FINDING THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION
I appreciate the newbies, and I can appreciate that everyone learns at their own rate and in their own way. HOWEVER, I personally have a lower tolerance for stupid questions. I define a "stupid question" as the following:
If your question falls into that category & I happen upon it, my response to you will be harsh (and rightfully so, in my opinion). The same questions SHOULD NOT be asked over and over, as it detracts from questions that are relevant and actually require attention.MW1221 wrote: 1) A question that has been answered on one of the many forums on this site
2) A question that any reasonable person old enough and computer savvy enough to be a member on this site would know the answer to
Since my blood pressure escalating in that fashion is not pleasant for anyone, I've written this post to assist you with finding the answers to your stupid questions before you post them.
1) PLEASE CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO A LIST OF FORUMS ON THIS SITE.
That way, you can find the forum best suited to ask your question, or, perhaps, even the answer itself. The Feedback forum is not the place for stand alone questions.
2) ON A LOT OF THE FORUMS ON THIS SITE, THERE ARE THINGS CALLED "STICKIES".
The "sticky" is that blob shaped thing that always stays at the top of the forum regardless of the number of recent posts in that thread. Stickies are used on this site to answer often asked questions, an "FAQ" of sorts. Questions like "How do I add an image to my post?", "What does (abbreviation) mean?", "What should I write in a letter?", "How do I send Via Venue?", and others have ALL been answered in Stickies. Please take the time to read them before you post.
If the Stickies do not answer your question...
3) THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SEARCH THIS SITE:
a) The most basic can be found on the top right side of your screen or by clicking here.
b) The second option is at the top of the page and it looks like this:

c) The third option is a Google search formatted:

MISCELLANEOUS
DEALING WITH SPAM
There is a lot of Spam on this forum. I'm sure a lot of you have seen it.
The most common form on this site looks like this:

However, it should be noted that any account created solely to:
1) advertise another site and/or product
2) write a letter to a celebrity
3) post their rambling opinions about things that are not autograph related
ALL QUALIFY AS SPAM.
I've noticed that a lot of people reply to the spam instead of reporting it. THAT DOES NOTHING EXCEPT BUMP IT.
Spam should be dealt with by reporting it. A tutorial on how to do so follows.
SCREEN 1: Click the little red exclamation point at the bottom of the post.
Using the above example, I have highlighted it.

SCREEN 2: Fill out the form (where applicable).
If the post has already been reported, the next screen will display this message:

If you get that message, the job is done. Simply return to the forum and go on your way.
If the post has not been reported, the screen will instead display the following:

Use the drop down arrow to select "Spam" and click Submit.
When the post has been successfully reported, you will see the following screen.

THE FEEDBACK FORUM
This is probably more of a pet peeve of mine, but please keep the following in mind when posting in the Feedback forum:
1) PLEASE POST THE DIRECT LINK TO YOUR PHOTOS
Yes, I see your Facebook page. It's very nice. But as months go on, I don't want to find your post in Feedback using one of the above techniques and have to scroll through all the pictures you've gotten since to find that one that I'm looking to see.
It's perfectly fine to show people your entire collection (heck, my Photobucket link is in my signature), but when you're posting a single success, please post a direct link.
2) PLEASE DO NOT BUMP OLD FEEDBACK THREADS
There is no reason to do this, and several reasons not to. Back in the day, Feedback posts were locked after a month. For some reason, that is no longer the case. However, if you have a question about a success or failure after one month, please PM the poster. DO NOT BUMP IT.
3) PLEASE DO NOT POST THINGS IN FEEDBACK THAT ARE NOT FEEDBACK
As mentioned above, this site has multiple forums.
Just won an autograph in a raffle or auction that you want to show everyone? Autograph Collecting Discussions
Just get an autograph by writing to SFM or Celebrity Merch? There's a forum for that, too.
Selling your collection? Whammo! (But make sure you read the rules first!)
IS THIS ADDRESS STILL UP TO DATE?
A lot of the posts in this forum qualify as "Stupid Questions" by the above definition. Not necessarily a majority, but enough for me to amend this post to include it. Wondering how?
1) SOME OF THEM HAVE HAD RECENT FEEDBACK POSTED.
See the above lesson on searching the forum? Yeah, use it. If there's been recent Feedback, then that will answer your question. Why clutter the forum?
2) A LOT OF THE ADDRESSES IN THE DATABASE HAVE LINKS TO THE PERSON'S WEBSITE.
Where can that link be found?

Often, celebrity's official websites give information on how to request an autograph and/or how to get in touch with them/their representatives. Is the forum address the one on that website? Then it's probably up-to-date.
Want to verify that further/is there no address/website?
3) THE REPRESENTATIVES OFTEN HAVE A LISTED WEBSITE.
Where can that link be found?

