Frequently Asked Questions

Click on a question to see the answer, or scroll down to view all answers.

 

Q: Is this site an "Arwen site"? If not, why is it called "Arwen-Undomiel.com"?
A: No, this is not an "Arwen site". An "Arwen site" is a site dedicated almost completely to Arwen (all Arwen content), and this site is definitely not like that. It's called Arwen-Undomiel.com because a long time ago when I was young and stupid I thought I would call my personal LotR fan site "Arwen Undomiel". If I had thought the site would grow into anything big, I wouldn't have named it...but I didn't thing along those lines, and by the time I bought my domain name (arwen-undomiel.com), people already knew the site by "Arwen Undomiel". Pretty recently I changed the name to "Arwen-Undomiel.com", because most of the big name sites (TheOneRing.net, NineCompanions.net, Lordoftherings.net, etc.) have the .something on the end of their titles.

Q: Who runs this site? Do you have multiple staff members?
A: *I* run the site, of course. But that's probably not what you're talking about: I expect you're asking who AM I. If you're curious, you can go to this page for a bit of info. No, I don't have any staff members, the exception being Alatariel, who writes my cast bios. My moderating team takes care of making sure the tag-board, chat room, and forum stay clean and friendly. Fans send in their work for the fan section, and sometimes submit humor pictures and such. Besides that, I run the site completely by myself.

Q: I was banned on the tag-board/chat room. I didn't do anything wrong; how can I get unbanned?
A: Well...it's a little subjective as to whether you did anything wrong or not. If you were on the chat room and swore, it would look like %%%%%, so you might not think you did anything wrong. Nevertheless, that's still swearing and is a ban-able offense. However, if you are sure that you did nothing wrong, e-mail the A-U moderating team at moderators@arwen-undomiel.com, and include your usual screen name, your IP address (to find your IP, go to http://www.whatismyip.com and record the numbers under "Your IP Address"), and a few people (preferably moderators) who can vouch for you. We usually give people a second chance, but if you've been banned before and need to get unbanned again, we can't unban you, because getting banned multiple times means you're breaking the rules. When you e-mail, please do not tell us that everything was the fault of the moderators; this will not help you get unbanned! If you are an AOL user and you get messages saying you're banned, this is probably only an AOL malfunction. To attempt to fix it, clear out your temporary internet files and restart your computer.

Q: How do you make banners?
A: I usually use a program called Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7. I start with a 700 pixels wide by 150 pixels tall black rectangle, although some banners are longer. I add pictures and text onto the rectangle, using a variety of effects, but you're on your own from here. I make buttons by using a very similar method to the banners, but the buttons are 112 pixels wide by 44 pixels tall--it's important to use close-up pictures and bold fonts since buttons are so small. If you'd like more in-depth instructions on how to make banners, please click here, and then select which banner tutorial you'd like to read.

Q: How do you get music on your site? How do you get this web effect? How about this one?
A: I received so many questions along these lines that I wrote the code dictionary, which contains all the basic HTML codes I use, including the ones I use for music.

Q: How do I get a banner dedicated to me?
A: If you go to the Requests section of the Graphics area of the forum, you can check and see if there's a current "Banner dedications for claiming" thread. Banners usually get snapped up within a week after the thread is posted, so watch the weekly updates to know when the current claiming thread is up. Please do NOT e-mail me about banners, because I only take requests via the claiming thread.

Q: How did you make your site?
A: By putting a whole lot of work in, naturally. I can't really give specifics, because I've learned things so many different places that I wouldn't know where to start. But here are a few things: 1) I use only HTML codes to build my site (I've never used programs like FrontPage or PageBuilder). 2) I learned HTML from http://www.htmlgoodies.com. 3) I use Microsoft Picture It! Publishing 2001, Paint Shop Pro 7, and Photo Impact Pro 8.5 to edit my images. 4) I use Steadfast Networks (http://www.steadfastnetworks.com) for my site host.

Q: What software do you use?
A: For image editing (as stated before) I use Paint Shop Pro 7, Photo Impact Pro 8.5, and Microsoft Picture It! Publishing 2001. I use Animation Shop 3 to animate images. For writing my HTML codes, I use NoteTab, a Notepad-like text editor. I use alternately SmartFTP and Core FTP for uploading files. EclipseCrossword is my crossword puzzle maker. For editing and coding music files, I use MPEGSuite and Audacity. To make screen captures of certain scenes from the LotR DVDs, I use Cyberlink PowerDVD 5. For more information on any of these problems, try googling them--I can't remember the direct product links.

Q: Can I be a moderator?
A: Sorry, but no. Right now, I have enough moderators. If the situation changed, I would need to ask people I've known for a long time to do the job. This may sound harsh, especially if you've been coming on the chat room every day for months, but since I hardly ever chat with visitors, it's hard for me to watch people enough to convince myself that they'd be good moderators. Above all, please do not e-mail or PM me about becoming a moderator. It is more than likely that I'll have to turn you down, and I don't want to hurt anyone.

