The Mixing Bowl FAQ

Site information

What is this BitTorrent all about anyway? How do I get the files?

The idea behind BitTorrent is the SHARING of files and while you download you also upload. From this you get a sharing ratio and we ask that you stay seeding the file after you have downloaded it until you have at least a ratio of 1.

If you are new to BitTorrent then you will be advised to have a look at The BitTorrent FAQ which explains how BitTorrent works especially this section on the meaning of certain words. The BitTorrent Wiki is another very good site for information.

For a BitTorrent client we recommend using Azureus or uTorrent. Both clients keep track of all your torrents for you, making it easier to seed and maintain a decent ratio.

Where does the donated money go?

All donated money goes towards hosting the site.

How does the auto ban/warning system work?

Auto warnings

Every day we automatically issue warnings to any account who has downloaded 1.5gb and has a ratio of 0.3 or less. The account then has a warning flag issued recording the date and account statistics when the warning was issued. The following PM is send to the account by the system:

WARNING FROM ADMINS - READ OR BE BANNED... wrote:

 You are receiving this autowarning because you have a VERY poor ratio.
 This site is a community that requires all members to SHARE.
 Using bittorrent while you download you also upload.
 The easiest way to maintain your ratio is to stay seeding the file after you have 
 downloaded it until you have at least a ratio of 1.
 You now have 30 days to make a significant improvement on your ratio or you will be banned from the site.
 If your ratio gets worse you will be banned a lot sooner.
 Because you have to increase your ratio you should read idea's for how to do this here.
 If you have any questions AFTER READING THE FAQ and EXISTING help threads we have a 
 support forum you can ask for help in here.
 Good luck, we hope you are still with us in 30 days.

Auto bans

Every day we automatically ban any account which has been warned for over 30 days and whose ratio is still 0.3 or worse.

We also monitor the accounts currently flagged with a warning and will ban any one who is trying to download lots before the auto ban or whose ratio has gotten worse since the warning.

Other non-ratio related warnings can be issued by the admin team for abusive behaviour, persistent commercial uploads etc.

How does your RSS feed work?

Use the url : http://themixingbowl.org/rss.php?user=username&pass=password

Substitute your own username and password for the username and password above.

How can I contact an admin?

Use this link to send a question to the admin team, this will be answered by any available admin.

If you message an admin you see online directly you may not get a response especially if your question is already covered in the FAQ.

User information

I registered an account but did not receive the confirmation e-mail!

You can use this form to delete the account so you can re-register. Note though that if you didn't receive the email the first time it will probably not succeed the second time either so you should really try another email address.

I've lost my user name or password! Can you send it to me?

Please use this form to have the login details mailed back to you.

Can you rename my account?

We do not rename accounts. Please create a new one. (Use this form to delete your present account.)

Can you delete my (confirmed) account?

You can do it yourself by using this form.

So, what's MY ratio?

You can view your ratio by searching for your username in the Members page, clicking your name on your Profile page will also take you to your user details. Your ratio is displayed next to your forum posts as well.

It's important to distinguish between your overall ratio and the individual ratio on each torrent you may be seeding or leeching. The overall ratio takes into account the total uploaded and downloaded from your account since you joined the site. The individual ratio takes into account those values for each torrent.

You may see two symbols instead of a number: "Inf.", which is just an abbreviation for Infinity, and means that you have downloaded 0 bytes while uploading a non-zero amount (ul/dl becomes infinity); "---", which should be read as "non-available", and shows up when you have both downloaded and uploaded 0 bytes (ul/dl = 0/0 which is an indeterminate amount).

Why is my IP displayed on my details page?

Only you and the site moderators can view your IP address and email. Regular users do not see that information.

Help! I cannot login!? (a.k.a. Login of Death)

This problem sometimes occurs with MSIE. Close all Internet Explorer windows and open Internet Options in the control panel. Click the Delete Cookies button. You should now be able to login.

Why is my port number reported as "---"? (And why should I care?)

The tracker has determined that you are firewalled or NATed and cannot accept incoming connections. This means that other peers in the swarm will be unable to connect to you, only you to them. Even worse, if two peers are both in this state they will not be able to connect at all. This has obviously a detrimental effect on the overall speed.

The way to solve the problem involves opening the ports used for incoming connections (the same range you defined in your client) on the firewall and/or configuring your NAT server to use a basic form of NAT for that range instead of NAPT (the actual process differs widely between different router models. Check your router documentation and/or support forum. You will also find lots of information on the subject at PortForward).

Uploading

Why can't I upload torrents?

Only specially authorized users (Uploaders) have permission to upload torrents.

What criteria must I meet before I can join the Uploader team?

Any member can become an uploader. In order to join the uploader group you must post in this thread to signify that you've read the rules about what kind of torrents are allowed (no commercial releases!).

Once you've done this an admin will add you to the uploaders group. This is a manual process so please allow a few days for this to happen. You will be sent a PM to confirm when your account has been upgraded.

General Uploaders Etiquette [Uploading Guidelines]

There are over 2,000 members here with uploading privelidges. You are not more important than anyone else.
There are over 10,000 torrents in the database. Your upload is not more important than any other.
Don't immediately upload lots of torrents after becoming an uploader; you will likely mess things up and create a mess.
Only upload 2 torrents at a time. Wait until they are well seeded by a few other people before you move onto more.
Name your torrent and folder to be uploaded according the the guidelines.

The correct way to attract more downloaders on your torrent is to:

Name/Title your upload clearly & according to our guidelines.
Provide a good description including your method of capture if you are uploading a radio show or live set.
If you are uploading a cd learn how to rip with EAC and encode it correctly with the lame setting '-V 2 --vbr-new'.
Include a Tracklist if at all possible (you can often find them by searching google).
Use sensible names for the folder and files to be uploaded.
If possible include a .cue sheet.
Seed it until there are a few other seeders.

Common mistakes made by new uploaders include:

SHOUTING IN YOUR TITLES.
@@>>!!??# or other useless characters in your title (aka ebay idiot syndrome).
Useless folder title (always include the artist name, mix title and date if it is a radio show or live dj set).
Useless info in the title, e.g. (OMG GREAT MIX!)
Including your username in the title, filename or main file tags (comment tag is ok)
CDs ripped with mediaplayer/itunes or other non gapless compliant applications.
Uploading a single mp3 instead of uploading inside a clearly named folder.
Uploading a mix then not seeding for a day (wait to upload if you can't seed for some time).
If you have 2 parts put them in a folder and upload as one, DO NOT upload 2 separate torrents
Forgetting to include the site .nfo file.
Incorrect choice of category or genre.

IMPORTANT:

If you have made any of these mistakes and an admin notices it they will ban (remove) your torrent. If any other member thinks your torrent hasn't followed the uploading guidlines they can report it (which will bring it to the attention of the admin team). If you have already had uploads banned the admin may revoke your uploading privileges. It will be harder for you to regain your uploader status as you will have to demonstrate an understanding of the guidelines and a willingness to follow them.
If you have made these mistakes on any of your uploads don't panic. You can edit your own torrent including any of the details, you can also delete your own torrent. You should only delete your torrent if it can't be edited for example when you didn't upload inside a folder or had a useless filename, in this case you will need to make the corrections and upload again. To edit or delete a torrent view the torrent details (not the forum topic) and click [Edit this torrent].
If you see a torrent you feel isn't up to scratch you should report it using the link provided in the forum thread You could tell the uploader in the thread if it is something easily fixable, like incorrect genre or category, but don't start any flaming with abusive comments!

FAQ

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