FAQ
From Magical Hogwarts Wiki
Technical Questions
Q: Where can I find out about all the buttons above the smilies when I go to post?
A: Go and visit the Posting Functions Tutorial
Q: How do I put a signature in my profile?
A: Read the Signature Tutorial.
Q: The board is white and my template is gone! What happened?
A: Nothing, please calm down and click the 'refresh' button.
Q: I'm trying to send _____ a PM but it says their PM box is full. What do I do?
A: Post a thread in Private Talk & Discussion titled something like 'Hey ___, clean out your PMs' - or catch them in one of the various spam threads and ask them to clear it. Normal members have a 150 PM limit.
Q: My posts say ____ but I've posted more (or less) than that! What's up?
A: On Magical Hogwarts, posts determine your year, therefore only posts made in class count toward your total displayed post count. You can find out the graduation system by going to Classes and Graduating.
Q: I think I'd make a good moderator/administrator! How do I go about becoming one?
A: Periodically, an announcement is made where people may apply to be staff. Simply wait for one of these announcements and apply.
Q: _____ already told me no, but can you...
A: Stop. No. If you've already asked an administrator for permission - regarding anything - and they've told you no, that's final. Please don't go ask another admin hoping they'll grant you permission where someone else wouldn't. We don't do that.
Q: How does the playtime system on MH work?
A: Every 3 weeks, the 'month' playtime changes. The announcement and newsfader will be updated stating what month it is on Magical Hogwarts; please role play your seasons and weather accordingly. Sometimes playtime is frozen for a special event, however, and then months on MH can last much longer.
Q: Why do you have a playtime system?
A: Periodically, Magical Hogwarts has seasonal events - winter, Valentine's day, Hallowe'en - and these coincide with the playtime. It also allows for terms to change somewhat faster on Magical Hogwarts and we change student positions each term.
Q: What's Durmstrang? And Beauxbatons? I've never seen these on a forum like this?
A: Magical Hogwarts offers you the opportunity to play students of all three schools. Because Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are not explained in detail in the books, we've taken some artistic liberties while attempting to remain canon. Durmstrang Guide and Beauxbatons Guide explain more about these schools and how they work.
Q: How does your Gringotts/sickle system work?
A: Everything you need to know about Gringotts can be found under Gringotts Guide and Rules.
Q: Who're the Administrators?
A: A complete, up-to-date list of the Magical Hogwarts administration staff as well as their multicharacters and their responsibilities on the board can be found under Who's Who.
Q: I like the layout of your rules/SFs/etc, can I use them on my site?
A: Always ask an administrator individually before taking anything off Magical Hogwarts - as not everything here is ours to give away. Send someone a PM and ask them specifically on what you'd like to use.
Q: Can I use your graphics on my site?
A: For the forum headers/emoticons or any of the general template layouts, the answer is no. If it's a signature/avatar set, you'll have to contact whomever created it and find out if they mind.
Q: I like your characters! Can I use them on my site?
A: The answer is almost always no. Every character on Magical Hogwarts is original to the person who created them and most people don't like seeing their characters used by other people.
Q: May I take any of MH's original concepts such as the Durmstrang design, the consensimency feature or the elementals and use them on my own site?
A: I am afraid the answer is no. Our original content is called original because it makes our site unique and different from others. Please you can come up with some design of your own.
Q: Why do I have to put a real email in when I register?
A: Some functions on Magical Hogwarts use email. When you register, we require activation, which is sent through email. Also if you wish to be notified when a thread is replied to, or when you're PMed, emails become important.
Q: In the rules it says not to direct link, so where do I upload my images to?
A: There are a number of free servers you can upload images to, among them Photobucket, Imageshack and ImageCave are most popular.
Q: It says no DeviantArt models on MH. Does this apply to sites like MySpace, Vampirefreaks, etc?
A: Yes. However it is virtually impossible to verify who is who on Vampirefreaks, so don't even try to get permission there. Same with MySpace.
Q: How do I tell what the model rules are?
A: The model list has a full set of rules posted. You can find that here once you're sorted.
Q: I'm under 18 but I'm mature! Why can't I have NC17 access?
A: The reason for this is simple - it's against the law. We don't want to get into trouble letting you read that. Furthermore, parents complaining is the last thing we'd like to have to deal with. Please try to understand our point of view.
Q: I sent ____ a pm hours ago and they haven't replied! Why?
A: Don't forget, the Administrators are people too. We don't spent every waking hour on Magical Hogwarts. We'll reply as soon as we can.
Q: HUH? Someone applauded/smited me! What's that?
A: That is the Magical Hogwarts karma system. You can find out what that is by going to the Karma page.
Q: How do I keep up with current changes on MH?
A: Read the announcements. It's recommended to check it at least once every day to make sure you know anything important that's changed or been released.
Q: I have an idea for how to improve the board! How do I go about telling someone about this?
A: There's multiple answers to this question. If you're wanting to improve a roleplaying aspect, contact the administrator in charge of that area with your ideas. Also, sometimes a mysterious board floats around Magical Hogwarts titled 'the Devpool' - where all new development ideas are discussed. Keep an eye out for it!
Q: I am getting an error message about session verification!
A: This is a problem that sometimes occurs with internet explorer. Close all Magical Hogwarts Windows, empty your cache and return. This should solve your problem.
Q: OMG! All the Colours have changed!
