Frequently Asked Questions

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GoCougar Main Site FAQ

Forum FAQ

GoCougar Main Site FAQ

Tips on staying safe when dating on-line

  • Don't post personal information. Wait until you feel comfortable with an individual before telling them things like your phone number or place of work or address.
  • Never give out your bank account details or any other financial information. If you are approached by any member then report them immediately.
  • Don't let anyone pressure you into giving away more information than you want to.
  • Beware of solicitation – watch out for anyone offering financial advice or asking for charitable contributions.
  • Even if you're arranging to meet someone, do not give out any unnecessary personal details such as your home address.
  • If you feel unsure or threatened by someone's behaviour, stop contact with them immediately. Visit their profile and use the Block button to prevent any further contact. It is against goCougar.com terms and conditions to harrass any member and violation of this policy can lead to account suspension.

Why can't I find someone?

The number one reason people fail for find someone on this site is down to lack of information in their member profile. Far too many people leave profile fields with their default settings and upload no pictures of themselves. Then they wonder why no one is interested in communicating with them! Members who are reluctant to reveal any details about themselves are viewed with extreme suspicion and ultimately have an unfulling experience on GoCougar.

To modify your profile click the MY PROFILE menu option in the blue menu bar at the top of each page. Complete the fields and try to describe yourself as creatively as possible. Humour goes a long way... When you are finished don't forget to click the "Submit" button to save your changes.

Spend 5 minutes updating your profile today and watch your popularity explode!!!

I registered but I never got the activation e-mail

First of all, check your junk mail folder. Hotmail and other free e-mail services frequently update their spam filters. Then check that you can receive e-mails. We frequently receive notification of failed e-mail delivery because an e-mail address is invalid or the account has exceeded its storage capacity. Before contacting us, test your e-mail address and make sure you can receive messages to the e-mail address specified during the GoCougar sign up process.

If you have checked the above and still have not received an activation e-mail then use the "Contact Us" menu option.

How do I update my profile?

Click MY PROFILE in the blue menu bar at the top of every page. Make changes as required and then click the Submit button to save. There are a number of tabs on the profile page which enable you to change your e-mail address, password, message notification settings, etc.

By mistake, many people select the orange "VIEW PROFILE " (read only) menu option on the left hand side of each page.

How do I cancel my account?

First of all don't cancel your account because we are the best site out there. You can also take a break from goCougar by taking your profile offline.

Ok, if you have to cancel then simply click on "MY PROFILE " in the menu at the top of the page, then click on the "Account" tab and finally click the "Delete" button.

IMPORTANT: If you pay for a Pro Account then please cancel your subscription to goCougar.com via your PayPal account. Otherwise, payment will be automatically sent to us at the beginning of each new subscription period.

As you can see we don't make it difficult to cancel! You have the ability to cancel your own account and cancel your PayPal subscription if you are a Pro account member.

PayPal Subscription Cancellation Procedure:

Log in to your PayPal account and go to the "History" subtab of the "My Account" tab. Choose "Subscriptions" from the pull-down "Show" menu and press the "Submit" button. Choose the goCougar subscription, and click on its "Details" link. You will be taken to a Transaction Details page from which you may cancel your subscription. Cancelling your subscription will immediately stop all future scheduled payments for this subscription.

How do I take a break from goCougar and take my profile offline?

You can now control the online status of your account, useful if you want to take a break from goCougar. Click on "Modify profile" in the Member's menu and then click on the "Settings" tab in the top right hand corner of the display. The very last setting is "My profile status" which you can change to offline or online.

Why can't I find my own profile when searching?

Our search system excludes the profile of the person conducting the search. In other words, you cannot search for your own member profile.

How do I appear offline to prevent instant chats?

There is a new Member's menu option that lets you decide whether you appear on or offline. Appear offline when you don't want to chat to anyone.

How do I switch on/off new message notifications?

  • Click MY PROFILE from the blue menu bar at the top of every page
  • Click on the Settings tab
  • Change the value of "Notify of new PMs" to either Yes or No
  • Click the Submit button to save changes.

Message notification enhancements are part of the site upgrade. Once switched off you will not receive any further notifications. Please note that messages are queued for delivery so it may take up to 1 hour before the changes take effect.

I can't see all my messages

The message counter displays all the messages you have sent and received. When you view your messages you will notice there is an "INBOX" and "SENT" menu option. The combination of messages in these two folders makes up your total message count.

When someone replies to a message, the original contents is NOT appended to the end of a message. This makes it difficult to distinguish a reply from a new message. As the vast majority of GoCougar users have free accounts we have to keep our costs as low as possible. For this purpose the messaging system has been designed to keep messages as lean as possible and avoid unnecessary bloat.

How do I delete private messages from my Inbox or Sent folder?

  • Select either the Inbox or Sent folder by clicking on their respective tabs in the Messages display.
  • Click in the check box on the right of each message you want to delete. A tick will appear in the check box next to each message.
  • Click the "Delete selected" link at the bottom right of the Messages display.

