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Content:
Frequently Asked Questions
From Motorway Services Online
Whether your question is about the site, the forums or motorway services, the most commonly asked ones can be found here. If your question hasn't been answered, feel free to contact me. For questions on a specific service area or operator, visit the relevant sections of the site or use the search bar.
Motorway Services
Placement and Spacing
Why are some services located off junctions and some between them?
Originally services were built between junctions, however cost-cutting measures mean that today almost half of the services can be found off a junction, which means that the operator only has to run one building.
However, this is quite unpopular amongst travellers (it means they have to leave the motorway to get to the service area, and some of them can be quite a way away) and the Highways Agency (it leads to extra traffic at junctions). A compromise is now being reached where a services are being built on one side of the motorway, but with access to the other. This can currently be seen at four sites: Cobham, Gretna Green, London Gateway and Norton Canes.
How many service stations are there?
The problem is that different people have different opinions on what counts. To date, this site covers 105 of them, but that's with Sedgemoor and Stafford down as two different sites each, three proposed services, four services which are only accessible from a-roads and seven services which aren't signed from the motorway but are easily accessed from it.
Why are some services only accessible from one side of the motorway?
Rather than spending money on two sites, if an operator thinks that it is only worth building one of them they will. Sometimes the other side would be built at a later date, which is what happened at Southwaite and Tebay. Another way of doing things is to build the services on one side and then provide flyovers to the over carriageway, this is covered by question 3.
Why are there so many services on the M6? (or any other road)
During the 1970s the Government decided that the most important motorways should have services every 12 miles, so they marked out points where they wanted the services and then waited for an operator to build a site.
However, they soon decided that this was unnecessary, so they stopped marking out points. Sometimes you will be driving down a motorway and you will get the impression that construction of a junction was started and then halted. This is usually because that was one of the Government's 'points' where they hoped that a service area would be built, but today the sites are too small for a modern service area and will probably never be used again. See Unbuilt Services.
Are there any services in Ireland?
Northern Ireland has no motorway services, they put this down to their motorway network being too small.
In the Republic of Ireland, the National Roads Authority used to be strongly against service stations, firstly because their network was too small and then they said it was because they would rather people used local facilities. In 2007 a new Roads Bill (a bit like a to-do list) had motorway services listed on it, then they were removed, then they were put back again. There are now plans for a few services in the Republic of Ireland, with Welcome Break being the main operator. Unfortunately, the plans for the services keep being put back.
Do we still build motorway services?
After a bit of a dip, we are finally building more motorway services. One is under construction at Cobham, with Beaconsfield, Derby with Burton, Wetherby and Leicester all having opened in the past few years. Controversial plans have recently been rejected for services at Catherine-de-Barnes on the M42, Kirby Hill on the A1(M) and Kingswell on the M77. That isn't bad going considering that we are building very few motorways these days.
Extremes (best, worst, biggest, etc)
What are the smallest and quietest service areas?
It depends what you'd describe as a service area. If we're talking about one which is signed from the motorway then it's probably Pease Pottage followed by Chieveley, however neither of them are very quiet. Tiverton is probably the smallest service area owned by one of the main operators, and Oldbury is probably the smallest service area covered on this site. As for the quietest, no-one really knows.
Which is the best service area?
Believe it or not, there are quite a few good ones out there, so it's hard to decide the best. Popular ones include Hopwood Park, Norton Canes, Stafford (North) and Tebay. Yes, that's one from each operator, which as well as being very nice of me it also shows just how varied each operator's facilities are.
Which is the worst service area?
Again, each operator has bad services and it's hard to find the worst. Bolton West, Washington and Sandbach are regularly slated.
Which service station is the most unique?
That would have to be Lancaster on the M6, featuring a very 1960s spaceship-shaped tower.
Which is the largest service area?
Beaconsfield claims this title, but when Cobham opens in 2010 that will take it. Until Beaconsfield opened in March 2009, Folkestone took the place (even though half the services were never used), and before they opened in 2008 it was Clacket Lane westbound.
