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How do I know an Artisan is legal??
If you are hiring an Artisan you can check with your local 'Chambre de Metiers' or you can run a Siret number or Business name check at http://www.infogreffe.fr .
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What kind of things can I advertise?
Anything that may be of value to someone holidaying, living, buying or renovating property in France. This includes properties, property services, building services, financial services, accommodation services, personal items, furniture, etc.
Paid For Advertising:
Private property for sale - 25 Euros for 6 months
Private property for rental - 25 Euros p.a.
Agency property for sale - 10 Euros for 6 months
Agency property for rental - 10 Euros p.a.
Building & renovation - 75 Euros p.a.
Professional services - 75 Euros p.a.
Property maintenance - 75 Euros p.a.
Miscellaneous Services - 75 Euros p.a.
Free Advertising
Personal Items, Cars, Furniture, Pets and Animals etc.
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How do I place an ad?
First you need to register. Click the 'Register Here' link in the login window.
Click 'Create Ad' in the sub-menu of the 'Classifieds' section. More information is in the Help section on the 'Create Ad' page.
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My Ad won't upload - why not?
Almost certainly this is because the attached picture is either too big (above the maximum picture size allowable) or in the wrong format (our system accepts JPG pictures only). If your picture is straight from a digital camera it will probably be huge in filesize (possibly several megabytes). You will need to re-size it in a simple graphics program. If your picture is in the wrong format (e.g. BMP, TIF, etc) you will need to convert it to JPG. Again a simple graphics program will do this. There are many free ones. Try Irfanview. Try uploading the ad without pictures. If it is accepted then resize and/or convert the pictures and add them. You can edit your ads by logging in and clicking "See My Ads" on the right hand side of the screen.
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How can I increase traffic to my ad?
The biggest change you can make is to add a picture (photo, logo, whatever) to your ad. The difference in visitor viewings will be enormous with just this one change. Here's an actual example of two ads for similar properties in the same category: Ad without photo - 19 views. Ad with photo - 187 views! Other changes (such as re-wording the ad title) may increase visitor numbers by a few percent, but none as dramatically as adding a picture.
In addition, only ads with pictures are selected by the system for prominent display in 'Ad of the Day'.
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Should I put a photo with my ad?
Absolutely!! Ads with photos are viewed many more times than ads without. Each ad provides space for up to 3 photos. If you are a service or a business we suggest you provide a picture of your logo, your office, your trucks ... or yourself.
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I haven't got a photo yet ... can I add one later?
No problem. Click on 'My Ads' in the right-hand Quick Links box and you will find a list of all the ads you have posted. Click the Edit icon beneath the one you wish to change. Down near the bottom is a place to enter up to three pictures. Click the Browse button, find the picture on your PC, accept it and then click SUBMIT. NB photos must be JPG format and less than the maximum file size specified on the ad creation page.
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How much will an advert cost?
This will depend on the advert that you are wishing to place.
Further information on advertising can be found at our advertising information page.
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Photo Re-sizing - how do I do it?
If you don't have image software of your own, you can use a simple on-line re-sizer to shrink your picture.
Try this one here and follow the instructions to upload, resize, and then download your new image:
http://webresizer.com/resizer/
You can experiment with the size you finally shrink it to, but the default setting of 400 pixels wide is usually sufficient for your needs. The key thing is that you ensure that the file 'size' (shown under the left hand picture) of the 'optimised' picture is *below* 200 KB.
As long as the 'file size' of the optimised picture is below 200 KB, you can simply download the final result and then use it with your TotalFrance Classified ad.
Click 'Download this image', save the re-sized image to your PC, and you are finished. You can then attach the new, smaller image to your TF ad.
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How do I DELETE my ad?
Go to 'See My Own Ads' by clicking that link on the right hand side of the page. Find the ad you wish to delete. Click the DELETE button beneath it.
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Can I DELETE my ad after it is created??
Yes, easily. Login to the Classifieds section. Click on 'See My Own Ads' on the right of the page and you will find a list of all the ads you have posted. Click the DELETE icon beneath the one you wish to remove.
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Can I edit my ad after it is created?
