FAQ is finally here! :)
Welcome to the chambrofsekrits F.A.Q.
What is skype?
Skype is a program you can download on your computer to use as a voice chat program/phone.
It's free and easy to use. We sometimes organize chats on there so we can actually hear each other discussing things (and if you're 1 on 1 you can webcam!). They often last really long and are really fun. Anyone can organize a skype chat, but usually the mods do it. If you're interested in making one, just ask if anyone's up for it on chambr. We ask that if you do intend to do it often, please do not spam the community every day as it can become a nuisance for the members not able to/not interested in participating.
You can download the program here.
It's available for Windows, Mac OS & Linux.
I need HP icons, help?
If you do a simple search on livejournal there are a ton of graphic journals, plenty of which supply you with Harry Potter theme-d icons. Below are a few suggestions:
chambr's icon tag
good_hpicons
hp_express
I don't like Chambr
I'll make it easy for you, then.
Who are the mods?
Your moderators are, socialculture & not_pennys_boat.
Born in Ontario, Canada and currently living in New Brunswick - Katrina works. Instead of learning, she's making some knuts, sickles, and galleons to travel the world before she goes back to school. When she does it will most certainly be for writing. Taunting, Sarcastic, and over all a pain in the ass. She's bound to spout off mega WTF moments, and general fuckery. She's pretty much Potter obsessed... And LOST! Check out her profile for more information!
House: Gryffindor
Favorite characters: The trio, Bellatrix Lestrange, the twins, Lavender Brown, Cormac McLaggen
Born and raised in California, desperately wants to travel! Loves geek subculture, has a strange obsession for zombies, and loves to cosplay when she can afford it. Also really into Glee, Being Human, Doctor Who & Skins. Aside from that, she's a college student at no where spectacular and has a thing for foreign accents (and men).
House: Gryffindor
Favorite characters: The trio, Luna, Lupin and the twins.
Coming soon: 67 & 7daysandnights
How do I roleplay?
*these are not the Roleplay rules. Please click here to see full Roleplay rules.
Roleplaying in Chambr is easy!
First, even if you have a character you want to Roleplay in mind, we ask that you check the available character's list here! If the character you want to play is already registered, were sorry, but you'll have to wait until that character becomes available, if ever. If the character you chose is not taken, fill out the form on the RP registry and submit your comment. After that, your character will be accepted into chambrofsekrits. You can have as many or as few characters you want, but we require you comment or post at least once a week (under all your RP accounts).
Roleplay on chambr isn't like the roleplay on proboards or other live journal communities. There's no required writing sample & no storyline. Your character will interact with the members of chambr as if they were really Harry Potter. Since there are so many characters in chambrofsekrits, we do ask you two important questions.
1 - What time line are you on? - We ask this because not everyone is interested in playing Rita Skeeter as a beetle! If you're really into Ginny x Harry and want to roleplay as Ginny during Hogwarts years, then you should probably message the Harry roleplayer and discuss your time lines and see if they share your thinking!
2 - Are you lulzy or srs bsns rp? - There's two main types of Role players in chambr. 1 is a caricature of a character, while the other is typically a more straightforward representation. For example, Goth!Dobby would be a caricature of himself, as he was still a house elf and concerned with cleaning. He also often spoke of his love for My Chemical Romance and black nail polish. Other times there are characters that stick to canon and joke around with members from time to time, as they normally would (think Fred & George). If you want, you could even blend both, something our Lucius roleplayers usually do when asked about their somewhat surprisingly well maintained and silky hair. He may in face acknowledge the fact that his hair is herbal essence approve, but he'll probably do it in a snobby way!
Otherwise, we just ask that you keep your character inside some logical realm of the Harry Potter universe and it's canon. We don't want a Cho Chang that is a hooker and dates Snape on weekends.
Any more questions? Leave a comment!
What is chambr about?
We're a community that focuses on the Harry Potter series. We take both serious discussion, lulz and member activity and blend it together to make a power house of awesome! You'll find anything from discussion on what it really means to be in Slytherin to members wondering why Danrad's balls are so damn large. We like to promote a light hearted atmosphere with spots of serious discussion and require that all our members not suffer from butt hurt or the "I take things to seriously" syndrome. Apart from that, Chambr is really what you make it! The more active you are, the more likely you are to see post and things you're interested in!
What's a watch-a-long? ?
A watch along is one of the events chambr holds from time to time. Generally a post will go up and a movie will be picked with feedback from members. Members who want to volunteer will be in the Chambr chat on AIM!
see the watch-a-long for more details & examples.
What is Order of the Lulz?
I'm proud to announce Chambr's own sekrit society dedicated to promoting chambrofsekrits!
Who's in this sekrit society? YOU are, so listen up! Whether you're a lurker, regular, or part-time Pott, we're all here for the same reason - we love Chambr. But there are HP fans out there who don't know about us and we believe everyone should have an opportunity to experience our lulz. The purpose of the OotL is to get the word out about our comm and let people know we're here. We're recruiting you to use the Pott ingenuity we know you have! Oh, and did I mention that unlike the Department of Lurker Correction, the OotL gives its members benefits?
