FAQ

Member registration

Why become a member?

There are several benefits: not only will you be able to post classified ads and reviews, request product reviews, communicate directly with our writers, participate in the forums, etc. but you will also be able to create your own mini "Web site" where you can present yourself, publish pictures, list your software, hardware, music gear, etc. This will make it much easier to exchange gear and ideas with other musicians!

Membership is free and there is no commitment.

How can I become a member?

You just need to fill out this form and have a valid email address.

I just registered and was told that I will get a confirmation email. Why?

We ask for email confirmation in order to avoid registering people without their consent. Therefore, if someone tries to register you without your consent just ignore the validation link in the confirmation email in order to avoid registration.

I didn't get the confirmation email.

The email address you entered might not be valid. Please check your email address before validating the form. It usually takes only a few seconds for the confirmation email to arrive in your mailbox, but sometimes the network traffic might be very heavy, so it may take longer for the email to arrive (this is very often the case with Caramail). Also, please check your spam folder as sometimes our confirmation emails end up there! Please bear with us and in case you haven't received the email within one hour do contact us.

If you know that you made a typo in your email address during registration, please contact us instead of registering again: we get an email error message if the confirmation email couldn't be delivered. Once we receive your correct email address via the contact form we can correct any mistakes.

What do you do with my personal information?

We hate receiving unsolicited ads in our mailboxes as much as you do, so you can rest assured that we will respect your privacy just as we'd like ours to be respected! That's why we do not and WILL not sell your personal data to third parties. We use this information specifically for statistical purposes (for example: birth year, sex) in order to better understand our membership base. Some of this information is very useful! For example:

Your username allows you to log in as a member
Your email is required to reduce abuse by anonymous users
Your country and state/region are required to allow us to optimize the classified ads automatically. For example: let's say you live in California. People looking for the product you want to sell will usually be interested in finding sellers nearby (in California, for example). Thus, this identification makes life easier for everyone.

Audiofanzine is registered at the CNIL (French administrative authority responsible for ensuring privacy and data protection) with registration number 788861.

Are all fields in the registration form mandatory?

No! Only the fields marked in red are required.

And don't forget that by default most of the data you enter in the form is private, which means that in case you decide to enter your address, phone number, or any other private information, it will not be displayed anywhere on the site unless you check the "Make my private information public" box.

Making your private information public can be convenient if you are a music industry professional and you want potential clients to get in touch with you, but it can also be somewhat annoying if you start receiving unsolicited contact requests! So be careful: check the "Make my private information public" box at your own risk.

I registered again with a new account because I forgot my username and/or my email address and now I have two different accounts with content contributions to the site.

Send us an email and we will merge both of your accounts. All content contributions made with your former account (classified ads, forum messages, etc.) will be updated to your new username. Warning: the email address of both accounts must be the same (in order to avoid frauds) or the account that you're trying to delete must show that there is some sort of a problem with the email address.

I registered on Audiofanzine, got the confirmation email and clicked on the confirmation link. But when I try to log on, I get the message "Warning: this account has not yet been validated". What gives?

This is a recurring problem with Internet Explorer versions older than 5.5 (PC) and 5.01 (Mac). Try to log out by clicking on the "Log out" sign on the top of the page.

Then log in again with your username and password following this link:

https://en.audiofanzine.com/login/

We advise you to update your web browser to at least IE7 or 8 because it solves several security issues of versions 5.0 and 5.1.

I still haven't received the confirmation email.

In case you typed an email address like "www.myself@hotmail.com" be aware that email addresses never start with "www". If you may have done this when registering, please create a new account leaving out "www".
If you have a Caramail account, please be aware that their servers are constantly overloaded and it is not unusual to receive the email after 24 hours.
In any case, please wait 24 hours before contacting us.

Member area

I want to edit my profile. What do I do?

If you cannot see your username. you are not logged in. First click on "Log in" then enter your username and password.

How can I update my email address?

Log in to your profile. Click on the "Update my profile" button, then click on "modify" next to your email and follow the steps. Once your email address has been modified, you will get a new confirmation email to validate your new email address.

I lost my username and/or my password.

Click on "Log in" at the top of the web page. You will see several forms. Enter your email under "Forgotten Password". You will receive an email reminding you of your username and allowing you to change your account's password.

When I try to log in I get the message "Your account has been suspended".

