Help
Navigation tips, optimum browser settings and detailed section info for MASSIVEATTACK.IE
On this page you can find lots of answers to questions you may have when you are browsing the pages of MASSIVEATTACK.IE. This help page has been compiled from some typical questions that may arise when you navigating the site. This page is the best place to read all about the usability of the site, its content and interaction functions.
In the following cases it would be helpful you to upgrade or change your browser:
- Error message(s) at start of site or (every) page
- No Flash and/or scripted menus available
- To many JavaScript errors downgrade usability
Its best to have the latest browser installed or at least have Internet Explorer 6+ or FireFox 1+. This site has been fully tested with latest versions of Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox and Apple Safari. While Opera and some Mozilla clones have not been fully tested they should work fine. Please ensure you have Javascript enabled on your browser, as the site's many features will become inactive if Javascript is disabled. Also to a lesser extent of importance, having Flash enabled is also necessary to properly use the calendar function.
To make your experience of this site easier, it is adviced to:
- Enable the use of browser 'cookies' (are needed for lots of interaction features on the site specfically the forum). If you have a problem with logging into/out of the forum it is advicable you delete all cookies from your computer.
- Use the 'breadcrumb' interface as available on the top of every page (indicated by · Home » Page). In some cases the 'breadcrumb' interface switches to another section, because some pages are part of another 'order of things'. If uncertain on where the breadcrumbs may take you, you can always use your browsers BACK- and FORWARD-buttons to browse through the site.
- At the bottom of most pages which are particularly long and require a lot of vertical scrolling, there is a large button at the bottom of such pages with an upwards arrow on it. Clicking on this arrow button will instantly send you back up to the top of the same page without wasting time on scrolling upwards.
- If you have a problem finding something specfic through use of the normal navigation methods, then you may either use the sitemap or try searching for a specfic term or keyword on the website by using the search box which is apart of every single page of the site.
If the use of the 'breadcrumb' or jump-links are not to your liking, please use your browsers BACK- and FORWARD-button to jump back and forth through the different sections. Since the site is non-framed, there should be no problem switching pages.
The site has been optimised for viewing resoloutions of 1024 X 768 pixels and above. It is not recommended to view the site in resolutions under this, as there will probably be unexpected graphical issues which would impeed your viewing and navigation experience with MASSIVEATTACK.IE. Two other tips concerning viewability are:
- View the site with your browser maximised
- To at least maximise the available horizontal space
On a few certain pages of the site that have unusual characters/letters such as some foriegn languages or the odd punctuation mark, there is a chance your browser will incorrectly display that particular character/letter as incomprehensiable gibberish. If at anytime you see this on the page, make sure the character encoding scheme being used by your browser is UTF-8, the Unicode standard. The server MASSIVEATTACK.IE is on will automatically send out pages in this standard but there is a chance your browser will reinterpret them to a different standard resulting in some characters appearing unreadable.
In Internet Explorer (except 7) and Mozilla Firefox go to View -> Character Encoding -> UTF-8. In Internet Explorer 7 the Character Encoding option is under the Page tab. For other browsers please consult their documentation in order to change the Character Encoding.
At the top of each page of the site along the left side of the screen, is a menu using a simple tree structure to catergorise all the different area's of content within MASSIVEATTACK.IE's pages. To expand all the different links to these sections and their respective child content just click on the Expand button at the top of the menu. Similary to close (or otherwise collaspe) all the links back into their parent sections just click on the Collaspe button which is beside the Expand button. Something important you should know about the main menu, is that it is always the very last element on each page to be loaded after everything else such as images and text have been loaded, so do not be alarmed immediately when you see no menu naviagation when you visit a new page. The delay between the page loading and the menu appearing should'nt be too bad unless their is alot of graphical content on the page, where it might take up to 10 seconds to appearing depending on your connection speed.
Finally, in regards site navigation, if you scroll tot he bottom of any page there is a bottom bar navigation horizontal menu which contains the all the same links as the menu at the top of the page. This particular menu also highlights whatever section of the site you are currently in when you view it.
The calendar function which is near the top of most pages on the site is an extension of the News section of MASSIVEATTACK.IE. Click on any date in the calendar to read the headline associated with that date in Massive Attack's history. You may then click further to read the full news article in the News section.
At the top of most pages on the site there is a RSS newsfeed ticker which displays the latest news items about Massive Attack. The news items are the last 5 entries from the Current News section of this site combined with the last 5 entries from the official Massive Attack website's blog. When you move your mouse over the ticker the news item will remain paused allowing you enought time to read the desription and click on its link to read more. Clicking on the highlighted news item will bring you to the relevant article in the Current News section of MASSIVEATTACK.IE or the official blog. You may syndicate the either of the two newsfeeds from here or the official blog, on your browser by clicking and dragging the RSS icon named "News" or "Blog" respectively, found in the top right part of every page on the site. This way you will be able to keep up with the latest news concerning Massive Attack without having to actual visit this site or the official one to read about it. There is also two similar newsfeeds besides the Current News and Blog called "Changes" and "Forum". The "Changes" newsfeed is to keep track of changes or updates made to the site in general, over time, in the Changes Log section. The "Forum" newsfeed allows you to see the latest 10 or so threads/posts on the MASSIVEATTACK.IE forum.
