What URL(web address) should I use to access CCC on the web?
Why does this security window pop-up when I go to access a page?
Why are web pages slow to load when accessing the CCC web site?

PASSWORD ISSUES:

What do I do if I forgot or lost my password?
Why doesn't my password work?
Why do I have to enter my password several times to access CCC?
Why doesn't a pop-up window come up for me to enter my password in?

FORUM ISSUES:

Why didn't my forum post show up?
Can I put html tags anywhere in my posts?
How can I post a picture in my forum post?
Why does my forum post result in a notice of unacceptable word usage?
Does CCC delete forum posts for any reason?
Are member provided web links in posts considered safe?

SPONSOR ON-LINE ENTRY PROBLEMS:

I'm having problems submitting a sponsor's online entry form.  What am I doing wrong?
How can I re-size my picture for submission in a contest?

SITE NAVIGATION ISSUES:

What is the Magic of the Chef's Hat?
As a member what area should I bookmark in my browser to return to CCC?
What should I do when I discover a bad link reference when clicking a page link?

ABOUT OUR LISTINGS:

Does CCC sponsor contests?
Are CCC's contest listings accurate?

CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES:

How come I didn't receive an e-mail response after writing to CCC?
Why have I lately stopped receiving e-mail alerts & membership renewal notices?
Why did my subscription automatically renew even though I didn't want to?
What should I do, if my e-mail address changes?
I've received an e-mail from Paypal asking for information --is this for real?

PRIVACY ISSUES:

Should I be concerned about privacy on CCC?
Help, someone posted a picture of me on the scrapbook and I don't like it!
Are member provided web links in posts considered safe?
Does CCC web pages show-up in search activity thru Google, Yahoo, AOL, etc.?

What URL should I use to access CCC on the web?

CCC has registered and utilizes several domain names (web addresses) and each of the following will lead you to our  CCC web site.  We at CCC consider "recipecontests" our principal web domain name when communicating to the public about our site and would appreciate members using that.  However, any one of the following URL's entered into your browser will again bring you to the same CCC web site.

http://recipecontests.com
http://www.recipecontests.com

http://contestcooking.com
http://www.contestcooking.com

http://cookingcontestcentral.com
http://www.cookingcontestcentral.com

http://recipe-contests.com
http://www.recipe-contests.com

Why does this security window pop-up when I go to access a page?

Entering our member areas containing the alert, contest listings, the forum and other pages requires that you be a paid member of our site.  Thus, when requested via a pop-up security window please enter your subscriber's email address on record in our membership files, for example - yourname@ISP.com.  In the password area, please enter the password assigned to you when you signed up with our site or was last issued to you.
 
Please note that it is important that you double check your spelling and any punctuation marks when entering the information above.  No punctuation marks are permitted in the password.  However, in the email address you are permitted to use a "-", "@" or "." if needed.

Why are web pages slow to load when accessing the CCC web site?

There are many factors which influence your speed on the internet at any particular time and it is difficult to say what may be causing your particular problem.  However, some of the common issues which affects perceived access speed to our site include:

• The speed of your connection to the internet (56k modem(slow), DSL(better), Cable(best))
• Our ISP providing web site support for CCC has server or network access related problems
• Overall internet traffic loads when your online (early morning & evening can be slower than at other times)
• Your own ISP has capacity constraints at the time you request information
• A virus or spyware related infection on your computer affecting overall PC performance
• Some pages of CCC, like the forum, are large files because of the volume of postings being delivered to your screen. Depending upon your connection speed, it may take longer at times to fully load.  Also note that the contest archive files are the largest of any CCC file because they contain a year's worth of expired contests and may take a long time to load, again depending upon your connection speed.

If you have a serious connection issue one of the few things you can easily try to do is go to another popular site like "Google", "Yahoo" or some other known major domain name.  If you find slowness accessing these other sites as well,  the problem most likely resides either in your computer or your own internet access provider.  Sometimes access providers like Comcast, AT&T, BellSouth, etc. may be experiencing heavy user loads at the very exact time you're trying to access our site. One of the most simple solutions is to simply try again--in a few seconds and then in another minute or two.  It is not unusual for these ISP's to experience momentary slowdowns where you feel like your connection is dead.  If the above retry doesn't work, then reboot your computer as this is the second most simplistic solution and it may also solve your problem. 

On the other hand, if you find speedy access to these other sites and rebooting doesn't do the trick, then access to our site may be slowed by our own web server provider.  Like your own personal ISP, access issues can be extremely temporary so try again.  If access seems particularly bad for long periods of time, please e-mail us at custserviceCCC@aol.com

At some point In the future CCC will be providing bulletins of known network access problems on the main member page of CCC so members can be aware of particular issues which have come to our attention which affects access to our site.

