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Somewhat Frequently Asked Questions

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General:

- Why "Spiraling Stairways?"
- Your categories confuse me! What do they mean?
- Why can't I review a story?
- Why can't I post a challenge under the "challenge" link?
- I'm really, really bored. How can I solve my boredom?
- There isn't a position open that I'm qualified for/that I want to have. How else can I help out the site?
- I love your skins. Who made them? Will the creator(s) make them for my site, too?
- I love your graphics. Who made them? Will the creator(s) make one for my site/story/etc. too?
- Why doesn't this site have a forum?
- Will this site ever have a chatroom?
- I don't like this site. Does that offend you?
- I'm really, REALLY angry at this site for some reason. How can I take it out on you in a responsible, mature way?
- You have so many rules, so many challenges, etc. How do you keep track of it all?
- This seems like a strict site. Is it? Help me in my time of confusion and ignorance! (Or something of that nature.)
- You people annoy me. Can I flame you and get in trouble and spam you and stuff just for the heck of it?
- How do I become an affiliate?
- Why is this FAQ so long when this site has only been up for a short amount of time? And er, if you guys love to talk so much, why put it all in a FAQ instead of waiting for people to ask questions?

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Why "Spiraling Stairways?"

Why not? The stairways at Hogwarts move. Might as well create a site named after them!

Your categories confuse me! What do they mean?

See the category page for definitions.

Why can't I review a story?

You need to be registered and logged in. SS doesn't allow anonymous reviews, as many web sites are spammed with them. This is for the authors' benefits.

Why can't I post a challenge under the 'challenge' link?

Again, you need to be registered and logged in. SS doesn't allow anonymous challenges, as many web sites are spammed with them. This is for the members' benefits.

There isn't a position open that I'm qualified for/that I want to have. How else can I help out the site?

I'm really, really bored. How can I solve my boredom?

Well, there's always the list of things to do in the previous question. If all those don't interest you, feel free to contact one of the staff! We're always happy to talk to members.

I love your skins. Who made them? Will the creator(s) make them for my site, too?

See the footers of the skins. You'll have to contact them to find out if they will. Good luck!

I love your graphics. Who made them? Will the creator(s) make one for my site/story/etc. too?

If it's on a skin, check the footer. If it's somewhere else or you can't find credit, ask us and we'll not only add their name to wherever you found it, but we'll also give you their email so you can contact them. Good luck!

Why doesn't this site have a forum?

A few reasons, really. Forums don't get a lot of activity nowadays in fandom, so we want to avoid inactivity as much as possible. Also, we don't really need one yet. We have mailing lists for that. Eventually, we may end up with one, though.

Will this site ever have a chatroom?

Maybe, eventually. We're looking into this one, we promise. But we have to check out a few things first. But possibly expect one in the future.

I don't like this site. Does that offend you?

Not at all! We encourage honesty of all kinds.

I'm really, REALLY angry at this site for some reason. How can I take it out on you in a responsible, mature way?

Well, first of all, tell us why you're angry. Email us at the staff email. We want to know! We really do, because we may have a way to solve your problem that's making you angry. Next, just please be civil. We don't mind ranting. It's honesty. But we do need you to be civil. And finally, reply to us! If we email you back, keep the conversation going! Keep ranting! Get it out of your system! We want you to enjoy this site, and having you angry doesn't help with that.

You have so many rules, so many challenges, etc. How do you keep track of it all?

That, my friend, is why we have a good staff full of a bunch of our good friends. They help out, and with nice systems, it's easily done. Also, the rules aren't that hard. They're very basic, if you think about it. I swear we're not too strict!

This seems like a strict site. Is it? Help me in my time of confusion and ignorance! (Or something of that nature.)

If you find us strict, tell us. Yell at us for it. Give us suggestions for improvement. We don't like strict sites, and we want to be as laid-back as possible. But no, we really don't think it is. As was mentioned in the previous answer, the rules are basic, so as long as you obey them, you'll be fine.

You people annoy me. Can I flame you and get in trouble and spam you and stuff just for the heck of it?

Let me think about that... NO! Not only will that get you banned (multiple times over!) if you do all of those things, we won't ever allow you back. See the question about being really, REALLY angry. Try that. Email us about why you think we're annoying. But please, just... no.

