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gondolinian
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Heruvinlië - Lord of the New Folk
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Post The Newbie Guide
on: December 10, 2012 02:19
Hello and welcome to all newbies, as well as to all our other members, new and old!

This guide will try to aid those who are new in finding their way around the site. Even though I’ll try to incorporate as many useful items as possible, there will always be some questions to which you will not find an answer here in this thread. Fear not, because even then you’ll find all the help you need in this newbies forum!


Concerning Hobbits Newbies

For those who might be new to forums / the internet or to being a member of a website, it might not be trivial to know what a newbie is.
A newbie is someone who is new or inexperienced in something, whether it is this site or the internet itself. In that sense, all of us were newbies once. That means we all know how it feels to not know or understand something that others find trivial. So don’t be afraid to ask questions or help! On our site and in this forum there is no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb answers . This is also true for older members, who might not feel like a newbie anymore but that still have questions. Feel free to post them in this forum!


A word on Forum & Site rules and Forum Decorum

With such a big and diverse community (with people of all ages 13 and up from all over the world), it’s only logical to have some basic rules to make sure that everybody feels comfortable and that our site stays manageable. So please, as a new member (or an old one who has forgotten them), read our Forum & Site rules as well as this post about Forum Decorum. Our moderators and administrators are around non-stop to help everybody to follow these guidelines, so that we can all enjoy this site and share our passion for Tolkien’s works.


How to start your journey on the Council of Elrond

There are many, many things to do and see on our site, with no right or wrong way to start exploring it. But to those who feel a bit lost, I’ll try to provide a short overview of what we have to offer with a few suggestions of what you can do. The list hereunder is anything but complete, so I encourage you to discover the entire site yourselves !

  • Introduce yourselves and say ‘hi’ to our community!
    • Something I would strongly suggest new members to do, is to introduce themselves to our other members. The perfect place to do this is the “Newbies Introduction Thread”, right here in the newbies forum (you’ll find it on top of the thread list). You are free to share with our members what you want, but often members share their location (country/state), age, how they discovered this site, their hobbies, their personal link to Tolkien, likes and dislikes, etc. Other introductions might give you inspiration. Please do refrain from creating new threads to introduce yourself. The introduction thread has been created specifically for this purpose. To avoid clutter all other introduction threads will be removed.

  • Discovering the site’s Sections
    • On the left you’ll find a navigation menu displaying the different sections of the site. From “Film Fun” to “Fan Creations”, every section has something to discover. If you select a Section title, a list will appear with the different Subsections that are available. “Film Fun” for instance contains our Gallery, the movie scripts, etc.
    The best way to quickly find out what every Section has to offer, is to browse our site for a while, checking out the Sections and Subsections that interest you. Many of the Sections and Subsections contain specific info about how to use them, so go and have a look!

  • Learning Elvish
    • Many of our members discover our site looking for ways to learn Elvish. For those of you who are interested in mastering one of Tolkien’s wonderful languages, the “Languages of Middle-Earth” Section is the place to be. There are tools and articles there to help you, as well as links to the Elvish forums where you can discuss the languages and ask for help.

  • Turning your home into Middle-Earth
    • If you love the look and feel of Tolkien’s and Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth and you want to make your home, office, car, shed, tree house or anything else look like it, then the “Last Homely House” Section is the place to be! There are numerous articles and even recipes to keep yourself occupied for weeks, so don’t hesitate to check them all out.

  • Fan fiction – for both readers and writers
    • Do you like to read or write stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and Peter Jackson’s movies? Then the “Fan Creations” Section and its subsection for fan fiction will definitely interest you. You can read existing stories or upload your own to share with our community.

  • Entering the heart of our community: the Forums & Realms
    • The last Section I must mention is the “Community” Section. You’ll find two very important parts of our site here: the Forums and the Realms.
    In the Forums you can share your thoughts about dozens and dozens of topics. You can discuss them with others, play games, ask questions, etc. Every forum has a different focus. We have a very big and welcoming community there so go and have a look!
    The Realms are a bit special: they are smaller communities within our big community. Only members of a Realm can see and participate in anything that goes on in that specific Realm. Once you join a Realm, you can’t switch to another one in the first three months, so choose wisely . More information and help in choosing a Realm can be found on the introduction page of the Realms.