Yes, easily. Login to the Classifieds section. Click on 'See My Own Ads' on the right of the page and you will find a list of all the ads you have posted. Click the EDIT icon beneath the one you wish to Change. Make changes to it, and then click the submit button at the bottom of the form.
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How do I CHANGE a photo on my ad?
Click on 'My Ads' in the right-hand Quick Links box and you will find a list of all the ads you have posted. Click the Edit icon beneath the one you wish to change. Down near the bottom is a list of existing pictures. Place a tick in the box next to the one(s) you want to 'remove'. Click SUBMIT to finalise you decision. The ad will be saved with the pictures removed. Now re-edit the ad and add another photo as per the instructions shown on this page for 'adding a photo'.
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Can I check the popularity of my ad??
Yes. Check in the top-right hand corner of your ad. The number you see there (next to a small icon showing a graph) is the number of visits your ad has had.
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How do I renew my ad?
We will send you a notification 30 days before your ad is due to expire.
The e-mail will contain a web link for you to click if it is a free advert. Click it and follow the instructions and your ad will be renewed automatically for a further period.
If your advert falls under the paid for categories you can contact our sales department on 0044 (0)1225 463752 or via email at advertising4@totalfrance.com and they will help you renew your advert.
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What are attachments for?
An opportunity to ad text documents to your ads: perhaps a brochure, a sample contract or an example of your terms and conditions.
If you decide to use attachments you should describe their contents in the main text of your ad, otherwise users will not know what each contains.
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What is Auto Notify?
You can choose to be notified about new ads in certain sub-categories, so that you will be able to read them the minute they are posted. To do this you need to place those sub-categories on your 'Auto Notify' page. More information is in the Help section on the Auto Notify page.
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How much will my ads cost?
This will depend on the advert that you are wishing to place.
Further information on advertising can be found at our advertising information page.
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I've never used a forum before - how do I begin?
Easy. Go and look in the forum. You'll find three main Forum categories linked to different groups of users: Those Buying Property, Those Renovating Property, and Those Living in France.
Inside each Category are various forums covering different topics.
Click on the Forum titles to enter them. Read the posts. That's it!
If you want to post a New Topic or answer a post of someone else's then you must first login to the forum (use the small login button at the top of the forum page).
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Where can I find detailed help with the forum?
By going straight to the Forum FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page HERE. THis contains details on everything from login problems to help with BB Code.
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What is a Hotlist?
A collection of ads that caught your interest whilst you were browsing and which you decided to add to your Hotlist for later study. More information is available from the Help section on the Hotlist page.
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Why is my Hotlist suddenly empty?
If the ads you hotlisted have expired or been deleted then they will have been removed automatically from your Hotlist.
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Why do I have to login to the Forum as well as to the main site?
The main site has its own login procedure to allow users access to the Classified ads and WebMail sections. We run the Forum as a completely separate section because it has its own WebMail facility. To avoid logging in to the Forum on each visit you can login to the Forum just once and check the box marked "Log me in automatically each time I visit".
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I can't login. Why is that?
It's possible that it's a problem with cookies. To see more about that Go Here.
Another possibility is that you are using the wrong username or password. You can have your details sent to you by clicking the Lost Password link in the Login window.
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Can I change my password?
Yes. Login to the main site. Then click 'Members' on the main menu. Then click 'My Profile'. Then click 'Change Password'. Enter your new password twice and click 'Submit'.
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Can I change my e-mail address?
Yes. Login to the main site. Then click 'Members' on the main menu. Then click 'My Profile'. Then click 'Change E-mail'. Enter your new e-mail address twice and click 'Submit'.
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I keep losing my login on the Classifieds. Why?
If you were able to login to TF in the past, and can't stay logged in now, then something (possibly a firewall) on your PC has changed your cookie settings.
If you experience the following in the Classifieds and related sections:
1. You can login, and your username appears in the login box along with your membership number
2. You change pages and your username then disappears from the login box, leaving you logged out
then the problem is (almost certainly) with your cookie settings. You must have 'cookies' enabled on your browser, and your firewall - if you have one - must allow cookies through. Our system uses cookies to note your login status.
