Help - in FAQ form
Down Up Index Q11. I would like to download a full size copy of an image on the site. Can you tell me what I should do?
A11. If you are happy to carry out modifications to the URL information in your browser window then please read on otherwise please just drop us an email with details of the required image(s) and we'll send you copies (just email us at mail@rdca.org.uk with brief details of the required image or images, such as their position on the page).
If you are comfortable about doing a bit of technical tinkering then read on. Please note that the instructions which are given relate to the use of Internet Explorer 10 but if you use another browser then you should be easily able to adapt the instructions.
1. Go to the page containing the image(s)
2. Hover over an image and click your right mouse button
3. Pick Properties from the drop-down list
4. Highlight the entire URL address of the image in the panel that opens up (your highlighted text should start with http:// and finish with .jpg)
5. Copy this highlighted URL text by clicking your right mouse button and then clicking Copy from the list that appears
6. Then open a new window on your browser (click the little browser "new" tab at the end of the tab listing which will open a new blank window)
7. Paste the image URL into the new window's empty address panel (left click in the empty address window and then right click and pick Paste off the drop-down menu)
8. Then press your Enter/Return key (or click on the little right arrow to the right of the URL in the address window)
9. You will now see a copy of the image you want, but it is most likely to be a rather small scale version.
10. If so, you should modify the URL address in the browser window as follows:
(i) Change "/scaled/" to "/originals/" in the address window, which you will see just before the name of the image. To do this click in the address line and then use the arrow keys and delete key appropriately to modify the text
(ii) Then near the very end of the address line you may see the characters "_s" or "_ts". If so please delete both the "_" and the "s" or "ts" by continuing with the modification procedure in (i) above
11. Now repeat step 8 and you will see the original full size image appear
12. Finally right click and pick off the "Store image as ..." option from the list that appears. Before you click "Save" just jot down the name of the image just in case it is stored somewhere obscure on your computer. You can then find it later by typing its name in the search window that appears when you click on the icon in the bottom left of your screen (Windows 7).
Down Up Index Q10. I have read your answer to Q9 but I don't think I can follow your advice. Can I not just send you some material for an article?
A10. Yes, of course you can. If you are able to put your material into a wordprocessor article then so much the better. This could be text and photographs and you could lay things out in the wordprocessor as you would like them to appear on the site. However, if you cannot really get that far we are quite happy to receive text and photographs from you in any form. Just email us from the Contact Us page or give us a ring and we will take things from there.
Down Up Index Q9. I would like to put stuff on the site but I'm not very computer literate. What do you think?
A9. You don't have to be anything like an expert - if you are already reading this you are almost halfway there. Have a look at our article for complete beginners on how to Write an article. This will encourage you to Register on the site and then when you have done that you can put up some easy material (a bit of text is all you need, straight out of your head). You have complete control over whatever you put on the site and all your material is kept in a private draft area until you are happy for the webmaster to see it (the webmaster has no access to anything in the private draft areas). Once your material is with the webmaster it will appear shortly thereafter on the site after being given the OK.
Down Up Index Q8. How do I find out what's on the site?
A8. Use the indexes in the left or right columns and the links in the top bar (visible after you click on Home). These will allow you to search in a general way by place, by subject, or by author (via the My Pages link in the top bar). If you cannot find what you are looking for then click on Search the site. A range of possibilities are offered including a very powerful Google search, but please note that a Google search of the site will only work if you are looking for material that has been on the site for more than a couple of weeks.
Down Up Index Q7. I tried a Google search but either I get hundreds of hits or nothing. What's going on?
A7. If you get hundreds of hits then refine your search by adding more search words. If you get no hits whatsoever then there are several possibilities. Either we have nothing of interest to you, or your search is too detailed, or the material has not yet been indexed by Google. This Google search link takes you to practical advice and gives practical examples of searches on the site from the simple through to the refined.
Down Up Index Q6. Do I need to register on the site?
