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Ask Mike/The Forum Message Board/Official Website

  1. Why can't I post questions in the "Ask Mike" section? When will the “Ask Mike” section be re-opened? faq id: 199
  2. Who is Mike Portnoy? faq id: 226
  3. Is the Forum member “Portnoy” really Mike himself? faq id: 227
  4. Who is DaveH? faq id: 228
  5. Who is Weymolith? faq id: 229
  6. What is a Weymolith? faq id: 230
  7. Who is mabrown? faq id: 231
  8. Who is SamIAm? faq id: 232
  9. Who is Petrus J. Fabrunackle? faq id: 233
  10. Why should I listen to and respect the moderators?
    Does Mike Portnoy pay for this website himself?     faq id: 234
  11. Why did my question get deleted from the “Ask Mike” section faq id: 235
  12. Why did my thread get closed? faq id: 236
  13. What does “ERT” mean? What does “HOORJ” mean? faq id: 237
  14. What does “sules” mean? faq id: 238
  15. Are there rules for using the Live Chat Room? faq id: 239
  16. What are chat room "Ops"? (Users with @ or Spider symbol next to their nick) faq id: 240
  17. Who is @DrumBot? faq id: 241
  18. What is a "nick"? faq id: 242
  19. Why doesn’t the admin create a separate area on the message board for music and for general discussion? faq id: 243
  20. What other websites provide lots of information regarding Dream Theater, it’s individual members and their side projects? faq id: 244
  21. When did mikeportnoy.com start, specifically the message board? faq id: 245
  22. How did this website come about? How was Mike approached about it? faq id: 246
  23. Who can I contact with problems I’m having with Mike’s online store? (I don’t have a credit card. OR I live in a country that’s not listed on the order form) faq id: 248
  24. Any plans to grow MP4 Productions into the next Miramax? faq id: 249
  25. Current Forum smiley codes. faq id: 502

Questions and Answers

  1. Why can't I post questions in the "Ask Mike" section? When will the “Ask Mike” section be re-opened? faq id: 199
    Answer: The "Ask Mike" section is currently close. It will be re-opened when Mike feels that he has the time and energy to answer the fan’s questions.

  2. Who is Mike Portnoy? faq id: 226
    Answer: To really answer that, please go to his biography here.

  3. Is the Forum member “Portnoy” really Mike himself? faq id: 227
    Answer: Yes.

  4. Who is DaveH? faq id: 228
    Answer: DaveH AKA Dave Hatlee is the original creator (in cooperation with Mike) and webmaster of www.mikeportnoy.com. These days, he is just another Forum member.

  5. Who is Weymolith? faq id: 229

    Answer: Weymolith AKA Rai Beardsley is the primary moderator of the Forum. His main function in regard to the site is to enforce the Forum rules. Rai has been keeping the peace in the Forum since July of 2000... It's a wonder he hasn't ripped his hair out.



  6. What is a Weymolith? faq id: 230
    Answer: It’s a protective spirit that watches over council meetings. (an Indian myth)

  7. Who is mabrown? faq id: 231
    Answer: mabrown AKA Mike Brown is the current webmaster of www.mikeportnoy.com. He oversees everything going on with the website, and provides the news updates, site maintenance and hosting services.

  8. Who is SamIAm? faq id: 232
    Answer: This is Mike’s sister Sam (really!) who acts as an assistant moderator.

  9. Who is Petrus J. Fabrunackle? faq id: 233
    Answer: This is Mike’s brother-in-law (and Sam’s husband) who acts as an assistant moderator.

  10. Why should I listen to and respect the moderators?
    Does Mike Portnoy pay for this website himself?     faq id: 234
    Answer: This website is run on a server that mabrown owns, and the bandwidth is free from the company that mabrown works for. However, Mike does cover all expenses tied into the website (software, etc.) whenever there are any. No matter how much (or how little) Mike himself pays for running this site, this is still Mike's home in cyberspace, so just as you wouldn't ignore the rules of his real house (if you were lucky enough to be there), you shouldn't ignore the rules here either.

