Hogwarts Tower of Time FAQ

How often do you update?

I don't update too often because of school and life in general. I also can't update too often because this website's "staff" adds up to a grand total of... *drum roll* ...one. If you haven't already figured it out by the constant use of "I" and "me" around the site, I am the only person who works on this website and I like it that way (less pressure).

I update about every three months. See the status reports on my home page for any delays or expected updates. The last two school years (2003-2005) were my junior and senior year of high school, so I was very busy with my academic life. This website was on a hiatus during that time, with updates about every five or six months. I am entering college now, though, and might have more free time. (That seems illogical, but considering my high school... I probably will have more free time in college. Oi! It drove many a student mad, my high school.)

Where did you get all the stuff for your site?

To know that you must visit the credits page. If you don't find answers there, owl me.

Do you have a site map?

Yes, I do. It is here.

When did you start this site?

This website was founded August 2000 at Geocities.com. It started with very few pages and grew like weed the first summer. Unfortunately, Geocities gave me problems with its uploading, so I created a mirror site at Angelfire (around late February 2001), just in case. I moved the site entirely Fall 2001.

Do you write your own script?

Yes. I learned HTML and CSS a little before Goblet of Fire came out. I began constructing this webpage then. Since summer 2005, I also began updating the HTML to XHTML, which is neater for everyone. It's supposed to be more compatible with programs for people with disabilities. It's also supposed to replace HTML, although that probably won't happen for a long, long time.

Want to see how far I have come? I found an old version of my home page a few years ago, and I changed the filename so I wouldn't accidentally delete it. The evolution to a more professional looking site is very noticeable. You compare: Old vs. New

Why does the quality of writing vary so much?

I started this website when I was a pre-teen in middle school and I am now a high school graduate. The quality of my writing has changed dramatically and is evident, sometimes glaringly so, on my website. Some of the older pages have been edited or removed, but I have decided to leave others untouched. They will probably all be edited eventually. Be patient and please excuse the really bad stuff   writing mistakes you may find in the older pages.

You have broken/incorrect links. Fix it!

What! Where?! Er, I mean, Webmasters need to know where broken links are in their site to correct them. Please e-mail me with the page it was on and which link it is. It doesn't have to be a long e-mail.

Subject: Broken Link
The link for Wolf by Ears is wrong on your fanfic page (for the Marauder's generation page).
--[signed]

That would do fine. Of course, if you want to make me happy... I'd love to see this *grin*:

Subject: A Broken Link on Your Otherwise PERFECT Site
Hello Great One!
One of your minions foolishly left a link that goes nowhere from [fill in here] to [fill in here]. I am sure that you will fix this blemish on your amazing website and the Earth will begin to rotate for me again.
Your devoted visitor, [signed]

Of course, I have no minions — or anyone else to help me with this site — so it would be me who made the mistake, but you don't need to focus on that little detail.   ^_~

Your home page is very disorganized, black and white, and ugly-looking. (No offence.)

Oh bother. I know what that means. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is not working the way it should.

Try this:
• If your browser is very old, it might not support CSS. Think about updating.
• If your browser is not old, it might just not have CSS enabled.
  • Firefox: Go to View -> Page Style -> Basic Page Style
  • IE: Go to Tools -> Internet Options
    In the "General" tab, see if the "Use Windows Colors" box is checked under "Colors." Also, make sure that you aren't ignoring colors under "Accessibility." If you actually do need special accessibility for my website and something isn't working correctly, please send me a line and I will do what I can to help. Thanks you!
• If nothing works, then maybe it is me. Send me a line to let me know about the problem. Tell me your browser name and version (e.g. AOL 4.0), and your operating system (e.g. Windows XP Home) and I'll be grateful.

Loading time, speak about it.

Since February 2002, when I analyzed the Hogwarts Tower of Time on SiteSolutions.com, I have been trying to lessen the amount of time it takes the home page to load. I am also making a conscious effort to reduce the loading time of everything else. I know it is annoying to sit and wait for a site to load.

March 11, 2002: I have reduced the loading time on a 56kbs modem by 30 seconds since February 15, 2002. The page size has been reduced by approximately 100kbs. I'm so proud.

June 17, 2002: I have reduced the loading time on a 56kbs modem by 39 seconds since Feb. 15. The page size has been reduced by approximately 134kbs. Sitesolutions.com finally considers my loading time acceptable (green light!). I still need to reduce the page size by about 3kbs to go from yellow light (warning) to green light, though.

February 2003: Argh! I've actually undone some of my good work. I think it's the banner.

May 2003: There is progress again. Good, good.