Help

Have questions about getting started on Red Room? Don't worry; we have the answers here. If you are unable to find answers to your questions in our FAQs below, contact us. Please let us know when you need help and what we can do better to become your favorite community. Our friendly team is always happy to help!

SIGNING UP
I'm having trouble entering my email address. What should I do?
Why do I need to use my real name?
I write under a pseudonym. Do I still need to use my real name?
What if I have the same name as another member?
I click "Create New Account and nothing happens. What should I do?

HOW TO BECOME A RED ROOM AUTHOR
What are the criteria for becoming a Red Room Author?
I already have a personal website. Why should I create a Red Room Author Page?
How can I get my own Author Page?
What if I'm not selected as a Red Room Author?

MY ACCOUNT
Is Red Room (redroom.com) free of charge?
What if I am a Community Member who is an author, and I want to showcase and market my books, but I cannot afford a premium membership?
How do I change my password?
How do I change my email address?
What should I do if I changed my name?
How do I remove or hide my profile?
I forgot my password. Can you help me?
I forgot my username. What should I do now?
How do I determine whether I want people to contact me directly?

MY PROFILE
How do I set up or edit my profile?
How do I upload a photo to my profile?
I can't upload a photo to my profile.
What is image cropping and how do I do it?

MY WRITING
What is a Book?
What if my Book is, well, is not a book?
How do I add Books to my profile?
How can I find book cover images?
How do I upload or change a Book cover image?
What is the Bibliomaniac buy box and how do I add it?
How do I edit or delete a Book?
How are my Books displayed on my page?
Why are other authors’ books featured on my page?
How do I add my articles, short stories, poems, essays, or other writing?

MY BLOG
How do I create a blog post?
How do I use the WYSIWYG toolbar?
How do I add hyperlinks to my blog posts?
How do I include images in my blog posts?
What is tagging? How do I do it?
What does RSS mean?
Can I import posts from another blog onto Red Room?
How can I promote my blog?
What is the social bookmarking toolbar?
How can I get rid of the HTML code at the top of my blog post?

MY IMAGE GALLERIES
How do I create an image gallery?
Once I’ve added a gallery, how do I upload an image to it?
My image won't upload. What's wrong?
How do I edit or delete an image from a gallery?
My image file size is too large. How do I reduce it?

MY VIDEOS
How do I add video to my page?
How do I delete a video?
How do I edit a video's title or description?
My video never loads. What's wrong?

MY PODCASTS
What is a podcast?
How do I add a podcast to my page?
How do I create a podcast?
I can't upload my podcast to my page. Why?
How do I edit a podcast's title or description?
How do I delete a podcast?

MY GENRES
What is a genre?
Why should I select a genre for my work?

MY LATEST NEWS
What is My Latest News?
How do I add My Latest News to my page?

MY DASHBOARD
How does the dashboard work?

MY CLUBS
What are Clubs? Where is my Club?

CONTACTING AUTHORS AND MEMBERS ON THE SITE
I'm from the press and interested in writing a story about Red Room. Is there anyone I can contact?
I'm interested in contacting a Red Room author or member. What should I do?
I want to send a letter to a Red Room author or member. Can I reach them through Red Room?
What is the verification code?
How does the verification code work?
What if I can't read the verification code?

TROUBLESHOOTING
What does "This content has been modified by another user, changes cannot be saved"mean?
I'm attempting to upload a podcast and the page times out. Please help.
I'm clicking the "Save" button and nothing happens. What should I do?

SIGNING UP

• I'm having trouble entering my email address. What should I do?

Please be sure to use a valid email address (for example, johnsmith@example.com). If you are encountering difficulties, please be sure that you do not have any additional characters or spaces in your email address. If the system says the email address is invalid or is already taken, that probably means you’ve already applied for a Red Room account and will need to wait for our editors to review the application, approve your registration, and welcome you via email.

• Why do I need to use my real name?

We require your real name because Red Room is an online community made up of real people just like you. We require what would be required in any real-life writers community: that people use their real names, that they include real photos of themselves, that the work they contribute as original content is in fact their own, that they are who they claim to be, and that authors have real published books they wrote.