What is the Magic of the Chef's Hat?

We've designed our site so that whenever you see a Chef's Hat, clicking it will take you to the top of that particular page.  Click it to save time and maneuver faster within the CCC site.

As a member what area should I bookmark in my browser to return to CCC?

Bookmarks are an easy way to remember where you've been on the internet and want to return to.  Many members bookmark their favorite areas of CCC.  Some return to the forum, a particular contest list or the site's main home page.  Whether thru bookmark or after returning to CCC we strongly urge all members to bookmark and visit the Main Member Page of CCC each time you visit us.  We anticipate that the Main Member Page will be utilized going forward with important member announcements which may not be e-mailed or placed in the forum.

I've received an e-mail from Paypal asking for information--is this for real?

CCC and the general internet community is aware that from time to time fraudulent E-Mails are sent trying to obtain Paypal information from internet users in general and our members in particular.  As a security precaution, please read the following information obtained from the official Paypal Web Site.  It contains steps to insure that you are not being "hoodwinked" unknowingly by scammers. 

Please use the following tips to stay safe with PayPal:

Safe Log In: To log in to your PayPal account or access the PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/
 
Greeting: Emails from PayPal will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. Fraudulent emails often include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member".

Email Attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. Attachments contained in fraudulent emails often contain viruses that may harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account.

Request for Personal Information: If we require information from you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account.

Often, fraudulent emails will request details such as your full name, account password, credit card number, bank account, PIN number, Social Security Number, or mother's maiden name.

Hopefully this information can help you evaluate whether the Paypal notice sent to you was legitimate or not. 
 
More information can be found at:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr

Why did my subscription automatically renew even though I didn't want to?

Members utilizing paypal to pay their annual membership fee should be aware of a peculiarity of how paypal handles a renewal.  At the one year anniversary of your membership, paypal will automatically bill your account for another year's membership, unless YOU specifically authorize them not to renew.  We at CCC make certain that you are aware of this issue in that we e-mail a renewal notice with specific instructions for "not renewing" prior to the expiration of your membership period. 

Please remember that any notices for renewal of membership are e-mailed to your e-mail address on file with us which is the same one you use in the user name sign-on to our site.  If you changed e-mail addresses during the course of the year and didn't notify us, you could still sign-on using your old e-mail address, but you won't be able to receive any communication from us since we would be sending it to the "old" address.  Immediate notice to us of a change in e-mail address will insure timely communication and allow us to update your username/password combination to reflect your new e-mail address.

How come I didn't receive an e-mail response after writing to CCC?

We at CCC take great pride in personally responding to member e-mails within a 24 hour period--even if it is merely to say that we're looking into the issue brought to our attention.  Members are urged to check their spam folder as the most likely destination of our response.

To be sure our mail gets thru....please treat the following e-mail senders as part of your friends and/or family status so that the mail will not be blocked in the future.

cookingcontests@mindspring.com             custserviceccc@aol.com

Of course we're human too and if you feel we slipped up and just plain forgot you, please send us another note. We won't take offense.

Why have I lately stopped receiving contest alerts or did not receive notice of a membership renewal?

It is not unusual for members to change e-mail addresses from time to time and never inform us.  They will often continue to use their old e-mail address for signing onto the site and it will work as intended.  However, our e-mail alerts and other member contact messages are sent to the same e-mail as is used for sign in purposes.  Thus, any notices would be sent to your old e-mail address and not your current one since we weren't notified of the change.

Please write to custserviceccc@aol.com and notify us immediately if your e-mail address changes.  We will then update your username/password sign-on and membership files accordingly.  Doing so promptly will continue the delivery of up to date contest information via our weekly alert and properly notify you of upcoming membership renewals and other important mail outs.

Why didn't my forum post show up?

If you did not receive an error message and your post did not show up, it is most likely because your browser did not reload the page after posting and simply recalled it from the cache. Please reload your browser and it should then appear.  A simple way to reload or refresh the browser is to press the (control and R key) simultaneously, press the F5 key, or click the reload button in your browser.

Can I put html tags anywhere in my forum posts?

No.  CCC prevents the use of HTML tags in any field.

How can I post a picture in my forum post?

To post your picture, you will have to post/store it someplace online, like Photobucket, Snapfish or York photo (they are free). Generally, all picture storing sites like these three have instructions for posting/storing your photo on their site.

Next, right click on the picture that you posted, and choose Properties. Click and drag your mouse over the URL to highlight it, then press your Control and C keys simultaneously (this will copy the URL into memory). 

Then, in your forum post, click in the box that says Optional Image URL (Optional Picture Link). Press your Control and V keys to paste the URL in. 

