FAQs

The following are some questions asked frequently by newbies and veterans alike. This list (along with their answers) can be considered as a constant work in progress as more questions are tagged on and irrelavant ones removed.

If you have a question that you think should appear on this page, do send an email with the subject "togoparts.com FAQ" to [email protected]. [email protected].

Special thanks to contributors: Wandie, Genie, Panadol

General

Q: Which country is Togoparts.com based in?

Togoparts.com is based in Singapore.

Q: I have a suggestion to make Togoparts.com a better place, who do I inform?

First of all, check the FAQ to see if this suggestion has already been made but has not been implemented for a particular reason. If you can't find it then drop us an email. email.

Q: Do we have to pay to use the features on Togoparts.com?

No. The basic features of the website is free.

Q: Is it "toh-goh parts" or "too-go parts"?

It's actually "too-go parts". But we don't really mind how it is actually called. It's up to you to decide which sounds nicer to you. ;)

The Togoparts.com Team

Q: How can I join the team at Togoparts.com?

The Togoparts Team are volunteers, chipping in for the community. If you think you can make togoparts.com a better place, email us at [email protected]. [email protected]. today!

Q: How much time do I need to commit?

We have a policy for Togoparts Team Members to re-affirm their commitment every 6 months so that we can ensure that community events and online admin tasks go forward, necessary for togoparts to serve its community members. In this way we allow volunteer members to come and go as required by their main commitments in life, similarly ensure community activities can continue.

Q: So what's in it for me then?

As a token of appreciation, Team Members are given privileged member status (and 6 mths thereafter), forum statuses, contributions statuses, discounted rates for certain parts. Not to forget those special Team Retreats with your fellow team members!

User Administration

Q: Why can't I register with [email protected]?

We would prefer if you can furnish us with a proper email account, rather than a free web-based one. This would guard against use of multiple accounts held by the same individual, and help us to weed out those who do not have the interests of the website or the community at heart. Experience has revealed that errant users or members often resort to use of such free web-based email accounts to secure registration, and then proceed to behave irresponsibly on togoparts.

if you are a bona fide registrant and for any reason you are unable to secure a proper email account, please contact us. contact us.

Q: I cannot remember my password. What should I do?

You may click on the "forgot your password" link to get your password. Alternatively, you may email the admin at [email protected]. [email protected]. for help.

Q: Can I change my username?

No, usernames cannot be changed. However, if you could provide us with a good enough reason, we can disable your old account and then you can create a new account (username).

Q: What are user contributions?

These contributions can be in the form of participation or conduct of major events held here like the Write-Out. Also logged are the contributions to the community as a team (or former) team member. If you've help the community in some way, you'll probably have a contribution listed under your name.

Q: How can I get my contributions recognised?

If you have a contribution that you think should be listed, drop me a PM or email us via our regular feedback email and we'll give it a look through.

Forums, Zhng My Bike and Blogs

Q: If Togoparts.com is so hard up for storage, why is the old stuff not deleted?

The collective information found within the "old stuff" amounts to a valuable database upon which members may search for valuable tips, information etc... It is precisely for this reason that togoparts has not deleted the archives, so as not to deprive members' access to this treasure trove. Unfortunately, members do not realise how much may be unearthed simply by doing a search on the forum, rather than post a thread that may have been discussed on numerous previous occasions.

Q: I am an addict but I hate having to log in 53 times a day. Can't Togoparts.com remember me instead?

You need to get help. To answer your question, cookies for permanent logins make people lazy and become over reliant on technology. People often forget to log off their accounts when using a shared computer. We've had a couple of incidents here before where users accounts were being hijacked and misused. Also, some people have the bad habit of using the same password for ALL their internet adventures. Not using cookies will minimise such risks.

Q: Can I edit my forum post?

This is a function which we do not facilitate at the moment, because we are of the view that all posts should be carefully thought out and consciously made, rather than to post something in the haste and heat of the moment, and regretting it later. This helps to promote responsible behaviour on the forums, and minimises disputes and misunderstandings.

Q: Can I use the forums, Zhng My Bike and Blogs to sell my stuff/a service/hire people?

No, these services cannot be used for buying and selling and are for non-commercial use only.. We have the Marketplace service to facilitate such activity (non-commercial only). We do not allow buying and selling on a commercial basis. If you are a business, you can contact our sales team for marketing options.

Q: Why can't I put prices of retail item in the forums?

The appropriate place for this in the Reviews section of togoparts.com, not in the forums.