The application to join Red Room allows you to choose the prefixes “Mr.,” “Ms.” “Dr.,” and “Rev.,” and the suffixes “Jr.,” “Sr.,” “I,” “II,” “III,” “Ph.D.,” and “M.D.” You’ll be asked if you’d like to include these in your Red Room URL (except for “Mr.” and “Ms.”), so please don’t include them in the first or last name fields of your application.

• I write under a pseudonym. Do I still need to use my real name?

If you're an author who writes under a pseudonym, please join using your real name. You should mention any pen names you use in your Bio. When you're ready to apply for an Author Page, please list your pen name(s) on the application form. Our friendly author liaisons will be able to assist you during the application process.

• What if I have the same name as another member?

If they joined first, and are choosing to have their name display exactly as you would like to have yours display, you will see a message asking you either to change the way your name is displayed (“Ignatius P. Reilly” instead of “Ignatius Reilly”) or, if you prefer your name to appear exactly as the other member’s name displays, you must choose a unique keyword that will display after your name in your URL. The keyword will not display anywhere else. If you opt to use a keyword, use something that people would find helpful in distinguishing you from the other member (for example, “poet” or “Texas”).

• I click "Create a New Account" and nothing happens. What should I do?

If you are unable to submit the form to join the website, your browser's security settings may be set to block internet sessions cookies. We suggest that you please enable your cookies, by following the directions below.

If you are using Internet Explorer 7, 8, or 9 for Windows:

Choose "Tools," then "Internet Options."
Click the "Privacy" tab.
The default setting is "medium." Move the slider to determine which setting you prefer. (You can also click on "Advanced" for specialized cookie treatment.)
Click "Apply" and "OK."

If you are using Firefox:

Choose "Tools", than "Options."
Click the "Privacy" tab.
Under the "Cookies" section, make certain the box to Accept Cookies is checked.
Click "OK".

If you are using Safari:

Launch your Safari browser.
Click on "Safari" in the top navigation bar.
Click on "Preferences."
Click on "Security at top of the box.
Under "Cookies," select "Only sites you navigate to."
Close the security preference box.

If you are using Google Chrome:

Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar.
Select Options (Preferences on Mac and Linux; Settings on a Chromebook).
Click the Under the Hood tab.
Click Content settings in the "Privacy" section.
Click the Cookies tab in the Content Settings dialog that appears, and click “Allow cookies by default” or, if you want to allow cookies for redroom.com only, “Make exceptions for cookies from specific websites and domains.”

If you require more help, please contact us for assistance.

HOW TO BECOME A RED ROOM AUTHOR

• What are the criteria for becoming a Red Room Author?

Red Room encourages writers from all walks of life and all areas of the globe to be a part of our community. Below are what we consider the minimal requirements to be considered for an Author Page. Please keep in mind that having these requirements is not a guarantee that we will approve your request. Our approval process is more of an art than a science.

In general, authors should have one or more books published by an established publisher or small/independent press to be considered for an Author Page. All applicants for Red Room Author status must have Premium Memberships.

As a rule, self-published authors aren’t eligible for an Author Page, although they are quite welcome to join as Premium Members in order to market or sell their books. Exceptions are occasionally made in the case of self-published authors we believe have significantly distinguished themselves with high-quality content, distribution and/or sales, professional presentation, or contribution to their genres or subject matter. Some exceptions we have made include a ninety-two-year old author of a well-written and well-received memoir, and a nonfiction author of original scholarship in an esoteric area.

We agree that many self-published authors have wonderful books, and we are currently working on creating additional categories for our members such as self-published authors. We want to recognize fully these authors' accomplishments and help them promote their work while still differentiating them from authors who have toiled through the years-long process of being published by others. While many self-published authors don't think there is a difference, our culture and the marketplace do.

There are other exceptions to our requirement that our authors be published by an established publisher and/or a small independent press, such as for other types of writers who may have a distinguished career being published but not in book form. We will consider journalists who have been a features writer or editor, a columnist, or a regular bylined reporter for an established (usually national) periodical; poets who have a chapbook published by an established publisher or a small/independent press; and television writers, screenwriters, and playwrights who have at least one work that has been professionally produced and/or published.

