Help and Hot Topics Index! User Tips

• Free IMVU Trigger Words -- Animate your avatar! (Updated 2/7)
  
• Test for Disappearing Hair & Clothes! (Updated 2/1)
  
• Try out Furniture and Rooms in 3D before you buy! (New 1/9)
  
• Test for Clothing Rating Violations! Use the MCG skin! (Updated 2/3)
  
• Move Furniture Like a Pro! Basic and Advanced Tutorials!
  
• Improved Inventory Controls -- Includes search and hide options!
  
• IMVU Acronyms (Para español, clic aqui.)
  
• IMVU Contact Directory and More Help
  
• Peer Review Survival Guide
  

Creator/Developer Tips

• Derivable Meshes
  
• Frame Photos and Pictures for Your IMVU Rooms! Tutorials!
  
• Understanding Virtual World Economies - Old articles, most still applicable.
  

Credits and Safety Topics

• Earn Credits and Win Prizes! Links and info.
  
• IMVU's List of Fraudulent Resellers! -- And How to Pick a Good Reseller!
  
• Is Someone Bothering You? Talk to C.H.A.I.N. User Support!
  
• Maximize flagging results! An old post, but most of the tips still apply.
  
• Save Your Credits! Beware of Unethical Developers!
  

Customer Favorites! Click an item below or Click Here for All.

FREE IMVU Trigger Words!

Free IMVU trigger words animate your avatar in a 3D chat room, making it move, or make a sound, or creating some other change. To use a trigger word, simply type it as the FIRST word in a chat bubble or on a chat text line. There are well over 140 trigger words, and below are some discovered by IMVU users. Some triggers create the same action to provide flexibility in conversations. A few are in foreign languages. Try them all! Please note that this is not an official IMVU list, and that actions and trigger words are subject to change by IMVU at any time.
Know of a missing, working trigger word? Send me a message (guidelines below).

Share this link (http://avatars.imvu.com/AnakaTarren) or add my banner to your home page (click link at the top of this panel) so we can keep everyone informed! Please do not post the list below in other public places such as home pages or in the forums; instead please direct people to my home page for it. Thanks!


• Adios
  
• Ag (contributed by BCPhantom)
  
• Airguitar
  
• Bad (contributed by Deloresa)
  
• Backflip
  
• Bd
  
• Bigyawn
  
• Bisou (contributed by Jaina) (New!)
  
• Blink (Hard to distinguish from a regular blink.)
  
• Bonjour (contributed by jeffdeadwater)
  
• Burp
  
• Bye (also byebye)
  
• Candlestick (contributed by TatsuChi and bebegurl411)
  
• Choke (contributed by TitaScorpio)
  
• Ciao
  
• Clap
  
• Comeagain?
  
• Coocoo (contributed by KlawzBat; or "cookoo" - contributed by Guest_Lildiot)
  
• Coy
  
• Crazy (also CR - contributed by Guest_AmericanAngelOfLove)
  
• Cry
  
• Cuckoo (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Cya
  
• Flip
  
• Freeze (contributed by Guest_AmericanAngelOfLove)
  
• Gag
  
• Good
  
• Greetings (contributed by miyadorei)
  
• Gross (contributed by Guest_SereneFantasy)
  
• Grr (also grrr) (contributed by bsubassbone)
  
• Guitar (contributed by Guest_anna4luv)
  
• Ha (also haha)
  
• Har (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Headnod (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Heh (contributed by bsubassbone)
  
• Hello (contributed by miyadorei)
  
• Hellyeah (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Hi (contributed by Guest_MariaGBatista) (New!)
  
• Hiya
  
• Hola (contributed by Guest_MariaGBatista) (New!)
  
• Hole (contributed by Guest_AmericanAngelOfLove)
  
• Howzit (also Howzit?, both contributed by zell298)
  
• Hm (also hmm and hmmm)
  
• Huh
  
• K (contributed by Guest_AmericanAngelOfLove)
  
• II (double i's)
  
• Jump (Oddly, this one only works with male avatars. Contributed by Guest_Infern6)
  
• Kek (contributed by DamonRedl)
  
• Kick
  
• Kiss
  
• Kisshold (contributed by Guest_Dontlike123)
  
• Kisssilly (contributed by Kev84)
  
• Latah
  
• Later (contributed by TitaScorpio)
  
• Leap
  
• Lengua (contributed by LAT1NLOV3R) (New!)
  
