deamed necessary & choose which images will be displayed in the Rides section. It usually takes awhile for these to get done as they get done in batches (as in more then 2 days, but less than a year). Please be patient, thank you.

 Send the required pics to rides@TwinTurbo.NET :


How do I submit my Z link for inclusion in the Links section?

 Go to the LINKS page and enter in the information at the bottom of the page.


Why are there colons in the message when I try to post a followup?

 Colons appear in the message dialog box when you try to followup up on a message to indicate that those lines are quoting the previous document.


What are the forum preferences at the bottom of the member profile?

 The appearance and some of the functions are definable per member.

Theme - The overall look of the site. We have 3 now, but more will be added soon. New Graphics are the default theme, Old Graphics are the original recipe graphics from the old forum, BOSS mode is text only (for the most part) and is rather generic looking, for those sneaky people reading the forum at work.

View - The way the front forum page appears. There are 4 different styles of view right now. They are self explanatory.

Max messages in window - This is the total number of messages displayed on the front page of the forum. up to 500 currently. 50 is the default, 100 is a comfortable number for typical navigation.

Order of thread responses - This is the order of the follow-ups in each message thread. Newest -> Oldest is default, although it's backward really, it's what the original forum used, so most people are more comforatble looking at threads in this order. Oldest -> Newest is in true chronological order. This is only for the follow-ups, the thread tops are always in reverse chronological order from each other top to bottom.

Show signature graphics when viewing messages - This will turn member's signature graphics into text only if set to Off. This is helpful to make the BOSS theme even more generic looking.

Include original message in reply - This will retain the original message's content in the follow-up window, making reading the thread a little easier from message to message. Some members might find it nicer to start with a clean slate in every message.

Launch messages in a new window - Internet Explorer users have been able to shift + click to open messages in a new window, making reading the forum faster. Now both browsers can automatically open messages in a new window with this option set to On. Keep in mind the 'Forum' button inside each message will NOT refresh the original browser window, but put the forum front page in the new window, effectively losing the menus etc. They are all back on the original browser window. We might institute a dual window approach with more scripting to manage both windows at once, it's low on the priority list for now though.


What's the prefered method for navigation of the forums?

 There's actually 2 basic forms of navigation on the forum:

The simplest is to read down the front forum page until you find a message you want to read. Click the subject line to read the message in the current theme frameset. Read the message, respond, read follow-ups, etc. To get back to the forum, click the [ Forum ] link inside the message. This will put the thread you were reading at the top of the front forum page, to continue reading down the front forum page. While it might seem odd, if you click the Forum button on the left menu bar, it would take you back to the 'top' of the front forum page, with the newest posted messages listed. Not convenient if you're on page 53 from using [ Next ] and [ Previous ] to go from front page to front page, and end up back up at the 'top' of the forum.

The second form of navigation is the two window style. This is simplified with the 'Launch messages in a new window' profile option . You set up your profile to open the selected message in a new window. Read, respond, read follow-ups, etc. then CLOSE that window. Keep in mind the 'Forum' button inside each message window will NOT refresh the original browser window, but put the forum front page in the new window, effectively losing the menus etc. They are all back on the original browser window. So when you close the message window, the original browser window will still be on the front forum page where you launched off the new message window from. While this might be a faster method of reading the forum, the downside is the original front forum window does not update like it would in the first method of navigation.



Contact information?

 E-mail admin@TwinTurbo.NET with any questions concerning www.TwinTurbo.NET.

Suggestions may be E-mailed to suggestions@TwinTurbo.NET


Who did it?

 Alex Lee-Admin
 Moderators:
 Pats300zx
 SactoTodd
 Damon S-Site Director/html coder/turboforum engine coder
 Greg F-turboforum engine coder/html coder
 Steve S-Hardware & OS/netOS coorinator


Anything else?

RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND

TwinTurbo.NET reserves the right to do deny access to anyone who displays inappropriate behavior while interacting on TwinTurbo.NET.

The name TwinTurbo.NET or the TwinTurbo.NET logo(s) may not be used in advertising or publicity without prior, specific written permission.

TwinTurbo.NET makes no representations about the suitability of any information contained herein for any purpose. It is provided "AS IS" .

In no event shall TwinTurbo.NET be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this information.

TwinTurbo.NET assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this publication or other documents which are referenced or linked to this publication. Nor does TwinTurbo.NET make any commitment to update the information contained herein. This publication and other documents are subject to change without notice.

TwinTurbo.NET assumes no liability for the information posted by it's 'members' for the discussion or benefit of other 'members'. TwinTurbo.NET shall not be held liable for the actions of it's 'members' on or as a result of being on this site.

TwinTurbo.NET reserves the right to remove any messages deemed necessary to maintain continuity on the forums.

All materials submitted to TwinTurbo.NET through email or 'posting' to the forums become property of TwinTurbo.NET barring noted copyright markings in the submission.

TwinTurbo.NET reserves the right to change our Restricted Rights Legend without prior notice.

PRIVACY

What information will I be asked when I register with TwinTurbo.NET?

During the initial registration, you will be required to provide certain information about yourself which will generally be available and freely accessible to other TwinTurbo.NET members. The only mandatory details needed to register are a screenname, your first and last names, e-mail address, and a password.

What will TwinTurbo.NET do with the registration information?

TwinTurbo.NET collects this information to encourage all TwinTurbo.NET members to learn about one another thus creating an open and honest community experience. By using the Directories in 'Member Services', one TwinTurbo.NET member can retrieve general information provided by another TwinTurbo.NET member. This information is intended to advocate a spark for communication and allow each user to target other members with whom s/he wants to communicate. The only time sensitive information, such as phone numbers are listed are when they are required to post in the 'Classifieds' Forum. They are not visible to the rest of the members until you allow them to be by posting in the 'Classifieds' forum.

Will TwinTurbo.NET provide information to any third party?

We are committed to making TwinTurbo.NET members feel safe and comfortable when communicating online, therefore TwinTurbo.NET does not and will never directly provide member identifiable information it has collected to any third party (including advertisers and direct marketers) without the member's permission.