In addition to planning to fully recognize and support self-published authors with a separate "badge of honor," we intend to do the same for journalists, poets, television writers, screenwriters, playwrights, and other types of serious writers who don't fit into the only two categories we have available at this time. Having a Member Page combined with a Premium Membership is something to be proud of and is an excellent platform to promote your work, connect with other writers, find mentors, and sell your work. Many of our members are professional editors, agents, booksellers, and librarians. You have the same audience and colleagues at Red Room whether you have an Author Page or Member Page.

Please keep in mind that we are still in beta, and that your feedback to our support team will help us develop Red Room into your favorite online community and help us meet all your needs as a writer. If you still have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us right now, and a real person at Red Room will be happy to hear from you.

• I already have a personal website. Why should I create a Red Room Author Page?

Red Room Author Pages aren't just for authors without websites. Several of our Red Room Authors have existing personal websites, but have chosen to set up a Red Room Author Page in order to become part of a larger online literary community. This allows them to gain new exposure (and new fans), as well as giving them a place to upload published works, reviews, interview transcripts, videos, podcasts, as well as blog entries.

• How can I get my own Author Page?

In order to request an Author Page, you must first create a full member profile (including photo), become a Premium Member, and add at least one published work. After you do this, click on the Become a Red Room Author link located in the Account Settings section of your Dashboard and complete our brief application.

• What if I'm not selected as a Red Room Author?

If you are not selected as a Red Room Author, it is still beneficial to you to maintain a presence on redroom.com as a member. Our growing Member Community includes published and self-published authors, agents, publishers, editors, interested readers, and aspiring writers. Members have access to many of the same features that authors do, including blogs, image galleries, podcasting, and videos. Some members have even formed relationships with established authors and colleagues. In fact, we are creating new social networking and career-building tools every week.

MY ACCOUNT

• Is Red Room (www.redroom.com) free of charge?

Community Memberships are free. If you're an author, you'll need a Premium Membership in order to market and sell your books on Red Room. Premium Memberships are $250.00 per year. After you complete your profile, click here to purchase a Premium Membership. Please keep in mind that becoming a Premium Member does not guarantee that you will then qualify for "Red Room Author" status.

• What if I am a Red Room Community Member who is an author, and I want to showcase and market my books, but I cannot afford a Premium Membership?

A small number of Community Members who are authors but who cannot afford a Premium Membership are given scholarships. Scholarships are based on a combination of need, merit, and a history of participation as a Community Member. If you would like to be nominated for a scholarship, notify us by writing to us. If you are selected, you will be notified immediately and upgraded to Premium Membership status, after which you can apply to become a Red Room Author.

• How do I change my password?

To change your password:

Select "My Account Settings" from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage
Choose the “Account Information” tab on the left
Enter and confirm your new password.
Be sure to click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

• How do I change my email address?

To update your contact email address:

Select "My Account Settings" from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage
Choose the “Account Information” tab on the left
Enter your new email address
Be sure to click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

• What should I do if I changed my name?

To change your name on Red Room, please contact us.

• How do I remove or hide my profile?

If you would like to hide your profile temporarily or cancel your membership and be completely removed from the website, please contact us for assistance.

• I forgot my password. Can you help me?

If you’ve forgotten your password, please contact us for assistance.

• I forgot my username. What should I do now?

You can log in using the email address you entered when you joined Red Room. If you have more than one email address and have forgotten which you used when you joined, please contact us for assistance.

• How do I determine whether I want people to contact me directly?

Red Room allows authors and members to decide whether they would like to be contacted through the site. If you would like to receive messages from visitors please follow the instructions below:

Select "My Account Settings" from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage

Choose the "Contact settings" tab on the left
Check the "Personal contact form" box and click “Save.”

By selecting this option, you are allowing Red Room members to contact you through a personal contact form. Communications through this form will be delivered to your email address above, but Red Room members will not see your actual email address. If you wish to cancel this option, simply uncheck the box and click “Save.”

MY PROFILE

• How do I set up or edit my profile?