• Lengua2 (contributed by LAT1NLOV3R) (New!)
  
• Loco (contributed by Token224)
  
• LOL
  
• Loser (or just the letter "L" - contributed by FireeBabe ,
  or "(L)" - contributed by Guest_Infern6)
  
• Mad
  
• MDR (contributed by Jaina) (New!)
  
• Nah
  
• No (also N - contributed by Nympheas)
  
• Non (contributed by jeffdeadwater)
  
• Nope
  
• Nod
  
• 'O' (contributed by Guest_x0xSweetKisses)
• Ok (also okay)
  
• Omfg
  
• Omg
  
• Ooo (also oooo and ooooo)
  
• Oooh
  
• Oui (contributed by jeffdeadwater)
  
• Peace
  
• Pissed (contributed by Guest_Azure91)
  
• Pist (contributed by zell298)
  
• Puke
  
• Quoi (contributed by jeffdeadwater)
  
• Que (contributed by jeffdeadwater)
  
• Riff (contributed by zell298)
  
• Right
  
• Rocker
  
• Rofl
  
• Score
  
• Sexy
  
• Sexy2
  
• Shocked
  
• Shocking (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Sick (contributed by Serephine)
  
• Sleep
  
• Smile
  
• Sup (contributed by Guest_gazz007, or "Sup?" contributed by 9block)
  
• Sure (contributed by TitaScorpio)
  
• Talktothehand (contributed by AsidRayne)
  
• Tata
  
• Thumbsdown
  
• Thumbsup
  
• Tired
  
• Tongue
  
• Tongue2 (contributed by Sw33tNshy1)
  
• Tth (contributed by AsidRayne)
  
• Ttyl
  
• Tung (contributed by Guest_Ezmoney45)
  
• Tung2 (contributed by Guest_Ezmoney45)
  
• Vomit
  
• Wanna? (contributed by Rob78)
  
• Wassamatta
  
• Wave (also /wave - contributed by Guest_gazz007)
  
• What (also What? - contributed by Guest_seabirdss)
  
• Whatever
  
• When (contributed by Guest_Luana325i;
  also When? - contributed by Guest_seabirdss)
  
• Who (contributed by Jenna;
  also Who? - contributed by Guest_seabirdss)
  
• Woohoo (contributed by Guest_Luana325i)
  
• Why (also Why? - contributed by Guest_seabirdss)
  
• Wink
  
• Wrong
  
• Yahoo (contributed by Airrica)
  
• Yak (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Yawn
  
• Yay
  
• Yea (contributed by Guest_AmericanAngelOfLove)
  
• Yeah
  
• Yep (contributed by babydoll121289)
  
• Yes (also Y - contributed by Nympheas)
  
• Yippee (contributed by Guest_bubulala)
  
• Yo (contributed by Guest_Alledielle)
  
• Yt? (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• Yup (contributed by Guest_luminona)
  
• zz (also zzz. Also, z - contributed by Guest_AlishaJensen06)
  
• -o-
  
• :) (contributed by Deloresa)
  
• ;) (contributed by Deloresa)
  
• ;^) (contributed by Guest_raluca22)
  
• ;} (contributed by Guest_Ezmoney45)
  
• :*
  
• :)~ (contributed by bryce6)
  
• :*( (contributed by Guest_Luana325i)
  
• :** (contributed by Cigahy)
  
• :*** (contributed by Snubs)
  
• >:( or >:-(
  
• |( (the first character is shift plus "\")
  
• || (each character is shift plus "\", contributed by Guest_emogirl777)
  
• :-)
  
• :-S (contributed by Guest_Mezzanine)
  
• > (contributed by nicekat) (New!)
  