If there's a listed website, it will, at the very least give you a phone number to call the agency and ask if they still represent the person. Sometimes there's an email address (in case you hate the phone or can't afford the call). Sometimes, there's even a client list, so you don't have to bother anyone!
Can't afford that call & can't find an email address?
4) GOOGLE THE NAME OF THE AGENCY & AGENT (IF YOU KNOW IT) FOLLOWED BY THE WORD "EMAIL".
You'd be surprised how often that yields an email address. IMDB resumes for that individual (or others under that person/agency), listings for various agencies contact info, etc.
Still nothing and you can't make that call?
Then, and only then, should you post in that forum.
Mods don't have a crystal ball. They (usually) aren't best friends with the person you're trying to contact. This is how they get those answers for you. But why should they have to go through all that work if you're equally capable?
If you contact the agency and they say that they do not represent that person, it never hurts to ask them if they know who currently does. Sometimes they won't know, but other times, they will. It may save you some time tracking down a current address.
REQUEST A CELEBRITY ADDRESS
Another forum made up of too many stupid questions. Let's take care of that!
1) SEARCH THIS SITE.
Above you will find 3 ways to search the site. Do that. If you find an address, you should not post a thread about that person in this forum. If you want to verify the address, follow the instructions under the above heading.
Didn't work?
2) GOOGLE THE PERSON'S NAME.
Often, the top results will include an official and/or fan site, which contains contact info. If you find an address, you should not post a thread about that person in this forum. If you want to verify the address, follow the instructions under the above heading.
Nothing?
3) GOOGLE THE PERSON'S NAME FOLLOWED BY THE WORD "ADDRESS".
Yeah, I feel like I shouldn't need to tell you that. And yet, sadly, I do. If you find an address, you should not post a thread about that person in this forum. If you want to verify the address, follow the instructions under the above heading.
Still nothing?
4) GOOGLE THE PERSON'S NAME FOLLOWED BY THE WORD "AGENT", "MANAGER", AND/OR "PUBLICIST".
This will often yield results with the name and/or address of their representatives. If you find an address, you should not post a thread about that person in this forum. If you want to verify the address and/or track down the address of the agent, manager, and/or publicist whose name you located, follow the instructions under the above heading.
Still nothing?
Then, and only then, should you post in that forum.
Although, if that's the case, I should warn you that, once again, the mods have no crystal ball. If you couldn't find anything, odds are that they won't either.
Please make sure that the person isn't dead and please don't post more than one request for the same person!
BEST SITES TO CHECK FOR AN ADDRESS
If you can't find something on Fanmail or an official website, here are some other sites to check prior to requesting an address.
1) IMDB
As a pay service, IMDB often has addresses available. However, on some pages, the address is available for free by following this how to.
a) Locate the person's page. IMDB has a search bar at the top. It's also often linked to in Wikipedia and one of the first search results.
b) Check to see if the page has a link that says "View Resume". This won't be on all pages. If it's not there, IMDB won't be of any help. If it is there, it'll be located as pictured:

c) Click it. Some will be blank. Others will list contact info.
That contact info is not always up to date. It's always best to verify before sending.
2) THE DIRECTOR'S GUILD OF AMERICA MEMBER DIRECTORY
The link to their "Member Directory" is provided. This is a great source of addresses for anyone who has served as a director or stage manager on a union production. That includes a lot of actors (more than you may think).
Type the person's last name into the search box. If their name shows up in the results list, click it. Contact info, if any, will be located on the right hand side.
3) THE WRITER'S GUILD OF AMERICA MEMBER DIRECTORY
Again, the link is provided. This also includes more names than you might expect.
Type the person's last name into the search box. If their name shows up in the results list, it will likely be accompanied by an agent name, agency name, and address.
4) VOICEBANK.NET
Again, the link is provided. This is a database of people with representation as voice actors. It also features many well known actors and actresses.
Type the person's last name into the search box. If their name shows up in the results list, it will likely be accompanied by an agency name. Clicking that agency name will provide you with contact info, usually including a street address, email address, and/or telephone number.
5) FACEBOOK.COM
Bands'/singers' official pages often have a contact listed for their manager. Sometimes official pages also list a mailing address where fans can send mail/request autographs.
Here's where to look on band/singer pages:

That's only true for musician pages.
Here's where to look on non-musician pages:

There's also sometimes an option to send a private message to whomever is running the page (requires a Facebook account to do so) and ask for the name/address of the person's manager/agent/publicist. There's no guarantee that they'll answer you, and you need to be careful about sending your address to unverified pages.
**Official pages are designated by a white check mark in a blue circle next to the person's name. When you move your mouse over it, a black blurb text box will read "Verified page". All pages with that mark are official. However, just because a page doesn't have that mark, it doesn't mean it's not official.
6) TWITTER.COM
Though the occurrence is less common on Twitter, like with Facebook, official pages sometimes list a mailing address where fans can send mail/request autographs. Twitter is also a good way to find official websites/Facebook pages, as there's often a link on the profile.
For those of you who aren't well versed on Twitter, here's where you'll find link and/or address (if one's listed):

The address (if there is one) in the description, designated here by the green arrow marked "1". The link will be below the description and next to the location, designated here by the red arrow marked "2". Molly, in this case, has her IMDB page as her website, because she has no official site.
**Official pages are designated by a white check mark in a round blue object with a white outline next to the person's name. When you move your mouse over it, a black blurb text box will read "Verified page". All pages with that mark are official. However, just because a page doesn't have that mark, it doesn't mean it's not official.
7) FILMREFERENCE.COM
The top of the article often lists agency info for the listed celebrity.
As a general rule, unless you feel lucky and don't mind losing whatever you're sending, as well as wasting the time and money spent on the mailing, it's always a good idea to verify an untested address before sending. That even includes those on this site.[/b]
Now let's get the forum back to the good ole days!
**Please don't be thrown by the number of edits. As I go through this site & see more things that I didn't think I'd actually need to tell people needing to be said, I'm adding them here, so as to not explode on anyone "unfairly".
**Also, please note that the above are SCREENSHOTS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY. Use them to help FIND the address. DO NOT blindly contact those addresses before checking to see if the info has been updated.