I registered but did not receive my verification email. What should I do?
Please make sure your email account is working properly and that the email was not blocked by a spam filter (you might check your spam or bulk mail folders if you have them).
If you have waited for at least 15 minutes and still have not received the verification email then you may click here to have it sent again.
I cannot log into the site. What should I do?
If you are getting an error about your username or password being incorrect: please use the forgotten password link to make sure you are entering the correct password.
If you are 'stuck' on an error screen and cannot get back to the login page: click here.
If you are getting an error about too many login attempts: you must wait for at least three hours and then click here.
If you seem to log in correctly but are then told that you are not logged in: This is almost always a problem with your browser's cookie settings. Please make sure your browser is set up to accept cookies and that you aren't running any firewall software (such as ZoneAlarm) that may be blocking cookies.
Checking cookies in Internet Explorer:
1. Go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Privacy
2. Make sure you are set no higher than 'medium'.
3. If that doesn't work, go back to the Privacy tab as above, click the 'Sites' button and then enter into the blank:
darkstarlings.com
Then click 'Allow', and then click 'OK'.
Checking cookies in FireFox:
1. Go to Tools -> Options -> Privacy
2. Make sure 'Accept cookies from sites' is checked.
Are there some awesome banners I could post around to help promote this site?
Yes, in fact. Click right here to view some awesome banners.
Is there a mobile version of DarkStarlings?
If your phone has trouble displaying or navigating the standard version of DS, you may find the mobile version easier to use. Just point your phone at: mobile.darkstarlings.com
If the standard version of DS already works pretty well on your mobile device, you may not find the mobile version very useful. The mobile version is intended to load faster and be compatible with a wider variety of cellphones. It doesn't add any extra features or do anything that the standard version does not.
Can I change my profile name without creating a new account?
No, sorry. The reason for this is simple. Your profile name is what identifies you to everyone on this site. If people could change their profile name on a whim, we'd have a really hard time keeping track of people. Not only would this be confusing, it would surely lead to abuse.
How do I verify my profile / get the "verified" link on my profile page?
Click here to learn all about profile verification.
How do I add music to my profile?
The best way is to visit a site such as playlist.com, make an account, build a playlist, get the embed code for your playlist and then paste the code into your profile on DarkStarlings. This is what most people now do. On playlist.com, you can find the code you'll need by going to Share My Playlist -> (choose your playlist) -> Get Code -> [copy the code from the "embed code" section]. Of course, you can use any site that will let you build a playlist and then embed the player elsewhere.
To do it the old fashioned way: You will need to have a music file (such as an MP3) uploaded onto a website that will host it for you. You would then need to go into your DarkStarlings Control Panel and click on the 'Look and Feel' option. On the 'Look and Feel' page, there is a blank (Music) where you can then enter the address of the music file you have uploaded. For example:
http://www.some_site.com/my_page/my_music_file.mp3
How do I add a background picture to my profile?
Go to your Control Panel, into 'Look and Feel' and enter the address of a background image in the blank for 'background image'. For example, if you had a background that you uploaded on tinypic, you might enter something like:
http://www.tinypic.com/myfolder/my_background.gif
...assuming that the above address was a link to a totally radical background that would make your profile look just the best.
I cannot upload a picture to my profile. Why?
Starling accounts are limited to 25 profile pictures (or 100 for Andromeda members) which must be in JPG or GIF format. Each picture can be no larger than 5MB (five megabytes) in file size. If you're using Windows, you can find the file size of a picture by right clicking it's icon and going to 'properties'. Trying to upload a picture that is too large or that is not in JPG or GIF format is the cause for 99% of the errors encountered in uploading pictures.
Unless you are on a broadband connection with lots up upstream bandwidth, uploading large pictures to the site takes some time. You may have to wait for a few minutes after clicking the 'Upload' button for your upload to complete. Sometimes this is true even if you are on cable or DSL as not all broadband connections provide a great deal of upstream.
If you wish to upload a BMP, TIFF or other file type you MUST convert the file to JPG or GIF format using an image editing program or you will receive an error when you upload the file. A great image editing program is IrfanView.
Where can I find some cool layouts to use for my profile?
Try browsing the layout gallery. You can browse through the submitted profile layouts and then when you find a profile you like you can use it's layout by clicking it's "Use This Layout" link.
Click here to go to the gallery.
How can I create my own custom layouts to share with others?
Click here to go to the layout profile creator.
How can I connect to the DarkStarlings video chat?
Your browser must support Flash in order to connect to the video chat. If you don't have Flash installed, visit Adobe and install it for free.
How do I become a site operator / chat operator / forums mod / etc.?
There is no special way to become a part of the DS administration. There are no special tests or procedures, there is no one you should ask about it. People are hand chosen for these positions as needed. (Don't call us, we'll call you.)
How do I delete my profile?
You can't, actually. DarkStarlings is kind of like herpes. Once you get it, it's forever.
Or if you don't believe that, you can go to the Control Panel and click on Manage Account. On that page, there is a button labeled 'Delete Your Account'. Simply click it and follow the directions given.
Keep in mind, there is no real "cure" for herpes.