• 8o (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• 8p (contributed by Guest_Suductive3692)
  
• 8* (contributed by Guest_GhettoMami540)
  
• 8( (contributed by Guest_GhettoMami540)
  
• 8>* (contributed by Guest_Lildiot)
  
• %( (contributed by SexyBlenko)
  
• ?f (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• ?h (contributed by Snubs)
  
• ?t (contributed by KlawzBat)
  
• *use 2111 (contributed by buffy1996)
  
• *saveOutfit (use the "My Outfits" panel on your homepage to manage saved outfits)
  

To add trigger words to this list or to add other information you think is helpful, send me a message. If your contribution is added, I'll put your avatar name beside it (unless you specifically request otherwise). A new word will generally only be added to this list under the following conditions:

1. It works by default across all IMVU chat scenes (unless disabled by a developer's specific product).

2. It is not product-specific, such as trigger words that animate pets or are associated with an accessory.

3. It creates more than just a single tiny nod of the head. Hitting the Enter key in a chat bubble will create at least that much action, whether you type a character, word, or nothing at all.

4. It is rated no worse than PG-13. I don't know if stronger trigger words exist on IMVU (other than restricted products), but if they do, I'm not posting them here. :)

5. It is not confidential IMVU code.

All of the decisions above will be made at my sole discretion. I also reserve the right to change these guidelines without notice in the event something unforeseen arises. (Hey, I probably didn't think of everything! ::grins::)

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Disappearing Hair & Clothes!
TEST before being embarrassed!
Use these two items to test for disappearing hair, clothes, and accessories!

The Vanishing Hair Tester accessory finds some problems BEFORE you BUY! Just put it on your avatar before shopping and then look ALL AROUND tested hair or clothes when using the Try-It feature. Save credits!

The toughest test! The Vanishing Hair Spotlight furniture item finds most (if not all) disappearing clothes, but can only test items after they are purchased (a limitation in new IMVU client versions). The Spotlight can even identify clothes and hair that disappear in night club laser lights and water scenes! Check all around when testing since the angle of view makes a difference.

I sometimes buy beautiful disappearing items anyway, but want to know so I change out of them before going into rooms where I think they might vanish. The Spotlight is also great for practical jokes on your friends and/or developer testing.

IMPORTANT: Click on the links above to read instructions about how to use these items before buying!

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Is Someone Bothering You on IMVU?
Talk to C.H.A.I.N. User Support!

IMVU has started a new program called Cyber Heroes Avatar Information Network (C.H.A.I.N.) to make IMVU a safe and fun place for users of all ages. Click here
to learn more about C.H.A.I.N.)

Click here to leave the "C.H.A.I.N. User Support" Group a message or learn more. This group has OPEN membership so they can provide information to any IMVU user that may need it.

You might also want to join the main C.H.A.I.N. group (it's free!) by filling out the pledge form here. Membership in this group is offered "invitation only" to many/most those who fill out the pledge form (excluding users with an IMVU history of harassing others, for example). This group discusses and makes recommendations on various safety issues on IMVU.

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How to Earn More IMVU Credits and Other Prizes

The first two links below award "promo credits" (also called "predits"). These have the same value to buyers as credits, but can only be used to purchase items for yourself (not gifts).

• IMVU Free Spin -- Play once daily for 0 to 500 promo credits
  
• IMVU New Products -- Earn 1 to 50 promo credits per day by visiting IMVU's New Products
  
• IMVU Street Team -- Earn Prizes Here!
  
• Forum User Contests - New contests are offered regularly.
  

New 4/3. OFFERS BELOW - Use appropriate caution! Some "offerers" are legitimate, but some may sell your private information or sign you up for subscriptions without notice (or with webpage notices hidden). The selling of private personal information is a huge business. Did you know some websites now sell avatar names matched to real names, cell phone #'s, and other private info?

• UNDERSTAND their REAL INTENTIONS! To afford the credits they give away, many companies either try to sell you something or plan to sell your information! If you don't understand HOW an offerer can afford to give you credits, think twice.
• ALWAYS VERIFY the links of the company making the offer and their privacy agreements. BE VERY WARY if the company doesn't provide a verifiable physical corporate address, doesn't mention the country they are incorporated in (so different privacy laws may apply), vaguely say they will only share information with "partners" or "affliates" (who may be the ones actually selling your information on the web!), or who ask for seemingly unnecessary private information (like a cell phone number) in order to "inform" you of results or credit transfers.
  
• IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, get your parent's permission before providing ANY information about you or your family.

• IMVU TrialPay -- Big credits but use appropriate caution.
  
• IMVU Partner Offers New!Big credits but use appropriate caution.
  
• metaRL - Is it Safe?
  
  • Click on the link above for more information, including a response from metaRL. After I posted my concerns, metaRL added a "delete account" option and improved password warnings, but some privacy questions remain. Use appropriate caution.
    
  • Does anyone know which country metaRL (or the company that owns them) is formally registered in? As of the date of this writing, metaRL is NOT listed as a registered business according to the state government website of Nevada (mentioned in metaRL's terms of service), and I can't find them in any public directory of registered US businesses. I'm under the impression that metaRL is actually in Mexico and has a US contact who handles some user questions. If that's incorrect, any verifiable corporate information about them would be appreciated.
  
  
  

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Furniture Commands

With the advanced furniture commands you can lift items off of the floor, away from the walls, or pitch them at unusual angles!

If the tutorials appear smaller than desired, click on the images to enlarge them.

• IMVU's discussion of furniture commands -- no pictures (click here).
  
• Introduction to IMVU Furniture Commands - a tutorial with pictures. [Update in process for new messenger. In the meantime, please use the IMVU link above.]
  
• Advanced IMVU Furniture Commands - tutorial with pictures. [Update in process for new messenger. In the meantime, please use the IMVU link above.]
  

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Tired of Losing Re-Rated Clothes?
Test with the MCG skin!

Avatar clothing items may be flagged and re-rated as inappropriate for the General Audience (GA) rating due to violations by the creator. Use these FREE tests to minimize the risk of losing your future purchases!

Get IMVU's MCG test skin for FREE (click here) and put it on your avatar before using the clothing Try-It feature. If ANY of the MCG swimsuit’s RED area shows under tested GA clothing, the tested item is in violation and may be re-rated in the future.

If you are registered as a creator, use the catalog “Try-It” feature to put on the desired outfit, then click on "+MCG Skin" button in the 3D Shop window (see picture below). The "+MCG Mood" button allows you to also check under the clothing item. This is a free creator testing feature provided by IMVU.


Find information about the MCG skin in the “Minimum Coverage” section of the Virtual Goods Policy click here.

Items may be re-rated for other violations of the Virtual Goods Policy even if they pass the MCG skin test. See the Virtual Goods Policy (link above) for full details.

While testing for rating issues, you can test for other problems too. Hate it when your hair disappears? Test clothing and hair for potentially embarrassing disappearances using by AnakaTarren’s Vanishing Hair Spotlight! Click here for details.

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Discount Credit Reseller Fraud
And How to Pick a Good Reseller!

IMVU's List of Fraudulent Resellers! (click here)
DO NOT BUY from bad resellers on this IMVU list! This list is old, so ALWAYS check out any reseller you might use to buy or sell discounted credits. Otherwise, you could lose your money and also get stuck with nasty viruses! Fraud and theft through credit reseller scams is a serious issue.

Who do I use and recommend? Cassiopeia! (click on the image below) -- She is the largest and most experienced reseller on IMVU! There are other good resellers as well, but be sure check out the legitimacy and experience of whichever one you decide to use!

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Save Your Credits!
Beware of Unethical Developers!

Many people have recently lost inventory items and their credits due to developer unethical acts and violations of IMVU's Terms of Service (TOS). Here are a few reasons why:

• The developer incorrectly rated the product. For Rating Guides, click here.
  
  
• The developer used copyrighted or trademarked materials of others without permission. To learn basics about copyrights and trademarks click here. For more information about reporting copyright and trademark violations, click here.
  
  
• Honest developers "derived" (a technical term) the 3D shape of the item from an unethical developer who did not have permission to use the "mesh" (3D shape) owned by someone else. Customers of ALL of affected developers lost their products.

