To use a command, type "/" in the yappity yap line before the command. (i.e. "/ask" to ask a question).

• Allow: Use the "/allow" command to allow another user to follow or goto you. Example: "/allow blink182" allows blink182 to follow you. For more information on this, see AUTOFOLLOW.

• Ask: Use "/ask" to ask a question during a moderated event. Example: "/ask Who invented the Gay Twist?". This will only work in moderated auditoriums.

• Autofollow: Use "/autofollow" to allow or disallow users to follow you. You have three choices: "/autofollow ask", the default setting, causes you to be notified when another user attempts to follow you. You then have the option of allowing (see ALLOW) or disallowing (see DISALLOW) each request. Typing "/autofollow yes" automatically allows all user requests to follow you. Typing "/autofollow no" automatically disallows all user requests to follow you. You are not notified of any attempts while AUTOFOLLOW is set to yes or no.

• Buddy Add: Use "/buddy add" followed by the appropriate username to add a user's name your buddy list. A buddy list is a list of famous guys named Buddy (not really). When one of these users logs in to Skateboarding.com Yappity Yap room, you are notified with a text message. (Use "/buddy remove"followed by the username to take someone off of your buddy list.)

• Buddy List: Use "/buddy list" to find out which users currently are listed as your buddies.

• Buddy Onlist: Use "/buddy onlist" to find out which other users have you listed as a buddy.

• Disallow: Use "/disallow" to disallow another user to follow or goto you. See AUTOFOLLOW and FOLLOW for more information.

• Emote: Use "/emote" followed by a username to direct an emotion towards another user. Example: If your yappity yap username is Commissioner and you type "/emote bans droors69", everyone will see " Commissioner bans droors69." Shortcut: type a colon ( : ) instead of "/emote".

• Follow: To begin following another user, type "/follow" and the name of the user you wish to follow. Permission to follow another user may be allowed or disallowed (see AUTOFOLLOW, ALLOW and DISALLOW).

• Ignore: Use "/ignore add" followed by the appropriate username to add someone to the list of users you are ignoring. (Use "/ignore remove" followed by the username to remove someone from that list.) For example, "/ignore add Loudmouth". Use this command whenever someone is being a dick or saying something you'd rather not see.

• Ignore Add Movement: Use "/ignore add movement" to stop displaying all the "ENTERS" and "LEAVES" information that you see on the screen when someone enters or leaves a yappity yap room. To turn it on again, type "/ignore remove movement".

• Ignore List: Use "/ignore list" to see the list of users you have chosen to ignore.

• Look: Use "/look" to see a current room description and a list of users in the room with you.

• Stopfollow: The "/stopfollow" command serves two purposes: you can stop following a user, or you can stop another user from following you. Example: Type "/stopfollow Crazyfan".

Here are a few more advanced things you can do to your messages in Skateboaridng.com yappity yap. Please remember, however, you may be kicked off Skateboarding.com yappity yap if you abuse any of these options.

NOTE: These changes are NOT visible on the JAVA or HTML software. You must have the plugin software to actually see these effects.

To use these effects, simply type the following in the space where you normally type yappity yap:

• To Make Text Bold: Type <b> followed by the text. (Example: "<b>Are you ready to puke?"). End bold by typing </b>

• To Make Text Italic: Type <I> followed by the text. (Example: "<You can't really be reading this."). End italics by typing </I>

• To Make Text Underlined: Type <u> followed by the text. (Example: "<u> "). End underline by typing </u>

• To Express Yourself Without "Saying" Anything: type a ( : ) then type your text. (Example: ":does the Macarena")

• To "Think": Type /think followed by the text. (Example: "/think Anyone really reads all these instructions").

Emotions are a great way to yap without actually saying anything. Emotions allow you to express yourself, and tell other folks things like "BigDawg misses the wifebeater" instead of having to "say" everything. Emotions also can make you do stupid things, like spending money you could have used to buy a new set of wheels to by your woman some candy. But that's another topic.

