General questions and Forum issues
 

How appropriate does a username have to be if an individual wants to change it or whatever?

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Like what if I want to change my username to H.O.E or something like that? Even though it actually means something than the other bad meaning to it? Just asking. :flowers:

Our Member FAQ section (which you can find by clicking the FAQ link at the bottom of any forum page) has a couple of FAQs about usernames which hopefully will answer your question:

Are there any guidelines about what username I can have?

Our rules about prohibited content in posts (i.e., material that is obscene, sexually explicit, vulgar, threatening, harassing, or abusive, as well as material that is religious or political) applies to usernames as well as to posts. Prospective members with usernames falling in these categories can expect to have their membership applications declined. We also don't allow e-mail or website addresses as usernames. For ease of use, and because other members will want to call you by your username during conversations, it's helpful to have a name that isn't too long and sounds like a name rather than a serial number or random jumble of letters. We strongly recommend for your own safety that you don't use your real full name (first and last names). This forum can be read by anyone with internet access, whether their interest is in the royals or in finding out about our members. The more personal information you divulge, the easier it will be for people to find out enough about you to cause trouble for you.

Can I change my username?

There are a couple of situations where we allow members to change their usernames. If a username is a potential security risk (such as the member's full name), it can be changed at any time. There is also a 30-day window after joining when members can change their username if they decide they don't like the name they chose during the registration process. Members who joined more than 30 days ago may also make one change of username as long as their total post count is 50 or lower. Only one change is permitted per member. Anyone wishing to request a username change should contact an administrator by private message.

Searching: Google Advanced Search
 

If you ever want to search on a word string or more than one word at a time, which the internal search engine really isn't very good at, you can use Google Advanced Search and specify that it search only at TRF. You'll usually get an awful lot more hits with a Google Advanced Search than you will with the regular search feature here.

This is what the Advanced Search page looks like: Google Advanced Search

You get to it by clicking the Advanced Search button just to the right of the seach box on the Google main page. Just type theroyalforums.com into the Domain box and type your search string into the search box, and it'll give you results for that search string at TRF. It's fairly useful for doing things like searching on the term "Queen Noor" since the vbulletin search engine will look for the words Queen and Noor separately, and if you only search on Noor you'll get results for Princess Noor as well. Using the Google search will get round that problem.

The easiest way to do a Google advanced search for a word string at just one website is probably to just use the regular Google search, but instead of simply entering "Queen Noor" which will get you results on Queen Noor from anywhere on the internet, you enter "Queen Noor" site:theroyalforums.com which will get you results on Queen Noor anywhere at TRF but not other sites.

Whenever you want to do a Google search on a word or word string at a particular website, just write site:particularwebsite.com after the search string in a normal Google search, and it'll do the trick. This is basically the same as going to Google Advanced Search and entering particularwebsite.com in the Domain field.

Royal Castles etc
 

I thought it might be a good idea to group all the threads about castles, palaces, residences etc of all the different royal families under a new subject in the 'other things royal' forum?

It's certainly possible, and thanks for the suggestion. :flowers:

I'll go and see what the moderators think about it. Not sure how many relevant threads we have around the place, but it shouldn't be hard to find out.

This is an awesome idea... I do love a good royal adventure. Isn't that what the forums all about?? Where do you want to begin?:flowers:

I like the idea. I have quite of few books on castles, palaces, etc. of Europe. A lot of them are ruins but the books give a little history of what use to be. I like idea of possibly tying the old with the new.

Oh, thanks for the positive reactions. :flowers:
I got the idea of the Royal Jewels and the Royal house of fashion threads.
And I saw that in almost every subject per family there are threads about their residences.
I thought that maybe the administrators could create a subject called Royal Housing (or something like that) and put the existing subjects about castles, palaces and other residences that are now in the subjects per family, there.
And off course we can exapand it with all the other castles that are undiscussed yet!

I don't think there are that many threads about castles and housing around yet actually, maybe 1 in the main forums for each reigning family, and one or two at another forum but I would be surprised if there would be more than 20 threads (which is one page). So to start an entire forum just for that seems a bit over ambitious for now.

We could wait a while though, until more threads are opened and make a new forum in a few months, with a bigger 'backbone' (so to speak). Especially as the big threads that we have now will have to be sorted out, so that discussions about costs of royal residences and restaurations, exhibitions and all that can stay in the main forum. This will probably be a lot of work (and will cost time).

We've had a diiscussion about creating a Castles & Palaces subforum in Royal Chit Chat and the consensus among the Admin team is that at this stage at least it's probably better to leave the existing C&P threads in their home forums. It was felt that focus, relevance and context may be lost if the threads were moved out and grouped together elsewhere.

Ideally one day we will have a situation where the subject of royal residences past and present generates enough informed contributions to sustain a separate subforum, but we don't think we are there yet.

Warren
on behalf of the Administrators

Improvement to the Search-Function
 

I have an idea how to improve the Search-Function.

If I am searching a forum after a key word like train in the wedding forum, there are possibilities to show the thread or the post. If I click f. e. on "Show Posts" the whole site is been shown. Why not writing the post number into the search-result site to get easier to the wished information! What do you think?

I agree with principessa that it would be a good idea to improve the search function if it's at all possible. I like her idea, too.

It just irritates me sometimes, because, when looking for a specific thread or post, such as "Which royals smoke", the results will be "Joachim and Marie's Wedding" or "Felipe and Letizia's Current Events". Basically, wherever the latest posts are being made.

The vbulletin search engine is fairly well known for being rather useless. You can use Google Advanced Search to get more specific results rather than depending on the search engine here. When you use Google Advanced Search, you can specify that you want results only from theroyalforums.com, and you can search on word strings, which you can't do here.

General questions and issues
 

It's been happening at least two or three times a day for the past two weeks that I've been logged on (not counting when I was away for weeks at a time on vacation).

I'll click on something (New Posts, Next Page, etc.), and this message will pop up:

This forum requires that you wait 10 seconds between searches. Please try again in 37 seconds.
Well, I feel like I've taken longer than 10 seconds, but maybe my timing is off. Does anyone else have this problem?

Well, if it requires you to wait 10 seconds, it shouldn't be asking you to wait 37 seconds. I think I've seen the same query at some of Andy's other forums, so I hope the tech people are on top of it.

Update - the tech guy is aware of the problem, which has indeed occurred at another of Andy's forums, so he should be able to have a go at fixing it in the none too distant future.

where are some topics???
 

I don't know if it's the right place to ask that question but I wanted to look some pics about Princess Mary and Prince Frederik in their subforum and I just realised that many topics are missing! for example the topic like Prince Frederik and Princess Mary part 1 etc...

could u tell me where are they??? they have been deleted forever?? it is so sad if it's the case.

thanks for your help!

In the royal house of Denmark there is a new sub-forum Current Events Archives where you'll find all the old current event threads.

Hi Cecile,

As far as we know nothing has been deleted. Regarding this thread: Prince Frederik and Princess Mary part 1, are you looking for the current events, pictures thread, or what thread specifically?

Empress

thank you so much for your help!!! I did'nt see that part of the forum!!!! great!!!

thanks!!!!!!!!