You can work on setting up your profile even before your application to join is approved, after which your profile will be reviewed by our editors and made visible. To create your profile:

Select "My Account Settings" from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage
Click the “Edit” tab from the horizontal tabs below your username and choose “My Profile.”
At minimum, complete the Bio section and add a profile photo of yourself using the Profile Photo Cropper. Your page will look much better the more information you add to the other fields in the More About Me, Reading Interests, Work & Education, and other vertically arranged tab on the left side of the My Account Settings page.
If you're a writer, fill out as many fields as you can in the "My Writing" page as well.
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
To edit your profile, go to your Dashboard by clicking "Visit my dashboard" above your profile photo on your Author or Member Page. In the My Profile section right below your profile photo, click "About Me." Make changes to your bio in the Bio field and click "Save" to save them.

• How do I upload a photo to my profile?

Please only use a photo of yourself that includes your face, not of your book or any other image. To add a photo to your profile:

Select "My Account Settings" from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage.
Click the “Edit” tab from the horizontal tabs below your username and choose “My Profile”
Follow the instructions in the Profile Photo Cropper to get, crop, and upload a profile photo.

• I can't upload a photo to my profile.

Your photo may be too large or in the wrong format. Please make sure your photo is in .jpg, .jpg, or .gif format. Your picture should be no larger than 4MB in size. If your photo is the correct size and format, the culprit may be the file name. Make sure there are no spaces or symbols in the photo's file name (for example: MyPhoto.jpg not My Photo.jpg).

If you've gone through the photo cropping process but your photo doesn't seem to have been updated on your main page, click the Refresh button on your browser—that may do the trick. If not, please contact us for assistance.

MY WRITING

• What is a Book?

A Book (formerly known on Red Room as a “Published Work”) is a page you add to Red Room for a book, a screenplay, a poetry chapbook, an edited anthology, an ebook, or any other example of your work that has been made available to the public by a publisher. Only Premium Members may add Book pages. If you contributed a piece to an anthology, you may add the whole anthology to your page as a Book, or you may add the individual piece using the Article/Story/ Poem/Essay content type.

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• What if my Book is, well, not a book?

The Book content type can be used to add many different types of work to your Author or Premium Member Page. This includes but is not limited to audio CDs, video DVDs, screenplays, stage plays, and graphic novels.

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• How do I add Books to my profile?

Remember, you must have a Premium Membership in order to add a Book. To add a Book:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Book”
Enter the title, description/synopsis, 10- and 13-digit ISBNs, type of work, genre, and other relevant information. (NOTE: Even if your book doesn't have both a 10- and 13-digit ISBN printed inside, you can usually find both on your book's Amazon page.)
Note: Be sure to fill in the publication date. The Book with the most recent publication date is the one that will be featured first on your page.
Add a book cover image for your work, and add an excerpt in the appropriate field if you like.
Click "Save" to add the book to your page.

• How can I find book cover images?

If you don't have digital files of your book covers, it is best to contact your publisher and request them.

• How do I upload or change a Book cover image?

To upload or change a cover image for your Book:

Go to your Red Room page and select the Book to which you'd like to add this image
Click the "Edit" tab at the top of the page and the “Attached Images” tab on the left
Click the "Browse" button, navigate to the images file on your computer, and select the photo you want add. Follow the screen prompts to complete your photo upload
Click "Save" to save the addition

• What is the Bibliomaniac buy box? How do I add it?

The Bibliomaniac buy box appears on your Book’s page right below the cover image. It’s a way for visitors to the page to be directed in one click to a book retailer in order to buy your book.

To add it, simply type your book’s 10- and 13-digit ISBNs into the correct fields when adding a Book.

• How do I edit or delete a Book?

To edit or delete a Book:

Go to your Red Room page and select the Book you would like to edit or delete
Click the “Edit” tab at the top of the page
Make any edits you would like, and click “Save” to save, or
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Delete”—the system will ask if you to confirm the deletion

• How are my Books displayed on my page?

Your books are displayed in a slider that you can control with arrows on either side. The books will be ordered in the slider according to publication date, with the most recent featured in “first position” on your page.

• Why are other authors’ books featured on my page?

If you are a Community Member, Red Room editors will choose a variety of books that will display on your Member Page in a slider like the one that appears on Author or Premium Member Pages. If you do not want the slider to appear, or have suggestions for books for us to add to the slider, please Contact Us.