Which is the oldest service area?
Watford Gap on the original bit of the M1. It was built in 1959 and has since been refurbished beyond recognition.
Which is the newest service area?
Beaconsfield is, having opened on the 17th March 2009. As the answer to the previous question reveals, quite a few services have opened recently.
Which is the busiest service area?
Hilton Park broke the records in 2000, but the M6 Toll has directed some traffic away from it. There isn't any more recent data.
Prices and Parking
Why are motorway services so expensive?
Being commercial businesses, it's true that the operators just want your money. However, there are also several other reasons for services being so expensive, which are explained in detail on the prices page.
Why is there a transaction charge at cash machines at motorway services?
The transaction charges are usually set by Link, not the operator. In some cases, you may find a free one hidden around the side.
How do I buy a parking ticket?
A lot of services these days use pay-by-phone machines. In some cases you may have to buy a ticket from the main building. Exact instructions can be found in the car park.
Do you have to pay to park at services?
All services offer two hours free parking, but after that steep charges apply. See the Services List for more information.
What if I want to park for more than 24 hours?
At most services you will have to renew your ticket after 24 hours, this is to stop parking spaces being used inappropriately and to make sure there are enough for visitors.
What happens if I'm sleeping in my car when I go over the two-hour limit?
Welcome Break claim that they will not issue parking fines for people who are sleeping in their cars, and neither will they wake drivers. On that basis, if you got a fine in such circumstances you would be able to appeal against it.
Moto are very strict with parking fines, but some people have been able to claim that a long break was necessary by writing to them to 'Appeals Section, PO Box 599, Borehamwood, WD6 4ZL' or emailing parkingqueries@moto-way.co.uk.
Where do I park if my relevant parking area is full?
Find a different one, usually if you're less than a few minutes the operator won't notice and any parking fine issued for parking in the wrong area when the correct one is full would be invalid.
As above, there have been a few issues with 'catch-all' fining at Moto services. Check with a member of staff before staying for too long.
Visiting a Service Area
What are the opening hours of motorway services?
Does a certain service area open on bank holidays?
By law, to be a motorway service area a site must be open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, albeit with reduced facilities during off-peak times. Generally, you can expect to find toilets, parking, fuel and food available all the time, although you may be directed to the services on the other carriageway or petrol forecourt.
Also note that if the services aren't signed from the motorway (or if they're not near a motorway) then they don't have to abide by this law, although it will say 'not 24 hours' on the signs if this is the case. Either way, standards here vary and I'm not the person to ask about this - contact the service area in question.
Where can I find WiFi at service stations?
Moto and RoadChef both offer free Wi-Fi, Welcome Break's has a small charge. Many of the hotels and petrol stations do as well, but listing them would take all day!
How do I book a hotel room?
You can usually just turn up on the night, but if you want to pre-book your room then you will need to contact the hotel. Contact me if you would like help doing this.
Will a big sports match or TV event be aired at a certain service area?
If the event is big enough then the answer is almost always yes. I'm not really the person to ask about this so for a definite answer you'll need to contact the operator.
Is there an entering fee at services?
No. At any service area you are welcome to park up for less than two hours, walk around and use the toilet facilities and then drive out for absolutely nothing.
Is a certain service area disabled-friendly?
Motorway services meet the basic disabled-friendly requirements, and almost all of them have disabled toilets. Very few of them have steps that you'll need to climb up, and if they do you will find that the staff are often willing to help.
Are motorway services safe?
It depends what you'd call dangerous. Some of the urban ones can be hit by undesirables, but no more so than an average place. The only thing which you need to be careful of is where abouts you park your car if you're going to be a while. If you go to the back of several sites such as Donington Park, you may find a lot of smashed glass. If you're staying overnight it shouldn't be hard to find a space near the front.
They are far from perfect though, with a game arcade and betting shops, just like any other building, they have had crimes committed. In 2000, Birch was burnt in arson. Welcome Break now have officers patrolling their services.
