Have a Problem?

If you have a specific problem or technical question, please Send me an E-Mail. Doing so is not only the best way to get your problem solved, but it also helps us to debug problems we may not know about. Sending an E-Mail is encouraged and appreciated.

Click here to send an E-Mail.

Suggested Browser Settings

Click here to see suggested browser settings to get the best results on the Progressive Ears web site. Proper setting of your browser features is essential to a good experience at P.E.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many messages may I post (Weekly Post Limit)
Can I change my screen-name, email address, or password?
What happened to that thread I was following?
Can I see both the Main forum and the OT forum combined?
What are bookmarked threads?
Why are the post times on the site always ahead/behind my local time?
How long are messages kept at Progressive Ears? Is there an archive?
Why does the chat room make that awful clicking sound?
Why can't I see the thread title when I open threads in a new window?
How can I use bold, italic, etc. in my messages?
How can I use colors in my messages?
I uploaded a new picture in my profile - why is my old picture still showing?
How do I insert pictures into my posts?
How do I insert YouTube videos into my posts?
Can I browse PE on my handheld mobile device (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)?
Is there a faster way to access PE on my slow dial-up or an webTV system?
How do I make emoticons (smilies) appear in my messages?

How many messages may I post (Weekly Post Limit)

Users are limited to a total of 70 posts in the last seven days (168 hours). If you exceed your post limit, you will not be able to post messages until enough time has passed that your 168-hour total falls below 70. As an alternative to waiting, you may consider deleting some of your messages from the last seven days.

Can I change my screen-name, email address, or password?

Yes. You do not need to delete your existing account and open a new one to do this. In fact, it is much better not to create a new account. If you create a new account all your old content (posts, photos, etc.) will cease to be associated with you. You will lose access to your old private messages, etc. If you instead simply change your screen name in your existing account all your old messages, etc. will henceforth show your new screen name.

To change your screen-name, email address, or password, open the Member Functions sub-menu on the Main Menu and select Edit Account. This will allow you to change any of your information.

Note: If you change your email address we will send you a new password. You must provide a valid email address or you will not receive your password and will be unable to access your account.

What happened to that thread I was following?

Sometimes threads are moved from the Main forum to the OT forum (and vice versa). Please check both forums.

Occasionally someone will start a thread that a lot of members seem to be enjoying, but isn't really appropriate for this site. In these cases, the moderator may choose to turn the thread into a Private Message that includes the top 25 poster in the thread. If you are not among the top 25 posters in the thread, you will no longer see the thread.

Sometimes people will start threads that are completely inappropriate for this site. In this case, the moderator will delete the thread.

How long are messages kept at Progressive Ears? Is there an archive?

Threads that have not had a message posted to them in the last 30 days are automatically deleted each night (note: this includes private threads). There is no archive. Messages posted in the first 20 months of PE's existence (when we were a Yahoo club) are archived under the Misc. Stuff link on the Main Menu.

Can I see both the Main forum and the OT forum combined?

Yes. Click Edit Account under Member Functions on the Main Menu. Check the Combine Forums check box and click the Save Changes button.

What are bookmarked threads?

The bookmarked threads feature is an easy way to follow threads that particularly interest you. To bookmark a thread, click on the check box in the "Bookmark" column of that thread on the main page. You can also bookmark a thread by clicking the "Bookmark" link at the upper right of every post. To view your bookmarked threads, click the "Bookmark Threads" link on the Main Menu.

Why are the post times on the site always ahead/behind my local time?

The Progressive Ears server is located in Phoenix, AZ USA. Posts are recorded as local Phoenix time. The Progressive Ears web site attempts to show you times as your local time. It does this by detecting the time zone of the computer you are using to access the site. If your computer is set for the wrong time zone, times on the site will appear incorrectly. To rectify this, you need to set your computer to the correct time zone. To learn more about how to do this, click here.

Why does the chat room make that awful clicking sound?

This usually only happens in Windows with Internet Explorer. This is caused by your browser refreshing every few seconds as it checks for new messages. Your system is set up to play a sound every time your browser refreshes. You can turn this sound off by doing the following:

Start Button > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds

Find the system sounds setting for Internet Explorer. If you don't find settings for IE, find the ones for Windows Explorer. Set all of these to "none."

Why can't I see the thread title when I open threads in a new window?

