Common FAQ's

Here you will find tonnes of information on how to use Captain Cynic Forums:

Well, first of all, Captain Cynic does not use any third party software. That means when the Cylons attack and infect well known interfaces with a virus, Captain Cynic, like the Galactica, will be the only internet board still alive.

But seriously, what that means is you will see cool new interfaces and upgrades that you just can't find on other sites. Features like the voice post addition, photo albums, ignore lists and a variety of other things are completely unique to CC. Further to that, the environment here is a wee bit different. It focuses more on topical specifics and the advancement of the human condition, whether it be simply saying the things you aren't allowed anywhere else, or really dissecting a topic that is difficult to tackle. This is a place to truly explore yourself as well as somewhere meaningful to 'hang out' and enjoy interacting with other fellow human beings.

Registration is free and very easy to do. To create your user account must fill out the required fields on the registration page, including providing a valid and current email address. Once you have created your account you will be able to post on CC forums and use the special features we have here. To register now visit the registration page:

Captain Cynic Signup

Captain Cynic is a wide and diverse discussion environment. You can pretty much talk about anything you want to here as we cater to many different subjects and genres.

Forums are separated by topics to make it easy to navigate your way around the thousands of topics we have here.

If you have something on your mind that you want to talk about, explore, share or simply express, choose the forum that is most relevant to your communication. The best way to do this is by going to the main page which lists all the different forum groups. Once you're there scroll down the list of forums - each forum has a mini description to tell you a little about what goes on in that forum. You can post in any forum you like with the exception of administrative forums, like 'Captain Cynic Guides' that are used for administrative purposes like this FAQ! Other than that, you are encouraged to explore topics at your whim and not restrict yourself from exploring new concepts and ideas - we're all three dimensional and the site is geared to cater to a holistic buffet of brain tantalizing topics!

To find out about CTL's please visit the CTL guide:

CTL - Cynic Trust Level

To retrieve your lost password simply follow the instructions on this page:

Password Retrieval

You user center is your personal CC control panel - used for receiving and sending private messages, editing your account settings, uploading images to your photo album, storing your favorite threads, your friends list.. and more. To see all the features available in your User Center first login to your CC account. Once you're logged in click on 'User Center / Inbox' button (found on the top right hand corner). This will take you into the humble abode that is your User Center.

Avatars are long standing tradition at Captain Cynic - user's upload an image to represent themselves, sort of like a creative depiction of themselves or something they are fond of or relate to. This avatar is displayed next to every post made by a user, making it a recognisable emblem that everyone sees. You do not need an avatar - it is totally up to you whether you would like to use this feature of the site. Keep in mind that often users tend to use the visual cue of avatars to navigate through posts - sort of like a quick identifier of who is saying what.

To add an avatar to your profile go to your User Center. Below your Inbox is 'Your Avatars' section which has a upload feature for adding avatars:



To activate the uploader you must first check the 'I Agree to our Terms of Use' to certify that you have the right to distribute the image you which to share. Then click the 'Browse' button and select the location of your image. Once that is done click the 'Submit Avatar' button to upload the image.

You can store a maximum of 10 avatars in your User Center. Only your active avatar will be publicly visible and shown on the top left column of your User Center. To delete an avatar click the orange coloured 'X' underneath the avatar. To switch avatars click 'Set Default' underneath the avatar that you want to display.

User names cannot be changed. If you no longer want to use your current user name you will need to create a new user account. User information such as posts and inbox mail cannot be ported to from one account to another.

Go to your User Center. Click the 'Edit Account' button on the right column. You will be taken to the 'Edit Your Account' page where you can edit all the fields you need to. Once you have made the changes, type your password in the 'Current Password' field at the bottom of the form and click the 'Submit Changes' button - and you're done!

To add someone to your friends list you must first visit that person's user profile. Once you are there click on the 'Add as friend' button underneath the left 'Options' column. Now when you go to your User Center you will see that person's username under your 'Friends' list. To remove someone from your friends list click the 'X' next to their username.

You must have a CTL of 1 or higher in order to send private messages to other users. However, if your CTL is zero and another user contacts you first, you will be able to respond to their private message.

Yes you can block someone from sending private messages to your Inbox. To do this go to the undesired person's user profile page. Once there click on the 'Ignore PMs' button underneath the left 'Options' column. Now when you go to your User Center you will see that person's user name under your 'PM's Ignored' list. To remove someone from your block list click on the 'X' next to their user name.

