myLot - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(last updated June 5, 2017)

Explore

  • How do I start a new discussion? - At the extreme right of the menu bar at the top of the screen is a pencil icon. Click on this to bring up a pop up dialogue prompting you to "Post something new".
    1. Choose a Title for your post.
    2. "Describe what's on your mind" (it's a good idea to be as descriptive as possible - myLot users are remarkable in many ways but they are NOT mind readers!)
    3. Enter up to 5 tags separated by commas. Try to use significant words or phrases which you would expect people (or yourself) to use to find the particular topic you are posting. It has been suggested that, in future, tagging should bring up a suggested 'Category' list as well as 'free entry' tags, so that all topics in certain categories can be tagged consistently. If you feel you want to enter more tags to describe your topic, you will be able to add more relevant tags to any responses or comments it receives, once it is posted.
  • How do I respond to/comment on a discussion? - Point your cursor at the bottom of the discussion post or the response or comment. A menu will appear and, when you click “Respond” or “Comment” a pop¬over text box will show, ready for you to type in your response or comment. Note that you can add tags to a response or a comment, just as you can to a discussion. This is optional but may be useful to you and others if you mention something which is new to the discussion.
  • What is a like? When you 'like' a post, does it benefit anyone? - The value of 'liking' is that the person posting it and others can see that the post was, presumably, helpful to the person who 'liked' it. The 'likes' rating is one of the factors used in deciding where a post ranks in the "Explore - Top Rated Posts".
  • Does 'liking' and tagging (even without responding or commenting) mean those discussions will show up in your activity or in the interesting section? - 'Liking', as mentioned above, affects how a post ranks in the Top Rated Discussions. It also increases the total of the "Likes [received]" shown on any person's profile
  • How are responses and comments organized on a discussion page? - Responses are listed as 'Most recent first' (and the 'time ago' or date, if earlier than today, are shown in gray to the right of each). Comments are listed, first, under the response or comment they relate to and then in 'reverse time' order.
  • How do I see all the comments under each response box? I don't always see the "Show all comments" underneath a response. - If you don't see "Show all comments", then you are already seeing all the comments there are. To see any comments which are hidden, simply click on "Show all comments" where it appears.
  • There used to be discussion categories, where did they go? - The ‘categories’ were frequently abused and were not very flexible since it was sometimes difficult to decide which category a discussion belonged to. They have been replaced by tags.
  • What is a tag? - A tag is a word (or words) which relate to or describe the discussion. Each tag is separated from the next by a comma. Tags are useful for searching for discussions on a particular topic. They are also used to control what the “Interesting” list shows you and what discussions are listed in the “You Might Also Like” list, which you see to the right of some discussions.
  • How can I share my discussions with other members? - One of the best ways of making sure that as many interested people as possible see your discussions is to use tags intelligently and relevantly. Your discussions are then more likely to appear in the “Interesting” lists of those people who have used the same tags as you and they will also be likely to appear in the “You Might Also Like” list to the right of any discussion which uses the same tags as you have done. While it is not possible to “suggest” your own discussions, if you feel that a particular person would be interested in your discussion or that you would value their contribution, you might send them a Private Message explaining why you think they might be interested in responding or commenting. You should be careful, when doing this, to respect other people’s privacy and never to make it seem as if you are ‘spamming’. You can share other people’s discussions (but not your own) with your followers by pointing the cursor at the bottom of the discussion and clicking on “Suggest”.
  • What is the “Suggest” option for on the menu underneath a discussion? - You can share other people’s discussions (but not your own) with your followers by pointing the cursor at the bottom of the discussion and clicking on “Suggest”.
  • I don't have anything to contribute to a discussion, should I comment on it anyway? - If you have nothing useful to add to a discussion, you should simply move on and find one to which you can contribute. Simply replying with “I agree!” or “thank you” will likely result in your comment or response being removed. You may, of course, use the ‘Like’ feature to show that you have read the discussion and the responses and comments and think that they are worthwhile, even if you have nothing to say.
  • What are "Interesting", "Top Rated", "Most Recent", "New User" and "No Responses" discussions? - "Top Rated" are discussions of the day that have received a large number of “likes”. "Most Recent" is exactly that, discussions listed in descending order of most recent discussions. "New User" refers to discussions from members who have joined 7 days ago or less. "No Responses" is again, quite literal, referring to discussions which have not yet been responded to. *Pro tip: visit the "No Responses" and "New User" section for an earnings boost. Your activity in the sections will earn you just a little more than the others.
  • How do I delete my own discussions? - Under each discussion is a menu which appears when you pass the cursor over that area. Your own discussions will include the options “Edit” and “Delete”. To delete a discussion, simply click on “Delete”
  • I read my discussion and found some errors, how can I edit my discussion? - Under each discussion is a menu which appears when you pass the cursor over that area. Your own discussions will include the options “Edit” and “Delete”. To delete a discussion, simply click on “Edit”
  • Can I use any tag I want? - Within reason. Tags should be short (usually a single word) and descriptive. Remember, tags you use will bring up similar discussions in the Explore-Interesting tab. Garbage in, garbage out. *Note: Tags that contain obscenities, personal attacks or otherwise unpleasant content are considered abuse and will result in disciplinary action.
  • What can I do if someone has tagged my discussion with inappropriate words? - You can send a Private Message to Admin ( @goaskalice ) saying that you think that your discussion has been tagged inappropriately. You should give the exact words that you find inappropriate and also the URL of the discussion concerned.
  • What is the “You Might Also Like” box that shows up to the right of some discussions? - This contains discussions of similar content, based on tags in the discussion you are currently viewing.