YOU CAN HELP STOP THE PROBLEMS:

• Do not buy from unethical developers! Learn how to spot Unethical Developers here.
  
  
• Demand refunds from the Developer who committed the violation (unless you were also at fault by buying something you should have known was illegal or against TOS).
  
  
• Flag products you know have trademark violations or are improperly rated. Learn how here. .
  

MAKE IMVU A BETTER PLACE!

• BUY products and/or credits from ethical developers!
  
  
• Consider posting banners on your home page of the ethical developers you think are the best.
  
  
• Take a few minutes to leave a product review when you buy a product you really like from ethical developers.
  
  
• Send a brief note to let ethical developers know they are appreciated. (It's tough to develop when so many thieves are plainly visible making a lot of money.)
  
  
• Make constructive suggestions in the Forums on how to handle the problem!
  
  
• Report trademark and copyright violations to the trademark or copyright owner.
  

How to spot unethical developers:

"Conduct that is truly unethical or unscrupulous
will almost always
injure consumers or violate public policy as well."
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/policystmt/ad-unfair.htm.
The FTC defines public policy to include industry standards (which in my opinion includes IMVU TOS in this case) as well as formal laws.

Who are IMVU consumers? Product purchasers AND developers who "derive" from and pay a derivation fee to other developers (not IMVU). Many developers pay derivation fees on every sale in order to use custom 3D product shapes known as "meshes" and are often the biggest sources of income to mesh-making developers.

So based on the Federal Trade Commission policy, there are two major tests for determining if a developer is unethical:

1. Does the developer's behavior hurt customers?

• Does the developer's rating or product create a risk that customers will lose products and/or credits if they buy that product?
  
• Did the developer incorrectly rate their product for "General Audience," exposing adult products to minors?
  
• Did the developer's actions hurt the sales and income of the customers that pay them the most, the very developers who derived from them? (Do you really think that developer who hurts their biggest income sources cares about the end customers who buy one or two items?)
  

2. Does the developer violate TOS, US laws, or California laws?

• Is a trademarked name used on a product name, description, or keyword without permission (for example, Gucci, Adidas, Playboy)?
  
• Have famous copyrighted music or images (usually less than 70 years old) been used without permission (for example, Beatles music, Faith Hill songs, or Luis Royo paintings)?
  
• Does the product violate TOS in another manner?
  
• Did the developer request your IMVU password?
  
• Is the developer's action against the law?
  

An answer of "Yes" to any of the questions above may mean the developer is unethical. Multiple answers of "yes" might indicate a very serious developer problem. If you don't think a developer is ethical, BUY FROM SOMEONE ELSE!

Back to top of Ethics article

How to spot an Ethical developer! I believe that the majority of developers try to operate in a fair and ethical manner. Below are characteristics of some with the highest ethical standards:

• Clear pictures are provided for their products. Sometimes this requires larger pictures in the product description to make it easy to tell what you are actually buying.
  
  
• Good product descriptions and instructions are included that are accurate, tell how to use the product, and include notices of problems, if appropriate.
  
  
• The developer responds professionally and politely to customers, even if the customer is wrong or rude.
  
  
• The developer provides help to customers and/or developers on a regular basis, beyond the minimum required to make credits.
  
  
• All people make mistakes or accidentally do things wrong at times. An ethical developer will respond quickly and professionally if there is a problem.
  
  
• The developer occasionally takes action to help the overall developer or user community WITHOUT asking for reward or payment. The best developers care enough about the overall quality of products at IMVU to do something positive about it.
  

Back to top of Ethics article

How to stay aware of developer ethical issues:

This section is probably not of interest to most people, but for those who want more in-depth information on ethical and unethical developer behaviors, here's how:

• Keep up with issues in the forum thread Developer Programs. Hot ethical issues often have non-technical titles and high numbers in the "Replies" and "Views" columns.
  
  
• If you are impressed with the answers by a developer, check out their products and consider buying from them. There is no louder support than keeping them in business through purchases.
  