A cookie is a small text file that the web site sends to the browser, and which your browser then writes to your PC's 'cookie directory'. It holds information like your preferred language on the site, and whether you've logged in successfully. Every time you open a page for which you are supposed to be logged in before viewing, the server requests your cookie, looks at it, checks your login status and then decides whether you can open that page or not.
If your PC is configured to block cookies in any way (whether through your browser or through a firewall) then you will never be able to login to TF (nor any other site that uses cookies).
To resolve this you'll need to tell your software to allow cookies from TF through. Your firewall Help section can advise on this where you firewall is concerned.
For your Browser (if you are using Internet Explorer) go to 'Tools', then 'Internet Options' and the click the 'Privacy' tab.
Try this experiment. Move your 'Privacy' tab slider control down to 'Accept All Cookies' or 'Very LOW' or whatever the lowest setting is on your browser. Then try logging on and seeing if the cookie is accepted and the login stays active.
If so, move the Privacy tab up to the next setting and try logging in again.
Keep doing this until the cookie is finally rejected and the login fails.
Then move it BACK DOWN one setting to where did work.
An ALTERNATIVE is to go to the 'Privacy' tab in Internet Explorer and click 'sites', then on the next menu type in the web address of TotalFrance and click 'allow'.
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Who runs Total France?
Total France is run by Horizon New Media based in Bath. You can contact us via email at info@horizonnewmedia.com or by calling us on 0044 (0)1225 463752.
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Do you make commissions from the properties sold?
No. We have no properties to sell nor services to provide. Total France exists only as an information exchange where visitors can advertise their goods and services, or exchange information with other visitors.
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Do you guarantee the services or properties advertised?
We cannot guarantee either, because we have no control over them. We want Total France to be the best and most comprehensive source of information about property in France. If you have any problems with any property or service advertised please tell us immediately!
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Can I contribute anything to Total France?
Yes, please. We designed the site to be as useful as possible to you! If you have any suggestions for making it better we want to hear them.
We will also consider requests from anyone who wants to submit articles, snips of information, links or anything else that may be of value.
If you feel that you would like to help out in any way then please let us know. It may be that you may have enough knowledge in certain subjects to moderate a forum.
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Dubious Advert Content?
If you have come across a classified advert and you are unsure of the validity of the advert content please contact the Total France support team and we will look into the advert content for you.
Examples of potential dubious adverts to look out for include cars offered for sale at lower than expected selling prices, long stay booking requests for holiday rentals and anything where the price of sale is simply too good to be true.
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Can I delete or change my photo?
Yes. First Login and go to 'Classifieds'. Then go to 'My Ads', and click the edit icon beneath your ad. Check the 'Delete' box by the photo you want to delete, or upload an additional photo ... or both.
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My photo didn't upload to my ad. Why is that?
The two main reasons are because either it is too big or it is in the wrong format (to save space in our database we accept only JPG pictures). You may need to resize your picture. A simple graphics program will do this. There are many free ones. Try Irfanview. Simple instructions on resizing can be found below.
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Should I really bother with a photo on my ads?
Absolutely!! Ads with photos are viewed many more times than ads without. Each ad provides space for up to 3 photos. If you are a service or a business we suggest you provide a picture of your office, your trucks ... or yourself.
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Why has my photo gone fuzzy?
We use photo conversion software to resize and resave your picture at 80% quality. If your picture was already saved at a very low quality before you uploaded it, then the quality will worsen after we have converted it. We suggest that you save your original JPG at medium to high quality (60%-90%) before it is uploaded. A simple graphics program will do this. There are many free ones. Try Irfanview.
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I don't have a digital picture of my property - what shall I do?
Scan one in to your PC from a photo. With scanners so easily available these days you should be able to use someone else's if you don't have one of your own. If you lack experience on scanning please see the question "How do I scan a picture?".
Alternatively, you could take a digital photo of it, but be warned that good digital cameras take very high resolution pictures which are enormous in file size and no use for display on the web. Before you upload it with your ad you will need to convert and resize the picture to a resolution of 75-80 dpi (dots per inch). A simple graphics program will do this. There are many free ones. Try Irfanview.
