Frequently Asked Questions
Using the site
- What is there to look at on A History of the World?
- What do the navigation buttons do?
- How can I search for an object?
- Where can I find the 100 British Museum objects?
- Where can I find an alphabetical index of all the objects?
Adding objects
- What kind of objects can I add to A History of the World?
- Can I add an object that I don't own?
- Can I add my favourite painting or other work of art?
- Can I add content that I haven't written myself?
- Can I add a photo taken by someone else?
- What about copyright for my work?
- How does my object appear on the site?
- How do I add an object?
- Do I need to know how to build a webpage?
- Can I use HTML?
- I added an object but I can't see it. Why?
- Can I link to other objects?
Comments
- What are comments?
- How do I post a comment?
- Can I edit my comments?
- Can I mark up my comment?
- Can I add links?
- Where is my comment?
- Why was my comment removed?
- Who checks the comments?
- What type of moderation is it?
Registration
- Why should I register?
- What will you do with my personal details?
- Will you show my email address?
- What is A History of the World's policy on privacy?
- What are your Terms and Conditions?
- How do I register?
- How do I sign in after I've registered?
- What if I want to use a different computer?
- I've registered on this computer, but it's not recognising me. Why?
- How do I change my password?
- I've forgotten my password. How can I retrieve it?
- I've forgotten my username. Can you help me?
- How do I change my email address?
- How do I cancel my account?
Profiles
- What is My Profile?
- What can I edit in My Profile?
- What are My Comments?
- Is my name on the site unique?
- Why are some contributors marked as museums?
Moderation
- What is moderation and how does it work?
- How does the complaints button work?
- I can't post defamatory material. What does defamatory mean?
- My post has been failed. Why?
- What happens to content that breaks the House Rules?
- What happens to swear words?
- What happens to non-English content?
- What if I disagree with a moderator's decision?
- What is pre-moderation?
- Are names moderated?
The Relic Challenge
- How do I register my school?
- Where can we find our school's objects once we have uploaded?
- Will you send me the certificate?
- How many objects can I upload?
- When does The Relic Challenge end?
Using the site
What is there to look at on A History of the World?
There are objects on the site from the British Museum, museums from all over the UK and individuals who have uploaded their own objects.
Here are a few things you can do:
Find objects in the ExplorerGo to the Explorer on the homepage and use the buttons on the left to group objects together by theme, colour, culture, etc. Then use the timeline on the right to zoom through the objects. Click on anything that catches your eye to find out more about that object.
Comment on an objectYou can have your say, or ask a question, about any object by using the comments thread at the bottom of each object page.
Look at contributors' collectionsClick on the name of a contributor on any object page and you can see what else they have added to the site.
Visit the blogFind out all the latest news and features about A History of the World on our blog. The blog will also be highlighting some of the more interesting objects added to the collection.
Add your objectDon't forget to add your own object to the site. Just take a photo of something you own that you think tells us about a time, a place or a community. What part does your object play in a history of the world?
What do the navigation buttons do?
We hope they're pretty obvious, but here is a quick guide to the areas of the site:
ExplorerClicking on the Explorer or the logo in the top-left hand corner of the screen will always take you to the homepage where you can start your journey through the collection.
ProgrammesThis page will let you listen to the most recent programmes on iPlayer and lets you know which programmes are coming up.
In Your AreaHere you can find links to your local BBC site on which you can find a selection of the objects added to the site by museums and individuals in your area.
BlogThe blog will be bringing all the latest news about A History of the World from around the country and highlighting some of the more interesting objects added to the collection.
LearningFind out about how your school can get involved with the project, includes lesson plans and museum adventure packs.
ShareLet your friends know about A History of the World with our Facebook page or badges and widgets for your own website.
AboutExplains the aims of A History of the World project and sets out the house rules for adding your objects.
My ProfileCollects all the objects you have added to the site and lets you edit them.
Make History - Add Your ObjectClick on this button to add your object to the website. Read the rules about taking part.
How can I search for an object?
There is no search on A History of the World. The site is designed for you to browse by theme, colour, period, culture, etc.
Go to the explorer on the homepage and click on the buttons on the left to group objects together.
Where can I find the 100 British Museum objects?
There is a link to a list of the 100 objects on the homepage in the box headed "A History of the World in 100 Objects". To see that list of the 100 objects from the Radio 4 series in the order in which they were broadcast click here.
Where can I find an alphabetical index of objects?