Can deleted messages be recovered?

Unfortunately, deleted messages cannot be recovered. As GoCougar is mostly a free resource, we use a proprietry messaging system that is designed to conserve space. Messages are deleted in real time, they are not stored in a trash folder.

The system won't let me send any more messages

With a free account you can:

1) Store up to 50 messages in total, including sent messages;
2) Send up to 10 messages per day.

If you exceed any combination of these limits then you will not be able to send any further messages.

You will need to delete some of your old messages if you have exceeded your storage limit.

Sign up for Pro account membership and these limitations will be reomoved from your account!

I get an upgrade message when trying to send a message to another member

With a free account you can send up to 10 messages per day. To send up to 200 messages per day you need to upgrade to a Pro account.

Is it possible to remove the 300 character message limit?

Yes, the 300 character limit can be upgraded to 2000 if you sign up for Pro Account membership.

I forgot my password, what do I do?

Don't worry. Just click on the "Forgot password" link under the login box on the left hand side of each page.

How do I change my password?

Select MY PROFILE from the blue menu bar at the top of every page. Then select the Account tab, change your password and then click the Submit button.

How do I change the time setting for my profile?

  • Click MY PROFILE in blue menu bar at top of every page
  • Click Settings tab
  • Change "Your time zone" as desired
  • Click Submit button to save changes

When viewing profiles, NOTHING is displayed when I click on the various tabs!

If the tabs are not working then you must have Javascript disabled in your web browser. GoCougar, like most other sites, uses Javascript to enable certain functions.

Searching returns no results!

1) Make sure you are logged into the site.

2) There are thousands of men and women registered on GoCougar. If no results are being returned by the search function then it is because there are no profiles that meet your specific search criteria. Try searching again with less specific criteria. To test the search function select "man" for the "I am" field and then "woman" for the "Seeking a" fields. Then click the "Submit" button. This will result in many pages of results.

Why am I restricted to 1 search every 5 seconds?

Members with free accounts are limited to a maximum of 1 search every 5 seconds. Pro Account members have unlimited search capabilities. To conduct a search on our site you must be logged into your account!

How do I change my screen name

Easy! Simply click on "MY PROFILE " on the blue menu bar at the top of every page. Then click on "ACCOUNT" menu option and you will see a text box called screen name.

How do I upload a picture?

A lot of people seem to have difficulty uploading a picture of themselves. However, it is a relatively easy process when you know how. The following assumes you have taken a picture with a digital camera and transferred it to your computer:

  1. Click on the orange "PICTURES" link in the members menu on the left hand side of each page;
  2. Click "ADD PICTURE" tab near the top of the page;
  3. Enter a short description in the "Description" text box;
  4. Click the "Browse" button and locate the picture you want to upload. Use your mouse to navigate the folders on your computer until you reach the folder that contains the picture;
  5. Click on the picture you want to upload and then click the "Open" button to select it;
  6. If the picture contains adult material then mark it as such by selecting "Yes" in the "Is this an adult picture" drop down box;
  7. Click the "Submit" button.

All pictures must now be approved by goCougar before they are displayed on the site and you should allow up to 2 working days. If your picture does not appear after this time then it has been rejected. We have changed our policy on nudity and are now only accept mildly pornographic pictures, this is mostly to allow nudity that is artistically displayed. We do not accept anything we would consider to be hard core pornography like a straight forward close up of genitalia, etc.

How do I reduce the size of a picture?

You can upload pictures that are no larger than 500kb.

To reduce the size of a picture you need to use an image editing application. Large pictures are scorned upon on the web as they are slow to download and take up unnecessary bandwidth. People with slow internet connections will not wait for a large picture to download and will avoid viewing such pictures.

A picture with excellent resolution suitable for the web should be no larger than 75Kb. People generally don't want to see gigantic pictures!

You can download a FREE image editing application like GIMP

How do I make a picture my main picture?

Just click on "PICTURES" from your member menu on the left hand side of each page. You will see your list of pictures. To change your primary image just click the "Set as primary" link next to the picture you want to use.

How to I enable viewing of adult images?

By default your account is set to warn you when you are about to view an image that is adult rated. You can change this by clicking the "MY PROFILE" menu option and then "SETTINGS" sub menu option.

You can also set a password when uploading an image. Once pictures are password protected, only members you give out the password to can see them. To test this, logout from your account and then search for your screen name using the appropriate man/woman search criteria. If you are logged in then you will be able to view all your pictures without a password.

Can I upload adult pictures of myself?

All pictures must now be approved by goCougar before they are displayed on the site.

We have changed our policy on nudity and are now only accept mildly pornographic pictures, this is mostly to allow nudity that is artistically displayed. We do not accept anything we would consider to be hard core pornography like a straight forward close up of genitalia, etc.

How do I block another member from contacting me?

We cannot take action against members who contact you and are polite, even if you believe their intentions are not genuine. Either ignore the messages and delete them or block them from contacting you.