Are motorway services clean?
Some of them are, some of them aren't. It's hard just to think of several repetitively clean services, as that list would be constantly changing. However, most services are bearably clean, it's just that very few are wonderfully clean.
Do services sell alcohol?
No, even the hotels are forbidden to sell alcohol. It's to prevent people from driving on the motorways having just drank several pints. Some people would argue that is just as likely at any roadside pub or restaurant, but clearly the government don't agree.
Signs
Who pays for the signs for motorway services?
This is covered in detail at the end of the Road Signs page.
What is the deal with the fuel price board on the signs approaching services?
This was originally for listing the price of fuel, and the type of fuel would be demonstrated by the symbol next to it. However, displaying the price of fuel would be more likely to send people away from services than attract them, and it is very expensive to keep it operational so it is often missed out. Despite this, you do still get some new signs which display the price of fuel, although almost always with it covered up.
Why are so many signs for services tagged with 'now fully open'?
The operator is allowed to stick these signs up after refurbishing their sites, and there are restrictions on how long they can stay up (a few months to a year, I think). However, like the 'new road layout ahead' signs seen on our roads, they are often forgotten about and left for years. Last time I checked, Leicester Forest East's sign still read 'fully refurbished Spring 2004'.
What's with the disabled symbol found on service area signs?
This denotes that the services are disabled-friendly, but it is no longer necessary and will gradually be replaced by a 'picnic tables' symbol.
Why do some services have their own-branded road signs?
Being private land, operators were originally allowed to design their own road signs. However, these have been slated for various reasons and new regulations mean that all new services must use standard direction signs.
Owners and Operators
Who runs the motorway services?
The services are owned by the Department for Transport and leased out on 50-year leases to private companies, the biggest three being Moto, Welcome Break and RoadChef.
Why do some services appear to have two, three or four operators?
Why do some services try and keep the operator anonymous?
Why do some services list the operator as a high street brand?
On this site, you'll usually find that the name written before the slash is the company which runs the site, but the names written after the slash are the companies which are displayed as the operator on the road. For example, according to this site Strensham is ran by 'RoadChef/McDonalds & Costa' because although it is officially ran by RoadChef, the road signs refer to it as being ran by McDonalds and Costa.
If there are two slashes then things are a bit more complicated. If it reads 'A/B & C/D' then A is the operator, B and C are what the road signs refer to it as on the north or westbound side, and B and D are what the road signs refer to it as on the south or eastbound side. A/B/C & D means that B is north or westbound only and C is south or eastbound only.
If there is a reason for it being like this then it will say so on that services' page in the Services List, but often you'll find it's just for advertising reasons. Almost all services have a brand name next to the operator name, for example in the case of 'Welcome Break KFC', but this is ignored by the Services List to keep things simple.
Design and Features
What's with the 'back exits' into services? Can I use them?
'Back exits' (or 'rear exits', 'secret exits') are there so that emergency services, staff and deliveries can access the service area without having to loop around on the motorway. A list of them, as well as a more detailed explanation can be found on the Secret Exits page of the site.
Why do some services have bridges and some not?
During different time periods different service area designs have been the norm. Currently, the Highways Agency don't like bridges because they shouldn't be necessary, so they just add to more structures to maintain and to get in the way. Similarly, the operators find the services which are built upon the motorway very expensive and hard to maintain, whereas that design was very popular in the 1960s.
Do motorway services double up as park-and-ride sites?
Not yet, but the idea was recently approved. It was suggested that Beaconsfield services should have park-and-ride facilities. Many services are already used as unofficial park-and-ride points.
Do motorway services double up as coach interchanges?
Yes, examples can be seen at Burtonwood and London Gateway.
Jobs and Careers
What is it like working at a service area?
Why would I know?! Some people like it, some people don't, I suppose it depends on your role, the site, the operator and your colleagues.
How do I apply for a job at a service station?