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How do I scan a picture?
Many people make mistakes with scanning, often producing pictures too big, or unsuitable, for their needs. So here are some simple guidelines, particularly for those scanning pictures to use on screen.
1. Don't scan at too high a resolution. Pictures on the web appear at about the right size if they are scanned between 75-80 dpi (dots per inch). Scanning at higher resolutions will not produce clearer pictures on screen ... only pictures that are huge in dimensions as well as file size! If you are scanning in order to print the picture, then you may consider scanning at resolutions between 150 - 300 dpi, depending on how much detail you wish to capture and how 'sharply' you want to print it, but for screen use, stick with resolutions of 75 dpi.
2. Don't scan more than you need. Most scanners have a 'Preview' and 'Select' feature, allowing your to drag and select the area you wish to scan. If your scanner doesn't have this, then scan at full platen size (often A4!) and then 'crop' the image in a graphics program like IrfanView (see below).
3. Save it in the right format. GIF is not a good format for pictures with continuously changing tones (like photos). GIF works well with images that have large blocks of continuous colour (like clipart). For photos, save your picture as a JPG if you can, with a quality setting of medium to medium-high (40%-80%). When saving for the screen, attempt to make your file sizes as small as possible in order to decrease download times for other users. Often this means using JPG 'quality' settings that are as low as you can bear, without materially affecting the view-ability of the image.
4. If you can't save it as a JPG straight from your scanner, save it in another popular format (BMP, TIF, PNG, etc) and convert it later, using any popular graphics program. There are many free photo converters and resizers around. If you don't have one then you can download a free one here.
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My photo is too big to upload to my ad - how can I resize it?
If your photo won't upload when you try to attach it to your ad, this is almost certainly because the picture is either too big (above the maximum allowable picture size) or in the wrong format (our system accepts JPG pictures only). If your picture is straight from a digital camera it will probably be huge in file size (possibly several megabytes). You may need to re-size it in a simple graphics program. If your picture is in the wrong format (e.g. BMP, TIF, etc) you will need to convert it to JPG. Again a simple graphics program will do this. There are many free ones. Try Irfanview.
Using Irfanview, pictures can be cropped (drag and select a section with the Left mouse button, then click 'Edit' and select 'Crop') or resized (select 'Image', and then 'Resize/Resample'). As a rule of thumb, any picture resized to the following settings: Width 6 inches (or 15 cm, or 425 pixels) with 'aspect ratio' maintained, Resolution 72 dpi, and saved as a JPG with a quality setting of 80%, should be well below the upload limit of 200 KB per picture set on TotalFrance. To adjust the picture quality to 80% on IrfanView, select 'File', and then 'Save' or 'Save As ...', and then be sure to set the picture quality slider to 80% before saving the picture. Then use Windows Explorer, or similar file manager, to check the file and assess its new size.
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Do I have to register?
No. If all you want to do is browse the ads or forum then registration is not necessary. If you want to post or respond to an ad, then you should first register. For more information on registering Go Here
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My username and password never arrived. What should I do?
Contact the webmaster giving details of the username and e-mail address you entered. We will try to sort out the problem from this end.
Alternatively, you can register again but you MUST use a different e-mail address.
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Why should I bother to register?
Because it gives you access to all of the features on the site that non-registered visitors can not use. You will be able to create and edit your own ads as well as responding to those of other users. In addition you will be able to post questions in the forum and be notified automatically about new ads that may interest you.
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Why do you use a registration system?
We use it to validate e-mail addresses and protect our users from spam. By validating e-mail addresses we know that they are genuine and that ads have been placed legitimately by the e-mail owner and not as a hoax by someone else.
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Will my email address be safe?
Total France has a complete anti-spam policy. We will never pass your email address to list buyers or spammers. For more details see our Privacy Policy.
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Is my information safe?
We will keep your information completely private. For more information on our privacy policy Go Here
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Why do I get webmail in the Webmail section AND in the Forum?
We run the Main site and the Forum as separate sections. Because Classified Ads is a part of the main site you will receive ad responses in the Webmail section of the main site.
You will receive any Forum private messages in the 'Messages' section of the Forum.
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