There is no alphabetical index on the website. Some enterprising developer might build one elsewhere, but we haven't seen it yet.
Adding objects
What kind of objects can I add to A History of the World?
We are looking for objects that you own that tell the history of people and places and their place in world history. See our house rules for a full list of rules for objects on the site.
Can I add an object that I don't own?
No. One of the rules for A History of the World is that you have to own any object you add to the site. We want it to be a museum of your objects not just a list of the best historical objects in museums.
Can I add my favourite painting or other work of art?
It is probably best not to add any works of art to site. A History of the World isn't meant to be about the history of art we are interested in the objects that people have worn, worked with or used. There is also the problem of copyright. Most people only own reproductions of their favourite paintings or other works of art, so you don't have the right to take a photo of it and put it on a website. But even if you own the original it doesn't mean that you own the copyright to reproduce it; that right may still remain with the artist or their family. A similar problem exists with books. Overall it's best not to add any works of art to the site.
Can I add content that I haven't written myself?
You should avoid using large chunks of other people's work, but short quotations can be used to illustrate any points you make.
Can I add a photo taken by someone else?
Only if you have their permission. So if you are adding an object to the site, it's best to take a photo of your object and not use a photo you have found on the internet. So, for example, if you are adding a coin to the site you need to take a photo of your coin not use a photo of a similar coin on another website. You have to own any object that you add to A History of the World, and taking a photo of your object is one of the ways that you can show this.
What about copyright for my work?
There is a copyright section in the BBC's Terms and Conditions that covers all its websites. Essentially, you retain copyright over anything you submit and can use it on other sites, but by putting it on A History of the World you give the BBC permission to use the material, free of charge, in any way it wants for BBC services in any media worldwide.
How does my object appear on the site?
A History of the World is made up of objects added to the website by museums, individuals and the British Museum. Anyone over the age of 16 can add an object and each object gets its own page on the site.
Every object page has a photo, a short description and some biographical information, such as how old it is and where it was made.
How do I add an object?
Add a new object by clicking on the yellow 'Make histoy - add an object' button in the top right of any page. This will take you to our Add your object page.
On the 'Add your object' page you are asked to give the name of your object, add a photo of it and write a short description. You are also asked for some more details such as what the object is made of, its size and colour. Fill in what you can and then click submit.
Do I need to know how to build a webpage?
No. Our uploader means you just need to type a bit of text and tick some boxes.
Can I use HTML?
No. The text boxes on the uploader will not accept HTML or any other mark-up language.
I added an object but I can't see it. Why?
All objects are moderated before they go on the site. If you have an email address on your BBC ID account then you will receive an email telling you when your object is on the site.
We hope that objects will appear on the site on the same day as you submit them, but if we are really busy then it might be a little longer.
Can I link to other objects?
All the objects that you add will be linked together on your profile page. Your object will also be linked to other objects in the same catagories.
If you indicated that your object was Roman, it will be grouped with other Roman objects on the homepage. Just click on the 'Roman' button to the right of the photo to see your object with the other Roman objects on the site.
You can change your object's catagories by clicking edit in My Profile.
Comments
What are comments?
There is a space for comments at the bottom of every object page on the website. Anyone can add a comment to the page. You can post a comment to make a point to about the object or to ask a question about it.
How do I post a comment?
It's easy. Find the page for object you want to comment on and scroll down to the bottom.
If you are signed in then you can simply type into the textbox under the heading 'Post a comment'. (If you have not commented before you may first have to click on a link marked 'Click here to accept terms'.)
If you are not signed in just click on the link that says 'Click here to log in'. Type in your username and password and click sign in. (If you have not added an email to your BBC ID account then you will be asked for one here.) You will then return to the object page and be able to start typing your comment.
Can I edit my comments?
No. Once you've posted a comment you can't change it. Make sure that you check eerything you write. Any spelling mistakes will be there permanently. We suggest you read it through twice before you hit post.
Can I mark up my comment?
Comments are plain text only. Tags like bold won't work and neither will smileys.
Can I add links?
You can add links but as the comments are plain text they will not become hyperlinks - which means that people will not be able to click on them.
I want to publicise a conversation so that other people join in. How can I do that?
You could comment on other conversations yourself and leave a link to the object page with your conversation on.
You could let us know. Objects with interesting comments on them are more likely to appear on our homepage.
You could also post links in your social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Bebo or MySpace, or in other conversations you are having around the web.
Where is my comment?
