Help

1. What is a message board?

   It's a place where people can swap messages, share ideas, make friends and have conversations. You leave a message on the board and then someone else replies to it. They are sometimes called 'bulletin boards', 'notice boards' or 'forums'.

2. How do messageboards and instant messaging differ?

   When people use chatrooms and instant messenger services messages come up as they type them. Messageboards are different. One person leaves a message and a while later, someone else replies to it. If you leave a message on the CBBC boards, it is looked at by a helper and, if it is OK, it appears on the boards for other people to reply to.

3. What can I do on the CBBC messageboards?

   There are loads of things to do on the CBBC messageboards: you can talk about your favourite programmes, make friends, leave messages for your favourite stars and talk about your hobbies. We have messageboards with a number of different themes; click on the one that interests you the most. The newest messages are at the top, if you want to see more messages you can click the "Previous" or "Next" buttons.

4. Do I have to sign up to post?

   You have to 'sign in' before you can write a message. The very first time you use the messageboard, you will have to register for a BBC iD account.

5. What is a BBC iD account?

   A BBC iD account is an account which you can use to sign in to everything on CBBC. You'll need to create a username and password which you use to log in with! You'll also choose a CBBC Screen Name which is what you'll be known as on the messageboards. You can find out more about BBC iD accounts here.

6. Can I read messages without a BBC iD account?

   Yes. You can start reading messages straight away!

7. How do I register for a BBC iD account?

   To get a BBC iD account, all you have to do is click on the blue "sign in" box on the messageboards (or any other area of the CBBC website that users need to sign in for) and then press "register" and follow the instructions. For more information on how to register for a BBC iD, visit the FAQ section.

8. How do I sign in?

   It's easy - just click on 'Sign in', type your username and password in, then click the "Sign in" button underneath!

9. How do I leave a message?

   After you've signed in, you can click on either 'Reply to this message' to reply to another message or choose "Start a new discussion" to begin your own discussion.

10. Can I check my message before I post?

    Once you've written your message you can click preview to see how it will appear on the messageboards. When you're happy with your message click "Post message", it'll be looked at by a helper and then posted on the messageboard.

11. Why hasn't my message appeared yet?

    We read every message before it appears on the messageboard. As we get tons of messages a day, it may take a little while before your message goes up on the board. If the messageboard is closed your message will be published when it is next open (the boards are open between 9am and 9pm everyday). If your message contains breaks the house rules it won't be posted.

12. At what time do the messageboards open and close?

    The messageboards are open between 9am and 8pm every day of the week. We do sometimes close the boards for Christmas and other holidays.

13. The message boards are not working properly

    If you think the messageboards are not working as they should then contact us.

14. Why didn't my message go up?

    If your message breaks the House Rules, we won't be able to put it up on the messageboard. If your message hasn't appeared after 24 hours and you want to know why your message has not been posted then contact us.

15. What if my password won't work or I've forgotten it?

    If your password doesn't work it might be because the computer is being fussy about capital letters and lower case letters. If you've tried all possible combinations of password username and it's still not working or if you've forgotten your password then it may be possible to reset your password if you entered an email address when you signed up for an iD account. Details on how to do this can be found here. If you didn't enter an email address when you signed up for an iD account then we're sorry but you'll have to register again as we can't give out passwords for security reasons.

16. What if I forget my login name?

    We're sorry to hear you've forgotten your login name. Although it's annoying, we cannot send out people's logins for safety reasons.You'll need to re-register as a new user. Unfortunately this will mean you will have a new CBBC Screen Name and will have to post messages under your new name. To stop it happening again, why not write your password and your log in name down on two different pieces of paper and keep them in separate, secret places that only you know about?

17. What are the rules?

    You can read the full set of rules for the CBBC messageboards here. If your message hasn't appeared after 24 hours and you want to know why your message has not been posted then contact us.

18. How do I stay safe online?

    The Internet is a fun place to be, as long as you remember some simple rules. Never give anyone your full name, address, or phone number on the Internet. When talking to people on the web, you can't really be sure if they are who they say they are. They may be younger or older than they say. So never arrange to meet anyone for the first time via a messageboard or chat session. Find out more here. If you feel threatened or are worried about a situation online then contact us.

19. What do you do with my messages?

    For your safety we have to keep a copy of all messages including its content, log in name, times and dates. This will only ever be used if there is a complaint against someone.

20. What is a fastmod?

    Everything you post on the boards is read by our Helpers, and normally there's a bit of a delay before your message is shown. But in a fast mod, your messages will be read and posted almost immediately. So instead of having to wait a while for a reply, you can have a faster conversation. Hitting the F5 key is the quickest way to see any new messages.

21. What is a webchat?

    Sometimes we get special guests coming into CBBC to answer your questions. They might be pop singers or actors, your favourite CBBC stars or just really interesting people. A few days before the chat, a Helper will put up a thread where you can post your questions. Then at the time and date given, the special guest will answer the best ones live on the message boards. You can use F5 to refresh the page and see the chat as it happens.

22. Who writes the Sadie J blog?

    The fab blog of Sadie J is written by the Sadie J team; the same people who write the show. The blog is not written by Georgia who plays Sadie J in the show. Thanks for enjoying the show and blog!

23. How do I Email the messageboard team?

    If you need to email us click: here. Please read this page first, though, as this will be much quicker for you and most questions are answered here.

The CBBC Messageboards are open 2pm-8pm on school days and 9am-8pm on weekends and holidays.

Posts are pre-moderated and must follow the House Rules.