This program is really, very simple to use. No knowledge of HTML is required. All it requires is for you to read and follow simple instructions.

Below you will find a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Please read over these for assistance. If you are still in need of help, visit the Interactive Support Forum for additional help.

While we would enjoy helping all our members to build a personal webpage, we unfortunately do not have the time and resources to do so. The best way to learn, is by trial and error. Keep in mind, you can always make changes.

Support will only be given concerning login issues, usernames, linking images, etc. Actual help for creating your webpages is available online during the process of building your pages by simply looking under "Gallery Builder Help".

Question: I'm already a member at the Refuge Forums. Do I need to register again here?

Answer: YES... The RefugePics.com Site is NOT tied in to the Refuge Forums. You will need to register here also. BE SURE to use the SAME Identical Username (except spaces, see below) that you have at the Refuge Forums. For more details on this, please click HERE to view the Rules and Policies.

Question: Can I place spaces in my username when I register here at RefugePics.com?

Answer: NO... Example, let's say your username is Joe Duck. You would need to register as Joe-Duck. Please use the Hyphen ( - ) anywhere you have a space in your username. Make SURE you do NOT use spaces in your username when you register here.

Also, if your username at the Refuge Forums is, Joe-Duck, do not sign up as joe-duck. Use upper and lower case letters just as they are in your Refuge Forums Username.

Question: I've lost my password, what do I do now?

Answer: Look at the login box area. You will see a text link entitled, "Forgot your password?". Simply click on that link. You will be taken to another page. Once there, enter your username and click the "Submit" button. Your password will be emailed to you.

Question: How do I change my password?

Answer: Once you have logged in using your username and current password, you will see a text link entitled, "Change your password". Simply click on that link to change your password. (Be sure to write down your new password, and store it for future reference)

Question: I just got a new email address. How do I update my email address on file here?

Answer: Once you have logged in using your username and password, you will see a text link entitled, "Change email address". Simply click on that link to change your email address. (Be sure to enter an actual working email address)

Question: Okay, I'm registered. I want to upload my pictures. How do I do it?

Answer: Login using your username and password. You will be taken to the Gallery Building Center. Located near the top, right hand side of the page, you will see the "Upload Graphics" box.

Click on the "Browse" button to find your image. Once you have located the image on your computer, double click the file name. The file name of your image should now be located in the text box, just to the left of the "Browse" button. Now, click the "Upload Now" button. Your image will be uploaded and placed in "Your Graphics Collection" located directly below the "Upload Graphics" box.

Question: What type of images files are allowed?

Answer: You may upload .jpg, .jpeg, and .gif files. Other file extension names are not allowed. Most digital camera software and scanners allow you to save your image as one of the allowed file extensions.

Question: How many images are allowed, and what is the largest file size that I can upload?

Answer: You are allowed 30 images, and each image must be 55K in file size, or under.

Question: For some reason, I can't upload my pics. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: Make sure that you are uploading either a .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif image file. Also, some software programs save a .jpg file as .JPG. The image hosting software will not recognize your image as a valid image file if the file ends in .JPG. Simply rename your file to .jpg

Example: Your image file is myduck.JPG - Rename it to: myduck.jpg

Also, make sure that your image file name does not have spaces or weird characters (ie * & % $ #) in it. Example: my*duck.jpg, - my duck.jpg - $myduck.jpg.

Question: I just uploaded an image by mistake, how do I remove it?

Answer: Look in "Your Graphics Collection" box. You will see a list of images that you have uploaded. Find the image that you want to remove. Just to the left of your image name, you will see a radio button (small circle). Click on the radio button. Now, click the "Delete Graphics" button. You will then receive a message asking you if you are sure that you want to delete this image file. If so, click the "Yes, delete this image file" button.

Question: Okay, my image is now uploaded. How do I post it?

Answer: First, you will need the URL (link) of your image. The most simple way is to login to the Gallery Building Center. Look at the images you have uploaded in "Your Graphics Collection". Find the image that you want to post. Place your mouse over the image name. Right click your mouse and view properties. Cut-n-paste the URL (link) of the image file. Go to the forum and post your image as per the requirements at the forum.

