Weekly Help Desk Updates - January 25th, 2008

Introduction

Welcome to the weekly Help Desk news. In these weekly updates we will attempt to bring you the most up to date information, as well as provide some helpful hints for super duper deviantART fun.

Hexe's Corner

From time to time as a deviants birthday passes I am asked why their age listed in the devious information section did not change to reflect this. The simple answer to this is that this information is not automatically updated. In order to change this information one must visit the userpage display section of their edit profile page to manually update their age.

So why am I setting a date of birth when I sign up if this holds no bearing on this information?

When you sign up to deviantART you must enter a date of birth, this is used in verifying you are 13 years or older and for things such as Mature Content display, etc. This information can be viewed at anytime in the General section of your settings, but is not tied in to changing the age you list in the devious information section of your homepage.

Ewm's Corner

This week I would like to talk about writing inquiries for your friends. Normally this occurs when the user with the issue is afraid to contact the Help Desk whether because they are in an awkward situation or are afraid we will not be able to understand them. While it is great that you want to help a friend, this actually makes helping them very difficult.

In cases dealing with bug issues this can cause problems with being able to understand and solve the situation your friend is dealing with. When you submit a help desk ticket we automatically receive information concerning what browser you are using including the version number and other valuable information that can help us figure out what could potentially be causing the issue. If the user in question is not sending the ticket then we will be unable to see this sort of information. A good example of this is quite a few times I've received tickets where a user is having a hard time using features of the site. Come to find out they were using Firefox 0.8 instead of the latest version 2.0.0.11. If I was unable to see this information it would make it more difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of their issue.

In cases dealing with personal information such as being banned we can only talk to the user who is banned due to privacy policies. Even though your friend may be banned, they will still be able to access the Help Desk in order to submit an inquiry.

Well what if my friend cannot send a help desk ticket due to their current situation? In instances such as this while yes, they cannot send a Help Desk ticket, but they can however send an email to help@deviantart.com and receive help for their situation. However, if their situation is policy related they will need to contact violations@deviantart.com instead.

But what if my friend cannot speak English? Even if your friend cannot speak English, we can still help them. We are fortunate to have a diverse team of administrators so more than likely we will be able to find someone who is able to help with their situation. You are however more than welcome to help them out with translating what they would like to say for their ticket or any replies they receive.

Instead of submitting a Help Desk ticket for your friend the best thing you can do is aid them in submitting their own Help Desk ticket. By doing this they can receive help concerning their issue as quickly as possible.

y2jenn's Corner

Did you know we provide source files for dA's logo and mascot, Fella? Well, we do, dear deviant! If you're interested in creating a graphic containing
the official files, as opposed to making your own, you can download them through the thumbnails provided below.



We don't, however, have any official dA buttons or banners. But you're than welcome to create your own or link to us via a text link.

Happy creating, deviants!

Weekly Tip

Did you ever wonder how to report someone for abuse or harassment? If so, click here and wonder no more!

Top 10 Of The Week

FAQ #568: I tried to create an account, but it says i am banned. Why?
FAQ #81: How can I make links to other deviants, deviations, or websites?
FAQ #113: How can I close my deviantART account?
FAQ #831: Why can't just anyone submit film?
FAQ #88: How do I add images to my Journal?
FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on deviantART? And what is the format for these codes?
FAQ #106: What are the symbols in front of each deviants nickname?
FAQ #716: I was told to make sure I have Javascript enabled. How do I do this?
FAQ #221: I was banned, is there anything I can do?
FAQ #18: Who selects the Daily Deviation and how is it chosen?

Recently Revised Or New Entries

New -

FAQ #874: What is the purpose of the #MNAdmin chatroom?
FAQ #875: How do I fix the display issues when using dAmn with the Safari browser?

Revised -

FAQ #565: You prohibit the submission of 'pornographic material'; what do you consider this to be?
FAQ #788: I submitted an image to deviantART but the colors look different then they did on my computer or the image looks blurry or pixelated. Why is this?
FAQ #861: I was asked by an administrator in the Help Desk to supply a screenshot in response to them. How do I include a screenshot in my reply?

Important News Articles this Week

Artist Relations Newsletter - January 22, 2008

Help Desk Guides

How To Guides:

How to: Submit a Help Desk inquiry
How to: Submit a Bug Report
How to: Submit a Chat Inquiry
How to: Submit a General Help Inquiry
How to: Submit a Subscription Inquiry
How to: Submit a Ban Inquiry
How to: Submit a Policy Inquiry
How to: Submit a Harassment Report


Hey Hexe:

Hey Hexe! Installment #1
Hey Hexe! Installment #2
Hey Hexe! Installment #3
Hey Hexe! Installment #4
Hey Hexe! Installment #5
Hey Hexe! Installment #6
Hey Hexe! Installment #7