Click the Preview Message or Follow-up button, and you should see the picture that you posted. If the picture appears normal, click the Post Message button.  If you see a small box with a red x in it, then your hosting site does not permit direct photo reference.  In that case you will be required to reference the web page which contains the photo you want to show using the optional web link field in the forum post form.  Insert the URL of the web page containing the picture you want to share in the Optional Web Link as well as complete the optional Web Link Name.  That should do it.

Why does my forum post result in a notice of unacceptable word usage?

When a member previews their post, the CCC program reviews the message for unacceptable curse words and other vulgar language which might offend our forum community.  Such highlighted words must be removed or the program will not allow you to post the message.

Does CCC delete forum posts for any reason?

CCC's forum is intended to promote communication among members for the purposes of discussing cooking and recipe contests.  Our goal is to foster friendship and harmony.   CCC may eliminate a member's post, if such a post uses inappropriate language, unnecessarily incites membership turmoil or promotes activities which undermines the operation and success of CCC as an organization.  Such action to delete a post will be at CCC's complete discretion without notice to anyone.

Are member provided web links in posts considered safe?

Forum posts are primarily the result of member initiation.  Sometimes members provide pictures in their post as well as web links.  CCC does not review the destination of these links unless warned by other members as to the unsuitability of a provided web link.  Individuals who click these links to a destination outside CCC's web site should be particularly cautious as they should with any navigation out on the Internet.  While the majority of such links point to contest information, blogs on the internet and food related url's, there is always a possibility that links are for suspicious activity such as spam, virus infection or data collection.  Data collection sites are always a threat as they are looking for e-mail addresses, personal name and other information which could threaten your privacy by you giving it out.  Upon notification to us, CCC will review and potentially remove forum posts where it has been determined that a web link contained in the post is of an obvious suspicious nature.

I'm having problems submitting a sponsor's online entry form.  What am I doing wrong?

Error messages or other failed attempts to enter a contest online can be attributable to a number of issues, but in general all potential problems can be lumped into three possibilities - a sponsor's web site problem, internet communication error between your PC and the sponsor's web site or a software related issue on your personal computer .  The following explanations will try to show you what you can do to help yourself out of these problems. Please read all three sections even if you don't think one does not pertain to you.

Sponsor Site Problems

• It is not that unusual that a sponsor's site may have a web page or server side computer problem which they may or may not be aware of.  This is especially true if you are one of the earlier entrants to a contest.  Even if your entry fails, always try again.  If the server site was merely busy during your first attempt to send an entry or request information, a second try might do the trick.  If a sponsor's site gets overloaded with data requests it will not always tell you that the problem was that it was just too busy at the time to accept your information.
• Check to see if other contestants are having the same problem as you.  If everyone is having the same issue, the chances are it is a problem at the sponsor's site and not your computer.   If this is the case, a pleasant e-mail to the contest site contact usually brings it to their attention, but don't expect a response during holiday's or over a weekend.
• Experience has also shown that entry submission can be affected by the time and day of the week you enter, although we can't necessarily tell you when it's best to enter.  Sometimes (without telling visitors), web sites are "locked down for write data requests" after hours, during a holiday period or over a weekend to prevent hack attacks or a server may have some unresolved contestant database related issue.  In both cases, because support staff are unavailable to resolve the problem, you are merely notified of failed entry form submission without a real clue as to why.  For this type of situation, it is not unusual that sometime late morning on the next business day things are back to normal and form submissions occurs quickly and efficiently.  In other words, the web staff returned to work and corrected the underlying problem.
• Once you begin filling out the entry form -- complete and submit your entry as soon as possible.  If you wait too long, you will have exceeded the maximum connection time allowed by the sponsor's server and you will have been disconnected from the Web site without your knowledge even though the sponsor's web page is still visible in your browser. Once this disconnect occurs, your entry cannot be submitted or processed, if it exceeds this time limit and you will have to resubmit your recipe. (Note that each web site has its own time limit before an idle disconnect occurs and therefore CCC cannot tell you how long you have before you should submit an entry. That being said, it is our opinion that most sites would likely permit 15 to 60 minutes minimum for an entry to be completed.)

Internet Communication Error

Failure to submit an online entry form could be associated with communication errors between your PC and the sponsor's web site.  Failures of this sort are usually attributable to only a momentary breakdown in communication between the two devices, i.e., a garbled or incomplete message being sent or received.  Usually, an attempt to resend the form, refresh the page or in other words - try again - will be simple enough to complete what you were originally attempting to do.  Of course, this naturally assumes that you haven't totally lost internet communication with the sponsor site.  While there is no definitive timeframe to retry, we suggest you wait a few minutes before trying again.

