Frequently Asked Questions

Concept, Login and Registration

What is the 25 Problems concept all about?
Some area buildings have problems (no kidding?). Example - the condos at Don Mills and Overlea. Oh boy! 50 years old, and counting.

In particular the owner of **25 St. Dennis Drive** has been going on about various heights of skyscraper condo(s) that they say they want to build. The new development "is sold out" - except existing tenants weren't consulted eg. was anyone interested in MOVING TO A NEW BUILDING?

An interactive web page might be a way for the, or a, tenants' association to come up with a list of more pressing issues (like heating, cooling, water, power) than new condos... hence the title. 25 problems facing the area around 25 St. Dennis!

The latest news is that FOUR NEW BUILDINGS have been proposed for the lot! The developer Osmington Gerofsky seems to think there's plenty of "vacant lands" on which they can do this. This is moving waaaaaay too fast. Sign up or bookmark this page to follow the discussions.
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Is this a local thing, eg. just St. Dennis Drive?
Who knows? There are problems city-wide and across the GTA. Issues galore!

Maybe it's a thing that will catch on and expand, maybe not. But Flemingdon Park has needed a tenant portal for a long time... just as an example that "Urban Toronto dot ca" thing is being run like some kind of dictatorship. With any luck things could be a bit more open and fluid.
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Is there an actual list of 25 problems?
Not yet. There's lots of issues to choose from though - security, maintenance, power, water, transit and school bussing, an aging population and health care, emergency services, recycling, runaway development... you name it. Make up your own list!
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Why do I need to register?
25 Problems is an experimental setup - years of experience with on-line information systems have shown us that registration helps to keep problems down to a dull roar. Mail-in registration is also a possibility, but we would have to rent a mailbox ($$$). Note that you don’t HAVE to supply your real name and your e-mail address CAN be from a free site like Google (Gmail) or Microsoft (Hotmail) or Yahoo etc.
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Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Remember me box when you login, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the Remember me box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc. If you do not see this checkbox, it means a board administrator has disabled this feature.
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I registered on this, or another, phpBB in the past but cannot login any more?!
Boards come and go, and user lists change over time. It is possible that an administrator has deactivated or deleted your account for some reason. Sorry for any inconvenience - it's not intentional.
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Why can’t I login?
There are several reasons why this could occur. First, ensure your username and password are correct. If they are, contact the administrator to make sure you haven’t been banned.
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Why can’t I register?
That's a good question. It’s technically possible for the administrator of a phpbb installation to disable registration to prevent new visitors from signing up. The administrator could have also banned your IP address or disallowed the username you are attempting to register. Contact the Admin for assistance.
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What is COPPA?
COPPA, or the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, is a law in the United States that requires websites which may potentially collect information from minors under the age of 13, to have written parental consent or some other method of legal guardian acknowledgment, eg. the child’s parent(s) or guardians are OK with the collection of personally identifiable information from a minor under the age of 13. If you are unsure if this applies to you as someone trying to register to “25 Problems” or some other web page, contact legal counsel for assistance. Please note that the administrator of this board (and also phpBB Limited) cannot provide legal advice and he is not a point of contact for legal concerns of any kind, except as outlined in the answer to the question “Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?”.
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What does the “Delete cookies” function do?
“Delete cookies” deletes the cookies created by phpBB which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. Cookies also provide functions such as read tracking if they have been enabled by a board administrator. If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.
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I’ve lost my password!
Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset. Visit the login page and click I forgot my password. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.
However, if you are not able to reset your password, contact the administrator.
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What is the “Delete cookies” concept all about?
You may not have to, it is up to the administrator of the board as to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However; registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing of fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few moments to register so it is recommended you do so.
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I registered but cannot login!
First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then one of two things may have happened. If COPPA support is enabled and you specified being under 13 years old during registration, you will have to follow the instructions you received. Some boards will also require new registrations to be activated, either by yourself or by an administrator before you can logon; this information was present during registration. If you were sent an email, follow the instructions. If you did not receive an email, you may have provided an incorrect email address or the email may have been picked up by a spam filer. If you are sure the email address you provided is correct, try contacting the administrator.
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What is happening with the Osmington Gerofsky proposal?
The city of Toronto was having a consultation on Thursday evening, February 23rd. Two hours of Zoom time to dispose of something that could last 50 to 75 years or even longer! Wow!!

We don't have any notes as yet. Last updated early Saturday evening, February 25
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User Preferences and settings, in phpBB

How do I display an avatar?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Profile” you can add an avatar by using one of four methods: uploading, Gravatar, Gallery, and Remote.

phpBB seems to like avatar images that are 100 x 100 pixels.
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What are the images next to my username?
There are two images which may appear along with a username when viewing posts. One of them may be an image associated with your rank, generally in the form of stars, blocks or dots, indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the board.