How do I become an affiliate?

We're glad you asked! It's not that hard, really. Just go to the Affiliates page and find the directions at the bottom. Thanks!

Why is this FAQ so long when this site has only been up for a short amount of time? And er, if you guys love to talk so much, why put it all in a FAQ instead of waiting for people to ask questions?

Ah, yes, the length of the (S)FAQ. You see, the staff likes to be thorough. Really, really thorough. (Blame unkickableluna, in any case.) And we'd all prefer that you get your answers right away in this page than to have you email us and wait an hour to get them. This allows us more time to do other things, too! We'll be adding more questions and answers as people ask them, but we just find this system easier. (And because the staff has worked at other sites, we know some of the things people might ask.)

Accounts:

- I forgot my password! What do I do now?
- My account isn't working. Help!!
- I have some incorrect information in my account. How do I fix this? Will it get me in trouble?
- How do I do change my username?

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I forgot my password! What do I do now?

To recover a lost password, click here and enter the email address with which you registered. Your password will be sent to you shortly.

My account isn't working. Help!!

Contact staff@spiralingstairs.net and tell us what the problem is. We'll try to correct it as fast as possible. First, though, did you try changing your password? That might help.

I have some incorrect information in my account. How do I fix this? Will it get me in trouble?

If you're confused about the question, SEE THE Terms of Service! In any case, if you have an inaccurate information in your account/profile/whatever, we'll assume it's completely accidental. So, to change it, merely click on "Edit Personal Information" in your profile. (Note: you must be logged in .) You should be able to change everything in there.

How do I change my username?

Same answer as in the previous question. If it doesn't work for you, contact the staff and we'll change it to what you want.

Stories:

- What kinds of stories are allowed?
- How do I submit stories?
- Do I need to use HTML in my stories?
- Can I use HTML in my stories?
- I have "raw HTML" in my story. How do I fix this?
- What are the ratings used on this site?
- Why don't you accept the equivalent of R and NC-17 material?
- What is a "flashfic?"
- What are your guidelines for poetry? Do you have a minimum word count?
- What are your guidelines for original fiction?
- Why can't I see my story after I submitted it?- How long will my story be in the queue?
- Is there any way to have my stories not go through the queue? It really bugs me.
- Why can I only submit five chapters at one time? Isn't that kind of unfair?
- Am I allowed to post banners with my stories?
- Someone flamed me. How do I get the flame deleted?
- I haven't received an(y) email(s) alerting me of my my story going through the queue. What can I do (besides scream loudly)?
- How do I contact an author? Can you do this for me?
- Are former student/teacher pairings allowed?

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What kinds of stories are allowed?

See our Submission Rules.

How do I submit stories?

If you have not already done so, please register for an account. Once you've logged in, click on Account Information and choose Add Story. The form presented there will allow you to submit your story.

Do I need to use HTML in my stories?

Nope, you don't. We have a special editor, called TinyMCE, and it does all the code for you. You just copy/paste your story by pressing the 'Paste From Word' button, if it's in a program such as Microsoft Word (OpenOffice, NeoOffice, etc.). The button can be identified by a blue W. If it's in a plain text program (Notepad, Wordpad, etc.), you may want to put HTML in and see the next question.

Can I use HTML in my stories?

Sure! There are two ways to do this. The first way is the easiest one: press the 'Paste As Plain Text' button in the TinyMCE editor (WYSIWYG). It can be identified by a black T. The second sometimes messes up, but here it is: just paste the story into the editor with the 'Paste From Word' button (identified by a blue W). Then hit preview twice. It'll probably take care of it for you.

I have "raw HTML" in my story. How do I fix this?

Merely press the 'preview' button twice when uploading or editing your story. It'll take care of all the HTML.

What are the ratings used on the site?

We have three ratings: Everyone, Preteens, and Teens. See our Submission Rules for further definitions.

Why don't you accept the equivalent of R and NC-17 material?

We like sites that are kid-friendly, and though there is probably some good R and NC-17 material out there, we find that the best material is PG-13 (Teens) or below.

What is a "flashfic?"

Flashfics are stories from 100 to 1000 words. They're also sometimes called drabbles.