People

  • How can I find activity from people I am following? - Simply go to your “People” page. All activity from people you are following will show up in the various side bar tabs there. This includes discussions, responses, comments, things they have “liked”, “followed” and “mentioned”.
  • How do you add friends so you can message them? In this new MyLot, it seems that the default setting is that everyone can message us. Is it risky to keep it open? Will I be vulnerable to viruses? - By default, any member may message any other member unless one member is blocked by the other. However, if a member has selected "Only those I follow can message me" you will not be able to send them a message unless that person has clicked "Follow" on your profile. If they have selected "No one can message me", then the only way of communicating with them is through responses and comments in the Discussion area. It is no more risky to leave the option at the default ("Anyone can message me, except for those I've blocked") than it is to use the site in general. The messaging system is a simple, text¬ based one and cannot carry code or viruses of any kind. Even URLs are not automatically converted to hyperlinks, so there is less risk of clicking on a dangerous link than there is in the main Discussion area. As with any social networking site of this nature (including, of course, Twitter, Facebook and others), you should always have a reputable, up¬to¬date Antivirus program installed and you should always be wary of clicking any link which you do not know to be trustworthy.

Me

  • What are all these notifications I am receiving? - A red badge will appear next to the "Me" link at the top of each page when you have new notifications. This will include notifications of new activity on your posts,likes, mentions, messages and suggestions.
  • How can I turn those notifications off or on? - Click on settings, located under your profile image and then select the “Notifications” tab. From the side bar. The bottom part of the page will give you a list of options to choose which notifications you have sent to your “Me” page, notifications tab.
  • Can I get notifications sent to my email? - Click on settings, located under your profile image and then select the “Notifications” tab. From the side bar. The bottom part of the page will give you a list of options to choose which notifications you have sent to your email. They will be sent to the email you used when you created your account. There, you can also choose how frequently notifications are sent to your email from cue. Your new notifications are combined into one email sent at time intervals you set.
  • How do I delete messages? - Hover your mouse over each message in the pop up message console and a small trash can icon will appear. Click on it and the message is deleted.
  • How can I view my own past activity? - On your “Me” page, you will find a side bar list with tabs labeled “Discussions”, “Responses”, “Comments” and “All”. These are all Discussions, etc that you yourself have created. You may also see everything you have “Liked” and places you have been “Mentioned” in the tabs in the list directly below.
  • How can I tell who is following me? Who I am following? - Followers and Followings can be found in the tabs on the side of your “Me” page
  • My tag section is full of tags that are no longer relevant to me, how can I clean them up? - At this moment, there is no way to remove tags from your “Me” section. So, choose and use tags carefully.