Bacause of the way the Progressive Ears site works, it is not possible for us to show thread titles when you right-click a thread and open it in a new window. However, if you want to view the thread full-screen, you do not need to open it in a new window. Instead, you can simply use the Maximize Frame button in the upper-right corner of the main window. The Maximize Frame button looks like this - , and should be visible to you now in the upper-right corner of this screen. Clicking this button will show the current thread full-screen. Note: you can use this button to view any Progressive Ears page full-screen (click it now to see this Help page full-screen).
How can I use bold, italic, etc. in my messages?

You can use forum code to add effects to your text. Simply surround the text you want to modify with the following tags in brackets:
  • [b]bold[/b] will appear as bold
  • [i]italic[/i] will appear as italic
  • [b][i]bold and italic[/i][/b] will appear as bold and italic
  • [code]fixed spacing[/code] will use a fixed-width (non-proportional) font and appear as fixed spacing
  • [c]center[/c] will appear centered in your screen - as
    center
  • [u]underline[/u] will appear as underline
  • [pre]Pre-formated text that doesn't remove     spaces   ! So [/pre] Will appear as 
    Pre-formated text that doesn't remove    spaces    !
  • [quote]quoted text[/quote] will appear as
    quoted text
  • [indent]indented text[/indent] will appear as
    indented text
  • [l] (text...)      will appear as
  • (text...)
    I.e. "[l]" inserts a "bullet" just like the the dots at the left of each line in this paragraph. (Note - there's no "[/l]").
You can also use URL protocols to make hyperlinks. All of the following must appear followed by a space or period:
How can I use colors in my messages?

To have your messages appear in color, insert the following text into your messages:
  • [aqua]Aqua
  • [black]Black
  • [blue]Blue
  • [fuchsia]Fuchsia
  • [green]Green
  • [gray]Gray
  • [lime]Lime
  • [maroon]Maroon
  • [navy]Navy
  • [olive]Olive
  • [purple]Purple
  • [red]Red
  • [silver]Silver
  • [teal]Teal
  • [white]White
  • [yellow]Yellow
I uploaded a new picture in my profile - why is my old picture still showing?

Upload your new picture - as directed by the system on your profile page.
Don't see the new picture? The problem is not caused by PE - it's caused by your browser. Here's how to fix it:

If you're using FIREFOX:
  • Right-click somewhere in the gray part of the page
  • Click "This Frame>"
  • Click "Reload Frame"
  • Bingo - you should now see your new picture.

    If you're using Microsoft INTERNET EXPLORER:
  • Right-click somewhere in the gray part of the page
  • Click "Refresh"
  • Bingo - you should now see your new picture.

    If this doesn't work (and if you're sure you did it correctly) then PM the moderators

    Techie-background (if you're interested):
    In summary - your browser is trying to be clever, by saying "I already have that picture in my memory (aka "cache"), so I won't waste time going back to the PE server, re-reading the whole photograph, and displaying it. I'll just show the picture I already have, in memory." The browser doesn't know that behind the scenes, the picture is now different - and should be re-read. So you have to force the issue. Doing this forced 'reload' tells the browser to reload everything from the source, and display it correctly.

    How do I insert pictures into my posts?


    We recommend you use PhotoBucket for your pictures - though any site will work.

    Find the URL for the image on the web:

  • If you use Internet Explorer - right-click anywhere in the picture itself, then click "Properties". A gray box will pop up. It has a field called "Address (URL)". Use your mouse Highlight that, and copy it.

  • If you use Firefox - it's much easier. Right click the image, and click "Copy Image Location".

    You now have the URL.

    Posting your message:

    Go to your post, and start typing your message.

    When you're ready to insert your picture:
    Type [IMG], then paste your picture's URL, then immediately after the URL, type [/IMG] (Note - there are no spaces!)

    E.g. - if you insert the following into the body of your message...
    [IMG]http://www.progressiveears.com/images/pelogo.gif[/IMG]
    ...then your post will include THIS image:





    Note:
    It is not our intention to teach anyone the finer points of the Internet. If these instructions don't make sense, feel free to ask a friend for help.


    IMPORTANT NOTE:
    Please refer to the Terms Of Service for nature of the images considered to be acceptable by Progressive Ears.

    How do I insert YouTube videos into my posts?

    Go to your favorite YouTube. E.g.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6qVSDwWtzc

    Copy the video's ID string (in this case, it's "S6qVSDwWtzc")

    Go to your post, and start typing your message.

    When you're ready to insert your video:
    Type [YT], then the video's ID string, then [/YT] (Note - there are no spaces!)