  
• If you are disturbed by the level of ethics shown by any developers who post there (for example, those who seem to blaming others for their actions, or appear to be lying about not knowing the rules), or if you have seen other developers do some of the things you agree are wrong, BUY FROM SOMEONE ELSE!
  

Remember - Accusations against specific developers in the forums are against TOS and are not necessarily true! Replies to a developer's claims are allowed, but must not be offensive.

Back to the top of Ethics article
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Flagging Trademarks, Copyrights, and Rating Violations:

• IMVU provides the link "Flag as Inappropriate" on every product page so you can report rating violations and non-working products. (See next item for handling trademark/copyright problems.) When you click on the link, you will see a screen including the name of the product, its icon image, and the developer name.
  
  Fill out the specifics of the violation, select the Flag Type and then type in the letters from the Security check into the white text box beside it.
  
  
• Trademarks and copyrights must be reported to the trademark or copyright owner or their attorney of record. Ask them to file a DMCA claim with IMVU. This link explains how: Click here.
  
  
• In the United States, all newly created music and art is automatically copyrighted upon creation. The artist does not have to take additional action to register a copyright. Eventually ALL copyrights expire, usually 70 to 120 years. (Therefore images of many famous old paintings are in the public domain and free for commercial use.) An artist can give permission for others to use their recent works or give them freely to the public for commercial use, but that must be in writing to be legally acceptable. For a good chart on copyright expiration dates, Click here.
  
  
• To learn about Ratings, including General Audience (GA), Adult Pass (AP), and Mature, click here.

Back to top of Ethics article
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AnakaTarren's Peer Review
Survival Guide

Peer Review is a new feature that allows adult IMVU users to check the ratings of catalog items. As of 5/24/08, all new items are reviewed for ratings accuracy. Since IMVU provides only very limited guidance, the Peer Review Survival Guide was created to provide Peer Review help, answers, and tips for common problems.

Click here for IMVU's Basic Intro to Peer Review (dated 5/23).

Click here to open AnakaTarren's Peer Review Survival Guide.

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Frame Your Own Photos and Images!
Add Your Own Images to Your IMVU Room!
Use AnakaTarren's step-by-step tutorial (with images) to make 3D picture frames for your IMVU room (or to give or sell to others) using your own photos and images. Before getting started, be aware of the following:

• You must be willing to BUY your IMVU avatar name in order to register as a "content creator" or "developer" before you can actually begin to make a picture frame. A link to buy your avatar name is inside the tutorial.
  
  
• You must be comfortable with the basics of image editing software (such as MS Paint, Photoshop, or similar packages). Basic knowledge must include the ability to resize, crop, rotate, copy, and save photos/images, plus know how to save them in a JPG format (or a limited number of other formats acceptable to IMVU's software).
  
  
• Using IMVU software requires PATIENCE and a basic comfort level working with new software packages. Not everyone was meant to be an IMVU content creator. But if you can use imaging software (as explained above), are generally comfortable figuring out new software on your own using tutorials, and don't get upset with things go wrong at first, you will probably be successful!
  
  
• Be prepared to PAY for each picture frame you "submit" to the IMVU catalog. Picture frames must be submitted to the catalog for you or others to use them in IMVU rooms. The submission price varies, but in general costs between 750 and 1000 credits per picture frame. One will be added automatically to your IMVU inventory for your personal use, but copies given or sold to others will cost credits (based on the pricing you set).
  
  
• You must agree not to use copyrighted or trademarked images made by others unless you have written permission for "commercial use." It is against the law to infringe on (improperly use) copyrights or trademarks, and IMVU submissions count as a "commercial use" even if you don't make any money or do it as a hobby. Most items on the internet ARE copyright protected against "commercial use" even if they allow "personal use." A link to more information on this is inside the tutorial.
  

Click here to download the tutorial if the above items are acceptable!

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Private Messaging in Forums --
Send long messages, pictures, and links!

You can send long messages with embedded pictures and live links using IMVU’s Forum Private Message (PM) system! It has a few bugs (hey, this is IMVU!), but is very handy.

How to Find the IMVU Forum PM Feature

• For Direct Access, use and bookmark this link: http://www.imvu.com/catalog/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpbb2&file=privmsg.php&folder=inbox. This is the fastest method.
  