We have a list of tasks for you to complete for points. Choose any that you feel comfortable with, or do one task multiple times, it's your choice. When you have completed a task, submit it to the OotL page-a-mod with a link to the page you completed it on or a screencap to show proof. I will respond with your current number of points. If you do not know how to take a screencap on your computer, please ask! Certain tasks will require one.
For EVERY 50 points you accrue, you will receive a $5 LJ gift certificate in courtesy for your services. Yes, that means you can keep earning points. $5 in LJ bucks could get you 2 months of paid account time, 4 months of 100 extra userpics, or 5 virtual gifts for friends. Or you could save it for that rename token you've been wanting, your choice.
The following tasks are all things you can do on your computer. If you have an idea for promoting Chambr that is not listed, please check with me first before doing it so I can determine a point value and add it to the list for others to try.
see tag here.
OOTL IS CURRENTLY ON HIATUS. WHEN IT IS RESTARTED, AN OFFICIAL POST WILL BE MADE!
You guys spam me to much!(f-list tutorial)
Sometimes some people can't handle the volume of post that the community has and wish they could filter it out. Well, you can!
There are two ways to do this. 1 is to un-add chambr from your friends page. This would mean you'd have to manually check the community everyday. To un-add chambrofsekrits, do as follows:
01.
When you first log in, go to "friends > Add or remove friends", click that. You will be taken to:
02.
A list of all your friends. Here you're going to want to locate chambrofsekrits and then uncheck the box under "friend?". Scroll to the bottom of the page and hit "save changes".
03.
You will then be taken to this page. This means chambrofsekrits will still be on your profile under "member of" but will no longer show up on your friends page when updated.
Option B!
Some of you may be more familiar with this version if you use "friends groups" to keep certain post from showing to certain lj-friends in your own personal journal. To start, go to:
01.
Click "manage custom groups".
02.
Here you need to create a group specifically for chambrofsekrits or all the communities you want in the group, it doesn't matter. You will then add the communities into the group like so:
03.
Once back on your friends page, using the navigation bar, filter your entries to show ONLY the group you made earlier.
Good luck, hope this helps!
What's with all the drama?
Unfortunately some people were beaten as children which has resulted in a severe lack of attention, meaning these people now act out thus seeking attention they failed to achieve as a child, which has contributed to Chambr Drama.
Ok, no seriously.
I don't know about you guys, but having run a multitude of other communities, and never seeing that much drama, it's become my opinion that any community that has multiple mods and over 800+ members is going to run into issues. Be it members arguing, technicalities, mod's not seeing-eye-to-eye. It happens! It's not really that big of a deal and it doesn't really happen that often.
It's our official opinion that any drama that happens is between the users it happens to. Don't let it effect your time in Chambr. If you want to see something in chambr, be the change. Do it! Be active, tell your friends it's not worth arguing.
If you're really not enjoying your time here, we are sorry and hope that you find somewhere else your more comfortable. Perhaps look through our affiliates! Just remember we're not making you stay.
As a side note, if here are changes in moderators there will be a mod post. This is not to incite drama, but we often get a ton of messages or comments demanding why such and such is no longer a mod and asking us to explain ourselves when there is a change in moderation. To avoid this, we do a mod post. We highly doubt this will be an issue in the future.
What can I post in chambr?
Chambr is about and focuses on Harry Potter. That said, we love all sorts of post!
Friend-ing post, discussion post, post about this weird ass manip you found - anything!
Now not all of your post have to be related to harry Potter, but it'd be a good idea to find a way to tie that in! If you can't, post anyways! We wont bite.
And while we're pretty accepting on what can be posted, there's one thing we don't like - personal journal entries! If you're having a bad day and want cheering up from your fellow potts in Chambr, that's fine! But don't post the whole long story about how your dad hates you, your girlfriend broke your heart and then your sister ran over your puppy. Not everyone may be interested in your story, and quite frankly, if they are, they'll add you as a friend on their own journal.
Examples
Bad:
Omg so today I came home and all my mom did was complain to me about not letting her read Twilight. I told her Susan had it but she could just borrow Harry Potter instead. She kept bitching at me so I went to get online but then my dad came in and unplugged my computer right? So now i ran out of the house to Susan's and am using her internet. We might go play outside later to make me feel better.
TELL ME HOW YOUR DAY SUCKED! :/
Good:
bb's, I had a horrible day! I kept getting into arguments with my parents and now I have no internet :/ come and cheer me up?
SHOW ME LULZY PICTURES!!
Still confused? Have a look through the tags, I'm sure it'll help!
Can I have a personal tag?
See the "What are and where are the tags" section.
Here is a list of all our current affiliates:
potter_sekrit
hp_express
chambr_slugclub
chambr_mods
lost_twats
everlocked_room
flames_n_tats
hp_addicts
hp_graphics
princesses_ftw
dracomalfoyfans
brb_gallifrey
scarhead_icons
snape_stillness
sortinghatdrabs
maraudentium
hp_awards
thegoldenseeker
ontdpigfarts
This list is also on the sidebar in chambrofsekrits.
Can I affiliate with Chambr?