    Private messages and the chat bar

    As a member, you also have the possibility to communicate privately with other members. You can do this either through private messages or via the chat bar. You can find your message box on the navigation menu on the left, in the part called “Messages”. The chat bar is down at the bottom of the screen and works very intuitively. But should there be any questions, as always, don’t hesitate to ask!


    What if you have a question/problem but cannot find the answer?

    As stated before, there are no dumb questions. So don’t be afraid to post them in the newbies forum if you cannot find the answer anywhere. The same goes for any problem you might have concerning the site or its members. You can also send me a private message with your question / problem, or contact me through the chat bar if I’m available. I’ll be happy to help .


    I hope you'll enjoy our site and your membership!


    [Edited on 01/03/2014 by gondolinian]
    It's a dangerous business, going out your door...
    Cheyenne-Lexi
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    Post Re: The Newbie Guide
    on: December 30, 2012 01:51
    HI! NEWBIE over here... I would like to find out how do I change my theme for my profile? & is there REALLY no way to change your username (mine is my actual name) haha
    Heruin ned i-Nazgûl
    gondolinian
    Newbies Moderator
    Heruvinlië - Lord of the New Folk
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    Post Re: The Newbie Guide
    on: December 30, 2012 01:59
    You can't change the theme, since there is only one theme available on the site for the moment (there used to be more before the change to the new site).
    The only way to change your name is by contacting our accounts admin, gwendeth. Name changes are only allowed for good reasons. It's important when you join our site (or any site for that matter) to choose a proper user name for yourself. Especially if you don't want to give away too much personal information, like your real name.
    It's a dangerous business, going out your door...
    Cheyenne-Lexi
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    Post Re: The Newbie Guide
    on: December 30, 2012 02:01
    It's not an issue, was just hoping I could- thanks Gondolinian
    Heruin ned i-Nazgûl
    Silmariel-Feanors-Child
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    on: August 30, 2013 05:40
    While I know not whether the now fits into the theme here ?
    But I would like a picture of me in the Image Gallery of members upload but I know not how to do it.
    Unfortunately I have no other thread found of it so when it does not fit in in the Thema here may be me please be forgiven
    Light and Darkness belongs together . neither can exist without the other ! The first step will lead you mostly to the correct location but a wrong step will be your ruin quickly. ImageImage
    ~nólemë~
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    on: August 31, 2013 07:54
    Hi Silmariel, I suggest you send a PM to Morwinyoniel, our Gallery admin, and ask her about this.
    ---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
    Dolwen
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    on: August 31, 2013 10:44
    Hi Silmariel,
    To submit an image to the member gallery you will need to follow these steps:

    ~On the main menu put your mouse over Film Fun and select Gallery from the pop up menu.

    ~Under the header Council of Elrond Image Gallery you will see two choices: Main Index and Submit Image, click Submit Image

    ~Fill in the tile field and then select the category from the drop down menu by scrolling down until you reach Members Gallery (it is more than half way down the list), and choose the section of the gallery you want your image in by the alphabet for example if you want it put in under your username you'd choose the 3rd choice P-Z.

    ~Then use the browse button to upload from your computer. You can also add a description of the photo if you'd like in the description field. When your finished just click the Submit button.


    Iliana casper
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    Post
    on: November 02, 2013 07:19
    Hey y'all I'm a newbie
    Life is short and we have to little time to gladden the hearts of those who walk the way with us. Oh be quick to love, make haste to be kind.
    gondolinian
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    Heruvinlië - Lord of the New Folk
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    on: November 03, 2013 12:58
    Hi Iliana_casper. I'd suggest you introduce yourself in the proper thread (the newbies introduction thread), but you have already done so. Perhaps you can reply there and tell our members a little more about yourself though. That way they can get to know you better.
    It's a dangerous business, going out your door...
    Tinnuviel
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    on: April 21, 2014 05:38
    I have already asked in another post, but I received no answer, so I will try here as well. I love this site and I want to be a member, but I accidentally registered with the wrong name (I was going for "Tinuviel" and pressed the "n" twice, so I registered as "Tinnuviel" ), and because I cannot change my name, I thought of deleting this account and creating another. The problem is I cannot find how to delete my account. Can anyone help me?