Firstly you will need to identify the operator you'd want to be working for. The three main ones have careers sites: Moto and Welcome Break and RoadChef.
For the smaller operators you will need to contact the operator or service station directly - pages on this site, such as the Operators section, can help you with this.
Other
What is the term for an a-road service area?
Official a-road services are known as TRSAs - trunk road service areas.
What constitutes a service area?
The Highways Agency have their own strict list of regulations, but basically it's somewhere that provides fuel, food, parking and toilets 24 hours a day and is signposted as such. This only applies to motorways, anyone can set up a business and declare it a service area.
Are there any services which have permanently closed?
A couple of small service stations, small garages and Little Chefs have shrunk down and/or closed, but no proper motorway services. One half of Burtonwood was recently closed permanently, one half of Strensham has been relocated, Leicester Forest East is due to close from 2017 due to road improvements, and Knutsford and Hilton Park have both been on the 'to be closed' list due to proposed new motorways.
Where can I find a printable map of motorway services?
There's a printable map of motorway services.
I was disappointed with the choice of food that was on offer.
During quiet periods, some of the operators will only cook the most popular meals and will offer the rest on-request, to save having to re-heat it. Don't be afraid to ask for something that's not on display.
What happens to a service area if the motorway is closed temporarily?
Nothing, it just goes very quiet. There would usually be a few visitors still there, and the operator can often rely on the other side of the road still being open to bring in a few customers.
Similarly, if there are long delays on the motorway then a service area may get a lot more visitors than usual. They just have to keep on going and live with it.
What happens to a service area if traffic is directed away from it?
If it's a proper motorway service area then it would probably just be shrunk down, although the Highways Agency may try to give the services access to the new road.
The operator should be allowed to claim compensation off the Highways Agency or roads authority, Blue Boar did this when the M1 was built and were offered Watford Gap in return! That said, recently Moto tried to claim off the Highways Agency on the grounds that a poor new junction design at M40 J10 had discouraged traffic from visiting the services and failed.
What is a 'port early entry arrival facility'?
This is the idea behind the new Folkestone services on the M20 - traffic which is early for a ferry at Folkestone or Dover can pull up and kill any extra time which they may have.
I tried to call an operator or service area but the number you gave me was wrong!
Sorry about that. Be sure that the number is definitely incorrect, as some operators are absolutely awful at answering the phone. The problem I have is that some of the operators change their phone numbers quite frequently, and some of them don't announce their number anywhere at all! Because of this, I have to go on the most accurate source I can find, and if the best I can get hold of is a Highways Agency document from 2004 then I'll use that. If you can correct a phone number which is listed on this site then please update it.
Site Issues
General
How often is Motorway Services Online updated?
The site can now be updated by registered members at any time in the week - see Recent Changes for the latest updates.
Is this site affiliated with any service area or operator?
Definitely not! However, that doesn't mean that service station staff don't visit the site.
Do motorway service area operators visit this site?
I can give you a straight yes for that one - they've even tried to rig the ratings a few times! Several members of the forums work for the operators.
I want to join in but fear that I am too biased.
Don't worry - you could probably answer a few of our questions for us. And if you work for an operator, you could even learn a few things from our members, because remember that we consider ourselves to be able to speak for most of the travelling public. All we ask is that you don't try to rig the ratings, it's really obvious when it happens!
Do you have any sister sites in other countries?
No, simply because I know very little about other country's motorway networks and if I were to list every service station in the world we'd be here all day! A quick Google search shows that there are very few websites about foreign service stations, perhaps it's because they're not as infamous as UK ones.
Which services and roads are included in the A-roads section?
Any road which people deem important enough can be included in the A-roads section, although for now we're sticking to roads which are predominantly high-standard dual carriageway. Don't forget that there are still loads of roads to be added, but people need the time to do it.
On each road, the services are only included if they are signposted from that road. So, if there is a Little Chef or BP sited at the side of the road without any signs referring to it as a service station then it is not included. You may think that they should be included, but if I didn't draw the line there where would I?