A: There are two possibilites what has happened. Either it is a holiday or Julie is updating the board. If in doubt check announcements.
Q: Why are you being so fussy about character names and spoken languages?
A: JKR pays a great deal of attention in the book to getting these things right. We like to adhere to canon as much as possible.
Q: Will admin _______ be my friend?
A: Maybe. But the truth is we are all very busy people. MH has several hundred members it is impossible for us to be close with everybody. Please don't take it personal if we do not have time for you outside our duties.
Q: Admin ________ is after me!
A: No. Simply no. All decision regarding members are made as a team. Don't shoot the messenger.
Q: I haven't been paid my sickles yet for the Shimmering Pond games! Why?
A: Patience is a virtue... the administrator in charge of the Shimmering Pond will post your sickles as soon as they can.
Q: I'm online a lot and I'd like to help the staff out. What can I do?
A: The honest answer to this question is to simply read the announcements, the rules, the FAQs, and follow our rules. The biggest help you can give us is to not ask the same questions everyone else does. And if you see a rule violation somewhere that an administrator hasn't caught, politely bring it to their attention, explaining the rule you think has been violated.
Role-Playing Related
Q: What are the rules?
A: The rules can be found under General Rules.
Q: How do I make a profile?
A: The information under How to Set Up Your Character on the main page should explain this in full details.
Q: How can I become a canon character?
A: Check here to see who is not currently being played and ask permission; if an admin approves for you to play the character post your character sheet here
Q: Can I be related to a canon character?
A: In almost all cases, the answer to this depends on the relation. If it's an immediate relation (mother, father, brother, sister, daughter, son) the answer is usually no. If the character is a muggleborn and you're wishing to play a wizarding relative, the answer is certainly no. Vague cousins we sometimes allow but we mostly encourage originality on MH.
Q: How old is my student character allowed to be starting out?
A: At the current time, students of any years one through seven are being accepted at Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.
Q: I want to be of a nationality other than British and attend Hogwarts! Why can't I?
A: Hogwarts is located in Scotland. Currently, the U. K. wizarding world, in the Harry Potter universe, is torn by war. Regardless of your character's age, they'd have either recently moved to a war-torn country, or moved in the middle of a war - this makes no sense. And if they're not living in the U. K. they have no reason to be attending Hogwarts and not another school. We very, very rarely approve any nationalities other than Welsh/Irish/Scottish/English for Hogwarts for this reason.
Q: Someone told me to 'put more details' somewhere. Why?
A: If an administrator has asked for more details, they would like you to expand on that area of your character sheet so that they can more easily sort you.
Q: How do I get a Special Feature?
A: Read the information under Special Features under Backgrounds on the main page, then fill out an application sheet here
Q: I don't know what Special Feature I want for my character, what should I do?
A: Ask for advice in the Special Feature Advice thread.
Q: How do I get a magical item and/or pet?
A: Read the background information on Magical Creatures and Items thoroughly.
Q: Will you sort me?
A: An administrator in charge of whatever school you've applied to will sort you or make comments on your profile as soon as they get time. Please be patient.
Q: Does ___ hate me? I modified my profile several times and am still not sorted!?
A: Administrators usually ask you to modify your profile for your own good. Your profile is there to develop your character fully and in a way that is playable. We are merely trying to help. Please don't lose your temper and patience. Starting a new character sometimes brings a bit of work with it.
Q: I want to join a class but the professor has already started teaching, what do I do?
A: Jump into the thread but just pretend your character has been there the whole time. Do not RP your character as being late unless you want to suffer the consequences of that particular teacher.
Q: Are there any ways to increase my post count without posting in class?
A: No. You must post in class. However, activity and participation in class is rewarded; sometimes professors will request more posts be given to people who participate well, as a reward. So participate!
Q: How many classes may I take?
A: As many as you can handle without getting too far behind. For each person this number is different.
Q: How many threads can I be in at once?
A: As with classes, as many as you can handle. However, threads that have been inactive for over a week often get deleted, so watch out!
Q: I'm a Hogwarts student, but I want to roleplay with a Beauxbatons (or Durmstrang/Adult) character. Can they come to Hogwarts?
A: Not usually. Some events allow students from other schools to go to a different school, but mostly students meet in places like Neroli, Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, or through the Owl Mail services.
Q: Can I be on my house's Quidditch team?
A: Contact your house's Quidditch Captain and discuss it with them, if you are active and there is a spot open on the reserve or main team, they may agree.
Q: Can I be a prefect/mousquetaire/tsar(itsa)/Head Boy/Girl?
A: Next term's prefects are nominated at the end of each term, and then voted on by the admin. If a vacancy is available, the admin will fill it, if you are active and helpful, you may be chosen. Like anything else, if you pester us about it, you probably won't be.
Q: Can I be a professor?
A: If there is a professor position at any of the three schools open, an announcement will be made regarding it. However we prefer our professors to be people who have been on Magical Hogwarts for awhile, and whom are active and reliable as being a Professor is a responsibility.
Q: What sort of events are coming up?
A: Always check the announcements; any new events coming up will be posted there first.
Q: How many Hogwarts students can I have?
A: Two original characters (excludes canons). We prefer to limit how many Hogwarts students people have due to the fact that there really is no reason to have 5; it makes it very hard for you to post in class. We have other schools, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, for people who wish to have more than 2 students. Not to mention canons and Adults.