There are a number of reasons why a comment might not appear on the board after it has been posted.
If your comment breaks the House Rules it will be removed by a moderator. There will be a message on the page saying your comment has been removed and you will be sent an email telling you why this has happened.
Your comment may still be working its way through the system. If you haven't posted before, your first comments will have to be approved before they can go up. If so, please be patient - your comment will appear in time.
If you have made comments before but your comments are now not appearing, you may have had your account put into pre-moderation. This is a disciplinary action taken as a result of repeatedly breaking the House Rules. In this case, while others may be able to post comment straight away, every message you submit will be checked before it appears. If this is the case, this will continue until the disciplinary period is over.
To check the status of your account, please contact the communities team.
Why was my comment removed?
Comments are removed if they are failed by a moderator, or if a complaint about a message is upheld. This will only happen if the comment breaks our House Rules.
Comments which quote all or part of deleted comments may also be removed.
If one of your comments is removed you will be sent an email explaining why. If you feel a comment has been removed unjustly, please reply to that email.
Anyone who regularly breaks the House Rules may:
- Have their account pre-moderated
- Be banned from the website
All contributions are subject to standard BBC Terms of Use.
Who checks the comments?
Comments on the site are checked by a team of trained moderators. They are employed by the BBC to make our community sites safe and enjoyable places to be.
A moderator's job is to remove messages which break our House Rules. Comments will not be removed for any other reason. Moderators do not post messages on the boards.
What type of moderation is it?
Comments on A History of the World website are being reactively moderated. This means that the moderators do not read all the comments. However, when we are alerted to a comment that may break the rules it is checked as soon as possible.
BBC community areas are checked or 'moderated' in three different ways:
- Pre-moderation - every single message is checked before it appears on the board. All of the BBC's children's message boards are supervised in this way.
- Post-moderation - all messages appear on the board first and are checked afterwards. Most BBC message boards are supervised in this way.
- Reactive moderation - messages are only checked if a complaint is made about them. This approach is only used on boards for adults.
Sometimes a page on A History of the World will be placed in pre- or post-moderation if we feel that it is necessary.
Registration
Why should I register?
Signing up to BBC iD is completely free and lets you write comments and add your own object to the website.
What will you do with my personal details?
Your personal details on A History of the World are covered by the same privacy statement as all of the BBC's websites. You can read the BBC's privacy statement for more details.
Will you show my email address?
No. Your email address will not be shown anywhere on A History of the World or any other BBC site.
What is A History of the World's policy on privacy?
It's important to us that you know your personal information is safe. To ensure that you know exactly where we stand on the subject take a look at the BBC's Privacy Policy, which covers all sites across bbc.co.uk.
What are your Terms and Conditions?
A History of the World follows the Terms and Conditions for all BBC websites, plus the extra conditions for adding an object in our house rules. Everyone agrees to these terms on registration. Everyone also agrees to the House Rules.
How do I register?
You'll find a 'Register' link in the top right corner of every page of A History of the World. Click on this and you'll be taken to a page that helps you set up a BBC iD account, and to accept our Terms and Conditions.
Next you'll be transferred to a welcome page, which explains what you can do on the A History of the World website.
If you're using a computer on which someone else is already registered and you want to register under a different account, then click on the 'Sign out' link in the top right corner of any page and the 'Register' link will re-appear.
How do I sign in after I've registered?
If you ticked the 'Always remember me on this computer' button when registering, then your browser should sign you in automatically whenever you visit the site and your BBC iD name should be shown in the top right of the page.
If you're having problems getting your browser to remember who you are, then your browser might be refusing cookies - you can find out how to get round this below.
If, however, you left the 'Always remember me on this computer' button unticked when registering, then your browser will not remember your details between visits. In this case, you need to click on the 'Sign in' link in the top right corner of any page to login. Just enter your BBC username and password for your account.
What if I want to use a different computer?
If you want to use a different computer, you just need to click on the 'Sign in' link in the top right corner of any page to login. Just enter your BBC username and password for your account.
Note: if you don't want the browser to remember who you are between visits - for example, if you're using someone else's computer or you're in an Internet café - then don't tick the 'Always remember me on this computer' button, and close the browser window (or click on the 'Sign out' link) when you have finished.
I've registered on this computer, but it's not recognising me. Why?
There are a number of possibilities here. If you have re-installed your operating system or your browser, or you are using a different browser to normal, then your cookie will no longer work. Don't worry; you can log in by clicking on the 'Sign in' link in the top right corner of any page.
