What is Citynoise.org?

• What is this website?
• Who created it/who runs it?
• Who can post an article?
• What should I post?
• What shouldn't I post?
• What if I don't have a camera?
• How do I post an article?
• How do I upload photos?
• Who can comment?
• How do I comment?
• How can I format the text in my article/comment?
• Can I use BBCode to format my article/comment?
• How do I add links to my article/comment?
• How do I add photos to my comment?
• My article/comment got deleted-- why?
• How can I get in touch with an editor?
• Can I use these photos for my website/blog/newspaper?

What is this website?

Citynoise.org is a public photoblog where people with a love for the urban form, modern world, or a general appreciation of their environment gather to post stories, narratives, and photos of their favourite cities, hometowns, travels, or current locations.

Submissions on almost any subject are welcome; people have posted on topics ranging from their uncle's Wisconsin farm to abandoned cars in Brooklyn to graffiti; if it has to do with a place and its yours to share, its all fair game!

Who created it/who runs it?

Citynoise.org began in 2001 as Peter's simple personal blog, containing photos and brief blurbs about life in New York City. As content, comments and outside participation grew, the site eventually became the free-for-all that we know it as today. For this, we have Jamie to thank, for writing enough code to make your head spin. Using key elements from his old personal blog, Citynoise took on the form it has today. As lead developer, Jamie still regularly contributes countless hours of coding, editing and participating.

Additionally, a group of editors consistently oversee the site, deleting spurious/off-topic content and maintaining structure. The editors perform this as a service to the citynoise community in general. Your editors are:

• Hool
• Jamie
• Jeeff
• Peter

Who can post an article?

Anyone!

What should I post?

Stories, photos, poems, thoughts, blurbs or discussion about your hometown, cities you've visited, travels, urban decay, graffiti, travelogues, thoughts about development, urban politics, etc. are all fair game.

What shouldn't I post?

Personal arguments, gang shout-outs, spam/advertising, images harvested directly from Google Image Search, posed family photos, completely abstract images, or anything in ALL-CAPS. These will be mercilessly deleted! Also, if you have a comment on an existing article, please place it in the comments for that article. Starting a new thread to comment on an existing one is discouraged, and unless it stands on its own, it will be deleted.

What if I don't have a camera?

Who ever said that only photos make good content? Some of the best Citynoise content has been textual... and though rarer than photo posts, our regulars are usually delighted to have something interesting to read.

How do I post an article?

Via the "post" page. For the link, look just below the "Citynoise" title bar, in the center of the page, for Post your own Citynoise...

How do I upload photos?

Here is a step-by-step tutorial:

1. On the "post" page (see above), beside the space for the Author's name, click the link that says Upload photos.
2. A pop-up window should appear. Browse for your photo (sorry, jpg only!) and click Upload. It may take a few seconds, so be patient.
3. Once your photo is finished uploading the pop-up window will display a message like: Uploaded 'myphoto.jpg' into citynoise as photo xxxx. Make a note of the photo ID number represented by xxxx.
4. Below there is a large link that says, click here to insert this photo. Click the link, the upload window will disappear, and the appropriate code will be inserted into your post (in the main window).
5. If necessary, you can add the image code to your post manually. It works like this - [[img:xxxx]] where xxxx is the ID number of your photo, provided above (for more info on citynoise codes, see here).

If you have problems, feel free to email the editor for help. You can also email your photos to the editor if you can't get it to work. Good luck!

Who can comment?

Anyone. However, comments that don't meet our very modest content standards will be deleted. The same standards apply to comments as articles.

How do I comment?

Via the Comment on this Article form at the bottom of each page. There is a field for your name, as well as your comment. You can also add photos to your comments by using the Upload photos button.

How can I format the text in my article/comment?

Due to countless hacking attempts, we unfortunately had to disable the use of most conventional html code in articles and comments. We also do not use BBCode. Instead, we have a system of Citynoise codes that you can use to format your text:

• **Your text here** = Your text here
• ##Your text here## = Your text here
• __Your text here__ = Your text here
  
  
• Link to other articles with:

     [[xxxx:some text]]

  where xxxx is the article ID number. Check the article's URL for its ID number, ie. http://www.citynoise.org/article/xxxx.
  
  
• Insert images with:

     [[img:xxxx]]

  where xxxx is the image ID number. The image ID number is given when you upload a file. Check the uploading tutorial for more. Or, if you want to redisplay a photo that's already on citynoise, find the file, right-click, and choose Properties. The image's filename is its ID number, ie. xxxx.jpg.
  
  
• Add links to external websites with:

     [[http://www.citynoise.org]]

• Add links to Wikipedia with:

     [[wiki:topic]]

  where "topic" is whatever keyword you would like to link.
  
  
• Add a Google search link with:

     [[goo:topic]]

• Add tags to your article text:

     {like this}

  (that is, using squiggly brackets around whatever keyword you would like to tag).

Can I use BBCode to format my article/comment?

No. See above.

How do I add links to my article/comment?

See above.

How do I add photos to my comment?

By using the Upload Photos link next to the comment box. Click the button, and follow the uploading tutorial from step #2.

My article/comment got deleted-- why?

Your article likely fell into one of the categories listed under What shouldn't I post? Articles of this nature will be deleted. Your content may not necessarily be bad, but Citynoise is not the place for it. We have to draw boundaries somewhere in order to keep the site topical and functional. Similarly, your comment was deleted because it was considered to be offensive, incoherent, or completely off-topic.

If you think an error has been made, feel free to email the editor. However, if your email is abusive or you simply rant about "censorship" then your email will be ignored. Keep in mind that Citynoise is a private entity maintained with the time and money of private individuals.

How can I get in touch with an editor?

By emailing them.

Can I use these photos for my website/blog/newspaper?

All content on Citynoise (both entries and comments) represents the views of the respective authors; as such, all content on this site remains property of its creator/author, and is therefore protected by all applicable copyright laws. You can email the editors to learn how to contact a specific contributor in order to ask permission to reprint/reuse his/her content. Otherwise, you may not reprint or reuse anything found on Citynoise.