Q: I tried to go to a page on your site, but it says "Sorry, this page cannot be found." Is there anything I can do?
A: Definitely! To help me fix it, please send me the URL you were trying to get to, and I'll work on it ASAP. Same goes for images: if you see a red X on my site where a picture should be, please tell me about it so I can fix it.

Q: Can I use your site's content on my site?
A: Maybe. It depends on the content. Gallery photos - yes, to an extent. Please do not use every single photo, as I've worked hard to have the gallery collection on my site. Please give me a clear link back, and above all, save the images onto your own server. Humor pictures - a few, but link back. Bios - you may use a few of them, but please do not use all of them. You can however use the information in them to write your own bios, of course. Elvish - if you want to use some of the phrases, that's fine, but please do not use anything else. Tolkien info - please do not copy, especially the bio. Banners - a few, but no large collections. For any content not listed, please e-mail me before you post the content.

Q: The box where you enter your name for the chat room doesn't load. What should I do?
A: Try downloading the newest version of your browser. Older browsers don't load the chat room applet very well. Also, try waiting at least two minutes--the chat room can take a while to load. If that doesn't work, make sure you have Java installed. If you don't, you can download it at here.

Q: Do you make your own layouts?
A: Yes, I do--my site wouldn't be as special to me if I had someone else designing it.

Q: Can my site be affiliates/sister sites with yours?
A: Affiliates, probably: stop by the affiliates page to read the rules at the bottom, and if your site qualifies, follow the instructions for submitting an affy request and I'll get back to you ASAP. As for sister sites, I'm not accepting any more. The two I have are owned by people I've known online for a couple years, who are (in a figurative way) "sisters" to me.

Q: Do you have any personal interaction with the cast/crew of LotR?
A: Unfortunately, no. If you, the reader, are one of the cast/crew (possible, but not probable), I salute you for a job well done, and thank you for visiting!

Q: Do you pay money for this site?
A: Yes. The domain name (arwen-undomiel.com) costs money, the actual server (what I upload files to) costs money, the tag-board costs money, and the chat room costs money. The forum, however, is a free service.

Q: Where do you get all the pictures you use in your galleries and banners?
A: Please see the bottom of the gallery for picture credits. In addition to the sources listed, I also browse lots of LotR-related forums that have picture threads. I screen capture some pictures myself, though.

Q: How do you make screen captures?
A: I use the program Cyberlink PowerDVD 5, which you can buy for a pretty good price from Amazon.com's alternate vendors ($15 is a normal price). Using the Print Screen key unfortunately won't work.

Q: Will you be part of my site's managing team?
A: Sorry, but no. I have difficulty as it is finding time to update my own site.

Q: Will you make me a layout? An affiliate button? Any graphic?
A: I don't have time to make layouts or normal graphics for sites, but if you'd like to be affiliates and you don't have a 100x35 button, I can make one for you. When you e-mail me about affiliating, just mention this.

Q: I tried to register for a password-protected username on the chat room and never received the password. What should I do?
A: Go to the A-U.com chat room, click on the link for registering/updating a username, click on the Forgot your password link, enter your username, and your password should be e-mailed to you.

Q: Are He's a Pirate and the Vanyara Awards part of A-U?
A: They're hosted on A-U.com, and I run them both, but they're separate sites.

Q: Someone was breaking the rules on the tag-board/chat room. Where/how can I report this?
A: E-mail moderators@arwen-undomiel.com. Include as many details as possible, such as the name of the person breaking rules, what rules the person was breaking, and (if possible) other people who witnessed this happen. We'll put the person in question on a watch list and try to ban him or her the next chance we get.

Q: How do I become a member of A-U.com?
A: Unlike sites such as Council of Elrond, A-U doesn't actually have a member database. However, if you'd like to be more of an official part of A-U, you can become a member of the forum, which is basically equivalent to becoming a member of the main site.

Q: Where did you get the idea for the Sanity Is Relative avatars?
A: Heheh...well, I actually have no idea. I don't know where I originally heard the phrase "Sanity is relative", but apparently someone named B.J. Zanzibar said "Sanity is relative. For some of us, it's just a distant cousin." I'd never heard that quote before I googled it just now, but it fits the LotR actors ;) Besides that, I really don't know how I came up with the idea.

Q: Do you make money off of A-U?
A: Not even enough to break even, yet. I try to run ads here and there to cover some costs, but A-U is definitely non-profit.

Q: I need to contact you; how can I?
A: Visit the contact page for an e-mail address. I am notorious for not responding to e-mails for a long, long time, though, so I'm not a good person to contact for help with your web site. Anything relating to A-U's community (forum, tag, chat) should be directed to the moderating team (moderators@arwen-undomiel.com.