• Where Is The Emotions List? Your emotion list appears as a column of words just to the right of the scrolling yappity yap. If you don't see it, follow the instructions below to display it.

• To Display Your Emotion List: If you're using the plugin (and who wouldn't), locate the black downward-pointing arrow in the upper left hand corner above the scrolling yappity yap window. Select "Options," then click "Show Emotions List."

• Using The Emotion List: It's easy -- simply double-click on an emotion and you'll see it appear in the scrolling yappity yap window in pink [hey, here's that stupid color again]. If you'd like to direct an emotion to another user, simply left-click once on the emotion, then click once on the user's name, then right-click and select the appropriate option. MAC USERS: Click once on an emotion, click twice on the user's name.

• Adding Emotions To Your List: You can always create your own by simply typing a ( : ) before the text you type when you're yappity yapting.

Here are some common abbreviations/shorthands you'll see yappity yapters use:

1.AKA Also known as
2.JFA Jody Foster's Army
3.BAK Back at keyboard
4.BIF Basis in fact
5.BRB Be right back
6.BTW By the way
7.CU See you
8.CUL See you later
9.FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
10.FWIW For what it's worth
11.FYA For your amusement
12.FYI For your information
13.GAYMFSC Go ask your mother for some cookies
14.GR&D; Grinning, running, and ducking
15.LGA Lord God Almighty
16.HHOS Ha ha, only serious
17.IAC In any case
18.IMO In my opinion
19.IMHS I make her scream
20.LYLETRTSA Like you're lame enough to read these stupid abbriviations
21.IMAO In my arrogant opinion
22.IOW In other words
23.LOL Laughing out loud
32.HWHTN24-31 Hey, what happened to numbers 24 through 31
33.ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing
34.RSN Real soon now
35.TIA Thanks in advance
36.TIC Tongue in cheek
37.[TM] Trademark
38.MMAF Make mine a 40
39.TYL Talk to you later
40.WB Welcome back
41.WTG Way to go
42.YMMV Your mileage may vary

If you're a total computer dork you might want to add some of these stupid little symbols called emoticons. Of course, if you do people will think you're a biatch and start hitting on you. You create the symbols by typing dashes, colons, semicolons, and a variety of other keystrokes that look like faces when you view them sideways. These are some of the most popular:

1.:) Smiling
2.:-) Smiling, with a nose
3.:.) Small-skewed-button-nosed smiley
4.:-> Ironic or devious smile
5.:-( Frowning
6.:-< Very sad
7.>:-( Upset or annoyed
8.:-D Laughing
9.:-o Shouting
10.:-O Shouting loudly
11.:-* Puckering for a kiss
12.( * ) Baring the brown eye
13. :----) Big nose
14.:-() Big mouth
15.;-) Winking
16.(*) (*) Jugs o' plenty
17.B-) Wearing cool shades
18.{ User is a gay waiter
19.C=:-) I'm a chef
20.@>--,--- A rose
21.xxooxxoo Love (or hugs) & kisses

• Shortcuts For Windows Users: Click the right-side button on your mouse when your cursor is over the user list to discover short cuts to using emotions, private messages, ignoring other users, and following other users.

• Try right-clicking on the scrolling yappity yap screen and you'll see options to Save To File (saves the yappity yap transcript), adjust the yappity yap font (bigger, smaller, etc.), turn on yappity yap monitor (which alerts you when yappity yap happens while the screen is minimized), and more. Also, right-click on the space where you type yappity yap to Add URL's to yappity yap (other users can actually click on the URL andit will show up in the top window), and paste text.

Skateboarding.com rarely sponsors skaters and skate company owners in auditorium events. An auditorium is a special yappity yap room where the audience attends an event to interact with a speaker. Audience members can submit questions to an event moderator, who passes questions along to the speaker.

To submit a question to the speaker in an auditorium event, click the ask button.

The Ask Button only appears when you're attending a moderated event. It brings up a dialog box, in which you type your question for the speaker(s).