To add an image to your Photo Album go to your User Center. Scroll down the middle column - the column that has your Inbox. At the bottom you will find your 'Public Photo Album' section which has an upload feature for adding images:



To activate the uploader you must first check the 'I Agree to our Terms of Use' to certify that you have the right to distribute the image you which to share. Then click the 'Browse' button and select the location of your image. Once that is done click the 'Submit Picture' button to upload the image.

You can upload as many images as you like to your photo album. Any image you add to your photo album is publicly viewable to all CC members who have a CTL of 1 or higher. If you want to remove an image from your photo album click the 'X' next to the image.

To add a link to your profile page you must have a CTL of 2 or higher. CTL 2 members can add upto three links to their profile page whilst CTL 3 members can add upto 20. Links can only be posted under the 'Links' section of your profile page which is available once your CTL qualifies you for this feature. For more information on CTL's please visit the CTL guide:

CTL - Cynic Trust Level

Captain Cynic has introduced a new dynamic to the cyber world of discussions by adding an element not found on any other internet discussion board. Instead of writing out posts users can now verbally respond in threads and have discussions in a more intimate manner. CC Voice Recorder records your voice and CC Cynamp plays back the audial recording - creating a new form of interactive stimulus to forums and threads.

The CC Voice Recorder and Cynamp are free for users to enjoy and make use of. For detailed information on how to use these exciting applications, go to this guide:

CC Voice Recorder & Cynamp

Captain Cynic has an extensive collection of user uploaded quotes - quotes that both users have created themselves and well known quotes from historical quotes that they are fond of. Captain Cynic uses this library of poetic sayings and randomly selects individual quotes to display them at the bottom of every Captain Cynic page. Every time a page is refreshed a new quote appears. The quote collection is also visible for users to browse through and even make comments on quotes may strike an emotional chord in them.

To submit a quote click on the 'Quotes' link on the top navigation bar and then click on the 'Submit Quote' button on the top right. You will be taken to the quote submission page where you can submit your quote in writing or vocally using the CC Voice Recorder.

The CC Spell Checker is a cool new addition to CC and enables users to spell check their posts before publishing them. Once you have written your post simply click in the CC 'Spell Checker' button:



A new window will open and miss-spelled words will be underlined with a squiggly line and highlighted in orange:



Click on highlighted words to view the correction options:



Click the word you want and CC Spell Checker will correct the miss-spelling. Once you have corrected all the errors click on the 'Save Changes' button. You post will now be updated - ready for publishing!

CC members have the freedom to upload and view large high resolution images in forums. If you want to view the real size of an image that has been posted in a forum or a user's photo album,
simply click on the image. A new window will open to displaying where you can view the full-sized image. This feature enables users to share high resolution images - great for those of you who are into photography. This feature is only accessible to logged in users.

The Watchlist feature allows you to tag any threads you want to keep an eye on. It is useful for tracking threads you want to keep as favorites or to keep track of conversations you may not have posted in.

You do so by clicking on the little '+ Watchlist' button at the top right of the top post of any thread.

These posts will show up in your Watchlist and also in your User Center. You can remove threads from this list anytime by clicking on the 'X Watchlist' button on the thread page or the 'X' in your user center.

Any threads added to your Watchlist will also be added to your email notifications. However if you unsubscribe to it you will no longer receive notifications while still keeping it in your Watchlist.

Your Watchlist is private by default but you can edit your account to make it public. We recommend you make it public so other CC members can share in exploring your bookmarks.

To close your Captain Cynic user account:

1) Login to your user account.
2) Go to your user center by clicking on the 'INBOX / USERCENTER' button.
3) Click on 'Advanced Edits' in the right column.
4) You will see 'Please close my account:' followed by a text field for entering your password. To close your user account you must enter the same password that you use to login to Captain Cynic and then click the 'SUBMIT' button. Closing your account is a permanent, non-recoverable action, which means once you have closed you account, it cannot be re-opened.

Please note that closing your account does not delete all your previous posts on Captain Cynic. A post can only be deleted within the 12 hour period following the time it was originally posted. Please do not contact Captain Cynic Admin requesting deletion of your posts - there are over 6000 threads on CC and we cannot go through every thread for each and every post that you have made in order to delete it.