Q: Who took my post away?

Posts in Togoparts.com are moderated by a team of volunteers. If your post suddenly disappears from the known universe, that's probably because a friendly moderator has deemed it (a) violated the Terms Of Service or (b) insulting to his / her mother and has trashed it.

Q: Can I have it back?

No.

Q: Please?

Well ok, you can try asking about it in Feedback.

Q: What are the consequences of being a flammer?

When the end user breaches the Terms of Service agreement that is consented at the point of registration, the account will be disabled.

Q: Can I name and shame someone in the Forums, Zhng My Bike and Blogs?

We sympathize with your situation. Unfortunately, Togoparts.com is not responsible for user conduct outside the bounds of our website. You may post any forum thread you wish so long as the discussion does not violate any of our Terms of Service, Forum Etiquettes and User Conduct guidelines.

Likewise, you should be aware that other members, including those that you wish to name and shame, may choose to post what ever comments they wish as long as no terms of service or user conduct guidelines are violated.

Once again, moderators may, at their own discretion, remove any such postings without prior notice.

Q: But I have evidence to support my posts!

Posting private conversations such as emails, chat logs or other documents that contain material protected by rights of privacy or publicity are a big no-no and directly violates our Terms of Service agreement!

Q: Why can't we have own avatars?

Currently the services do not have the capability of handling custom avatars uploaded by users. But number of avatars are being added to give members more choices over time.

Q: How do I get a "title" under my username?

The status title is reserved for members who have taken up responsibilities on togoparts.com. eg. Moderators, reviewers, news team, etc.

Q: No one replies to my comments in the feedback forum. Am I not worthy?

Relax. The admin is probably taking up the issue for discussion before an answer can be given.

Marketplace

Q: Is the marketplace a safe place to sell my wares?

The Marketplace is simply a facility offered by togoparts for sellers to announce any items for sale, and for buyers to indicate items that they wish to buy.

Togoparts does not verify the authenticity of the sellers, buyers or anything put up for sale in the Marketplace. If you are interested in purchasing any item advertised in the Marketplace, you are advised to check the item carefully before completing the purchase. Togoparts will not be liable for any disputes or inaccuracies arising from any advertisement put up in the Marketplace. Let buyers be aware.

Q: Are old ads being removed?

Ads older than 4 months are removed automatically.

Q: Why can't I post any more Ads?

Each member can post up to 5 ads with 1 picture upload for each ad. Each privilege member can post up to 20 ads with 6 images each. If you have used up your quota, click on "Manage My Ads" to remove any existing ads to post new ones.

If you have removed all your ads and still cannot post, that means your ads are hidden. This is an admin moderation function when a marketplace admin have deemed your ads to be commercial of nature or have broken the marketplace rules and regulations. You may find the Marketplace Terms and Conditions here. You may clarify with the admin if you think your ads do not contravene the Terms and Conditions of the service, send a request to [email protected]. [email protected]. to let us look into it. Otherwise your commercial ad will be automatically removed in 4 months from the date of the posting automatically.

Showrooms

Q: Why can't I use the showrooms for my marketplace ad?

Pictures in the showroom are hosted using a first in first out policy due to limited storage space. A marketplace ad pointing to an image in the showroom would, after a certain period of time, point to something totally unrelated or return an error message at the viewer.

You can now subscribe to the Togoparts.com Privilege Member account to post up to 6 pictures in each ad and up to 5 ads at one time.

Q: Where did my showroom picture go?

Don't panic! Pictures in the showroom are hosted using a first in first out policy due to limited storage space and are constantly being replaced by newer ones uploaded by other members.

Q: I just uploaded my image, but it disappeared!

The showroom moderator probably removed it because it has violated the showroom rules. Or you have uploaded too many images of the same scene/thing. OR togoparts.com have encountered a technical issue that should be resolved soon by the tech team.

Q: My browser stops displaying images after a visit to the showrooms!

We believe the problem now is the lack of support for Progressive JPEG images in IE5+. We'll try to remove such formats from our showrooms but members will no doubt continue to upload images in such formats. We suggest upgrading to the latest version of IE or viewing with an alternate browser.

Bikeshops Listings

Q: Why is information in the bikeshops listing sometimes wrong?

The listing is a free service and information is contributed by merchants and members themselves. If there are changes, merchants are welcomed to inform us. We usually check with the merchants and update the information if members inform us of changes.