    [Edited on 04/21/2014 by Tinnuviel]
    NenyaGold
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    on: April 21, 2014 07:30
    Sorry for the delayed reply, Tinnuviel. We're all volunteers here and sometimes we don't see every post right away. Thank you for your patience!

    Please PM our Accounts Admin, gwendeth. She should be able to help you.

    "He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring." ~ from The Hobbit
    Tinnuviel
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    on: April 21, 2014 12:28
    Don't worry! I did not wait long. And as an admin in other sites, I know how some posts may be missed. Anyway, thank you for the reply
    lonewolf6693
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    on: April 21, 2014 08:01
    This newbie guide is so helpful! I feel like I would have spent hours trying to figure out how to navigate and do things.
    Who are you today?
    gondolinian
    Newbies Moderator
    Heruvinlië - Lord of the New Folk
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    on: April 22, 2014 10:52
    That's exactly what happens to most of us, lonewolf . It takes you a long time to find every little bit of interesting stuff we have on our site.
    It's a dangerous business, going out your door...
    MiraSkyfury
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    on: December 05, 2014 04:01
    question.
    Is there a limit of Lessons you can do without them being graded?
    “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.”
    gondolinian
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    Heruvinlië - Lord of the New Folk
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    on: December 06, 2014 01:47
    Hm, I'm not sure if I understand what you mean. But I don't think there's a limit on taking the lessons. To be sure you might want to send the admin for the Elvish sections a pm (Malinornë or gwendeth), they'll be able to reply!
    It's a dangerous business, going out your door...
    The Lord of the Lord of the Rings
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    on: October 11, 2016 02:38
    Is there a forum for debates? Like the debates on Tom Bombadil or the fate of the Blue Wizards? This is the first time I have used forums so thank you for your help above.

    -The Lord of the Lord of the Rings
    And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air.
    NenyaGold
    Legend of Lothlórien & Head Chocolate Thingywidget of Yavanna
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    on: October 11, 2016 08:59
    We don't have debate forums in general, tLotLofR. Check out "Discuss the Books" threads under the "Books Discussion" forum and see if there is already a thread about either Tom or The Blue Wizards. If not, you can always start them. We do have debaters among us.

    "He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring." ~ from The Hobbit
    The Lord of the Lord of the Rings
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    on: October 11, 2016 11:53
    Thank you very much for your assistance, I just have one more question: What do you do in the Roleplaying?
    Thank You
    The Lord of the Lord of the Rings
    And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air.
    NenyaGold
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    on: October 12, 2016 07:18
    In roleplaying, you create characters that interact with other writer's characters in stories that you create usually as a group. You can write individual posts or write with others for a more real feeling to your stories.

    I suggest you check out the RPG (Roleplaying) Forum where you can read about our roleplaying rules and decorum. Then check out some of the stories in the various forums including Totally Tolkien, Tolkien Related and Non-Tolkien. Reading a couple of these will give you a good idea of what it's all about.

    If you've not experienced it, I suggest you do so! It's awesome fun!

    "He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring." ~ from The Hobbit
    MisterUnterhill
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    on: May 09, 2019 06:30
    Hi. New blood here. I'm a budding fan of both the books and the movies, but my knowledge of Middle Earth is spotty in places (almost everywhere, really). I'm working on a writing project related to TLOTR and I hope I can count on some of you to answer a question here and there--this one, for starters.

    The elves created nineteen rings, right? Then Sauron made another, a sort of master ring, that could be used to control/influence the other rings/wearers of those rings? Is that right?

    Is there a good map of Middle Earth online?

    Thank you!
    Gandolorin
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    on: May 09, 2019 07:55
    Hi MisterUnterhill (any reason for "Unter" instead of "Under"? I ask because I'm German ) and welcome to CoE.

    This may not be the right place for such a detailed question. For a similar thread in another (sub-) forum (Book discussions) Newbies Moderator gondolinian informed me in a private message “we don’t like information threads like this to collect lots of comments.” The short answer to your first two questions is “yes”, as to “good map of Middle Earth online” I’m afraid I don’t know. If you’d like a more detailed answer, perhaps you could re-post it say in the Books Discussion and I’d be able to give you quite a bit more detail.

    Regards, Gando.
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    MisterUnterhill
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    on: May 09, 2019 10:32
    Thanks, Gando. RE: unter - yes, using my old high school German for a bit of flavor.
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