  11. Why did my question get deleted from the “Ask Mike” section faq id: 235
    Answer: Most likely, your question has already been answered by Mike (and can probably be found in this FAQ), Mike chose not to respond to your question (for whatever reason, though most likely because it wasn’t of a serious nature), your question was very disrespectful of Mike (and did not deserve a response) OR you did not follow the guidelines that are set out for that section of the Forum.

  12. Why did my thread get closed? faq id: 236
    Answer: Under normal circumstances, the only reason a thread will be closed or deleted is if it somehow breaks the Forum rules, or has the potential to instigate a massive flame war, or spreads mis-information. We do not have time to provide explanations when a thread is closed or deleted. If you start a thread and don’t read the Forum for a few days, then come back and it is gone, just assume that there was a good reason for it to be removed. Please do not email the moderator or administrators asking why, and if you do, please do not expect a reply.

  13. What does “ERT” mean? What does “HOORJ” mean? faq id: 237
    Answer: Simply a pair of expressive statements that have no real meaning that were typed numerous times by Forum members and adopted by many others (Mike has even said “ERT” on occasion).

  14. What does “sules” mean? faq id: 238
    Answer: It is simply a typo for the word “rules”. It was made popular by the users in the MP Live Chat room and now has become part of the Forum vocabulary.

  15. Are there rules for using the Live Chat Room? faq id: 239
    Answer: Yes, and they’re pretty basic. Click here to read them.

  16. What are chat room "Ops"? (Users with @ or Spider symbol next to their nick) faq id: 240
    Answer: Ops is short for Operators, and these are friendly fellow users who are in the chat room to help enforce the rules and prevent problems / abuse. Since these are volunteer positions, there are no set schedules for the Ops, they are available whenever time permits. If you’re experiencing a problem with the Live Chat room and there are no Ops present, you can email webmaster@mikeportnoy.com with the details and we’ll help you as soon as possible.

  17. Who is @DrumBot? faq id: 241
    Answer: DrumBot is not a human. It is a part of the Live Chat software that helps to maintain certain settings in the room.

  18. What is a "nick"? faq id: 242
    Answer: This is short for nickname. Most users choose a nickname for use in the Live Chat, but you can also use your real name.

  19. Why doesn’t the admin create a separate area on the message board for music and for general discussion? faq id: 243
    Answer: This has been debated numerous times by various forum members. In Jan 2003, Mike Brown (webmaster) ran a poll to see what everyone’s opinion was, and the response was (by a longshot) to keep the message board as it has been – one section.

  20. What other websites provide lots of information regarding Dream Theater, it’s individual members and their side projects? faq id: 244
    Answer: Aside from the official websites, another great website is www.dtfaq.com which is the Official Dream Theater FAQ, which compliments this FAQ, and vice versa.

  21. When did mikeportnoy.com start, specifically the message board? faq id: 245
    DaveH (original webmaster): On June 11th, 1999, at 9pm EST we (Mike and I) opened the doors to mikeportnoy.com. At that time I had installed some very crappy basic message board software, but we noticed that people started participating in it right away. The site really started to get a lot of hits that first week. So, after a few weeks of dealing with "inferior" board scripts, eventually I bit the bullet and purchased "UBB" (Ultimate Bulletin Board by InfoPop) and once that was setup, the place just started taking on a life of it’s own. This is why most people think "The Forum" began in July 1999, because we tried a couple of other board softwares throughout June 1999 until finally settling on UBB. So technically speaking, June 1999 was the actual start of the MP.com Forum. At the time, we had no idea that this particular Forum would immediately become so popular and set the precedent for all the DT related sites to follow.

  22. How did this website come about? How was Mike approached about it? faq id: 246
    MP: A number of years back, many fans began to offer to do a Mike Portnoy website, so I said “fine, whatever...make something, let me see it and if I like it, we’ll make it official.” Dave Hatlee was the first person to send me something that looked really good, and I met with him when I went through his town on tour, and that was basically it. Other people started approaching me, but I had already committed to Dave and I didn’t want to go against that.