Another, usually larger, image is known as an "avatar" and is generally unique or personal to each user. Again, the phpBB software seems to like avatar images that are 100 x 100 pixels.
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How do I change my settings?
If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the board database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link can usually be found by clicking on your username at the top of board pages. This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.
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When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login?
Only registered users can send email to other users via the built-in email form, and only if the administrator has enabled this feature. This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
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How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”, you will find the option Hide your online status. Enable this option and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
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My language is not in the list!
Either the administrator has not installed your language or nobody has translated this board ("the phpBB software") into the language you want. You could try asking administrator if they can install the language pack you need.

If an open source language pack does not exist, feel free to create a new translation. Welcome to computers!

More information can be found at the phpBB® website.
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What is my rank and how do I change it?
Ranks, which appear below your username, indicate the number of posts you have made or identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators. In general, you cannot directly change the wording of any board ranks as they are set by the board administrator. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank. Most boards will not tolerate this and the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
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I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still incorrect, then the time stored on the server clock is incorrect. Please notify the administrators.
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The times are not correct!
It's possible that the time is messed up. Contact the Admin for more information. Please note that changing the time zone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are not registered, this might a good time to do so.
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Posting Issues

How do I bump my topic?
By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can “bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then topic bumping may be disabled or the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, be sure to follow the board rules when doing so.
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How do I create a new topic or post a reply?
To post a new topic in one of the forums, click "New Topic". To post a reply to a topic, click "Post Reply". You may need to register before you can post a message. A list of your permissions in each forum is available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens. Example: You can post new topics, You can post attachments, etc.
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What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?
This allows you to save drafts to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved draft, visit the User Control Panel.
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are a board administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post, sometimes for only a limited time after the post was made. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post at their own discretion. Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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Why can’t I access a forum?
Some forums in phpbb may be limited to certain users or groups. Just as a rough example 25 Problems has an internal maintenance forum. To view, read, post or perform another action in these sub-forums (this is still a ways off in 25 Problems) you may need special permissions. Contact the Admin for more information.
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Why can’t I add attachments?
Attachment permissions are granted on a per forum, per group, or per user basis in phpbb. The Administrator may not have allowed attachments to be added for the specific forum you are posting in, or perhaps only certain groups can post attachments. Contact the Admin if you are unsure about why you are unable to add attachments.
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Why can’t I add more poll options?
The limit for poll options is set by the board administrator. If you feel you need to add more options to your poll than the allowed amount, contact the board administrator.
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How do I create a poll?
When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.
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How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.
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Why does my post need to be approved?
The board administrator may have decided that posts in the forum you are posting to require review before submission. It is also possible that the administrator has placed you in a group of users whose posts require review before submission. Please contact the board administrator for further details.
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How can I report posts to a moderator?
If the board administrator has allowed it, you should see a button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.
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How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one via your User Control Panel. Once created, you can check the Attach a signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio button in the User Control Panel. If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form.
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Why did I receive a warning?
Each board administrator has their own set of rules for their site. If you have broken a rule, you may be issued a warning. Please note that this is the board administrator’s decision, and the phpBB Limited has nothing to do with the warnings on the given site. Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you were issued a warning.
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Formatting and Topic Types

What are announcements?
Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. The use of BBCode is granted by the administrator, but it can also be disabled on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
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What are global announcements?
Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. Global announcement permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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Can I use HTML?
No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead.
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What are topic icons?
Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the board administrator.
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Can I post images?
Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
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What are locked topics?
Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You may also be able to lock your own topics depending on the permissions you are granted by the board administrator.
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What are Smilies?
Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether. The board administrator may also have set a limit to the number of smilies you may use within a post.
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What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the board administrator.
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User Levels and “Groups”, in phpBB