  
• Or you can find this feature by going to the Forums:
  • Click on the “Community” tab and choose “Forums.”
    
  • Near the bottom right corner of that web page, click on the link to “X Unread Messages” where “X” is the number of unread messages you currently have. This opens your Forum Private Messaging feature.

How to Use PMs

• Click the “New Post” button to write a new message. You can type in the name of the avatar you are sending a message to, or select the name using the provided button.
  
  
• Add a “Subject” line. This is a required field.
  
  
• Apply formatting by highlighting a selection of typed text and then pressing one of the buttons over the message box. You can learn test and practice these formatting commands by sending messages to yourself.
  
  
• Use the “Preview” function to review and edit your message before sending.
  
  
• Use the “Submit” button to send the message when complete. This will send your private message to the other avatars’ forum PM box.
  
  
• Change between the incoming and outgoing messages using the “Inbox” and “Outbox” buttons.
  
  
• There is limited space in the Inbox and Sentbox, so this probably isn’t a good substitute for regular email if you are sending a lot of messages.
  
  
• You can change the settings for notification of new Forum PMs by clicking on “Account” or “Account Settings” at the top right of most IMVU web pages. Go to the “forum preferences” section (near the bottom of the page), answer the questions about Private Messages as desired, and then click “Update Preferences” at the bottom of that section.
  
  
• You can also send PMs to users who post in forum threads by clicking on the small “PM” button at the bottom of each of their posts. HANDY HINT: If the reply message requires a title, you are in private messages.

Practice creating messages and using the edit features by sending a PM to yourself. It’s a handy tool so you won’t be stuck with short homepage messages!

Known PM Bugs

• Sometimes the Sent messages aren’t saved in your Sent box, so if you need a record of it, copy and paste the message somewhere else before you send it. As far as I can tell, the messages are still sent properly even if not saved.
  
  
• The “list” and “list=” edit functions don’t work at the time of this writing. They were nice for formatting indented outlines of long text. I hope they fix that.
  
  
• Until a few months ago, you could get to the PM system by using a link at the bottom of the main Forum page. A bug was introduced messing up the line of live links, so now you have to open a forum topic to get to PMs, or use the link supplied above.

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Test Furniture and Rooms before you buy!

Create a bookmark to open a 3D window to test furniture and rooms in 3D! The testing process is awkward and doesn't test everything, but it may help you save credits and make smarter buying decisions.

Important:

• The instructions assume you are using Internet Explorer 8 as your web browser and are comfortable using/editing bookmarks and browser URLs. (Similar approaches may work with other browsers.)
  
  
• Since technologies and user experience levels vary greatly, I cannot guarantee this process. But if you find errors in the instructions or have other suggestions, please let me know.
  
  
• The Peer Review code and URL used in the testing bookmark may be disabled or modified by IMVU at anytime. (Note: You do not have to be signed up for Peer Review to use the limited function window created by the code below.)

Summary:

To test furniture or room items,

• Create a testing bookmark pointing to the URL
  imvu:PeerReview?mcg=1&pid=1229063 The bookmark will test only the item that has the product number at the end of the code line above (in this example, 1229063).
• To test a different item, edit/save the test bookmark URL, replacing the product number at the end with the number of the item to be tested. Click on the modified bookmark to test the new item in 3D.
  
• Be sure to read below for limitations of this test method!
• More detailed instructions are provided below to create a bookmark and to locate an item's product number.

Detailed Instructions to Create a Bookmark to Test Furniture or Rooms

1. Create a bookmark to test one furniture or room item:

a. Go to any webpage in your web browser, click on “Favorites,” and then click on “Add to Favorites” (or “Add to Favorites Bar”).

b. In the “Name:” textbox, copy/paste or type in:
Test IMVU furniture and rooms (replace pid in Properties) You can type in any title you want, but I recommend including the words in parentheses as part of the Name for reasons explained below.

c. Ignore the “Create In:” selection on the pop-up box (unless you wish to store the bookmark in a location other than the top Favorites folder).

d. Click “Add.”

e. Find the new bookmark in your Favorites list (it’s probably at the bottom of the list), right-click on the bookmark name, and then select Properties. A Properties pop-up window will be displayed and show the “Web document” tab settings.

f. Copy or type the following code into the “URL:” textbox:
imvu:PeerReview?mcg=1&pid=1229063
g. Click “Apply.”

h. Click “OK.” This will close the bookmark Properties window.

i. You should now have a Favorites bookmark to test a furniture item ... in this example, a Chocolate Cake (click here to see the catalog page).

