*~* Frequently Asked Questions *~*

If you have a question not posted here, please feel free to e-mail me. You may find my e-mail address on the Contact Me subpage. - Mary Shaw -

This page was last updated on Tuesday, January 23, 2007.

Can you send me the mp3 for [fill in the name of a song title]?

Due to size constraints for e-mailed attachments and the long time it takes to attach and send them, I cannot.

Do you know where I can get [fill in the name of a 1980s cartoon character here] toys, accessories, videos, memorabilia?

They are extremely difficult to find, however a few are trying to make a comeback. Of course, nothing beats the originals, I must say. He-Man and the Care Bears are just two in the bunch that have been manufactured again recently. You can probably find He-Man action figures in places like Toys R Us and as for the Care Bears, I've seen them on sale in Hallmark and other greeting card stores. If all else fails and you cannot find them in stores, try checking out www.ebay.ca or www.ebay.com. There are often plenty of 1980s stuff auctioned everyday.

How did you make your magnetic poetry board?

Firstly, what you need to know is that each word block you see on the page is a unique graphic made in Paint Shop Pro or another graphics program. Save your graphics to your hard-drive after creating them and then put them on your website. To allow Internet Explorer 4+ viewers to click and drag your graphics, you need to add a special bit of coding to make that possible. In the body of your HTML, you need to add a Javascript coding. I'm not posting it on here because it's quite long, so e-mail me and I'll send it your way!

Where did you get your music?

I don't have one single source where I get all of my midi music files from. I sort of just go to search engines and type in "midi" or "midis". There are LOTS of sites that offer free midis for the taking! You'd be surprised! I do try to find "different" midis because I like my page to stand out from others. I mean...that would be boring if everyone had the exact same midi file on their page too, wouldn't it? I have found this GREAT midi search engine ...It's perfect if you want to find an EXACT midi song. You must know the title of the song. Sometimes I also get special midis composed for me from friends or anonymous people from the internet. These last ones, I will not re-distribute unless I'm authorized.

Can you send me one of your midi songs?

I am flattered that you like my selection of music on my webspage. E-mail me and let me know which page's music you want. Please keep in mind though that some midis I will NOT send because it may have been a unique composition of a song from scratch that someone let me use but not re-distribute.

How did you put the music on your pages?

I use this web-editing program (Front Page Express). I like to put my music in the background rather than have the ugly grey control panel show up on my page. If you use this program, you just have to click on "Format" on the menu at the top of the screen. Click on "Background" and then click on the "General" tab. Where it says "Background Sound", just browse and find the midi from your computer for which song you want to use...and then press okay. Update your webpage as usual, and voila! That's all there is to it! I hope that helps!

Where can I see your previous splash page layouts?

I'm really happy that you are interested! Just click here.

How did you come up with the title of your webpage?

Well...I've always liked unique and mysterious-sounding names. The word 'realm' sounded more mysterious than 'domain'. A while ago, I wrote an original poem called 'Your Mystic Aura', so *~* The Mystic Realm *~* was a little twist on it. So...that's how it came to be.

Where did you learn how to design a website?

In grade 11, part of my Computer Science course had to do with webpages and the Internet. We learned just basic, introductory HTML, like what the tags stood for, etc. We didn't learn any Java Script or interesting website add-ons. I basically learned all the rest by myself. I surf the Net and look at personal webpages, so I learn new tricks through exploration. I get my inspirations this way usually.

Do you read computer manuals to learn how to use certain programs?

Nope. I just experiment with a program until I become comfortable with it. I try this. I try that. Click here. Click there. Hands on experience is one of the best methods to learn something.

Should the backgrounds, text and graphics match on every webpage?

