Frequently Asked Questions

The NearlyFreeSpeech.NET FAQ (*)

Member Support (*)

What is the status of my support issue?

How can I get specific software installed for my site?

What is a system problem?

Do I really have to buy a subscription membership just to get a simple question answered?

Why was my system problem report closed as "works as configured?"

What are the options available for member support?

Can you help me restore something that has been deleted?

Why was my system problem report closed as "not a system problem?"

What are the various responses to a system problem report?

Because the system problem report feature is intended only to provide a no-cost mechanism to allow our members to let us know about malfunctions affecting their service, not as a general-purpose support mechanism, the responses we can generate are extremely limited. After we close your system problem report, you will receive an autoresponse based on our findings.

Problem Resolved
We have resolved the reported system problem. Yay!
Not a System Problem
We investigated the report and found that it was not a system problem. This response has its own FAQ entry.
Works as Configured
We investigated the report and found that at some point you set up or requested the specific behavior you have now reported as a system problem. This response also has its own FAQ entry.
No Problem Found
We investigated the report and we were unable to reproduce the problem described. There are two basic ways this can happen:
  • The problem went away by itself before we got to it. Our systems are designed to auto-recover many types of failures. A DDOS attack affecting it may have stopped on its own. Many Internet problems are intermittent and short lived.
  • Everything is working fine on our end and the problem is elsewhere, like a problem between your ISP and our network.
Beta Problem Exclusion
The problem you are reporting is related to your voluntary opt-in use of beta or experimental services. Problems arising from the beta/experimental nature of these services are specifically excluded from the definition of a system problem.
Insufficient Information
We need more information to investigate the report. This most often happens if someone says "my site is down" but has more than one site and doesn't specify which one it is, or something similar. You can reply back with additional information and we can give it another check. For some guidelines about providing more information, please see this FAQ entry.
Problem Identified
We have confirmed a problem related to the report and resolution is in progress. (These are rarely sent; they are used only when resolution is expected to take a particularly long time so you'll know we're working on it.)
Duplicate
The reported problem is a duplicate of a previous report or a problem that is reported or documented elsewhere. To avoid duplication of effort, this report is being closed. If you didn't submit the report more than once, check main support tab or the offsite status page to see if more information is available.

If you get a response that indicates that no problem was found or that the issue is not a system problem, then you may need more information to help understand what's going on. Although it may be tempting to reply to the autoresponse, don't do that! Messages to closed reports are not seen by human beings. We would recommend following up through one of our support options.

How can I give you private feedback about your service?

How do I "cash out" unused support points?

Do you participate on Twitter?

How do system problem reports work?

What is an assistance request?

Why don't you provide free support?

Why don't you provide more detail in response to system problem reports?

How do I buy support points?

What if I can't figure out which support option to use?

Why does your support cost so much?

Why shouldn't I wait until I need support to set up a subscription membership?

What are support hours and expected response times?