2. Try out the testing bookmark

a. Click on the newly created test bookmark in your Favorites list. If you are already logged into the IMVU 3D client, a Peer Review tab will open, the tested item will download (sometimes this takes several seconds), and you can test the furniture item or room (in this example, the cake).
• If the IMVU 3D client is closed, you will be asked to log in before the Peer Review tab appears.
  
• If the IMVU 3D client still doesn’t appear, check to see if it is already open but minimized.
  
  
b. Scan around the item in the 3D window to see if you like it. You can also try out many special features the item has, such as unique trigger words and some (not all) pose spots.

c. IMPORTANT: This bookmark may not work with certain types of items or may not be able to test all of an item's features. This does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the tested item!!! Read the Limitations and Oddities below for more information.

3. Edit the bookmark to test different furniture or another room

a. Find another catalog item for testing and locate its product number (also called the “pid” or products_id).


• You can find the product number by looking on an item's catalog page at the end of the web address shown at the top of your browser window. The web address looks like this
  http://www.imvu.com/shop/product.php?products_id=xxxxxx where xxxxxx (the number at the end) is the product number.
  
  
• For example, look at the room Alps Equestrian Manor (click here to see the catalog page). Its product number is 352928.
  
  
b. Look at your Favorites list, right-click on the testing bookmark created in step 1, select Properties.

c. In the Properties pop-up box, replace the old product number with the product number for the new item you want to test. (Do not change or delete any of the code in front of the “=”sign!) For example, using the products mentioned above, you would change the URL
from
imvu:PeerReview?mcg=1&pid=1229063 to
imvu:PeerReview?mcg=1&pid=352928
d. Click “Apply.”

e. Click “Ok” which saves the change and closes the pop-up box.

f. Then click on the revised bookmark in your Favorites list. The product for the new item should load into the Peer Review window.

g. Follow steps 3.a through 3.f for each item you wish to test. I leave the comment in parentheses in the title of my testing bookmark (see step 1.b) as a reminder.

4. LIMITATIONS and ODDITIES of the testing function

a. A default avatar in an ugly outfit is automatically displayed when testing furniture and rooms in a Peer Review window. You haven’t lost your good looking avatar or outfits!

b. Stickers and a few other types of items cannot be tested with this bookmark.

c. Bundled items (click here for an example) cannot be tested simultaneously. However, you can test individual items in a bundle by clicking on each item icon on the bundle page, going to its separate catalog page to obtain its unique product number. (Other ways to find product numbers are also available but omitted here for simplicity.)

d. Furniture commands (move, rotate, scale, etc.) do not work in the 3D window created by a test bookmark. So if a picture frame or other item is stuck on the floor when you test the item, don’t worry. The furniture commands will work on all applicable items when they are purchased and loaded into a regular room.

e. Only one person can test an item at a time, so you cannot fully test two-person or group animations, if that feature is in the item.

f. The initial avatar position in Peer Review loads with its feet far above floor level. This sometimes makes it appear that “floating” items (such as drinks or food designed to sit on separately purchased tables) are too low even though the problem is actually an incorrect avatar position.

g. To test clothing, use the Try-It function in the catalog. Clothing can be tested with the bookmark, but its more effort for less testing ability.

h. Other testing limitations probably also exist. (I might add them later as discovered.)

i. The Peer Review function belongs to IMVU which has the right to modify or disable the testing URL at any time.


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Copyright 2006 - 2008, AnakaTarren.
Contact AnakaTarren@aol.com for more information.
IMVU is a trademarked name owned by IMVU, Inc., Palo Alto, California USA.
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