A6-1. The "yes" answer. If you intend to use the site regularly then it is best to register and then login each time you use it: on most browsers this login will be easy if you let your browser remember your user name and password so everytime you use the same computer you will be logged in automatically. Then if you write any articles and make any comments on articles you will find all your contributions under your name in My Pages
A6-2. The "no" answer. If you are a casual user of the site and have no intention of submitting articles then you don't need to register. In this case you can still contribute to the message boards and leave comments at the bottom of articles. But note that when you leave any comments you will have to fill in a little text box from an image - a hurdle to impede automatic spam devices from dumping rubbish on the site, known as CAPTCHA.
Down Up Index Q5. I left some comments on the site but they don't appear in My Pages?
A5. You were not logged into the site when you posted your comments. The "give away" was when you filled in a CAPTCHA form when you posted your comment. In future when you see the CAPTCHA security check just backtrack and login before proceeding with your comment. Note that we can sort things out if you used your normal user name and were not logged on but, obviously, if you used some pseudonym then that comment will have to stand. If you used your normal user name please send us a short email and we will see if we can sort things out.
Down Up Index Q4. I've got written material and ideas for articles and have some great photographs to go with them but absolutely no idea what to do or even where to start. Everything looks far too complicated.
A4. It can be complicated or it can be easy. Writing a text based article is very easy. Adding photos is also very easy if you are familiar with storing and retrieving digital photographs on a computer. Adding sound clips is easy if you are familiar with recording techniques and the handling and editing of sound files on a computer. But not everyone can do all three of these things so that's where it gets complicated - what's easy or difficult will vary from person to person and will depend on the material they have for an article. What you therefore need to sort out is what you think you can do yourself and what you think you would like us to do for you - or with you. However, if you are completely befudddled by the whole thing then just drop us an email at mail@rdca.org.uk or ring us up suggesting a get together and we can take it from there. Have a look at Contact Us for current telephone numbers or where you can find someone to speak to.
Down Up Index Q3. I've prepared a draft article on the site and have been able to load some photographs to the site. However, I'm not very happy with the way the article looks in Preview and I cannot make it look any better by varying the available Preview options. What do you suggest?
A3. Please submit the draft article to the webmaster (so it leaves your private area but remains unpublished). In your submission use the comment box associated with the article to suggest detailed layout modifications etc. and, as a precaution, put a line at the top of your article drawing the attention of the webmaster to the comment box. We can then take things from there by circulating an email around those in our group who can do what you want done to the draft, be it layout improvement, photo enhancement, etc. etc. Once the modifications are done the webmaster will publish the article and you can then have a look at the results in the New Pages area. There will then be an opportunity for final thoughts if we have got the wrong idea about what you wanted or if you need some minor alterations to be made to create the final version.
Down Up Index Q2. I would like to be able to tinker with my photographs before putting them on the website. Can you recommend a good image manipulation program?
A2. Yes, we recommend that you use GIMP 2.8. The program is very good and free (it has been under development by Open Source volunteers over many years). The program has all the image manipulation features you would ever need. If you have difficulty using it after installation then please have a good look at its help facilities, or drop us an email with details of your difficulty. However, please note that some image manipulation procedures are quite complex so if you want anything out of the ordinary done to an image an option open to you would be to put it on the site in a draft article and add a request for assistance (see also Q3).
Down Up Index Q1. How do I get images onto the website? I'm not very up-to-date with all the possibilities and what you might require.
A1. If you have an image on a computer or on a chip then upload this directly to the website - there are restrictions on image size and image type but by-and-large you should be OK, just go ahead and try it out. For the technically minded you should use jpg, png or gif images with the smaller dimension greater than 540 pixels and the image weight under 10Mb. If you don't have an image already in digital form then you should scan it using a flatbed scanner or slide convertor or just photograph it using a digital camera (but the results here are usually inferior to using a scanner). If you cannot do any of the above things then please get in touch and we will do our best to help you out.