What are your guidelines for poetry? Do you have a minimum word count?

Nope, no minimum word count. We base on quality, not quantity. Basically, it's up to the moderator's decision. If it's supposed to rhyme, and in some places it doesn't, chances are it'll be rejected, and the author will be asked to fix it. If it's full of mistakes, it'll be rejected, and so on.

What are your guidelines for original fiction?

That answer can be found on the Submission Rules page.

Why can't I see my story after I submitted it?

Stories from authors that are not Auto Validated need to go through the queue first, a place where the moderators can review them before either accepting or rejecting them. You should get an email alert when it's out of the queue.

How long will my story be in the queue?

SS tries to validate all stories within one day's time. It might take up to two days if the queue is really full, though.

Is there any way to have my stories not go through the queue? It really bugs me.

Actually, yes, there is. If you have very few mistakes in your stories, you'll be eligible to be put on Auto Validate (or AV). This will make your stories skip the queue entirely and upload directly to the site, and if you're put on this, you won't have a limit for how many chapters you wish to upload.

Why can I only submit five chapters at one time? Isn't that kind of unfair?

Well, if five authors submit five chapters in one day, it's 25 chapters. That's a lot to moderate. We don't want to overwhelm our moderators. Also, if the first chapter is rejected, at least you didn't spend hours submitting fifty chapters! When a chapter is accepted, you're allowed to submit another and so on.

Am I allowed to post banners with my stories?

Nope. They tend to clog up the site. But we do allow links to your banners/images.

Someone flamed me. How do I get the flame deleted?

Contact staff [AT] spiralingstairs [DOT] net and someone on staff will delete it for you.

I haven't received an(y) email(s) alerting me of my my story going through the queue. What can I do (besides scream loudly)?

First of all, have you checked any spam/junk folders your mail provider has? If it's not there, then have you tried using a new email address? Maybe it's the provider. And if you're missing another alert after trying both these things, contact the staff. We'll see if it's either the same moderator who forgot the letters each time or if it's the site itself. Either way, you'll be helping us!

How do I contact an author? Can you do this for me?

We tend to prefer not doing this for members. There's a "contact" link in their profile, so try that! If the author doesn't respond after a week or so, feel free to try emailing them again (please don't spam authors with messages!). If they still don't respond, it's likely that they got a new email address and forgot to change it (which is against the Terms of Service ), so be sure to tell us! We'll try tracking them down, politely give them a warning, and rely your message to them. (Unless, of course, they were just ignoring the emails... then we'll politely apologize over and over.)

Are former student/teacher pairings allowed?

If by "former student/teacher pairings" you mean a pairing where a student is no longer in school or a teacher is no longer teaching that student, then yes. They're perfectly fine, feel free to post your stories of them!

Staff/Administration/Contacting:

- How do I contact the site administrators?
- I have a suggestion/comment/whatever. Who do I contact?
- Who are the site owners? Are they nice?
- Who created this site, anyway?
- I really like this site. Are you looking for more staff?

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How do I contact the site administrators?

You can email us via our contact form or contact staff@spiralingstairs.net.

I have a suggestion/comment/whatever. Who do I contact?

Email staff [AT] spiralingstairs [DOT] net or contact one of the staff (Staff List page). We're always open to suggestions!

Who are the site owners? Are they nice?

Midnightdreams_x and unkickableluna are what one would classify as "site owners." They're super nice, and they love to talk to new (and old!) members!

Who created this site, anyway?

The site owners (see above question), along with GryffinGal, AlbusLives, Zayne, and KevinVoigt (who is mostly just poked about things). Mione_bookworm also started helping out with banners and graphics a couple weeks after this site was created. Oh, and bornfromtheashes was made the official "Head of New World Order" (Site Floozie) about a month and a half after the site was created. He's unkickableluna's brother, so feel free to annoy him via the contact link in his profile. Anyway, they're all super-nice, too, and all are some of the site owners' good friends! Besides these people, though, all of the authors, members, and reviewers helped, too. Thanks to all of you!!

I really like this site. Are you looking for more staff?

Certainly! See the Position Openings page to find out what positions we're looking for and how to apply. Good luck!

