1.  I AM HAVING A PROBLEM CREATING A NEW ACCOUNT. WHEN I CREATE AN ACCOUNT OR WHEN I CLICK ON THE VERIFICATION LINK I AM SENT, I AM BOUNCED BACK TO THE WELCOME PAGE.

a. Please be sure you have followed the specified directions in creating your account.

b. Be sure you are not using AOL as your internet browser or service provider. AOL uses special propriety codes that do not work well with the revitalizing.publicanthropology.org website. It would be best if you avoid AOL all together and use a university or Gmail account.

  • If you are using AOL as your internet browser and you have a PC, please change your internet browser to MS Edge or Firefox (by Mozzila). If you are using AOL as your internet browser with a MAC (by apple), please change your internet browser to Safari or Firefox.
  • If you are unsure how to do this, you SHOULD consult with your university IT help desk, a knowledgeable friend, or various links on the internet.

c. If the above steps do not work, try creating an account on a different computer. For example, you might try using one of your school’s computers or a friend’s computer.

  • This is the most common solution students use. Sometimes your computer has special settings and trying a different computer to set up your account allows you to circumvent these restrictions without a lot of complications.
  • You can then use your own computer for logging in and completing the assignment.

d. Please Note: If you have had trouble registering and use a different computer to re-register or create a new account, please use a different email address you were previously using and wait for a new verification code. 

  • You cannot create two accounts with the same email address. 
  • As a safety precaution, the verification link sent to you only works for 24 hours after it is sent.  You also cannot use the same verification link to log in twice.  After you use the verification link to create an account, it no longer works.  From then on, you need to log in through the main page. 

e. If you still cannot solve the problem, please email me at: webmaster@publicanthropology.org. I will try to help you address the problem. 

 

 

2. I DID NOT RECEIVE A VERIFICATION CODE OR WHEN I CLICK ON THE VERIFICATION CODE, IT DOES NOT WORK.

a. Some students have trouble receiving the verifying email with a Hotmail or Yahoo account. it is best, if you are having a problem, to use your university or a Gmail account. 

b. Sometimes this email will automatically be sent, through no fault of your own, to the bulk or junk mail account. You need to look in your bulk or junk mail account as well as in the regular mail for an email from publicanthropology.org. (The bulk mail account is an additional account that exists in addition to your regular account and takes in email that your server deems as junk mail.)
  • You can set your bulk mail so it reads emails from publicanthropology.org as regular emails. (Ask a friend or someone at your computer center to show you how to do this if you are uncertain.)

c. A verification code is sent shortly after you have filled in the information for creating an account (or changing a password) and clicked on the appropriate link. But it may not arrive immediately due to certain security features on your school’s servers.

  • These security features seek to prevent the transmission of junk mail. They insist that the verification code be sent twice so the server knows it is not junk mail. Depending on the server, this situation may take up to twenty minutes. The process is called grey listing.

d. Your verification code may not work because it is split up on two or more lines in your email. You need copy the full code – without breaks or spaces – into your browser window. If you only copy part of it, understandably, the verification code will not work.

e. The public anthropology website may be sending you the verification code and your email server may be accepting it. But you do not receive it because it is listed as spam by your email software or a security app on your computer.

  • What you need to do is go to your email account or security app and list publicanthropology.org as a safe address. There is no set rule for exactly how to do this.  If you are unsure, ask someone more knowledgeable – such as school technician, a friend, or a help line for your security app.
f. Rather than “fooling around” with various settings to why you are not receiving an email from publicanthropology.org, you might address the problem by using another computer – preferably one at your school (since school computers tend to mostly use standard settings). It is a relatively easy solution used by many students. But the choice is yours.

h. If you still cannot solve the problem, please email me at: webmaster@publicanthropology.org. I will try to help you address the problem.

 

 

3. I CANNOT LOG IN AND SEE MY PERSONAL WEB PAGE. WHEN I COMPLETED THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, I WAS ABLE TO LOG IN AND SEE MY PERSONAL WEB PAGE. BUT NOW, WHEN I TRY TO LOG IN, I GET BOUNCED OUT OR I SEE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PAGE.

a. Be sure you are using the correct email and password. The correct email and password are the ones you initially used to set up your account. You cannot log in with a different email address or a different password from those you used to create your account.

b. If you forgot your password, (a) click on forgot your password? (b) fill in your correct email address and (c) click on Reset your Password. Unfortunately, because this operation is sometimes a bit erratic, it is wise to write your password down in a place you can find it, so you do not have to repeatedly rely on resetting your password.

  • You will get a verification email sent to the email address you provided. The email should arrive within five minutes though sometimes, because of various technical problems, it may take up to twenty minutes. You should click on the verification code within 24 hours of when it was sent. If you fail to do so, the verification code becomes invalid, and you need to start the process all over again.
  • When you come to the Creating Your Password page during the registration process, it is strongly recommended that you use the same password as you use for other projects – so you do not forget the password. The website has a high level of security, so your password is relatively safe.

c. If you have more than one email address and one address does not work, try your other email addresses. Perhaps you forgot which email address you used to create your account.

d. If you have a MAC, please do not use MS Explorer or Edge as your browser. It creates problems. You should use Safari, Firefox, or Chrome as your browser for a MAC. If you want to download Firefox, please click on this link: http://www.mozilla.com/en-us/

  • Try another computer. You might try a friend’s computer. But a more convenient -solution – because you know you can trust your school’s software – is to go to one of your school’s computer labs and use one of their computers.  Instead of trying to track down exactly what settings need to be altered, it is often easier to change computers.  You can then go back to your own computer and use it to complete your assignments.

e. You need to complete the full registration process to reach your personal web page and begin the assignment. If you are brought to a page that states one of the following: (a) Terms and Conditions, (B) Create New Password, or (C) Affiliation you have not completed the registration process. Fill in the rest of the registration form.

