Frequently Asked Questions at trustafriend

Frequently Asked Questions
Contents Finding Products/Services Adding Products/Services Reviews Friends Logging In/Out Registering User Pictures/Avatars Miscellaneous Contents Finding products/services Q. I'm having trouble finding what I am looking for. What can I try? A. Try entering details in only one box at a time and doing a search. If you still can't find it, then it probably hasn't been reviewed yet. Why not be the first by adding the product or service and making a review? Q. How do I find out more about a product/service and see its reviews? A. Once you have found the product/service in the list, click on it and you will see further details, and its reviews. Q. There are multiple entries for a service listed. Which one do I choose? A. Use the 'Last reviewed' and 'reviews' fields as your guide. Services that have been reviewed more recently and have a good number of reviews are more likely to be correct. Also if you are looking at services that have been reviewed by members of your friends chain, then the latest should be correct, as long as they haven't made an accidental error. Always click on a service though, to check its further details and reviews to see if they seem sensible. Contents Adding products/services Q. How do I add a new product or service? A. Search for that product/service in the appropriate category using any details you know about it. If you can't see it in the list then add it by clicking 'Add an item to review' from the menu. Contents Reviews Q. How do I review a product/service? A. First find the product/service you want to review. Then click on it, you will then see in the menu 'Review item', click on this. Q. How often should I review products/services? A. You should try to review products/services regularly to keep your friends up to date. Products/services that you have already reviewed should still be reviewed regularly to keep your friends informed that things are still the same with it, or things have changed. You can review as many products/services as you like, as long as each one is only reviewed by you once every 7 days. If products/services haven't been reviewed for a while, they will slip down the list and eventually disappear from the listings. Q. What does 'A level x friends' friend' mean? A. It is referring to a user in your friends chain. This is made by looking at your friends, then your friends' friends to create a chain of friends. A 2nd level friends' friend is a friend of a friend. A 3rd level friends' friend is a friend of a friend of a friend. This continues for 5 levels. The higher the number the more removed they are from you. But they should still be much more reliable than reviews outside of you friends chain as they are connected to you via a chain of friends, that people in that chain trust. Q. What do the ratings mean? A. These are awarded by registered users when they make a review. They are awarded on a scale of 1 to 5 's, 1 being very poor and 5 being very good. Contents Friends Q. What are friends on this website? A. These are other users of the website whom you have asked to be your friends, so that you can share with them: reviews, news, questions and answers, etc Q. What is a friends chain? A. A friends chain is compiled by looking at your friends, their friends, then their friends' friends in a chain upto 5 levels deep. When searching, priority will be given to users in your friends chain so that you can trust them. Q. How do I add friends? A. Go to the 'Friends' page, then add your friends in the 'Add a friend' box. If the person isn't registered with trustafriend then you will be given the option of emailing them an invite. Contents Logging in/out Q. What is the remember me option mentioned when entering my username and password? A. This allows you to be remembered between sessions so that you don't have to keep entering your email and password every time you want to use the site. The website will remember you unless you log off. This should only be used when you are the only person who uses the computer, or you are using a unique network/computer account. Contents Registering Q. Why should I register? A. Join a chain of friends sharing reviews, recommendations and advice. trustafriend creates a friends chain by looking at your friends, their friends and their friends' friends, upto 5 levels deep. So submissions by users in your chain will be trustworthy, as each user is the friend of another. Items submitted by users in your friends chain are given priority, so you can trust what is said, as they are written by friends for friends. After all, who would you trust more? To fully use the website you need to register. Registration is free and can take less than a minute. When you register you get the following benefits: You can add your friends to the website. You can make and share reviews, news, questions and answers,etc among your friends. You can comment on other user's submissions. Your friends submissions and recommendations are given priority in any searches that you do. The search facilities are improved. Contents User Pictures/Avatars *Q. What is a Gravatar?* A. These are pictures that are linked to your email address provided by gravatar.com. It is free to sign-up and get one from that site. Q. I don't like my automaticaly generated user picture. What can I do?? A. The automatically generated user pictures use your email address to create a picture for you. If you want to change it you have two options: You can sign up to gravatar.com and upload a picture that you like to your account. You could provide a different email address and hope that you get a picture that you prefer. Contents Miscellaneous Q. Why can I not see any adverts on my computer, I see them on other computers? A. There could be a few reasons. Please make sure you have permission before trying the following: You may have JavaScript disabled in your browser. Try the following: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, 6.x and 7.x (Windows) Select Internet Options from the Tools menu or, for Version 7, from Tools in the upper right portion of your screen. Click the Security tab. Click Custom level in Security level for this zone. Scroll down to Scripting, near the bottom of the list. Under Active scripting, choose Enable. Click OK to leave Security Settings. Click OK to leave Internet Options. Mozilla Firefox Select Options... from the Tools drop-down menu or Preferences from the Edit drop-down menu. Select the Content section from the options at the top of the pop-up page. Check the 'Enable JavaScript' box. Click OK. You may have a utility, such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security, on your computer which is blocking the ads. Try changing the settings so that ads are no longer blocked. A utility on your computer may have altered a file on your computer to block google or amazon ads. Try the following: Run notepad %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts Remove any line which mentions google or amazon. Save the file and reboot. Q. Why is the website a little plain? A. We made the decision that once users got used to this, they would prefer the extra speed that this brings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Finding Products/Services
Adding Products/Services
Reviews
Friends
Logging In/Out
Registering
User Pictures/Avatars
Miscellaneous

Finding products/services

Q. I'm having trouble finding what I am looking for. What can I try?
A. Try entering details in only one box at a time and doing a search. If you still can't find it, then it probably hasn't been reviewed yet. Why not be the first by adding the product or service and making a review?

