Ask the Staff v8

[JohanT]

Hello.

I was wondering about the "show your local time" option when customizing your profile. What does that mean exactly?

Thank you.

[Alastor]

It means that your local time is shown in the Mini Statistics box in your public profile. Or not if you have chosen the 'no' option.

[JohanT]

Thank you very much!

[merrymarge]

Yesterday, I was posting a few facts for the Chap by Chap thread. I had logged in, wrote a few lines, then was looking for more ideas to write about. Apparently, I was too long looking up stuff, because when I tried to post it, I got a message saying that I didn't have permission to post anything. I was in the "quick reply area", I was already logged in, so why didn't I have permission to post anything? I had to refresh the page and I lost everything I wrote. I didn't realise there was a time limit on posting stuff, except for the Quibbler games where you have to wait 30 seconds between posts. This hasn't happened to me before. Maybe it was a warning to me that I was on the computer too long.
Thanks for your help, and I still like the Forum.

[SusanBones]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Yesterday, I was posting a few facts for the Chap by Chap thread. I had logged in, wrote a few lines, then was looking for more ideas to write about. Apparently, I was too long looking up stuff, because when I tried to post it, I got a message saying that I didn't have permission to post anything. I was in the "quick reply area", I was already logged in, so why didn't I have permission to post anything? I had to refresh the page and I lost everything I wrote. I didn't realise there was a time limit on posting stuff, except for the Quibbler games where you have to wait 30 seconds between posts. This hasn't happened to me before. Maybe it was a warning to me that I was on the computer too long.
Thanks for your help, and I still like the Forum.

I think that the log in times out after a certain time. You probably timed out.

I've lost a lot of posts I was writing, too. Now I'll often copy it to a word document, just it case.

[merrymarge]

oh, well, o.k., it never occurred to me that I could be timed out. I wanted to find stuff to back up my thoughts. I try to post page numbers and chapter numbers. Unfortunately, I get distracted when I go to look up stuff.

[Moriath]

I can understand the frustration, especially in regard to long posts. But there isn't much we can do, I guess, as inactivity logouts have been in place as long as I remember. You can open CoS in another tab though and refresh that page every ten minutes or so to make sure that you won't be logged out whilst writing a long post in another tab. Another way to potentially avoid time-out post loss is to copy content before refreshing the site, in case the content box comes up empty. Even with a time-out message you can usually go 'one page back' in your browser. That often works.

[ccollinsmith]

Regarding Pottermore content... Is mention of Pottermore content limited to the new threads? Or can I put something in my sig (and in the description of one of my social groups) referencing a piece of info from Pottermore?

Oh... And thanks for the new threads.

[Hes]

Nope, you can put it in your signature, social groups etc.

+++

Everyone is welcome to create new Pottermore related threads in the Cloak. Or revive older threads which can benefit from the new info (like Magical Transportation, clothing in the Wizarding world etc). As always search first, start later.

Only LS threads are still staff made.

[ccollinsmith]

Thank you, Hes. And great job on the questions in the LS threads!

[merrymarge]

Where can I complain about the Pottermore pages? I have to constantly hit the refresh button to get any information on each page. The pages load way too slowly. I did see that the cupboard under the stairs page I can collect stuff, but I have no idea what to collect. I also filled out a short survey, and submitted it. Also at the top of the page it shows Beta, does this mean it's still in Beta and there will still be problems with the site? right now I am very disappointed and not sure if I want to go back. I also thought I would see new information, but aside from the bit about how the Dursleys met, it was ho-hum, Nothing was new. You probably can't do anything but I sure I had to complain and I will keep complaining until I find out if it's something wrong with my computer or if it's Pottermore site.
Thanks, I prefer your site. I seldom have problems.

[Alastor]

I'm sorry but the CoS staff has no means to help you in any Pottermore related matters.

But you can discuss your problems with other Pottermore fans here: Pottermore v.11

[merrymarge]

Sorry, but at the top of the page, you mention if we have any further questions about Pottermore threads to ASK the Staff, which I did.

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Sorry, but at the top of the page, you mention if we have any further questions about Pottermore threads to ASK the Staff, which I did.

I think "Pottermore threads" refers to pages on CoS, not on Pottermore.

The Pottermore v11 thread (which Alastor points to) is a good place to get tips about how to deal with technical issues on Pottermore. Several people with Pottermore experience, including some members of CoS staff, frequent the thread.

[Alastor]

That's right ccollinsmith. And merrymarge, asking the staff is not wrong. Don't be sorry for that. I just replied that the staff can't help you. I'm sorry I beg you pardon for not making myself more clear.

[merrymarge]

I didn't know who to turn to. I have been checking the Pottemore site and noticed other people have problems too. I just thought some of the staff might have run across the same problems, and you could give me suggestions. I am not tech savvy. My main complaint is the pages load too slow and I have to hit "refresh" constantly.

Will any of the COS staff help out on the new Mugglenet site, Alohomora? I know it is separate from here, I just thought some of you might step in to help. Mugglenet is running it.

[SusanBones]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

I didn't know who to turn to. I have been checking the Pottemore site and noticed other people have problems too. I just thought some of the staff might have run across the same problems, and you could give me suggestions. I am not tech savvy. My main complaint is the pages load too slow and I have to hit "refresh" constantly.

When pages load slowly it is often a problem that exists either with your computer or with your internet provider. An older, slower computer, a computer without a lot of available memory or a fast processor will load internet pages slower than a newer computer. Download speed by your internet provider will make a big difference, too. We switched to a faster DSL line at work and it has made a big difference in download times.

I've used three different computers at several different places, and one of the laptops is an older model, and I haven't had any problems with slow loading times, although my older laptop has frozen a few times when I'll trying to duel.

[silver ink pot]

Merrymarge: Make sure your Adobe Flash player is up to date and then delete any older versions. That will make Pottermore load much more quickly. If you use Safari, Firefox, or Chrome do a google search for the "Plug-In" version of Flash for your browser and get the newest one. Shockwave and Java are also good to update just in case.

ETA: And that may sound technical but it's mainly just clicking on an update and letting it load into your computer.

None of that has any guarantee attached to it, because it may be something else with your computer or connection speed. But it will surely help.

[Hes]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Will any of the COS staff help out on the new Mugglenet site, Alohomora? I know it is separate from here, I just thought some of you might step in to help. Mugglenet is running it.

I doubt it. All of us are very busy with our private lives next to our CoS time In fact, this is the first time I heard of this site

[Sinistra_Furze]

Merrymarge,
I have a little gadget that tells me how much processing power is being used at any one time (on my Linux operating system). While going through the pages of PS/SS on Pottermore it was heavy use with all the graphics.
I have a newish PC and quite a fast internet connection so the pages loaded fairly quickly.
Maybe in addition to the above you also need to make your internet cache size larger and clear it after each internet session?