At the Refuge Forums, do this... To post an image, use the "IMG" button located above the text box (where you type your post), just right of where it says, vB Code. Click it when you want to add your image. You will need the URL (Link) of your image before you do this. OR, you can add it in your post by simply placing the vB image tags before and after your URL (Link).
Example:   [IMG]yourlink[/IMG]

The URL you will use to post to the Refuge Forums will look like this...

http://www.refugepics.com/members/username/filename

Where username is YOUR username and filename is, for example, MyDuck.jpg

MyDuck.jpg in this case would represent the name of your image file. Remember, filenames ARE case sensitive.. example, myduck.jpg is totally different from MyDuck.jpg

Question: My image is huge, how do I shrink it down?

Answer: Many digital cameras and scanners produce a very large image. Some may be as large as 1024 X 768, and can be as large as 250K and up in file size . You will need a software program of some sort to downsize your images.

You can purchase a photo editor software program at most software stores, office supply stores, Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc... Some are as cheap as $20, while others can cost in the hundreds. Check the back of the software box for it's features. Make sure that you have the ability to downsize images, both in physical size, and file size. You can also find free software, and free trials by doing a search on Google.com. Use a search term such as, "photo editing software" or "free photo editing software" to find several options. As always, make sure that you trust the site before downloading any files.

Question: I have reached my limit on uploaded images that are allowed. Now what?

Answer: Simply remove images that you no longer need on file. To do so, look in "Your Graphics Collection" box. You will see a list of images that you have uploaded. Find the image that you want to remove. Just to the left of your image name, you will see a radio button (small circle). Click on the radio button. Now, click the "Delete Graphics" button. You will then receive a message asking you if you are sure that you want to delete this image file. If so, click the "Yes, delete this image file" button.

Question: How do I build a webpage?

Answer: Login to the "Gallery Building Center". Once there, you will see the "Create a New Page" box. Make sure to name the first page you make, index.html (this is important)

Click the "Create Page" button.

Here you will be able to give your page a title (ie Joe's Hunting Page), select type of text, and text size, add your favorite links, and images to your webpage. You will have the ability to preview your webpage before saving it. If you have problems, or need help, click on "Gallery Builder Help" in the "Gallery Builder Center".

Question: Okay, I have just finished my webpage. I want to add another page to my site. How do I do that?

Answer: Login to the "Gallery Building Center". Once there, you will see the "Create a New Page" box. This time you will need to name this page something other than index.html.

BE SURE that you DO NOT name your second page index.html as it will overwrite your current index page. An example of your second page would be, page2.html - hunts.html etc.

Now, simply follow the same process you used to create your first page.

Tips: In order to go from one page to another of your webpage, you can put links to the other pages of your site under Site Navigation. You will be able to edit these links as your site grows. Just enter the name of the page you want to link to, then enter the .html name, or URL, of the page. For example, to link back to your main page you can enter Home for the Link Name, and index.html for the Link URL.

Be sure all pagenames are in lowercase letters AND Be sure ALL pages end in .html .

Question: I want to make a change to one of my saved webpages, How do I do that?

Answer: Login to the "Gallery Building Center". Once there, you will see "Your pages" located directly under "Create a New Page". There you will see a list of uploaded pages that you have created and saved. Click the radio button next to the webpage file that you want to edit. Now, click the "Edit Page" button. Make your changes, and submit them to be saved.

Note: If you do NOT see any webpage files in the "Your Pages" area, this means that you have not saved any webpages.

Question: I still need help, What do I do now?

Answer: Visit the Interactive Support Forum Link located below. Hopefully your questions have already been answered there. There will be very limited support concerning the building of your webpage(s). Please Make Sure to read "Gallery Builder Help" in the "Gallery Builder Center" for help. You of course must be logged in to view this help feature.

If you are still in need of help, visit one of the many search engines online and search for "html tips". You should get quite a few results. Good luck, and have fun.