Q. How do I find out more about a product/service and see its reviews?
A. Once you have found the product/service in the list, click on it and you will see further details, and its reviews.

Q. There are multiple entries for a service listed. Which one do I choose?
A. Use the 'Last reviewed' and 'reviews' fields as your guide. Services that have been reviewed more recently and have a good number of reviews are more likely to be correct. Also if you are looking at services that have been reviewed by members of your friends chain, then the latest should be correct, as long as they haven't made an accidental error. Always click on a service though, to check its further details and reviews to see if they seem sensible.

Adding products/services

Q. How do I add a new product or service?
A. Search for that product/service in the appropriate category using any details you know about it. If you can't see it in the list then add it by clicking 'Add an item to review' from the menu.

Reviews

Q. How do I review a product/service?
A. First find the product/service you want to review. Then click on it, you will then see in the menu 'Review item', click on this.

Q. How often should I review products/services?
A. You should try to review products/services regularly to keep your friends up to date. Products/services that you have already reviewed should still be reviewed regularly to keep your friends informed that things are still the same with it, or things have changed. You can review as many products/services as you like, as long as each one is only reviewed by you once every 7 days. If products/services haven't been reviewed for a while, they will slip down the list and eventually disappear from the listings.

Q. What does 'A level x friends' friend' mean?
A. It is referring to a user in your friends chain. This is made by looking at your friends, then your friends' friends to create a chain of friends. A 2nd level friends' friend is a friend of a friend. A 3rd level friends' friend is a friend of a friend of a friend. This continues for 5 levels. The higher the number the more removed they are from you. But they should still be much more reliable than reviews outside of you friends chain as they are connected to you via a chain of friends, that people in that chain trust.

Q. What do the ratings mean?
A. These are awarded by registered users when they make a review. They are awarded on a scale of 1 to 5

's, 1 being very poor and 5 being very good.

Friends

Q. What are friends on this website?
A. These are other users of the website whom you have asked to be your friends, so that you can share with them: reviews, news, questions and answers, etc

Q. What is a friends chain?
A. A friends chain is compiled by looking at your friends, their friends, then their friends' friends in a chain upto 5 levels deep. When searching, priority will be given to users in your friends chain so that you can trust them.

Q. How do I add friends?
A. Go to the 'Friends' page, then add your friends in the 'Add a friend' box. If the person isn't registered with trustafriend then you will be given the option of emailing them an invite.

Logging in/out

Q. What is the remember me option mentioned when entering my username and password?
A. This allows you to be remembered between sessions so that you don't have to keep entering your email and password every time you want to use the site. The website will remember you unless you log off. This should only be used when you are the only person who uses the computer, or you are using a unique network/computer account.

Registering

Q. Why should I register?
A.

Join a chain of friends sharing reviews, recommendations and advice.

trustafriend creates a friends chain by looking at your friends,
their friends and their friends' friends, upto 5 levels deep.
So submissions by users in your chain will be trustworthy,
as each user is the friend of another.

Items submitted by users in your friends chain are given priority,
so you can trust what is said, as they are written by friends for friends.
After all, who would you trust more?

To fully use the website you need to register.
Registration is free and can take less than a minute.

When you register you get the following benefits:

You can add your friends to the website.
You can make and share reviews, news, questions and answers,etc among your friends.
You can comment on other user's submissions.
Your friends submissions and recommendations are given priority in any searches that you do.
The search facilities are improved.

User Pictures/Avatars

Q. What is a Gravatar?
A. These are pictures that are linked to your email address provided by gravatar.com. It is free to sign-up and get one from that site.

Q. I don't like my automaticaly generated user picture. What can I do??
A. The automatically generated user pictures use your email address to create a picture for you.

If you want to change it you have two options:

You can sign up to gravatar.com and upload a picture that you like to your account.
You could provide a different email address and hope that you get a picture that you prefer.

Miscellaneous

Q. Why can I not see any adverts on my computer, I see them on other computers?
A. There could be a few reasons. Please make sure you have permission before trying the following:

You may have JavaScript disabled in your browser. Try the following:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, 6.x and 7.x (Windows)
1. Select Internet Options from the Tools menu or, for Version 7, from Tools in the upper right portion of your screen.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Click Custom level in Security level for this zone.
4. Scroll down to Scripting, near the bottom of the list.
5. Under Active scripting, choose Enable.
6. Click OK to leave Security Settings.
7. Click OK to leave Internet Options.
Mozilla Firefox
1. Select Options... from the Tools drop-down menu or Preferences from the Edit drop-down menu.
2. Select the Content section from the options at the top of the pop-up page.
3. Check the 'Enable JavaScript' box.
4. Click OK.
You may have a utility, such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security, on your computer which is blocking the ads. Try changing the settings so that ads are no longer blocked.
A utility on your computer may have altered a file on your computer to block google or amazon ads. Try the following:
1. Run notepad %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
2. Remove any line which mentions google or amazon.
3. Save the file and reboot.

Q. Why is the website a little plain?
A. We made the decision that once users got used to this, they would prefer the extra speed that this brings.

Contents