This one is entirely dependent on your preferences. For me, I like creating totally different looks on each of my pages because it reflects more of my creativity. Also, I like the challenge of having different layouts which still look nice, but don't follow the same colour schemes. I know a few people who absolutely dislike that. They like everything to be consistant (backgrounds, graphics, music etc.). I like that too. For professional pages I think that it is very important that the layout be the same. The viewer (and possible customer) must be able to find everything with ease. For personal pages, I say HAVE FUN with it. There's no need to be consistant with design, however they are very pretty. It's up to you.

What should I do my webpage on?

I can't give you a straight answer to that question because I don't know you well. Here are some questions to ask yourself that may help you to decide.

What do you deem important in your life? God? Family? Friends?

Are you an animal lover? Perhaps you have cute pictures of your pets.

Do you have a strong opinion about political or social issues such as child abuse, genetically altered foods or the importance of religion?

Do you have a particular celebrity that you really like? Create a fan page!! Include pictures, a biography, related links, multimedia and more!

Have you written poems or stories? Why not put them on display for the rest of the world to enjoy? This is a terrific way to express yourself.

Are you an excellent critic? Do a review page on CD albums, videos, T.V. shows, theatrical plays or stores. It's important to be a CONSTRUCTIVE critic though. Don't just dwell on negativity. Suggest improvements that can be made.

Has a loved one passed on? Why not make a tribute to that person? Remember the person in a special way. Now you can visit them no matter where you are in the world!

So, you see...there are LOTS of things that you could do your webpage on. It's just a matter of deciding on which one. If you're like me, you might opt for a combination of topics. You could of course just concentrate on a specific topic. Make a webpage that is fun for you to create as well as for the viewer to see.

A Definite NO-NO: It's a very bad idea to make webpages which promote hate, violence, crime, prejudice or the like. Make the world wide web a pleasant place to visit! Be uplifting!

What program did you use to make your graphics?

Paint Shop Pro Version 7. It is a very simple program to use...very user friendly.

Are you on MSN Messenger, Mary? Can we keep in touch and maybe be penpals online?

I'm always up for meeting new possible friends. I am on MSN Messenger and no longer use ICQ. If you are interested, I suggest that you e-mail me and let me know so that we can figure a time to catch each other online.

Should I post my picture on the Web?

This is really up to you. I've done so. Click here to check it out. I hope that you have a good sense of humour. Hmm...but just know that it's okay to keep some things to the viewer's imagination...besides...they ARE strangers. It's not necessary to know what the person behind the website looks like. It's all about that Comfort Zone. You must consider the possible consequences as a result of posting your picture.

Do you know a lot about HTML? Could you give me some advice/help?

I am not extremely knowledgeable on HTML, although I do know enough to help. I have not taken any real special courses on HTML, as I am a beginner. I will be happy to offer advice or suggestions for your page, but I am unable to take special graphic requests. I don't think that I would have the time to make them for everyone. There are, however, many fabulous sites on the World Wide Web that offer lots of custom graphics for the taking. You just have to do some surfing on the web. Hey...or better yet...try to make your own graphics! It will give you a great sense of satisfaction if you do it yourself! I suggest using the program Paint Shop Pro. It is very simple to learn and use. If you just play around with it for a while, you can learn how to use the program very quickly. That is what I did. Of course there are still things that I haven't learned yet about the program.

What program do you use to create your webpages?

I use Front Page Express and Front Page 2000. I rarely type out the straight HTML.

How can I right-click protect my webpage?

Okay...so you want to protect your page, eh? Let me explain briefly how "stealing" of images is done first and then how it can be prevented somewhat. Whenever you go to a webpage, you can usually right-click on an image and save it directly on your hard-disk. To prevent this, I use Java Script that disables the right-clicking option. A pop up dialogue box appears and the viewer is unable to "steal" your images, backgrounds etc. Of course there are ways around right-clicking, but then again, you probably don't really need real protection if it's just a personal website. If you do require this, offically copyright your website.

Cut and paste the following code into the BODY of your HTML coding:

<p><script language="JavaScript"></script> </p>

* Please turn on your speakers to hear the mysterious music *