Since the beginning of 2009, MASSIVEATTACK.IE is now publishing it's site updates on Twitter. The Twitter feed syndicates both the Current News RSS and Change Log feeds into one. If you choose to follow the Twitter feed, you can recieve email as soon as an update occurs on MASSIVEATTACK.IE.
Syndicating the Newsfeed on your own Website:
It is possible to syndicate (i.e display) the MASSIVEATTACK.IE news ticker on your website or blog if you so wish. This is done by placing this simple piece of code on your website:
If you would like to help promote MASSIVEATTACK.IE, then by all means please link to MASSIVEATTACK.IE from your own website or blog. If you wish to use some sort of logo or banner for the referral link, then you can use this one for instance:
The function of the jukebox is pretty self-explanatory, allowing you on every page of the site to select and listen to Massive Attack songs in streaming audio. The jukebox will never start automatically upon loading a page. Instead you must click on the play button or on a particular song in the tracklist to start play. The jukebox will also be updated every so often with a different Massive Attack album or playlist along with a picture and a link to more information on that particular album or playlist underneath the jukebox. There also some keyboard shortcuts avilable for the jukebox. The graphic below presents the options open to you via the keyboard commands.
The Flickr Slideshow feature along the left hand column can be used to browse through and see what the more recently photos to the MASSIVEATTACK.IE Flickr Group are. If you are a member of the Group already, you can beginning to upload your own photos which will then be seen on the slideshow here on the site. You can check out the Flickr Group and personally rate,comment on indivdual photos and join in on converstaions about them on there as well. The controls for the slideshow are keyboard driven. You will need to first, click inside the slideshow box and then press whatever key you want to activate the features of the slideshow. The graphic below presents the options open to you via the keyboard commands.
How do I Register/Use the Forum?:
Please refer to the FAQ section of the forum for the vast majority of all queries you may have about using the forum.
Downloading the bootlegs in the Bootography section:
Please refer to this guide to downloading the MegaUpload links in the Bootography section. Alternatively, if you wish to know more about downloading the torrents contained on the MASSIVEATTACK.IE Forum please refer to this short FAQ on the subject.
At the moment, there is a choice of two different styles that can be applied to MASSIVEATTACK.IE. Depending on which you choose a different CSS file controlling the look of the site will be loaded. There is the default Dark theme known as the to the site and an alternative theme called Neon Blue theme. Obviously, the default dark theme will be the style that is always loaded unless you purposely select the Neon Blue theme. This theme will remain as your own theme to the site unless you delete your computer's cookies or you go back to the default theme yourself. The forum also has two selectable styles as well that operate similarly to the Style Switcher on the main portion of the site. to know how to change the forum's styles click here.
Underneath the jukebox along the right hand column of each page of the site there is a box containing a unique to select any Massive Attack album of your choice. By using the unique coverflow effect, one can browse through the albums using either the scrollwheel of a mouse or clicking and dragging the scoller bar along the bottom. When you have the album you wish to read more about, just click on it to be taken to its corresponding album info page. The albums on display cover not only Massive Attack's studio albums but also their soundtrack, compilation releases etc...
The black box along the right hand column has a rotating content function embedded into it, which refreshes itself every 10 seconds. This rotating content will typically bring up links to other pages of the site, which are related in some way to the one you are on at present. For instance, if your on the Song Info page for Teardrop, then the 'Related Page Links Box' will have links to the discography and videography sections for Teardrop. If you don't want to wait for the box to refresh its content, you can use the numbered and left/right buttons to page through it.
Type in any keyword or phrase into the search box along the left hand column of the site in order to perform a quick search. You may customize the search results somewhat by selecting how many search results to display per page in the drop-down box - 10, 20, 50 or 100.
Any type of monetary donation to the upkeep and maintenance of the site is very welcome. Even better than money though, would be anyone who can help me complete some of my collection listed in the wantlist. Please know, that the owner of MASSIVEATTACK.IE has no intention of making any real profit from the site, merely enough to pay for the running costs of the site on a yearly basis. The donation button at the bottom of the footer element on each page of the site allows you to make a Paypal payment to MASSIVEATTACK.IE's owner, Richard. You will need to setup a Paypal account beforehand, if you do not already have one. The donation system is linked to the MASSIVEATTACK.IE forum, so that if you make a payment as a registered member of the forum you will be entered into an exclusive usergroup on the forum known as Donator/V.I.P, so that everyone will know you donated to the site.
Commenting on content on the site:
You can leave comments on whatever page of the site you happen to be on, much like on a blog. To find the comment box, scroll to the bottom of the page. If there are more than 3/4 comments in the box you will need to use the embedded vertical scroll bar and move it down to find the form for commenting. You will need to enter a name to identify yourself and a CAPTCHA query to prevent spambots using the commenting system. There is no need to enter an email address, in order to make posting completely anymous.
Logging into the Forum from the Website:
The Logon box which is along the left hand column of each page of the site can be used to login to the MASSIVEATTACK.IE Forum from the website without actually going directly into the Forum. You can also view your forum avatar image, check your PM's and see if there are any new posts on the forum since your last login. Also by clicking on the 'Remember Me' tick-box before logging in, you will remain automatically logged onto the website for the next few days, or until you manually logoff or delete the cookies on your computer. Even without login into the forum you should always be able to see the topic names containing the last 5 posts to the forum along with links to those posts.
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