Q: Why are some shops listed first on the first page and the rest on the second?

This is a new service offered to our Partner Shops where they pay a fee to showcase their shops and products.The rest of the shops can all be found on the 2nd page.

Q: What happens when a shop is not found in the list?

You may [email protected]. [email protected]. contact the admin. We will contact the merchant shortly to confirm the details before adding it into the list.

Merchants & External Parties

Q: What sort of announcements are considered taboo?

We do not allow people involved in external organisations to directly post them in the forums. The reason is that the services are used for a non-commercial basis and at the same time we want to reduce and minimise disputes arising from these posts. We wish to be neutral in our standing whilst working with the bike/sports industry and the sports/charity bodies. We will be glad to help to promote any charitable activity and cycling/sports activity that is not profit-only orientated. Just drop us an email!

Q: Why can't other organisations get feedback at Togoparts.com?

More often than not, we have seen much of such feedback turned into a slugfest where unnecessary, unsubstantiated and sometimes rude remarks were exchanged. Moreover, such organizations cannot properly respond to such comments and remarks through togoparts.com. It must be always borne in mind that togoparts.com is just an avenue for fair discussion, and not an official channel to receive feedback, raise issues or submit complaints to the respective organisations. It would be presumptuous on our part to interfere in such matters. All feedback should be surfaced to the relevant organizations through their official channels.

Q: Why do 3rd party events have to be suggested?
Most of such events are done on a commercial basis. Services in togoparts.com are for personal, non-commercial use only. However, if the event is suggested by a member who is not directly involved in the event, it will be put up on the calendar. We cannot accept the direct posting of events which are organised by third parties on a non-personal basis, whether for profit or otherwise, as we do not and cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies of any such information posted.

Q: Do you have any up to date pricelists for XXX part?

No. Currently we do not have retail pricelists for a part or for a merchant.

Q: What services are there for advertises and marketers?

We offer interactive Banner Advertisement services, the Retailer and Distributor Account services and feature articles/advertorials and reviews. You may contact the sales team via this link.

Q: What is the Merchant (Retailer/Distributor) Account Service?

The merchant account enables the merchant/bikeshop to post news and advertise thru togoparts.com. On top of that, the merchant can indicate products in-stock which will be shown on several places on the togoparts.com portal. The merchant account service is continually improved to bring value to the merchant.

Technical

Q: What kind of traffic does togoparts.com get?

The website gets 3.7 million page views and 105,000 unique visitors in Dec 2008. An average of 1,700 account logins are registered a month, and at any one time (20 min window), an average of 1,500 sessions are logged, peaking at 3,000+ sessions during heavy hours. Our traffic is measured and audited by Google Analytics.

Q: I see thousands of users online, how is this number derived?

The number is derived by counting the number of Apache sessions in a 20 min window. Apache (the most popular open source webserver used by sites around the world), keeps track of each browser session by creating a temporary file in the server. When a user first views togoparts.com (outside of the 20mins window) a session is created and when the person moves from page to page, apache is aware of this movement by keeping track of its session files. A session is tied to one browser instance. If you open say 1 IE and 1 Firefox to view togoparts.com, this is considered 2 sessions. Creating a new window or new tab in the same browser does not increase the number of sessions. When you log-out, close the window or if there is no activity for 20 mins, the session is destroyed.

Q: What does Togoparts.com run on?

Togoparts.com runs on PHP using MySQL as database in a Linux box.

Q: What ready/open source software does togoparts.com use?

Togoparts.com is coded entirely from scratch! Every single service you see (and do not see) is painstakingly coded by our team of volunteer programmers. The code at togoparts.com is continually updated and modified to bring about better user experience.

Q: Why not use ready/open source solutions instead?

We wanted to tailor the needs of the community better and ready solutions are either too heavy-weighted and does not integrate well with other solutions on the market cheaply.

Q: I made some suggestions, why are new services taking so long to come out?

There are only a few programmers in the togoparts team. Although the tech team made programming look easy. It is not. Most of the tech guys are either working or studying full time. And they work on togoparts.com after working hours.

Good suggestions are queued in our to-do list and are ordered in priority.

Q: I'm interested in acquiring some of your site's features, who should I contact?

We are not in the business of selling technology. However, depending on requirements, you may contact the admin at [email protected]. [email protected]. to see if your request is workable.

Q: Do you have a Togoparts.com banner I can place on my site?

You may contact us. contact us. to get a good collection of togoparts flash banners to use on your website.