Unfortunately, I haven't been on all the roads listed, so there may be mistakes or omissions, and if you have spotted one then please correct it.
Why isn't the full length of a certain a-road included?
Sometimes only part of a road will be included in the A-roads section, usually because a section of the road is low standard and doesn't carry much long distance traffic (and therefore there isn't much point in me writing about it). It could also be that the last 20 miles of the road doesn't have any services, so there's no point including it.
Where can I ask general roads questions?
The CBRD FAQs would be a good place to start. CBRD also offers a Roads Dictionary and the kind folk at the SABRE Forums are always willing to lend a hand. You may also want to send your quirky motorway and motorway history questions to Pathetic Motorways.
I have a photo to submit to the site. What do I do?
Registered members can now do this by visiting Special:Upload. Instructions on how to do this can be found at Help:Uploading.
If you don't want to register, you can always use the old form.
Do you want my photos?
Almost always, yes, but run it through a couple of questions first:
- Is the photo of a service area, brand or operator listed on the site?
- Is the photo fairly decent quality?
- Does a photo similar to this that is less than three years old already exist on the site?
- If the answer to the above question is 'yes', then is that photo released under a Creative Commons licence? I would like to replace as many of these as possible.
- Is the photo fairly interesting (even by this site's standards!)?
If you still think that your photo is worth uploading, and it usually is, then run it through the [[Special:Upload|upload form].
What is the Live Feed/RSS Bookmark?
It's a news feed which you can download and it will add to a list every time the site is updated. Exact usage varies from browser to browser, but most users will be able to access it by loading it.
Why do some services appear to have two, three or four operators?
On this site, you'll usually find that the name written before the slash is the company which runs the site, but the names written after the slash are the companies which are displayed as the operator on the road. For example, according to this site Strensham is ran by 'RoadChef/McDonalds & Costa' because although it is officially ran by RoadChef, the road signs refer to it as being ran by McDonalds and Costa.
If there are two slashes then things are a bit more complicated. If it reads 'A/B & C/D' then A is the operator, B and C are what the road signs refer to it as on the north or westbound side, and B and D are what the road signs refer to it as on the south or eastbound side. A/B/C & D means that B is north or westbound only and C is south or eastbound only.
If there is a reason for it being like this then it will say so on that services' page in the Services List, but often you'll find it's just for advertising reasons. Almost all services have a brand name next to the operator name, for example in the case of 'Welcome Break KFC', but this is ignored by the Services List to keep things simple.
I found a mistake or typing error on the site.
Congratulations - why not correct it? All editors are credited in the history section of that article.
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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 the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, posting rubbish just to increase your post count or bump a topic won't make you very popular.
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. 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.
Can I use HTML?
No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML, this is for security reasons. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead (see the above question), and if it isn't, post a message saying how you want it formatted and either myself or one of the moderators will correct it.
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can actually use BBCode in your posts on the forum is determined by the administrator. In addition you can disable BBCode on a per post basis via the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. Depending on the template you are using you may find adding BBCode to your posts is made much easier through a clickable interface above the message area on the posting form. Even with this you may find the following guide useful.
BBCode only works on the forums and not when editing main pages within the site.
How to create bold, italic and underlined text
BBCode includes tags to allow you to quickly change the basic style of your text. This is achieved in the following ways:
- To make a piece of text bold enclose it in [b][/b], e.g.
[b]Hello[/b]
will become Hello
- For underlining use [u][/u], for example:
[u]Good Morning[/u]
becomes Good Morning
- To italicise text use [i][/i], e.g.
This is [i]Great![/i]
would give This is Great!
How to change the text colour or size
To alter the colour or size of your text the following tags can be used. Keep in mind that how the output appears will depend on the viewers browser and system:
- Changing the colour of text is achieved by wrapping it in [color=][/color]. You can specify either a recognised colour name (eg. red, blue, yellow, etc.) or the hexadecimal triplet alternative, e.g. #FFFFFF, #000000. For example, to create red text you could use:
[color=red]Hello![/color]
or
[color=#FF0000]Hello![/color]
Both will output Hello!