If this doesn't work, then it is possible that your browser does not support cookies, in which case we strongly suggest you upgrade to a version that does. You might also like to check that you haven't turned support for cookies off - check your browser's preferences.
How do I change my password?
You can change the password for your BBC iD by clicking on the 'Settings' link in the top righthand corner when you are signed in. You can find out more in the BBC iD help section.
I've forgotten my password. How can I retrieve it?
We do not have access to passwords but if you have forgotten your password you can have reset and the new one emailed to you. The new password will be sent to the email address you gave us when you set up your account.
Find out more about resetting your password in the BBC iD help section.
I've forgotten my username. Can you help me?
We do not have access to usernames but if you have forgotten your username you can have it emailed to you. Your username will be sent to the email address you gave us when you set up your account.
Find out more about recovering your username in the BBC iD help section.
How do I change my email address?
You can change the email address in your BBC iD by clicking on the 'Settings' link in the top righthand corner when you are signed in. You can find out more in the BBC iD help section.
How do I cancel my account?
You can delete your BBC iD by clicking on the 'Settings' link in the top righthand corner when you are signed in. You can find out more in the BBC iD help section.
Important: Once you have deleted your BBC iD account, all your personal information will be deleted from our database but objects and comments you have added to A History of the World will NOT be removed.
Please read BBC Terms of Use for more about this.
Profile
What is My Profile?
Your profile has photos and links to all of the objects you have added to the website. You must be signed in to see your objects. If you click on the link without being signed in you will be asked for your username and password.
Each object page on the website shows the name of the contributor. Other people can see the objects added by you when they click on your name.
What can I edit in My Profile?
You can edit the details of any of your objects. Just click on the edit link next to the object.
What are My Comments?
This section displays details of the comments you have made on the site.
Is my name on the site unique?
Currently names on BBC ID accounts do not have to be unique (unlike usernames, for signing in, which do). If you have a common name you might like to add an initial, or make another change, to avoid the confusion of contributions from two people with the same name.
Why are some contributors marked as museums?
Museums from all over the UK are adding objects to A History of the World. A small icon appears next to their name to indicate they are a museum. If you are adding an object on behalf of a museum and would like to have the icon added to your profile, please contact us.
Moderation
What is moderation and how does it work?
Moderation is the process by which we check the contributions to the site. A History of the World is moderated in two ways. All objects submitted to the site are pre-moderated, which means they are checked before they appear on the site. As a result, there is a short wait between submitting an object and it appearing on the site.
The comments on the website are reactively moderated, which means that not every comment is checked. Instead we rely on the site community to alert us to any content that breaks the House Rules via the complaints system. The moderators will follow up all complaints and act accordingly.
As with all BBC websites, A History of the World doesn't publish material that is unlawful, obscene, racist, homophobic or other types of material that break the house rules. Any content that breaks the house rules may be removed.
How does the complaints button work?
If you see something on a page that you think breaks the house rules, then you should click on the flag to complain about it.
Complaining doesn't remove the content, all it does is flag the content for the attention of the moderators. A moderator will then take a decision about the content and, if it breaks the house rules, it will be removed.
I can't post defamatory material. What does defamatory mean?
Defamation is the legal term that covers both slander and libel. Slander is defamation by word of mouth, and libel is defamation in written form. A statement about an individual or organisation is deemed to be defamatory if it harms their reputation by:
- Exposing the individual or organisation to hatred, ridicule or contempt;
- Causing the individual or organisation to be shunned or avoided;
- Lowering the individual or organisation in the estimation of right-thinking members of society; or
- Disparaging the individual in their office, profession or trade or the organisation's office, profession or trade
Comments that fall under these headings can be removed from the site by the moderators. For more information, the BBC's H2G2 site has a good guide to defamation and how to avoid it.
My post has been failed. Why?
If your post has failed then it must have broken the house rules. Maybe you included personal details, such as an email address, or an unsuitable or broken web address. If you have submitted an object you are welcome to edit it and submit it again. You can do this by going to My profile and clicking on the 'Edit' link next to the object. If you made a comment then you cannot edit it and will have to try again with a new comment.
What happens to content that breaks the House Rules?
For every piece of content that has been flagged as potentially breaking the House Rules, the moderators will do one of the following:
Pass it - If your content is passed, you won't notice a thing. The comment or object will remain on the site.
