I can't see any recent ads.

Personals indexes are updated every time an ad is submitted. Some browsers do not automatically reload these pages when you visit them, rather they remember the way the page looked last time. There are also caches throughout the network that store pages. You will need to tell these browsers to reload the page so you can see the latest ads. Press the reload or refresh button on your browser.

I can't see my ad.

You have activated your ad but can't see it in the list of ads. There are many reasons for this. You may need to reload this page to see the current status of your ad.

• If you requested a G rating for your ad then the ad may not yet have been checked. It will be visible immediately along with the R rated ads, but will not be available as a G rated ad until it has been checked.
• You may need to reload the list of ads. (See I Can't See Any Recent Ads.)
• Your ad may have been rejected for breaking the rules.
• Your ad may be in a different category.

To find out the status of your ad go to the activate page for your ad.

You can see the ad number, status and how many hits it has had on your activate page. Alternatively you can go to the activate page and type in your activation code.

How do I view ads?

The simplest way is to select the All Ads or G Rated Ads from the Personals sub-menu or the Personal Welcome Page. You must be an AO@P member to view All Ads. G Rated Ads may be viewed by anyone.

If you only wish to tailor which ads you see use Search Ads.

If you wish to save the setting from the search you may enable cookies. You can also bookmark the ad listings page - the first page after using the form (make sure the URL doesn't contain any ? part).

How do I see older ads?

Ads are kept on Pinkboard for about 4 weeks. After this time they are deleted permanently from the system. Ads from before this time are not kept, nor are they available offline in any form. The email addresses associated with the ads are not kept and are deleted along with the ads.

How do I submit a new ad?

Go to the submit page and fill in the form. You will need to specify a valid email address, select a place, category and sub-category. Then press Submit. You will then be emailed an activation code that allows you to activate your ad.

If you receive any errors then you must correct these and press Submit again. If you receive any warnings then you should correct these before submitting your ad. These may also be corrected after you submit your ad but before you activate your ad.

If you wish to specify more than one sub-category or some interests then go to the advanced form.

If you enable cookies then some of the fields will automatically be filled in when you go to the form next time. This may also happen because your browser remembers form fields.

Make sure you read the rules before submitting ads. Also read the descriptions of the categories, etc.

I did not receive an activation code.

There could be many reasons for this:

• There may be delays in delivering the email due to network congestion or other reasons beyond Pinkboard's control. Please allow an hour.
• Your email box may be full.
• You may have used an incorrect email address. Check your email address carefully. This must be exactly right.
• Your activation code may end up in your junk email box, or be filtered by your junk email settings. Check the junk email box and the junk email settings before trying to submit your ad again.

If you do not receive an activation code then please submit your ad again after checking that your email address is exactly correct.

How do I activate my ad?

If you used a valid email address you will receive an email message that contains the activation code for your ad. Either go here and type in your activation code, or use the link in the email message to go directly to your activation page.

You may now review and edit your ad if you wish. You may also add a picture using the form at the bottom of the page .

To activate your ad and make it available for people to see press the Activate button. To save changes to your ad without activating it press Update.

You may not change your ad after it has been activated.

If you receive any errors then you must correct these before activating. If you receive any warnings then you should correct these before activating your ad. If you ignore the warnings your ad may be deleted.

Make sure you read the rules before submitting or activating ads.

After your ad is activated you may go to your activation page to see the status of your ad.

How do I get replies to my ad?

Replies to your ad are sent to the email address that you entered when you submitted your ad. Pinkboard knows this email address is valid because you received the email that contained your activation code.

When someone sends a reply to your ad you should receive their email the same way you received the activation code.

If you do not receive any replies it could be because:

• No one has sent a reply.
• There may be delays in delivering the email due to network congestion or other reasons beyond Pinkboard's control. Please allow an hour.
• Your email box may be full.
• The email may end up in your junk email box, or be filtered by your junk email settings. Check the junk email box and the junk email settings.

To check that you can receive replies for your ad send an email to the ad's email address.

See How do I reply to ads? for more information.

How do I reply to ads?

The email address corresponding to an ad is shown at the bottom of the ad. It is of the form

PP000001@pinkboard.com.au

There are exactly 6 digits in the message number following the PP.

If your email program is configured correctly you can simply click on the email address below the ad and send an email to the person who placed the ad.

If you are using a webmail service (like hotmail or yahoo) then you will need to copy the email address from the ad and paste it into the webmail page.

When you send a reply to an ad, the advertiser can see your email address. Make sure you send the reply from the correct email address.

Why can't I reply?

This can happen when you try to reply to an ad, or someone has replied to an ad and you reply to their email.

• Their mail box is full.
• Their email program is configured with an incorrect email address.
• They received the message but ignored it, or they haven't checked their mail yet.
• Your email address is set up incorrectly and they can't reply to you.
• The email ended up in their junk email box and they didn't check it. Make sure they realise it is a reply to their ad by putting something in the subject of the email

Common problems with email addresses

• Make sure you have exactly the correct email address. Many people have similar email addresses, especially on services like hotmail. If you put in the wrong email address then the mail won't go to the right place, or they will reply to the wrong person. If you are unsure about your email address then send yourself an message and see if you get it.
• Make sure you use the correct domain. Make sure you spell the domain correctly. The domain most commonly misspelt is @hotmail.com . There is no @hotmail.com.au!
• Make sure you specify the correct country. The country is part of the email address. Be extra careful if you are using @yahoo.com or @yahoo.com.au .
• Make sure your mail box is not full. This is a common problem with hotmail.
• Make sure you set up your email program correctly.
• Check your junk email box and junk email settings.

I have lost their message or email address

Junk email replies

How can I remain anonymous

When you submit an ad on Pinkboard you remain anonymous, except to me (I have to store your address somewhere). When you reply to a message your email address is passed to the advertiser.

If you would like to remain (even more) anonymous you should use an email address which doesn't contain your name, and you should make sure your program is not configured with your name. Send yourself an email to make sure your are sending anonymous emails.

See Hotmail and Yahoo for free email addresses.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Nix. Nada. $0.00. It's free.

You do need to join AO@P to see R rated ads.

How can I attach a picture to my ad?

You may attach a picture to your ad on your activate page before you activate it. The picture may be on your computer (some browsers only) or on the Internet. Use the forms on the activate page to attach your picture.

Modifying, resending and deleting ads.

There are no facilities for modifying ads once your ad is activated. If you wish to modify an ad, delete the original and resubmit it. You can edit the resubmitted ad before activating it. You have a grace period after activating your ad in which you can delete it. After this time you must wait a week before you can activate a new ad.

You can resubmit and delete your ad from your ad's activate page. Just go to the activate page given in the test email that was sent to you and choose the options from the bottom of the page.

Can I get hold of an old ad?

Pinkboard does not keep ads that are no longer displayed. They are deleted from the system shortly after their time is finished. Please do not ask for old ads. Pinkbiard reserves the right to keep a selection of ads for archival purposes. Such ads will be de-identified.

Sending an anonymous No Thank You

You can send an anonymous no thank you message to someone who has replied to your ad. This is a polite way to respond to a reply without giving away your details.

Go to your ad's activation page, select the No Thank you link from the bottom and follow the instructions.

Why was my ad deleted?

You are usually sent an email explaining why your ad was deleted. Check your junk email box to see if it is there. Please also read the Rules for Ads.