User PC Problems

Contest entry submission where you think the problem lies in your computer are much harder to resolve, but here are a few tips:

• Be absolutely certain that you haven't blocked cookies.  Most sponsor sites expect cookies to be used and accepted on your computer.
• In order to prevent personal data loss, some security software may interfere with the transmission of personal form data, unless the blocking feature is disabled for this particular site or form submission.   Review your computer for any child filtering or internet security software which might block form submission. 
• It is not unusual that after clicking the submit button on a form that the response from the sponsor's site will be a new web page including a pop-up confirmation window to show your acceptance of the form submission.  If your pop-up blocking software is enabled, this will prevent this confirmation window which must be shown, otherwise, your entry submission will not be complete. Before you click submit, temporarily disable pop-ups in your browser for the site in question.  This will insure that, if used, any confirmation pop-up window will not be blocked which in turn will not complete the entry process.  If you don't know how to disable pop-ups, press the Control <ctl> and the Shift <shift> key simultaneously and while holding them down click the submit button on the form.  This can be used to temporarily permit pop-up windows on certain sites.
• Once you begin filling out the entry form -- complete and submit your entry as soon as possible.  If you wait too long, you will have exceeded the maximum connection time allowed by the sponsor's server and you will have been disconnected from the Web site without your knowledge even though the sponsor's web page is still visible in your browser. Once this disconnect occurs, your entry cannot be submitted or processed, if it exceeds this time limit and you will have to resubmit your recipe. (Note that each web site has its own time limit before an idle disconnect occurs and therefore CCC cannot tell you how long you have before you should submit an entry. That being said, it is our opinion that most sites would likely permit 15 to 60 minutes minimum for an entry to be completed.)
• Try another computer.  This is a fairly quick way to determine if it is your computer. More than 90% of people who know the sponsor site is working and try another computer find that they are able to complete the submission using another computer.  We suggest if you're trying to do this at home then use a work computer or visa versa.

Prepare For A Problem

When it comes to online recipe entry submission it is best to expect the worst and hope for the best.  So that you don't submit a form, lose the data and grow frazzled as a result here are some helpful tips:

• Prepare your recipe in another program like Microsoft Word, Notepad or Wordpad and save this information to a file.  In the event your form submission fails it will be easy to recopy and paste the recipe data into the form and try again.
• While your form is visible in the browser, press the Control <ctl> and N <n> key simultaneously which will open up another duplicate window of the form you are about to submit.  Thus, if the submission fails you'll have a duplicate copy to immediately try again.
• Before you click submit, temporarily disable pop-ups in your browser for the site in question.  This will insure that, if used, any confirmation pop-up window required to complete your submission will not be blocked.  If you don't know how to disable pop-ups, press the Control <ctl> and the Shift <shift> key simultaneously and while holding them down click the submit button on the form.  This can be used to temporarily permit pop-up windows on certain sites.

How Can I Re-Size My Picture For Submission In A Contest?

Should I be concerned about privacy on CCC?

Does CCC web pages show-up in search activity thru Google, Yahoo, AOL, etc.?

Help, someone posted a picture of me on the scrapbook and I don't like it.

We at CCC have had a long standing policy of accepting member submitted photographs and descriptions which were generally obtained while attending a corporate sponsored contest of some type in the public arena.  These member submitted photos are available to be viewed by both the general public and members as well.  We remind everyone, that these photos were taken in a public setting and you will oftentimes find similar pictures on the company web site who sponsors the contest.

In most cases, photographs were posed and all participants were aware of the use of this shot on CCC's web site.  These photographs were submitted for entry into our scrapbook, usually by the person taking the picture or a family member.  In the case of the hall of fame, photos are self-submitted along with a written write-up by the inductee for inclusion on our site, after we have chosen them for the award.

It is impossible, as a practical matter, to verify the validness of releasing personal pictures on each photo submitted to us for posting.  Most times, the photos are submitted with merely the first names of the individuals included and a short description of the cooking activity in progress.  We are dependent upon the member submitting the photo to have the proper approval of all shown subjects to give us the digital picture for posting onto our web site and it assumes (unless notified otherwise) that each submitter has that approval.

There are occasions, however, when a submitted facial picture is found undesirable by the individual in the picture after posting to the site.  It is the responsibility of the offended party to immediately notify CCC via email as to what pictures they do not want posted, their web page location and/or any offensive name/description they would like removed.  CCC will, depending upon the photo involved, either completely remove the entire picture in question from our site or digitially alter/blur the subjects face and remove their personal name/description so that as to not be recognizable by anyone.

Non-notification to CCC after posting of scrapbook items will presume photographic subjects agree to such postings and we will continue to do so, unless notice is given at a subsequent time.