  23. Who can I contact with problems I’m having with Mike’s online store? (I don’t have a credit card. OR I live in a country that’s not listed on the order form) faq id: 248
    Answer: MP: Almost ANY question you’d have on placing an order is CLEARLY stated in the online store…please read everything thoroughly before sending any emails with questions. My wife Marlene runs the store…so orders are filled around her free time (she has her hands full with our kids…and if they are away accompanying me on tour, expect a little delay with fullfilling an order) Mike Brown also helps her a bit with some aspects of the store. Any emergency questions or inquiries can be sent to: MP4 Productions@mikeportnoy.com

  24. Any plans to grow MP4 Productions into the next Miramax? faq id: 249
    MP: That would be nice someday except that I would have to name it Mellomax.

  25. Current Forum smiley codes. faq id: 502

    [:)]

    [:D]

    [8D]

    [;)]

    [&:]

    [:@]

    [:(]

    [:'(]

    [>:]

    [:o]

    [X(]

    [:-]

    [8|]

    [&o]

    [sm=adam.gif]

    [sm=ahhh.gif]

    [sm=banana.gif]

    [sm=banana5.gif]

    [sm=band.gif]

    [sm=banger.gif]

    [sm=bow.gif]

    [sm=cuss.gif]

    [sm=drum.gif]

    [sm=dsmoke.gif]

    [sm=eeka.gif]

    [sm=eusa_dance.gif]

    [sm=finger.gif]

    [sm=guitar.gif]

    [sm=hangry.gif]

    [sm=hbd.gif]

    [sm=hcheesy.gif]

    [sm=hcool.gif]

    [sm=hcry.gif]

    [sm=hembarassed.gif]

    [sm=hgrin.gif]

    [sm=hhuh.gif]

    [sm=hkiss.gif]

    [sm=hlaugh.gif]

    [sm=hlipsrsealed.gif]

    [sm=hrolleyes.gif]

    [sm=hsad.gif]

    [sm=hshocked.gif]

    [sm=hsmiley.gif]

    [sm=htongue.gif]

    [sm=hundecided.gif]

    [sm=hwink.gif]

    [sm=kiss.gif]

    [sm=lol.gif]

    [sm=m12.gif]

    [sm=m13.gif]

    [sm=m14.gif]

    [sm=m15.gif]

    [sm=m16.gif]

    [sm=moon.gif]

    [sm=mrt.gif]

    [sm=mrt2.gif]

    [sm=nutkick.gif]

    [sm=p3.gif]

    [sm=pissed.gif]

    [sm=points.gif]

    [sm=rocker.gif]

    [sm=rolleyes.gif]

    [sm=scared.gif]

    [sm=shedevil.gif]

    [sm=singer.gif]

    [sm=skangry.gif]

    [sm=skcheesy.gif]

    [sm=skcool.gif]

    [sm=skcry.gif]

    [sm=skembarassed.gif]

    [sm=skgrin.gif]

    [sm=skhuh.gif]

    [sm=skkiss.gif]

    [sm=sklaugh.gif]

    [sm=sklipsrsealed.gif]

    [sm=skrolleyes.gif]

    [sm=sksad.gif]

    [sm=sksmiley.gif]

    [sm=sktongue.gif]

    [sm=skundecided.gif]

    [sm=skwink.gif]

    [sm=slap.gif]

    [sm=tardlol.gif]

    [sm=tongue.gif]

    [sm=xmasconfused.gif]

    [sm=xmascool.gif]

    [sm=xmaseek.gif]

    [sm=xmasembar.gif]

    [sm=xmasfrown.gif]

    [sm=xmaslol.gif]

    [sm=xmasmad.gif]

    [sm=xmasnaughty.gif]

    [sm=xmasrolleyes.gif]

    [sm=xmassmile.gif]

    [sm=xmastongue.gif]

    [sm=xmaswink.gif]