When you joined up with the
crazy folks here on
Everything2, you automatically created a special
node that is
unique to you. Nobody else can post
comments or
softlinks to it. It is yours, and yours alone.
When you first look at your new home node, it looks pretty boring. Along the top left edge of the page is your new nickname, and along the right side are some statistics and some boring text boxes. Statistics added automatically to the page includes when you last logged in to Everything2 the date and time you joined. All times are in 24-hour military format. The typical blank home node looks similar to this:
YOUR NAME
Was Last Logged In: Mon Jan 15 2001 at 00:28
user since
Mon Jan 14 2001 at 23:58
number of write-ups/experience
n/a
level
1 (Initiate)
mission drive within everything
n/a
specialties
n/a
school/company
n/a
motto
n/a
User Bookmarks:
Pretty boring, as it says nothing about who you are. Next to the line that says "user since" is a small link called edit. Click on that item, and you'll see the following:
YOUR NAME
Real Name: YourRealName
______________________
|______________________|
Change password:
__________
|__________|
__________
|__________|
Email Address: YourEmail@Something.Com
______________________
|______________________|
User's Bio:
____________________________________________
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
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|____________________________________________|
mission drive within ______________________
everything |______________________|
______________________
specialties |______________________|
______________________
school/company |______________________|
______________________
motto |______________________|
You can remove your bookmarks:
________
| submit |
|________|
Here's where you can now make the home node your special place on
Everything2.
- Under the Real Name: section, the name you entered when you joined up is displayed. If you want to change it, feel free. The only folks who get to see it are the folks who run the site, and it's convenient if they can email you knowing your name.
- Should you wish to change your password, just enter it twice. This helps to stave off getting locked out of your account because of a typo. You can change it as often as you like, but please make sure it is a secure one.
- Next is your email address. Please make sure you enter a real one that you check regularly. If you're worried about spam, you can use a hotmail account. The folks running Everything2 are very knowledgeable, and they have the highest integrity when it comes to not spamming you or giving out your email address. (Dem Bones: You owe me a beer for that statement, hehehe.) Seriously, should something happen to your account such as someone finding your password, they can notify you of the transgression and get you back in the good graces of the E2 public.
- Ahhh, the User's Bio section. This is where you can put anything you wish, from jokes to ASCII pictures to information about you. Try to put useful information, or have something to say. An interesting use is if a node of yours is nuked, and you firmly believe it is a good node, you can put it here. Please try to avoid insulting other users or posting copyrighted text. Click on other user's names to see examples of what can appear in this area.
- The mission drive within everything line allows you to add a statement concerning your mission, or why you joined everything2. Then again, it can be your shoe size, it's up to you.
- The specialties line gives you an opportunity to let others know quickly what you're interested in or what you're good at.
- The school/company line allows you to let others know where you attend school or work. If you're stuck, the School of Hard Knocks is popular.
- The motto line gives you the opportunity to say in one sentence what your motto is. Be funny, creative or poetic, it's up to you.
- If you find interesting nodes that mean a lot to you, or perhaps made you wet yourself laughing, you can bookmark them. They get added automagically to your home node, and is basically a suggested reading list of what you liked. A sign of a newbie is to have a huge list of bookmarks. Be discriminating, pick only the best. Should you decide to remove any of the bookmarks, the last part of the page, You can remove your bookmarks, gives you the tools to do so. Next to each bookmark will be a checkbox. Click it and that bookmark will be deleted.
Nothing gets changed without hitting the SUBMIT button. Click it and your information will get updated in the Everything2 database.
After you're done, and you've made the changes to your home node, you can click the display link that appears opposite your name. This changes your page to your normal home node. Congratulations, you're done!
When you reach level six, you will be granted the power of displaying a photo! Above the Real Name box will appear buttons and a text box to add an uncopyrighted, non-X-rated image to your home node. By the time you're ready for your picture to grace your node, you'll probably have changed the home node ten times over. Some folks change their picture regularly.
Welcome to Everything2! If you have any questions, ask anyone in the chatterbox nodelet or /msg rancid_pickle.
Additional suggestions:
- N-Wing says: In your newbie guide, maybe mention the main area (user's bio) can be used to preview how a writeup will look. (This comment was sent before the Scratch Pads feature existed.)
- simonc says: Suggest you mention that a force-refresh is sometimes needed to view updates. This is usually shift-refresh or shift-option/alt refresh.
(idea) by baffo
Also notice that if you put HTML formatting in the User Bio's area it will influence the appearance of your bookmarks (if you don't close it). In other words, if your User Bio says:
<B>I AM THE RULER OF THE WORLD</B> and I
also have a very <SMALL><B>tiny penis</B>
The result will be:
I AM THE RULER OF THE WORLD and I also have a very tiny penis
and the bookmarks will be small, just like this. But not bold, because the B tag was closed.
I use this feature to make the bookmarks small. You too could use this feature to make your bookmarks small. Or even to make them smell.