    E.g. - if you insert the following into the body of your message...
    [YT]S6qVSDwWtzc[/YT]
    ...then your post will include THIS video:



    Note:
    It is not our intention to teach anyone the finer points of the Internet. If these instructions don't make sense, feel free to ask a friend for help.


    IMPORTANT NOTE:
    Please refer to the Terms Of Service for nature of the videos considered to be acceptable by Progressive Ears.

    Can I browse PE on my handheld mobile device (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.) ?
    And
    Is there a faster way to access PE on my slow dial-up or an webTV system?

    The following applies to both questions:

    We've created a "Mobile" version of Progressive Ears, which is optimized for small handheld devices such as the iPhone, Palm, Blackberry, and several other mobile systems.

    Coincidentally, it also makes browsing PE via dial-up, and on slow systems like webTVs, very much faster.

    PE Mobile is not a true-blue "mobile application". Instead, it is simply the existing Progressive Ears system with the following changes:

  • Frames have been removed
  • Graphics (i.e. slow-loading pictures etc.) have been removed
  • Unneccessary items have been removed from the screens
  • It does not include all of the Progressive Ears features. It contains just just the forums (Main, OT and PMs), and all links that are accessible from those pages.
  • It can display images, as well as YouTube vids - if your device supports them
  • PE's standard menus are gone, replaced by buttons along the top for:
       - Home
       - The OT forum (note - if you have set your system up to combine the main and the OT forum, this button behaves in the same way as the "Home" button)
       - PMs - for the Private Messages forum
       - Subs - to list your subscribed (or "bookmarked") threads
       - There's also a "<< Back" link for iPhone users, since that device's browser does not function correctly.
  • These menus have been repeated at the bottom of the topics and thread screens, along with 2 more buttons - for "Help", and to return you to the regular version of PE.
  • When you're viewing a thread with multiple pages, the top of the screen provides next-page / previous page links, to make it easier to navigate on a touch-screen

    How to get to PE Mobile

    In the standard Progressive Ears system, there's an option below the menus on the left, called "PE Mobile".
    Click that.
    You will be asked to log in.
    After that, you will be accessing Progressive Ears via the "PE Mobile" system.

    Special Note For Apple Devices (iPhone, iTouch, and iPad, etc.)

    While viewing PE-Mobile, you can use the system's "Add to Home Screen" feature, and your device will place a little "App-like" icon on your device.

    We have created a derivative of Progressive Ears's globe icon, which should allow PE-Mobile to be represented on your apple device with an icon that looks something like this:


    (Depending on the software version of your device, some users will not see the "shine" effect - and will only see the globe on a pure black background.)

    How do I make emoticons (smilies) appear in my messages?

    To generate emoticons (smilies), type these characters:

    :)   (Smile)    :|   (Ambivalent)    :(   (Frown)    ;)   (Wink)   
    :D   (Grin)    |)   (Satisfied)    B)   (Cool)    :O   (Shock)   
    :P   (Tongue)    :lol   (Laugh)    :oops   (Embarrassed)    :cry   (Cry)   
    :roll   (Roll Eyes)    X)   (Stoned)    :up   (Thumbs-Up)    :down   (Thumbs-Down)   
    :doh   (Doh!)    :love   (Love)    :bad   (Badass)    :huh   (Huh?!?)   
    :brownnose   (Brownnose)    :dead   (Dead)    :devil   (Devil)    :drool   (Drool)   
    :fanboy   (Fanboy)    :fangirl   (Fangirl)    :geezer   (Old guy)    :good   (Good)   
    :headphones   (Headphones)    :horns   (Horns)    :mad   (Mad)    :geek   (Geek)   
    :warn   (Warning)    :yell   (Yell)    :bass   (Bass guitar)    :keyboards   (Keyboards)   
    :strat   (Stratocaster)    :drums   (Drums)    :lespaul   (Gibson Les Paul)    :rofl   (Rolling On Floor Laughing)   
    :yes   (Yes)    :camel   (Camel)    :genesis   (Genesis)    :dt   (Dream Theater)   
    :kingcrimson1   (King Crimson)    :kingcrimson2   (King Crimson)    :rush   (Rush)    :tull   (Jethro Tull)   
    :floyd1   (Pink Floyd)    :floyd2   (Pink Floyd)    :floyd3   (Pink Floyd)    :gentlegiant   (Gentle Giant)   
    :elp   (E L P)    :beer   (Beer)    :ipa   (IPA - For Beer Snobs)    :spam   (Spam)   
    :dram   (Dram - for whisky snobs)    :vdgg   (Van Der Graaf Generator)   
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