• How do I add my articles, short stories, poems, essays or other writing to my profile?

Our "Article/Story/Poem/Essay" content type allows you to upload your writing to Red Room. It is usually used for individual pieces of writing, whether previously published or not, rather than books.

To add an Article/Story/Poem/Essay:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Article/Story/Poem/Essay”
Type or paste your entry in the Body field. If you are copying and pasting from Microsoft Word, please click the "Paste from Word" icon in the WYSIWYG toolbar (it looks like a blue W on a clipboard). If you are pasting content from another website please use the "Paste as Plain Text" button (a blue T on a clipboard).
After you've entered your text, you can add an image by clicking the Attached Images tab on the left side.
Click "Save" to save your entry.

MY BLOG

• How do I create a blog post?

To add a blog post:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Blog Post”
Type your blog entry in the Body field, or copy the text from a word-processing application like Microsoft Word and paste it using the Paste from Word WYSIWYG toobar (it looks like a blue W on a clipboard).
Enter at least one keyword tag in the field at the bottom, and click “Save” to add your blog post

Your most recent blog posts will appear on your main Author or Member Page in the “Latest Blogs” section. Click “View All” in that section to see every blog post you’ve added. If you have trouble posting a blog entry, please contact us for assistance.

• How do I use the WYSIWYG toolbar?

The What You See Is What You Get, or WYSIWYG, toolbar, is an easy way to format text and insert hyperlinks and characters to your blog posts and other content. The toolbar appears as two rows of symbols above the main text field in many content types on Red Room. Many of the symbols match those seen in the formatting features in word-processing applications like Microsoft Word.

For the most common text formatting options, select the text in your blog post you want to format using your mouse, then click the appropriate symbol on the toolbar (B for bold, I for italic, etc.). To remove the special formatting, simply select the same text and click the symbol again.

More detailed explanations of the two most common uses of the WYSIWYG toolbar follow, but if you have questions about how to use it, please contact us.

• How do I add hyperlinks to my blog posts?

To add a link within your blog post to another page on Red Room or to another website:

In another tab or window in your browser, copy the URL to which you would like to link
Select the word or phrase in the body of your blog post by holding down the left button on your mouse to select it
Click the “Insert/edit link” icon on the WYSIWYG toolbar—it looks like a chain link
Paste the URL in the “Link URL” field and click “Insert”

• How do I include images in my blog posts?

To insert an image into the body of a blog post:

Click the "Insert Image" on the WYSIWYG toolbar (it looks like a green tree)
Type the filename address of your image into the "Image URL" field. Enter a description and title for the image and click "Insert"

To attach an image so it appears in the upper right-hand side of the blog post:

Click the “Add an Image” tab on the left side of the “Create a Blog Post” page
Click the "Browse" button, navigate to your images file on your computer, select the image you want add, and follow the screen prompts to complete your photo upload.
Give your image a title—it will appear as a caption below the image

• What is tagging? How do I do it?

Tags are key words or terms that help describe an item and allow it to be found again by browsing or searching on Red Room, or services like Google. You can attach tags to any type of content on Red Room, making it more likely that people will find it.

Tags are typed into the field called "Blog Keywords Tag" directly below the blog post, and each one is separated by a comma. You should choose basic, one- or two-word tags that someone searching for content might use to conduct a search. For example, if you’ve written about your visit to London, where you visited Buckingham Palace and caught a glimpse of the Queen, you might use the tags "London, England, Great Britain, Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth, royalty." Whenever a visitor to Red Room types any of those words into the "Search" field, your blog post will be among those that appear. You shouldn’t use something like "my visit to Buckingham Palace where I saw the queen," since no one is likely to type that specific phrase into a search field.

• What does RSS mean?

"RSS" is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. It is a protocol that automatically distributes web content to those who sign up for it. Those subscribers are notified when subjects they are interested in are published on the web. There is an "RSS" button located near the bottom of all your blog posts. Anyone wishing to subscribe to your blog feed may do so by clicking this button.

• Can I import posts from another blog onto Red Room?

We are working on this feature; however, it is not yet ready. For now, you can copy and paste text from your other blog into a Red Room blog entry template as a temporary solution.

• How can I promote my blog?