In some rare cases, the actions of a member might not comply with the Terms of Use. In this case we might suspend the account. If your account is suspended by mistake and you want to reactivate your account, please contact us.

I can't log in. I'm sure that I've entered the correct username and password and that my account is valid.

Check that the clock on your computer is working fine. If there is a time difference of more than two hours the server won't be able to establish a connection.

Classifieds

How can I edit my ad?

Go to the respective ad. To the right you will find a small "Edit" icon: modifier . Click on the icon, make the necessary changes and update the ad.

Note: you can also access a list of your ads via your member profile (you must be logged in).

How can I delete my ad?

Go to the respective ad. To the right you will find a small "Delete" icon: supprimer . Click on the icon and confirm the deletion.

Note: you can also access a list of your ads via your member profile (you must be logged in).

The member I'm sending emails to doesn't answer me.

When a member posts an ad, he can chose the duration of his ad (15 days, one month, three months).

All ads are automatically deleted after the specified duration. However, if the member has already sold the product but forgot to manually delete the ad, it will still be displayed on the site until the predetermined expiration date.

Unfortunately, it is not unusual for members who already sold their gear to not answer the numerous emails received afterwards.

How can I extend the duration of my ad?

Follow the same steps described in "How can I edit my ad?" Every time you update an ad, its creation date is also updated extending its duration automatically (you don't have to edit the content of the ad to extend its duration).

Does Audiofanzine act as a third party guarantor for the classified ads?

No, we are not involved at all in the transactions. We are not responsible nor do we charge a commission for the products sold via our classified ads. If you want to buy something, don't hesitate to ask to test the gear before buying it, and try to make the transaction in person rather than online.

What should I do if I notice any abuse or misuse?

Report it by posting a message under the following topic: https://en.audiofanzine.com/audiofanzine-feature/forums/t.6084,report-scams-abuse-in-classifieds-here.html.

I want to unsubscribe from the newsletter or change the frequency of my newsletter.

Just log in to your member profile. You will then be able to see the "Newsletter" section where you can make any changes you'd like.

If you lost your username and/or your password, you can recover them in no time, just read the FAQ question "I lost my username and/or my password” for more information.

Mailing Lists

I get dozens of "Mailing/Distribution Lists" emails every day and I don't want to receive them anymore.

Go to your member profile. Under "Hardware / Software I Use", you can sometimes see a small mailing icon which means that you have subscribed to the mailing list of that product. This means that every time a member writes a message in the forum about that particular product an email with his message is sent to you. To unsubscribe from the mailing list, click on the "Modify" icon: Modify and check the "No" box after "Subscribe me to this Mailing List".

It is also possible for you to subscribe to a mailing list of a product that you don't own. If that's the case the product appears under the "Mailing list subscriptions (products not used)" category in your member profile. Proceed in the same way: you can modify the parameters related to this product (ownership of the product and mailing list subscription) via the "Modify" icon: Modify . If you can't see this button you will first have to log in.

I am interested in the emails from the mailing list and I would like to stay subscribed to it but I don't understand how other members can manage such an email flow. Do you have a secret?

The secret is called "Message Rules" and you will find them in most email programs (Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.). A message rule allows you to automatically sort incoming emails in specific folders depending on diverse criteria. All the messages from our mailing lists have an identifier in the subject line, like [Native Instruments Reaktor 3.0]. For more information read an interesting tutorial on the subject.

What's the difference between forums and mailing lists?

Audiofanzine forums are sorted by categories, subcategories, etc. down to the product itself. Mailing lists are distribution lists about a specific subject (in this case a product) corresponding to several forums. Thus, subscribing to a mailing list allows you to receive all forum messages related to a specific product.

Why can't I see an "Inform me whenever an answer is posted!" option when I subscribe to a mailing list?

Since mailing lists are basically distribution lists, subscribing to a mailing list allows you to receive all messages posted about the product. And since you receive all messages posted there is no need for an "Inform me whenever an answer is posted!" option. On the contrary, if you don't subscribe to the mailing list, you will not receive any alerts when an answer is posted. You have to subscribe to the mailing list in order to receive the answers by email. You can unsubscribe from any given mailing list at anytime.

Privacy

I want to post an ad but I'm afraid that if I register I will receive lots of emails from you. What do I do?

Subscribing to the (daily or weekly) newsletter is not compulsory, even if you are a member. Just modify the options in your profile space. Once you unsubscribe from the newsletter, you should not receive any direct emails from us.