Sure! We love affiliating with fellow Harry Potter and other fandom communities!
You can submit your affiliate request here.
What is/are potter secrets??
The "secret" phenomenon all started with post-secret - I'm sure you've heard of it. But in case you haven't, people from all over the world send this one man postcards stating a secret they couldn't tell anyone, or something they didn't want anyone to know. They are often very personal, and range in topic and emotion.
We'll we've taken that basic concept and applied it to Harry Potter and chambrofsekrits!
Every week members submit secrets ranging from things like:
01.
02.
03.
The secrets can range from being "love secrets" - secrets designed to tell another member how much you love, admire and appreciate them (or make fun of them with inside joke), "Hate Secrets" - secrets that express your dismay over Cho Chang, and well, anything else, besides fellow members, you can think of!
*You are not obligated to submit potter_sekrits if you are a member of chambrofsekrits
Check the rules for more details.
Why is no one ever in the chat?
The chat room is on AIM, which means it's not permanently fixed anywhere and if no one creates it, it'll probably be empty!
So if you have AIM (if not, here's a tutorial on how to use it to get into the chat room) go ahead and create the chat room whenever you feel like chatting (name of chat room is on the sidebar)! It's also probably a good idea to post in the comm when you make it if no one's there and you think someone might be around to chat. We ask you do this in moderation though, as we don't need 2,000 post saying "COME TO THE CHAT!!! I'M BORED!!!".
Otherwise a lot of people are busy, don't use AIM or just don't feel like chatting, so it's up to the members to utilize this and get it going.
We often use the chat room for watch-a-longs though, and those are always pretty active.
What are the common rooms/houses?
Well here in chambr, we have a sorting post! After you are sorted, or maybe you just know what house you belong in, you can join one of our following communities:
gryffindor, hufflepuff, ravenclaw, slytherin.
They are mostly for fun, but follow the same basic rules as chambrofsekrits. Anything from discussions, picspam of your favorite characters in your house, etc could take place in your common room!
Anything from discussions, picspam of your favorite characters in your house, etc could take place in your common room!
You are only allowed into one common room, and membership is moderated for all houses.
Tags are one of the most useful things in livejournal communities! You add them to the bottom of your entry when you're talking about something specific, or want to be able to easily find said entry later. At the moment, the creation of tags is limited to the moderators in an effort to keep them organized so that new members can find relevant post quickly.
If you look over the tags here on chambrofsekrits, there is a simple format.
If you are speaking about a book, movie, actor or character, simply type in one of those words and search for the title, actor or characters name to come up, and add that tag.
Example - actor: Daniel Radcliffe
If you find there isn't a tag for an actor, book or anything else important, you can message us here.
Some of the tags have a "!, &" or other symbol in front of them. This is in an effort to keep the most used or important tags at the top for easier access.
Sometimes member request "personal tags". We do this for active members who tend to post a lot. Your personal tag can be anything that's not racist or mean to another member.
Example: Kat is crack or Monique is a super geek
To request a personal tag, either state so in your entry, and we'll go ahead and edit it into your post, contact us via chambr_mods or wait until we do a "personal tag request" post, which happens infrequently!
As you see in this post,
- There is a tag saying the type of post it is "weekly write"
- List any actors, books, movies, etc. who are in the post
- And a personal tag
The Department of Lurker correction is currently a volunteer group of members who love chambr so much they don't mind promoting and helping find lurking members and asking them to de-lurk!
Typically used more as a nick-name for a "what's going on" post, Department of Lurker correction post usually detail the most recent events in chambr and other ways for members to get involved.
We are currently not taking sign ups for the Department of Lurker correction.
see tag here.
First thing I want you to do is sit back, relax - take a deep breath. Now repeat after me, "This is only the internet!" Ok, done? Great. Now that we've got that all cleared up we're VERY friendly people here. No one's going to bite you, and despite what might happen in your day to day life, we've all already got one thing in common - an insane amount of love for Harry Potter. Just being yourself and discussing the books will surely gain you new friends in the chambr as people are eager to talk about their similarities and discuss the serious question of weather or not Severus Snape really died a virgin.
That still not good enough for you? Well here's a few suggestions:
If you're ever not sure what to do, or feel like there's just to much going on, look for the "!newbies please read" tag. These will generally be mod post or things of interest for new members and should have either important procedural information, or just general things to help you find your way around chambr.
Another tag to look out for is "comm: department of lurker correction!" When the ministry sets out the Department of Lurker Correction, prepare to get involved! These post and people help condense all the recent events going on in chambr as well as find ways for you to get involved. You can even volunteer to go help bring in members and perhaps gain something in the end...
And last but not least, we'd have to suggest utilizing the houses. If chambr seems a little daunting because your new, posting in one of the common rooms is an easy way to meet a few people and get to know them well before stepping into chambr fully.
Can I make a Chambr facebook/tumbler/twitter, ect
Unfortunately the mods like to do this ourselves and appreciate the interest but we already do have many of the above. You can follow us on Twitter, join the official Facebook Chamber group!
Notice we forgot something? Give us a heads up in the comments, and we'll include it ASAP!