We've noticed that members and authors who blog frequently seem to drive the most traffic to their pages. Leaving thoughtful comments on other Red Room members' blogs is also a way to generate traffic to your own blog. Also make sure to bookmark your best posts, using the Share features at the top. It contains icons for hundreds of social media and bookmarking services like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.

• What is the social bookmarking toolbar?

The social bookmarking toolbar appears at the top of every blog post and other content. Visitors to your page can use this toolbar to store, organize, and share their favorite links. Bookmarking allows your best content to be shared with a wider audience. This can increase traffic to your page and create more interest in you and your work. We strongly advise you to mark your best posts to get the ball rolling. You may also want to encourage your family and friends to mark your content as well.

•How can I get rid of the HTML code at the top of my blog post?

If you compose your post in a Microsoft application such as Word, copy the text, and then paste it in your Red Room blog, you may see this HTML code at the top:

This code is an unavoidable by-product of copy and pasting. You can get rid of the code by going to the blog post, clicking the Edit tab, and clicking "disable rich-text" below the text field. Your post will appear with all the HTML visible. Delete all characters before the start of your actual post, then click "Save" to save your changes.

MY IMAGE GALLERIES

• How do I create an image gallery?

An image gallery allows you to share photos with the entire Red Room community. Upload photos taken during readings or book signings, and other images you'd like to share. To create an image gallery:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Image Gallery”
Enter a title for your gallery and a brief description
Click “Save” to add your gallery to your page

• Once I've added a gallery, how do I upload an image to it?

You must create an image gallery before you add an image to your page. To add images to a gallery:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Image”
Enter a title and caption for your Image in the appropriate fields, and use the Image Gallery dropdown menu to assign it to a Gallery
Click the "Browse" button, navigate to your images file on your computer, and select the photo you want to add
Enter a photo credit and copyright information if necessary
Click “Save” to add it to the gallery

• My Image won't upload. What's wrong?

If you are having trouble uploading an image to Red Room the problem may be:

Your image's size: Images should be no larger than 5MB in size (5mb is equal to 5000 kb)
Your image’s file format: We can only accept photos in the .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif formats
Your image's file name: Avoid using special characters like $, &, @, and #. Also spaces or dashes (-) should not be included in the file name

To view your image’s file information, right-click on the image’s file on your computer and choose "properties." A new window will open displaying the file name, size, and type. If you need to rename your image, right-click on the photo-file and choose "rename."

• How do I edit or delete an image from a gallery?

To edit or delete an image from a gallery:

Select the image you would like to delete from your gallery
Click the "Edit" tab located at the top of the image's page
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Delete”—the system will ask if you to confirm the deletion
Please be very careful when deleting an image; once it is deleted, it cannot be retrieved

• My image file size is too large. How do I reduce it?

If you are using Windows Vista, XP, or 7:

Right-click on the image file on your computer and select "Edit"—a new window, with options for editing your picture, will open
Choose "Compress Picture" and next select "Compress for Web Pages."
Click "Ok" to save your changes. The picture should now be compressed to a smaller size and be ready to upload.

If you are using a Mac:

Open the photo in iPhoto you want to compress
Go to “File,” then “Export”
Select “Scale images no larger than” and choose the number of pixels you want
Press “Export”
Choose a location to save it such as your desktop and accept or change the file name
The picture should now be compressed to a smaller size and be ready to upload.

MY VIDEOS

• How do I add video to my page?

In order to add a video, it must first be uploaded to one of the following services:

Archive.org, Dailymotion, Google, GUBA, IMEEM, Last.fm, Spike TV, Tudou, Twistage, UStream.TV, Vimeo, VoiceThread, or YouTube

Once the video is uploaded to one of those services, to add it to your page:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Video”
Add a title, media keyword tags, its URL on the service to which you uploaded it, and a description
If there is a Book on your page you would like to cross-promote, enter its title in the Related Book field and click its title.
Click “Save” to add your video

• How do I delete a video?

To delete a video:

Select the video you would like to delete from your page
Click the "Edit" tab located at the top of the video's page
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Delete”—the system will ask if you to confirm the deletion
Please be very careful when deleting a video; once it is deleted, it cannot be retrieved

• How do I edit a video's title or description?