Fail it - If your content is failed for breaking one of the house rules, it will be hidden from view. For comments, this means the comment will be hidden forever and replaced by a message saying it has been removed. Object pages that fail moderation are also hidden, but the contributor may chose to edit the object description and resubmit it. You can do this by going to My profile and clicking on the 'Edit' link next to the object.
If you have a piece of content failed by a moderator, you will be emailed with the details of why that content was failed.
Refer it - If the moderator is unsure about whether the content should be passed or failed, they can placeit in a queue to wait for a decision by the A History of the World team. Referred content will be hidden until a decision is made. This is necessary as the A History of the World team are not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It doesn't mean that your content will be permenantly removed, as the team may decide to pass it.
Edit it - In some very specific cases the moderators will edit comments to fit the house rules. Comments will only be edited by Moderators in the following, very strict circumstances.
Personal addresses, telephone numbers and specific contact details will be removed.
Unsuitable or broken URLs will be removed. We edit out the link rather than fail the content because we cannot edit content and put it back up, and it's not fair to fail an entire comment just because of an unsuitable URL or broken link. However, content which consist of nothing but unsuitable URLs will simply be failed.
What happens to swear words?
The BBC doesn't allow swearing in comments on its websites. Content submitted to A History of the World with anything more than minor swear words will be failed by the moderators.
Should you write something containing a profanity, the comment will not be added to the site. Instead, a warning will appear saying that the post has been blocked as it contains a word which other users may find offensive.
What happens to non-English content?
As the moderators' first language is English, they cannot necessarily understand content that is not in English, and so won't know whether or not it breaks the house rules. For that reason all comments and descriptions on the site must be written in English. Any comments written in another language will be removed from the site.
What if I disagree with a moderator's decision?
You should reply to the moderation email you receive. If you have not set up a valid email address in your BBC ID (click on the 'Sign in' or 'Settings' in the top right of the page) then you should do so straight away, or you won't receive moderation emails.
What is pre-moderation?
If a contributor breaks the House Rules seriously enough for the A History of the World team to be considering a suspension of their account, they may put that user account into 'pre-moderation' instead of suspending them.
This means that everything they contribute to the site, including comments, has to be approved by a moderator before it appears on site. A message will be displayed instead of their comment until a decision on that content it made.
In exceptional circumstances, it is also possible to put a particular page, or even the entire A History of the World site, into pre-moderation, so that every comment is checked before it appears. This would only be used if it seemed that the site was being targetted by an organised campaign to disrupt it.
Are names moderated?
The name attached to a BBC ID account can be moderated. Please don't try to impersonate others, including other community members or public figures.
Choosing an inappropriate name (one that is vulgar, likely to cause offence, etc.) is also not allowed. If you do pick a name that isn't acceptable, it will be changed back to the default username.
THE RELIC CHALLENGE
How do I register my school?
In order to upload an object, teachers must register their schools for a BBC ID account. Details of how to register can be found on the following website: https://id.bbc.co.uk/users/register
When registering, the USERNAME is used to sign into the site and can be an abbreviation of the school's name. The DISPLAY NAME (on the second registration page) should be the full title of the school and location - e.g.
USERNAME: stmarysswindon
DISPLAY NAME: St Marys Primary - Swindon
The name of the school (which will be shown on the site) and the email address of the teacher (or another school email address) must be given as part of the BBC ID registration. This is the email that the BBC radio producers will use if they want to contact you.
Please note: If you do not use the school's name when registering, we cannot include your objects in the selection process for any radio features and your objects will not be passed onto the production team for consideration.
Once registration is complete take a picture of your object and then click on the Add Your Object button - you'll find this in the top banner of every page on the site. Find detailed instructions in the uploading guide.
Where can we find our objects once we have uploaded?
The objects you upload will be grouped on your own 'profile page'. This is created when you register on the site. Each object uploaded will have its own page on the website that all visitors to the site can see. The AHOW homepage will feature a schools section and promote a different school each day.
Will you send me the certificate?
No, you will be sent a link to a PDF of the certificate in an email that will be sent to you when your object has been approved on the site. You can print out a copy for the class or individual copies for each student.
How many objects can I upload?
Up to five objects can be uploaded per school. If a school enters more than five objects, only the first five objects entered will be considered.
When does The Relic Challenge end?
The Relic Challenge will close on 15th November 2010.
For more FAQs on the Relic Challenge and lesson plans, see the BBC Schools Relic Challenge website.
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