*~Frequently Asked Questions~*

Here are answers to questions I've been asked frequently, or I've seen asked on the Diva Digest (DUC's chat) often.  Some are about me, others are about DUC topics or site issues.  If you have a question that isn't here and you think it should be, please comment under this post and let me know. Thanks!  

:) tmck18


Q:  Do you work for DressUp Challenge?  If not, why did you create this blog?
A:  No, I'm not a DUC employee, I'm a member just like you!  I created and manage this blog for one simple reason: to help all DUC members experience the same joy and satisfaction I've found in designing something I absolutely love. 

Q:  Will you please accept my friend request on your tmck18 account?
A:  I'm sorry, but currently I do not accept friend requests on my tmck18 account unless I've already  become good friends with that person through chatting, or they are challenge accounts holding challenges I want to enter.  I already have too many friends to try to keep up with to add more.

Q:  I can't move items to or from my storage and closet.  What's the problem, and how can I fix it?
A:  Are you using Internet Explorer 9 when trying to move items? If so, that's your problem...it's a compatibility issue with IE9.  You can either go to the top of the page where your internet address is and click the icon that looks like a torn piece of paper (next to the magnifying glass and refresh icons) or you'll need to use another browser to move items, like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Both are free downloads, so just download one of them and use that browser when moving items. You can still use IE9 for designing and all other things on DUC.

Q:  My Fashionmaker isn't working!  It keeps telling me I've used 50 out of 50 possible designs, but I don't have that many!  And I thought the design limit was 100?
A:  This is another DUC bug.  You don't need to delete any designs if you have under 100.  Just send an email to DUC support at support@dressupchallenge.com and tell them your problem.  Remember to include your username, details about exactly what's happening, and any other information that may be helpful to DUC support, such as what browser you are using.

Q:  There weren't any new store items for quite awhile, only recycled old ones.  And now that the store closed and we're back to daily gifts, there's STILL no new items.  What's going on?
A:  In June 2011,  Miss Diva DressUp posted in the DUC newsletter that there would no longer be any new  items. She wasn't too specific about the why, but it's the general opinion that DUC employees seem to be stretched too thin at the moment to devote time to creating new items.  We've been told that only 8 people work for DUC, and it is not the only website they work on.  There are many DUC bugs that need to be dealt with, on top of the regular time it takes to keep a site like DUC running. With only 8 people, that's a lot to deal with without creating new items for the store.  Many DUC users, including me, hope that this decision will be reversed someday, but we just don't know.

Q.  Why am I not receiving the daily gift?
A:  In the January 31, 2012 News Update, Miss Diva told us this:
"Please note, we will be gifting all items previously in the store, so if you do not see a gift pop up, it means you already have it in your inventory."  

That's probably why you aren't receiving gifts.  However, if this is not the problem, then you are probably using Internet Explorer as your browser? Internet Explorer is having issues with the gifts.  To receive the gifts, you'll need to use another browser, like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Both are free downloads, so download one of them and use it to receive gifts. You can still use Internet Explorer for designing and all other things on DUC.

Q:  Why is there only one DressUp challenge per week now? There used to be two!
A:  In the same newsletter that Miss Diva DressUp announced that there would no longer be any new items created, she announced that the challenges were going down to one challenge per week, seemingly for the same reason...DUC employees are stretched too thin currently to devote the time.  This is also probably why Miss Diva DressUp is taking an "extended vacation" from Facebook and Twitter, though she continues to be in charge of posting the newsletter and challenge info.

Q:  I noticed a lot of members host their own challenges.  How do I enter?
A:  All members who host challenges have their own way of doing things, but typically what you do is first add the challenge host as a friend.  Then you create a link to the makeover you want to enter into the challenge, and then post it (and any other info the challenge host wants you to include) in the comments under the host's "challenge makeover."  A challenge makeover is an example makeover, and hosts usually post the details of the challenge in the comments underneath it, where they expect the challenge entries to be posted too.

Q:  Do you have a challenge account of your own?
A:  Yes, I do!  Please go HERE for details about my challenge account and the current challenge I'm hosting. 

Q:  How do I create a working link on DUC?  Whenever I try, the address either doesn't "light up" or it gets cut off!
A:  I have answered this question thoroughly in this blog post HERE.  However, here's a quick, summed-up version for more experienced computer users:  The address isn't lighting up because of a DUC bug.  Basically you remedy the problem by typing a character or word before and after the pasted address, usually on separate lines like this, or you can paste the address in between parenthesis:
(word)
(your link)
(word)
If your link is getting cut off, it means your address is too long for DUC.  There's a simple solution.  Just go to tinyURL here and follow the directions to create a shorter link. It's a free service.

Q: My design won't save! What do I do?
A:  First, try saving again, because sometimes too many people are trying to save designs at the same time, and yours won't save.  If trying again doesn't work, open a new window in your browser.  Go to DressUp Challenge in the new window (this starts a new session), and see if you're still signed on.  If not, sign on.  Now go back to the first window and try to save again. Sometimes, it will save in this new session.  If not, then nothing can be done...you need to re-create your design.

Q:  Are there any tips for getting a design to save the FIRST time?
A:  YES!

1. First, never start a design if you can't finish it before the DUC "day" is over.  At midnight in DUC's time zone (Eastern time), many people are often signed off the site automatically and they have to sign back in.  I've found that if I'm designing when DUC's day ends, I'm usually signed off without my knowledge, and find later that I can't save my design.  So don't start a design that you can't finish within the DUC "day."
2. Always check to see if you're still signed in BEFORE you try to save the first time.  Most often than not, it's a lot easier to save your design in a new session after being signed off IF you haven't tried saving it yet.  Don't ask me why, but it's finicky that way!  So before clicking that save button for the first time, open a new window in your browser to see if you're still signed on.  If not, sign back in, then go back to the first window and save.  Most likely, it will.
3. Try not to go backwards in the Fashionmaker tabs too much when you're designing (like more than 3 or 4 times).  I've often found that if I do, my design won't save.

Q:  Why are you against copying?  Isn't it flattering to have your designs copied?
A:  Fashion design, even only on a game like DUC, is a form of unique creative expression.  Many divas, including me, spend several hours on just one design in planning, revisions, and final versions.  To copy such hard work and claim it as your own is stealing, plain and simple.  Most divas are flattered when they inspire a design, but not when their designs are copied.

Q:  What's the difference between inspiration and copying?
A.  Examples of inspiration are color schemes, themes, or similar fashionmaker techniques to create your own unique designs.  Examples of copies are exact copies, or simply changing the color or a few details, but it pretty much looks the same.  Of course, there are designs from different divas that come out looking the same even though there was no copying involved if they simply used a default Fashionmaker clothing silhouette, a default pattern or a few of the same details/graphics.  In this case, no one is at fault.  But if a design is a free-style made shape (changing the shape of the garment with details) and/or has a lot of free-style detailing or graphic patterns, it's seldom accident if it turns out exactly the same as another member's. It's either an act of one member outright copying another member's design, or the two designers both copied the same design off the internet instead of creating something from their own imaginations.  In the latter case, no one can be upset about it, since the designs weren't theirs to begin with.  But in the former case where one member really did copy another member's unique design...well, that is stealing in my opinion.