To edit your video:

Go to the video’s Red Room page
Click the "Edit" tab located at the top of the page
Make any edits and click “Save” to save them

• My video never loads. What's wrong?

If your video is not loading, you may have entered the URL incorrectly. Go back to the video's hosting site, and make sure that you selected the code correctly. Also, remember we only support the video hosting services listed above. If everything appears to be correct, it is possible that the video may have been deleted from the hosting service or had its sharing options changed by the person who first uploaded it.

MY PODCASTS

• What is a podcast?

A podcast is simply an audio file that has been made available on the internet. People can listen to podcasts on their computers or transfer them to a portable device to listen to later.

• How do I add a podcast to my page?

The first step is having your audio clip saved as a .wav or .mp3 file on your computer. To add the file to your page as a podcast:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Audio”
In the Audio Basics section, add a title, specify whether it is clean or explicit (contact us with questions about this), and a description
To upload the .wav or .mp3 file from your computer, go to the Audio File Info tab on the left
If you would like to attach an image, use the Attach an Image tab on the left, click the "Browse" button, navigate to your images file on your computer, and select the image you want add
Choose a Book to promote with the podcast using the Book to Promote tab on the left
Click “Save” to add the podcast to your page

• How do I create a podcast?

To create a podcast all you really need is a computer, a microphone, audio recording software, and of course your great ideas. While we can't provide you with step-by-step instructions for creating a podcast, here are some links to two fantastic resources: How Stuff Works: Create Your Own Podcast, and APPLE SUPPORT: Recording Your Podcast with Garage Band.

• I can't upload my podcast to my page. Why?

If your audio file is not a .wav or .mp3 file, it will not upload to Red Room. Also, files larger than 100MB will not upload. We plan to expand the types of files we can support soon. If your file is the right size and in the correct format, please see these additional troubleshooting tips.

• How do I edit a podcast's title and description?

To edit your podcast:

Select the podcast you would like to delete from your page
Click the "Edit" tab located at the top of the podcast's page
Make any edits and click “Save” to save them

• How do I delete a podcast?

To delete a podcast:

Select the podcast you would like to delete from your page
Click the "Edit" tab located at the top of the podcast page
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Delete”—the system will ask if you to confirm the deletion
Please be very careful when deleting a podcast; once it is deleted, it cannot be retrieved

•MY GENRES

• What is a genre?

For our purposes, "genre" is simply a way to categorize writing by content and subject. For example, a novel with a love story as its central plot would most likely be considered Romance. A fictional story centering on an actual historical event is probably Historical Fiction. Reflecting on your long and adventurous life? That style of writing may best be categorized as Memoir. If your writing covers a broad spectrum of genres, don't worry; you can select more than one genre.

If you feel your writing style is not accurately represented, add more specific words (separated by commas) describing your book in the free-form "Topics/Categories" field below the Genre dropdown menu—they will appear in searches, too. For example, if your book is a volume of verse on subjects relating to Oregon's natural beauty, choose "Poetry" from the genre dropdown menu, and add "Oregon," "nature," and "natural beauty" in the Topics/Categories field. If you'd like us to add a genre to the dropdown menu, please contact us, and we will modify our list.

• Why should I select a genre for my work?

Adding genres and tags makes it easier to search for and find your work. Remember, the genre you choose is not only searchable on Red Room, but may also appear in search results on search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, or AOL.

MY LATEST NEWS

• What is My Latest News?

Latest News is a way to announce events, new releases, and exciting news in a short format which is prominently featured on your page.

• How do I add Latest News to my page?

You must be a Red Room Author or Premium Member to use Latest News. To add a Latest News item:

Select “Add Content” from the main navigation bar of the Red Room homepage and click “Latest News”
The title is the only part of the Latest News that will appear on your main page, so give it a snazzy title—the image and the description will appear with the title on a separate page that visitors to your main page will reach by clicking the title
Add an image by clicking the "Browse" button, navigating to your images file on your computer, and selecting the image you want add
Add a description of 300 characters or less description of your News

MY DASHBOARD

• How does the dashboard work?