  • Creating two different accounts with two different emails creates serious problems for you during Section 2’s evaluation of other students’ essays. The system has no way of knowing that both emails belong to you. You need to use the email that you used in creating your account, so you do not have to type your whole essay over again.

f. If you failed to complete your essay or failed to complete your assessment of other students’ essays before the specified deadlines, you cannot log in again. You are automatically restricted from using the system.

  • Be sure to do both assignments by their respective deadlines. Software programs such as this, do not accept late essays no matter what the student’s excuse is. Including your assignment after the deadline has passed in this automated program, quite possibly means erasing other students’ work. These students would then have to do their assignments all over again, because you missed the deadline and insist on being included in this project.

g. If you still cannot solve the problem, please email me at: webmaster@publicanthropology.org. I will try to help you address the problem.

 

 

4. THE LINKS ARE NOT WORKING ON MY PERSONAL WEB PAGE.

a. First try the relevant links in the pink highlighted area. Only the links in the pink highlighted area work. They do not work in the non-highlighted sections.

b. Second, you can solve the problem by using one of the links below. These will take you to the proper location:

  • Background:
  • Food for Thought:
c. Students with MACs sometimes have trouble using MS Explorer or Edge as their browser with links in the public anthropology’s website. To avoid these problems (a) use Firefox or (b) Safari as your internet browser.

d. A pop-up blocker might be on. If you know how to stop your pop-up blocker from working, please do so. You can also ask someone who knows how to address the problem. Different computers with different programs have (sigh) different solutions.

e. You might try using another computer, such as a friend’s or one at your school. Because the settings on personal computers are so varied, it is hard to generalized about which settings create which restrictions and how to undo them. Using another computer side-steps that problem and frequently resolves it.

f. If the Revitalizing Anthropology Graduate Student Challenge has not officially begun (i.e. it is before the start date), you cannot click on these links and get the appropriate material. You must wait for the Graduate Student Challenge to begin for the links work.

g. Make sure that you are on your personal webpage. You know that it is your web page because it has your name in the upper left corner (below the pictures) and printed in white on the red line.

h. If you click on a link and it takes you to a totally different web page on a totally different topic, you might have a virus which forces you to go to that page anytime you click a link. You will need to talk someone who is knowledgeable about computers – such as at your computing center – to get rid of the virus. Ideally, you should have a professional anti-virus program installed on your computer.

i. If you still cannot solve the problem, please email me at: webmaster@publicanthropology.org. I try to help address the problem.

5. I AM UNCERTAIN IF I SUBMITTED MY ASSIGNMENT CORRECTLY AND WANT TO BE SURE I DID.

a. To submit your essay you need to click on Save. If you do not click save, all the work you put on that page will disappear when you log out of the program. To be safe, log out of the website and then log back in to see if your essay is there.

b. If you wish, you can go back and make changes in the essay prior to the deadline for submitting it. (That is why the box says Save rather than Submit.) All saved letters are automatically submitted after the deadline has passed. If you have saved your letter, it is automatically submitted once the deadline has passed.

c. Please note that you should write your letter in a normal word processor (such as Word) and then copy and paste it into the box provided under the My Essay link. There are two reasons for this:

  • First, you are able to check for spelling errors. Your word processor almost certainly has a spell check. This website does not.
  • Second, it is unnerving and frustrating to type your essay in the appropriate box and then, have it erased when you log out because you did not save it. The safest way to prevent this, is to save your essay in your word processor and then, copy and paste it into the appropriate box for the Graduate Student Challenge.

d. You should re-read your essay when you copy and paste it into the letter box because sometimes word processing programs, such as WORD, have special codes that become “funny characters” when they are submitted into the website which is written in PHP. This is especially true with quote marks (“) and possessives (‘s).

e. Be sure there is a blank space between each paragraph. It makes for much easier reading by other students when they are reading and evaluating your essay.

f. To submit your evaluation for each criterion, click on the save link. A pop-up will indicate that you have successfully submitted it.

g. To submit your evaluation for each criterion, click on the save link. A pop-up will indicate that you have successfully submitted it.

h. You should re-read your essay when you copy and paste it into the letter box because sometimes word processing programs, such as WORD, have special codes that become “funny characters” when they are submitted into the website which is written in PHP. This is especially true with quote marks and possessives(‘s).

i. To submit your evaluation for each criterion, click on the save link. A pop-up will indicate that you have successfully submitted it.

j. If you feel certain that you submitted your essay and/or your assessments and you get a letter indicating that you have not done so, the reason usually is because you have two email addresses in the system. You presumably completed the assignment on one email account and got this reminder on another. The system does not know you have two different emails. To be sure you have done an assignment, save it, log out, and then log back in to see it is there.

 

If your problem is not addressed by the above answers, please email the webmaster (webmaster@publicanthropology.org) describing in detail the difficulty you are having.