If you receive an unsolicited message requesting contact via an off site e-mail address and/or phone number then use the "Report abuse" feature of this website to report the violator. In this instance, please copy the contents of message received into the "Report Abuse" form before submitting it to us. Messages of this nature should be treated with suspicion and we advise you to ignore them and make no attempt to communicate with the sender.

How to block a member:

1) Search for the screen name of the member you want to block and then view their profile.
2) Click the "Block member" icon on the right hand side of the page and confirm you want to block the member by clicking the "OK" button.

Once blocked, a member will be unable to contact you through the GoCougar website.

You can view a list of all blocked members by clicking on the "BLOCKED" members menu option.

My Profile Badge will not update

The badge uses your primary picture. To change the picture click on "Pictures" in the Member's menu options on the left hand side of the home page. Then click the "Set as primary" option next to the picture you want as your primary profile picture.

Most web browsers cache images to make pages load faster. When an image is updated a browser may not display the new version instantly. Complete the following steps to fix this issue:

1) View your badge by clicking the "YOUR PROFILE BADGE" members menu option;
2) Check or uncheck the details you want to appear on your badge;
3) Click on the "Generate" button;
4) Click on the "Refresh" button. If your image has not updated then click your browsers refresh button to reload the images cached by your browser. The badge will update after this.

Instant chat is not working!

Make sure you have Javascript enabled in your browser as this is required for instant chat.

If no errors are displayed and the only problem is that no one is replying then the person you are trying to chat to may be off-line or not responding.

Do I need to logout when leaving GoCougar.com?

The need to logout is dependent on a number of factors:

  • If your browser supports it, usernames and passwords can be remembered and website sessions restored automatically. Sites like Amazon for example use cookies stored on your computer to remember you and automatically log you in.
  • If your computer is shared by more than one person and privacy is a concern then it is prudent to logout when you exit the site. The Logout option can be found in the Member's menu on the left hand side of the home page.

How do I block blog posts from a member I dislike?

When viewing all blogs, you can now block all posts from a specific member by clicking on the "Block" button. The blocked member will be added to your "Blocked" list in the Member's menu.

Why are there ads on the site?

GoCougar.com is completely free to use and enjoy. Unfortunately, great websites cost money to build and maintain so we support our free members by displaying adverts. When members visit the advertised sites everybody wins! However, if you really don't want to view any ads you can always just upgrade to a Pro account.

How do I help promote this site?

Well thank you for asking! The best way is to tell your friends. You can use the links on your personal homepage to tell your friends by e-mail or by posting the link in blogs or in your online profiles like MySpace or Facebook. You can also help us by bookmarking us using the "Spread the Word" links on the left side of the site.

Forum FAQ

Overview

GoCougar already has integrated blogs where members can post their personal thoughts. The home page contains a recent blog entries section where other members post comments to your personal blog posts.

We have just launched a full featured forum, which we hope will bring a whole new dimension to inter-member communications! Unlike personal blogs, the forum is an open area for public discussions and has a variety of powerful features. There is also a forum dedicated to those members who would like to arrange group meetings in the physical world. This is a very significant new service for the site and we hope it will draw the community closer together.

vBulletin was used to implement the forum on GoCougar because it is used to run some of the largest forums on the internet. If you have used other forums before then you will be instantly familiar with it.

Forum Etiquette

Please be respectful of other member's feelings when posting comments in forum threads. Abusive or extreme rudeness will not be tolerated and could lead to a permanent ban from the forum (YES, we have that ability).

How do I access the forum?

The Member's menu contains a link named MEMBERS FORUM.

Do I need to register again?

No, the forum is only for GoCougar.com members and you use the same login details as the main site.

NOTE: The forum login is your GoCougar username NOT your screen name. GoCougar screen names can be as little as one character long and this is incompatible with the forum application. If you want to change your username then send a message to Webmaster or use the Contact us form. However, as we have thousands of members there may be a delay in accomplishing this task. Also, we cannot support duplicate usernames so try to think of something unique to yourself like lastname and year of birth. Once posts have been made in the forum it is impossible to change your username.

I cannot login!

If you cannot login to the forum there may be a problem with your browser and/or its settings. We have tested the forum with FireFox 2 and Internet Explorer 6 with cookies and Javascript enabled and everything works without problem.

You can download FireFox for free from www.firefox.com if you would like to test it.

If you continue to have problems, send a message to Webmaster or use the Contact Us form (make sure you enter the anti-spam verification code).

How do I create a new thread?

Select the forum which best suits your question, General Chat for example, and then click the "New Thread" button.

Please refer to the "Forum FAQ" section of the forum itself. The forum has an extensive help system and it is worth spending some time familiarising yourself with the forum.

How do I modify my profile?

Once logged into the forum with your GoCougar login, click on the "User CP" link in the blue menu bar. You will find a series of menu options on the left hand side of the page which allow you to modify various elements of your profile.

Please refer to the "Forum FAQ" section of the forum itself for more information.