I'm receiving unsolicited email ads.

Report it to us! This is called SPAM (unsolicited bulk emails) and it is absolutely not allowed by Audiofanzine. We will take action immediately.

Cookies

I don't accept cookies because they are dangerous for my computer and/or don't respect my privacy...

Our cookies don't include any personal information for commercial use (name, address, etc.). They allow you, for example, to avoid having to enter your username and password every time you want to log in as a member. It is not dangerous at all to accept cookies.

I cannot log in to the member area due to a cookie problem. What should I do?

Check if your web browser accepts cookies. IE7 blocks certain cookies by default. To solve the problem with this web browser, on the "View" menu click "Privacy Report" and right click one of the entries containing the URL "audiofanzine.com". Then, click on "Always allow this site to use cookies".
If you use a software firewall, it could be blocking the cookies. In this case, read the firewall's user's manual to set it so that it accepts cookies at least for our Web site.
If you are at , it is possible that the network administrator has set a firewall between the local network and the Internet that blocks cookies. It won't be possible for you to log in from your office unless he disables the cookie filter.
Finally, if your computer's clock has a time difference of more than two hours with our server, the cookie won't be valid (since it is only valid two hours). If this is the case, change the clock setting of your system.

Writing a user review

How do I write a user review for an instrument/music gear ?

From the home page main menu bar:

Go to: "Tests & User Reviews" >> "User Reviews" >> "Write a User Review"
Search for and select your brand/manufacturer by alphabet
Once you have selected your brand, select your product. If you don't see your product (search well!) it means that it does not exist yet in our database and needs to be created. In that case, you can easily "Creating a product" (see below).
Once your product is selected, scroll down and you will see the rich text editor and the space to write your review. We have written a few guiding questions which you can find on top of the editing space to think about as you write your review.
Feel free to use the 1-10 scale in order to rate your product.
Be as honest and as detailed as possible as it will only help other members in making their future gear choices.
When you are done, click on ‘record’ to save and publish. User reviews are published immediately without being reviewed by our team. However, if we find any inappropriate content inside your review we reserve the right to either edit the content or take it offline all together.
Lastly, thank you for taking the time to write a user review!

Creating a product

I would like to post a review, an ad, etc. about a product that is not included in your database. What do I do?

Just create it yourself. In the case of a review:

Select "Write a User Review" from the drop down menu "Tests & User Reviews" >> "User Reviews"
Search for your brand by alphabet
Make sure that your product is in fact NOT listed under the chosen brand
If you don’t see your product then click on "Add a product" button.
Enter the model (product) name (without repeating the brand name). The url name will be automatically populated.
Next, you must link your product to a category of gear. Hence, click on the “Category” field. A pop up window will become visible with a list of categories. Select the most appropriate category for your product. Try to be as specific as possible. If you are not sure, feel free to contact us.
Lastly, upload a photo of your product if you have one. Feel free (optional) to write a short introduction or product characteristics. But stay as objective as possible as this is NOT the review, but just a description for other users in the future.
When you are done, save the product by pressing the “save” button.
Once this is done, you can write a review about the product.

I would like to post a review, an ad, etc. about a product but the brand of the product is not in your database.

In order to keep a valid and usable database, we intentionally excluded the "Add Brand" function from registered members. The need to create new brands is very rare so please contact us using the CONTACT form. Under "Message Subject" select "Product Database" and then "Brand Creation". Don't hesitate to give us all the information about the brand you want to create. Requests that provide only the brand name will be ignored.

JavaScript

Some pages on the Web site can't be displayed: they redirect me to this FAQ.

You must have JavaScript enabled in your web browser so that certain pages can be displayed. With Internet Explorer for example, click "Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level" and click Enable Active Scripting in the Scripting section.

Problems displaying pages

Some pages of the Web site are blank. What's the problem?

Some large pages (for example, Yamaha product pages) can be blocked by your firewall if it is not properly configured. Just deactivate the firewall while the page is being displayed or, better yet, reconfigure it!

Forums

How can I report abuse or misuse?

To report topic/thread misuse, click on the yellow triangle next to the title and fill out the form.
To report a post, click on the yellow triangle on the top right side of the post.

I'm looking for help on how to use forums, where can I find it?

You can find all the answers to your questions in the Audiofanzine Functions forum.