The dashboard is a central page that provides easy access to analytics, links to your recently posted content, and common activities. Your Dashboard is visible only to you when you are logged in. Go to it by clicking “Visit your dashboard” in the upper right-hand corner of your Author or Member Page.

ANALYTICS

Each type of content (your homepage, blog posts, videos, podcasts, articles, etc.) will show its own traffic graph. A "unique visitor" is someone clicking on that piece of content from a particular internet provider (IP) address, and visits from that address will be counted just once every day.

Below the graph is a table of the number of views each type of content you have added has received since you joined Red Room.

Learn more about how to use you’re the Analytics section of your Dashboard to see how many visitors you're getting, read Red Room's staff blog post Dashboard Confessional.

CONTENT YOU HAVE ADDED

Recent content you have added is displayed in chronological order in the My Content section of your dashboard. You can sort this table by content type or by whether the content is published using dropdown menus.

ADD CONTENT AND MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT SETTINGS, PROFILE, AND CONNECTIONS

These sections offer an alternative to the main navigation bar’s dropdown menu for adding content, accessing your account settings and profile, managing your connections, and applying to become a Red Room Author.

MY CLUBS

• What are Clubs? Where is my Club?

With the launch of the redesigned Red Room, the Clubs feature is temporarily unavailable. However, we have saved all Clubs data, including membership and conversations, and will reinstate a much improved version of the feature very soon!

CONTACTING AUTHORS AND MEMBERS ON THE SITE

• I'm from the press and interested in writing a story about Red Room. Is there anyone I can contact?

Red Room is happy to comment on our site, the importance of social networking, books and publishing, and the literary community. Please visit our Press Room for new press releases, images, background, and the contact information for our PR agent. (If you want to contact a Red Room author or member for a story, please see the answer below.)

• I'm interested in contacting a Red Room author or member. What should I do?

Red Room authors and members have determined whether they would like to be contacted by outside people, and we respect their right to their privacy and preferences. Therefore, we will not divulge authors' or members' contact information. If you would like to contact a specific author, please go to his or her Author Page and select "Contact This Author" if it is available, or request to connect with him or her by clicking the Connect button beneath his or her photo. (You must be a member first to do this.) You can also access any available literary agent or publisher's information on his or her individual Bio page.

• I want to send a letter to a Red Room author or member. Can I reach them through Red Room?

Red Room does not provide mail forwarding services, either by email or postal mail—please don't send your communications to the staff of Red Room Omnimedia Corporation.

• What is the verification code?

Red Room uses verification codes to ensure that message senders are real people and not automated computer programs designed to send junk mail (spam). You must enter the correct verification code each time you'd like to send a message using our contact forms.

• How does the verification code work?

Human beings should be easily able to read and enter the correct code, and a computer program shouldn't be able to do so. This should prevent Red Room's contact forms from being used to send automated junk email (spam).

• What if I can't read the verification code?

If you can't read the verification code and need help, please contact our customer support department. We'll be happy to assist you.

TROUBLESHOOTING

• What does "This content has been modified by another user, changes cannot be saved" mean?

This usually happens because the "Save" button on a piece of content has been pressed multiple times. More than likely your changes have taken place; click the "view" tab to verify. If your changes have not occurred, please try to save them again. If the "Save" button is unresponsive, please refresh the page by pressing "ctrl+F5." If this does not work, close your browser and start over. Please click the "Save" button only once.

• I'm attempting to upload a podcast and the page times out, help.

If you are having troubles with an audio file upload first verify the following:
Is your file in .wav or .mp3 format?
Is your file under 100MB in size?
If the answer to both these questions is "yes," the trouble may be the file name. Read the file name carefully:
- Are there any spaces, special characters, hyphens, or underscores? If the name contains special characters, hyphens, or underscores rename your file and remove those characters.
- Do you see the .mp3 or .wav extension as part of the file name? If .mp3 or .wav is not part of the filename, rename your file to include the correct extension.

To rename your file:

Click the item's text box to select it and then type in the new name.
Press "Enter" (if using Windows) or "Return" (on a Mac) to save the new name.

After renaming the file, attempt to upload your podcast to redroom.com. If you are still having trouble after renaming the file, contact us for help.

• I'm clicking the "submit" button and nothing happens. What should I do?

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