Bugs/Errors:

- I'm seeing an error. What do I do?
- I'm not seeing an error, but something isn't working for me. What do I do?
- I've *gasp* found a typo! I need to tell you about this right away! How? Who do I contact?

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I'm seeing an error. What do I do?

Contact staff@spiralingstairs.net and give us the error. We'll try to find out what's wrong and fix your problem. Please remember to give us the error, though! They really help. (There's also a "Report This" option in the drop down box of stories and such. You can use that, too, if you want.)

I'm not seeing an error, but something isn't working for me. What do I do?

Again, contact staff@spiralingstairs.net. There's also a "Report This" option in the drop down box of stories and such. You can use that, too, if you want.

I've *gasp* found a typo! I need to tell you about this right away! How? Who do I contact?

Oh no! That's horrible. Email us and we'll correct it ASAP! Thanks!!

Hosting, etc:

- Who does this site have for hosting?
- I have some extra money and want to give a few dollars to your site in a donation. Can I do this, and if so, how?
- I really like DreamHost! How can I thank you for getting me signed up with them?

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Who does this site have for hosting?

DreamHost. Plenty of space, bandwidth, and reasonable prices! Or, if you want twenty-five dollars off any hosting plan, sign up with this link and use the promo code "25SPIRALINGS" (without the quotes, of course!).

I have some extra money and want to give a few dollars to your site in a donation. Can I do this, and if so, how?

Why, yes, you can! Just visit this link and you can donate via PayPal.

I really like DreamHost! How can I thank you for getting me signed up with them?

No need to thank us! We love the whole mutual-liking-of-web-hosting-providers thing. But anyway, if you really want to, read stories! Review them! Write them! Post them! Contribute in some way to the site! That's the best thanks you could give us.

Misc.:

- What's "Floozie" mean? And er, how did bornfromtheashes manage to become Head of New World Order?
- What does the "Head of New World Order" do, anyway? Does he want/need staff? Can I join?!
- Evol? What's this "evol" you speak of? Is that a misspelling of "evil" or something?
- What's a "thwack," "glomp," or any other word I notice at the site and don't know the definition of?
- So, er, what's that number in the footer of parts of the site? I'm confused.

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What's "Floozie" mean? And er, how did bornfromtheashes manage to become Head of New World Order?

We're glad you asked! (Not really.) And now we'll direct you to dictionary.com's entry on 'Floozie.' Did we mention he's male through and through? In any case, he asked... and continued to ask... and poke... and bug. Until we relented. Yay fun titles!

What does the "Head of New World Order" do, anyway? Does he want/need staff? Can I join?!

Basically, he's a lazy bum. That's all there is to it. Oh, and he pokes people now and then. And no! No staff for him! He'd probably want it, but if you want to join his cult group department, take it up with him to convince the site owners. We're open to fun, but we're also open to torturing him. [insert evol laugh here]

Evol? What's this "evol" you speak of? Is that a misspelling of "evil" or something?

Evol is our word for "evil." It was created a long, long time ago, and after convincing so many people to use it, it stuck. Yayness! Don't be surprised if you see unkickableluna correct people on it.

What's a "thwack," "glomp," or any other word I notice at the site and don't know the definition of?

Oh, yes. We have a lot of odd words and names we use. Here's a list:
- Thwack: to hit someone with the back of the hand.
- Glomp: a running hug-tackle, sort of.
- Evol: our spelling of "evil." (see the previous question)
- SS: Spiraling Stairways, in case you didn't catch that.
- Cheater: KevinVoigt.
- (something)ishness: Er, just ignore this one. It's just the word with a random suffix at the end. Yay random suffixes!

Those are the main ones, really. They'll probably be throughout the site in all our silliness. If you're curious about any others, email us and ask and we might add it to the list!

So, er, what's that number in the footer of parts of the the site? I'm confused.

It's our counter! It counts how many people visit the site. If you refresh the page or something, it won't keep adding, so don't even try (no matter how nice that is)!

The Best-est Question:

I have a question not answered on this list. What now?

Contact staff [AT] spiralingstairs [DOT] net and ask your question. Someone will reply to it as fast as possible. Not only will you be helping yourself out, but you'll be increasing the size of this list (which is a good thing, we swear!)!

Last Updated: 4/5/2007