Guidelines

  • Why was my discussion/response/comment removed? - Only an administrator can remove a discussion. If your discussion is removed, it is almost certainly because it violated our community guidelines.
  • Is there a minimum number of characters/words/sentences for a discussion? - No, there is no hard upper or lower limit to any of those, however and for the most part, discussions consisting of only a few words or a single sentence will likely be removed as they will most likely not offer any discussion value.
  • What exactly is considered advertising? - Promoting your business, affiliate program, referral link, blog, product or service, job opening, business opportunity, personal singles ad, monetized link, etc.
  • What exactly is considered a poll? - A poll, as we define it, would be a post that either asks a question and then gives a list of answers to choose from, or just a simple post that only asks, “what is your favorite...” Sometimes, a great discussion can be had from asking someone's preferences, but it takes more than just asking that to do it.
  • What exactly is considered a milestone? - A milestone as we define it, would be a post that states something like “happy birthday/ anniversary/etc to me/so and so!” Also included would be “I earned a dollar today”, or “yay, I made it to 1000 posts!”
  • Can I recycle content I have written on another site? - Doing so can make it very difficult for us to detect plagiarism, so at this time we are not allowing recycled content. If the content was on a site that no longer exists, and you are certain that it is no longer indexed in search engine results, then it may be used. However, we use a variety of plagiarism detection tools and even in the previously listed circumstances, your content may still raise plagiarism flags. So use this content with great care and discretion.
  • Can I have more than one account? - In a word, “No”. Creating multiple accounts will result in the removal of all of them, and the banning of any further accounts created by a member. If you cannot access your account for some reason, do not create a new one. Please use the contact us link
  • Is there a limit on how many discussions/responses/comments I can create? - No, but the best method is always quality over quantity. You can post a dozen discussions if they do not violate the guidelines, but you will likely earn more from a single, well written discussion that you interact with a lot.
  • My friend/relative has a gofundme type page set up. Can I post a link to it? - We do not allow charity requests of any sort.
  • I work for a particular cause and we have a petition circulating. Can I post it here? - No, petitions are not permitted.
  • Can I post adult content? - We try to create an environment that is suited for a wide variety of age groups. Please keep your content to a PG level or less. Things like pornography, nudity, overt sexual content, or otherwise not suited to a family type environment will be grounds for immediate banning of your account
  • Can I use news articles images and videos in my discussions? - Yes, by all means. These things enhance discussion and are encouraged. However, we ask that you not copy and paste entire articles. A discussion may contain a paragraph or so from an article, but the bulk of it should be your own thoughts. Also remember to always include a source link for the article. Posting nothing more than a video is also not acceptable; the post must contain your own thoughts and content along with the video or image.
  • I have an issue with an action taken by an administrator or another, is it ok to post a discussion about it? - The discussion area is not the place to address grievances. Please contact an administrator directly via private message.
  • I have a personal dispute with another member, is it ok to post a discussion about it? - Again, the discussion area is not the place to address grievances. Any personal abuse should be reported by using the report option under a discussion, response or comment. Personal disputes should either be settled by private message between members, or preferably, off site.

Settings

  • Can I change my username? - While your "@name" cannot be changed, you may change your display name. Simply go to settings/profile (in the menu under your profile image) and change the text in the “name” field. Then click on the “save changes” button at the bottom of the page.
  • How do I change my Avatar? - In the menu under your profile image, go to settings/profile.

    Click on “change photo”

    In the dialogue that pops up, click on “browse” and select an image then click “upload”

    Then at the bottom of the screen, click on “save changes”
  • What is “Sharing” on my Settings menu? - This section allows you to share your myLot content on social media, like Facebook or Twitter.

Accounts

  • I cannot log in to my account. Who do I contact? - Please visit the Contact Us page
  • My friend cannot log in to their account. Who do I contact? - We will only communicate directly with the original account holder. Please have your friend visit the Contact Us page
  • I forgot my password/log in name. Who do I contact? - On the log in page, under the log in dialogue box, click on the “Forgot password?” icon. On the next page, enter the email address you entered when you created your account or your user name (your @name). Your password will be sent to the email address you entered in to your account information when you created your account

Miscellaneous

  • I can't see the pencil icon in the upper right hand corner. Where did it go? - This is due to a screen resolution issue. Try changing your monitor's resolution or use your browser’s “zoom out” feature.
  • Is there mobile app for myLot? - At this time there are no plans for a mobile app. That is not to say there won't ever be one, but for right now there is no mobile app.
  • I have a great idea that I would like to see myLot use for the site. Who do I tell about it? - @GoAskAlice keeps a running list of suggestions. Send a private message with your suggestion.
  • Why does the Menu Bar cover the top few lines of a page? - This usually happens if you have an Ad Blocking plug¬in installed. You should turn off your Ad blocker, at least for MyLot pages. You may well find ads irritating but remember that MyLot earns its money from displaying ads and if you block them, you are depriving MyLot (and therefore yourself) from a small amount of income. It is not difficult to learn to ignore the ads and you don't have to feel you have to click on them (unless one really interests you): MyLot earns money from displaying them and clicking ads simply in an attempt to make them 'pay more' may actually do more harm than good!
  • How do I know if a particular member has blocked me? - If a member has blocked you, you will not be able to comment or respond to their discussions.

    The fastest way to be sure that a member has blocked you, is to go to their profile. If they have blocked you, the "message" and "follow" options will not be available.