- Changing the text size is achieved in a similar way using [size=][/size]. This tag is dependent on the template the user has selected but the recommended format is a numerical value representing the text size in percent, starting at 20 (very small) through to 200 (very large) by default. For example:
[size=30]SMALL[/size]
will generally be SMALL
whereas:
[size=200]HUGE![/size]
will be HUGE!
Can I combine formatting tags?
Yes, of course you can, for example to get someones attention you may write:
[size=200][color=red][b]LOOK AT ME![/b][/color][/size]
this would output LOOK AT ME!
We don't recommend you output lots of text that looks like this though! Remember it is up to you, the poster, to ensure tags are closed correctly. For example the following is incorrect:
[b][u]This is wrong[/b][/u]
Quoting text in replies
There are two ways you can quote text, with a reference or without.
- When you utilise the Quote function to reply to a post on the board you should notice that the post text is added to the message window enclosed in a [quote=""][/quote] block. This method allows you to quote with a reference to a person or whatever else you choose to put! For example to quote a piece of text Mr. Blobby wrote you would enter:
[quote="Mr. Blobby"]The text Mr. Blobby wrote would go here[/quote]
The resulting output will automatically add "Mr. Blobby wrote:" before the actual text. Remember you must include the quotation marks "" around the name you are quoting, they are not optional.
- The second method allows you to blindly quote something. To utilise this enclose the text in [quote][/quote] tags. When you view the message it will simply show the text within a quotation block.
Outputting code or fixed width data
If you want to output a piece of code or in fact anything that requires a fixed width, e.g. Courier type font you should enclose the text in [code][/code] tags, e.g.
[code]echo "This is some code"[/code]
All formatting used within [code][/code] tags is retained when you later view it. PHP syntax highlighting can be enabled using [code=php][/code] and is recommended when posting PHP code samples as it improves readability.
Creating an Unordered list
BBCode supports two types of lists, unordered and ordered. They are essentially the same as their HTML equivalents. An unordered list outputs each item in your list sequentially one after the other indenting each with a bullet character. To create an unordered list you use [list][/list] and define each item within the list using [*]. For example to list your favourite colours you could use:
[list]
[*]Red
[*]Blue
[*]Yellow
[/list]
This would generate the following list:
- Red
- Blue
- Yellow
Creating an Ordered list
The second type of list, an ordered list, gives you control over what is output before each item. To create an ordered list you use [list=1][/list] to create a numbered list or alternatively [list=a][/list] for an alphabetical list. As with the unordered list, items are specified using [*]. For example:
[list=1]
[*]Go to the shops
[*]Buy a new computer
[*]Swear at computer when it crashes
[/list]
will generate the following:
- Go to the shops
- Buy a new computer
- Swear at computer when it crashes
Whereas for an alphabetical list you would use:
[list=a]
[*]The first possible answer
[*]The second possible answer
[*]The third possible answer
[/list]
giving
- The first possible answer
- The second possible answer
- The third possible answer
Linking to another site
phpBB BBCode supports a number of ways of creating URIs (Uniform Resource Indicators) better known as URLs.
- The first of these uses the [url=][/url] tag, whatever you type after the = sign will cause the contents of that tag to act as a URL. For example to link to phpBB.com you could use:
[url=http://www.phpbb.com/]Visit phpBB![/url]
This would generate the following link, Visit phpBB! Please notice that the link opens in the same window or a new window depending on the users browser preferences.
- If you want the URL itself displayed as the link you can do this by simply using:
[url]http://www.phpbb.com/[/url]
This would generate the following link, http://www.phpbb.com/
- Additionally, phpBB features something called Magic Links, this will turn any syntactically correct URL into a link without you needing to specify any tags or even the leading http://. For example typing www.phpbb.com into your message will automatically lead to www.phpbb.com being output when you view the message.