What are Administrators?
This is a stock answer that comes with the phpBB software, but anyway - a phpbb, web based bulletin board system is run by an Administrator. There may also be “helper” or assistant administrators - members assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board. These special members may in theory control all facets of board operation, including setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc., dependent upon the board founder of a given phpbb installation and what permissions he or she has given the other administrators. They may also have full moderator capabilities in all forums, depending on the settings put forth by the board founder.
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Why do some user groups in phpBB appear in a different colour?
Colours are still a ways off on “25 Problems” but it is possible for a board administrator to assign a colour to the members of a user group to make it easier (for sighted people) to identify the members.
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What is a “Default usergroup” in phpBB?
This is still a ways off but if you are a member of more than one usergroup in phpbb, your default is used to determine which group colour and group rank should be shown for you by default. The board administrator may grant you permission to change your default usergroup via your User Control Panel.
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What are Moderators, in phpbb?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to try and prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
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What is “The team” link?
This sub-page of phpbb provides you with a list of board staff, including the senior Admin or other board administrators and moderators, and other details such as the forums they moderate.
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Where are the usergroups and how do I join one?
There are no user groups on 25 Problems at this time, but on a fully functioning phpbb installation, you could in theory view all usergroups via the “Usergroups” link within your User Control Panel. If you would like to join one, proceed by clicking the appropriate button. Not all groups have open access, however. Some may require approval to join, some may be closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the group is open, you can join it by clicking the appropriate button. If a group requires approval to join you may request to join by clicking the appropriate button. The user group leader will need to approve your request and may ask why you want to join the group.
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How do I become a group leader in phpbb?
A usergroup leader is usually assigned when usergroups are initially created by Administrator on a phpbb installation. On “25 Problems” this feature is still a ways off but in the unlikely chance that you are interested in creating a usergroup, your first point of contact should the Admin, so try sending a private message.
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What are usergroups in phpbb?
Usergroups are groups of users that divide the community into manageable sections - something that board administrators may in theory work with, in phpbb. Each user can belong to several groups in the phpbb software and each group can be assigned individual permissions - this provides an easy way for staff to change permissions for many users at once; for example the Admin may alter moderator permissions or he may grant users access to a private forum.
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Private Messaging

I cannot send private messages!
There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, the board administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire board, or the board administrator has prevented you from sending messages. Contact a board administrator for more information.
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I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!
Sorry to hear it. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so email the administrator with a full copy of the email you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the email. The administrator can then take action.
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I keep getting unwanted private messages!
You can automatically delete private messages from a user by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, report the messages to the Admin; he (and his assistants) have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages.
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Friends and Foes

What are my Friends and Foes lists?
You can use these lists to organise other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.
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How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?
You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.
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Searching the Forums

Why does my search return a blank page!?
Your search returned too many results for the webserver to handle. Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.
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How can I search a forum or forums?
Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advance Search” link which is available on all pages on the forum. How to access the search may depend on the style used.
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How do I search for members?
Visit to the “Members” page and click the “Find a member” link.
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Why does my search return no results?
Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed by phpBB. Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search.
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How can I find my own posts and topics?
Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the “Show your posts” link within the User Control Panel or by clicking the “Search user’s posts” link via your own profile page or by clicking the “Quick links” menu at the top of the board. To search for your topics, use the Advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
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Subscriptions and Bookmarks

What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
In phpBB 3.0, bookmarking topics worked much like bookmarking in a web browser. You were not alerted when there was an update. As of phpBB 3.1, bookmarking is more like subscribing to a topic. You can be notified when a bookmarked topic is updated. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to a topic or forum on the board. Notification options for bookmarks and subscriptions can be configured in the User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”.
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How do I subscribe to specific forums?
To subscribe to a specific forum, click the “Subscribe forum” link, at the bottom of page, upon entering the forum.
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How do I remove my subscriptions?
To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.
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How do I bookmark or subscribe to specific topics?
You can bookmark or subscribe to a specific topic by clicking the appropriate link in the “Topic tools” menu, conveniently located near the top and bottom of a topic discussion.
Replying to a topic with the “Notify me when a reply is posted” option checked will also subscribe you to the topic.
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Attachments

What attachments are allowed on this board?
The board administrator has the power to allow or disallow certain attachment types. If you are unsure what is allowed to be uploaded, contact the administrator for assistance.
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How do I find all my attachments?
To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.
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phpBB software issues and Suggestion Box etc.

How do I contact the administrator?
All users of the board can use the “Contact” form. It is possible that we may set up a P.O. box mailing address or we could have some liason, some alternate point of contact.
Having a "burner" cell phone number is another idea.

Note from Admin: the last time I did something like this involved a computer user group. There were 25,000 members in 50 countries. Lots of phone calls. Then Bell Canada gave one of the group numbers to some lady, without telling her. It took years for someone (me) to get around to calling her to explain what happened!
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Why isn’t X feature available?
This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Limited. If you believe you've got an idea for some feature that should be added please visit the phpBB Ideas Centre, where you can upvote existing their ideas or suggest new features.

We can add certain validated extensions but the work and testing is time consuming. Of course adding text files or a new page that covers sundry topics, or requesting some research or forum topic etc. is less of an issue... after all this is a bulletin board!

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Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
Contact the administrator. Please note that the phpBB Limited has absolutely no jurisdiction and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. Do not contact the phpBB Limited in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpBB.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB Limited about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all.
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Who wrote this bulletin board?
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyright phpBB Limited. It is made available under the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPL-2.0) and may be freely distributed.

Check out their "about" page at About phpBB for details.
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