- The same thing applies equally to e-mail addresses, you can either specify an address explicitly for example:
[email]no.one@domain.ad[/email]
which will output no.one@domain.adr or you can just type no.one@domain.adr into your message and it will be automatically converted when you view.
As with all the BBCode tags you can wrap URLs around any of the other tags such as [img][/img] (see next entry), [b][/b], etc. As with the formatting tags it is up to you to ensure the correct open and close order is following, for example:
[url=http://www.google.com/][img]http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/images/logo.gif[/url][/img]
is not correct which may lead to your post being deleted so take care.'
Adding an image to a post
phpBB BBCode incorporates a tag for including images in your posts. Two very important things to remember when using this tag are: many users do not appreciate lots of images being shown in posts and secondly the image you display must already be available on the internet (it cannot exist only on your computer for example, unless you run a webserver!). To display an image you must surround the URL pointing to the image with [img][/img] tags. For example:
[img]http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/images/logo.gif[/img]
As noted in the URL section above you can wrap an image in a [url][/url] tag if you wish, e.g.
[url=http://www.google.com/][img]http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/images/logo.gif[/img][/url]
would generate the Google logo, linking to the Google website.
Adding attachments into a post
Attachments can now be placed in any part of a post by using the new [attachment=][/attachment] BBCode, if the attachments functionality has been enabled by a board administrator and if you are given the appropriate permissions to create attachments. Within the posting screen is a drop-down box (respectively a button) for placing attachments inline.
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.
Can I post images?
Yes, images can be shown in your posts. You should be able to upload the image directly to the board when replying to a topic or creating a new one by using the attachment facility, 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.
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. You cannot post a global announcement, however if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it for you.
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, you cannot post announcements, but if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it for you.
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, you cannot post sticky topics, but if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it.
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, usually because they are out-of-date or the topic has descended into an argument. You may be able to lock your own topics.
What are Administrators?
Administrators are members assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board - the site's administrator is me, Johnny, the same user as the one who runs the main site. Administrative issues on the site are cared for by a second user of mine, Admin.
What are Moderators?
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 prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material. This forum is moderated by Roadhog.
What is 'the team? link?
This page provides you with a list of board staff, including board administrators and moderators and other details such as the forums they moderate.
I cannot send private messages!
There are two reasons for this; either you are not registered and/or not logged on, or you have been banned form sending private messages. Contact me if this is the case.
I keep getting unwanted private messages!
You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, let me know as I have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages or from using the site all.
I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!
I am sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so e-mail me a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail.
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.
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.
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.
Why does my search return no results?
Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed. Be more specific and use the options available within advanced search.
Why does my search return a blank page?
Your search returned too many results for the server to handle. Use 'advanced search' and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.
How do I search for members?
Visit to the 'Members' page and click the 'Find a member' link.
How can I find my own posts and topics?
Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the 'Search user's posts' within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.
What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
Bookmarking in the forums is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren't alerted when there's an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred method or methods.
How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?
To subscribe to a specific forum, click the 'Subscribe forum' link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the 'Subscribe topic' link within the topic itself.
How do I remove my subscriptions?
To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.
What attachments are allowed on this board?
You can upload most common and safe files such as .jpg images and .doc files. If you need help uploading a specific file, contact me for assistance.
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.
Who wrote this bulletin board?
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyright phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public Licence and may be freely distributed. See the link for more details.
Why isn't X feature available?
This software was written by and licensed through the phpBB Group. If you believe a feature needs to be added, please visit the phpBB website and see what the group have to say. Please do not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, the group uses SourceForge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for a feature and then follow the procedure given there.
Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
If you've got any complaints about the forums or a particular user or post, contact me. If you don't think that will get you anywhere and you believe that the problem is very serious, then you will need to contact the host - our's is Site5. Please note that the phpBB Group 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 Group 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 e-mail phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response, if you get one at all.
