THE STACKS is Scholastic's new kids' site. You're on it!

Yes, but this is only a beta version. That means we're still working on making it the best it can be, and not all of the features are ready yet. In the meantime, you're getting a preview of what the finished version will be like. Don't you feel special?

Btw, the URL is www.scholastic.com/thestacks — in case you want to bookmark it on your computer, send to a friend, or plaster on a home-made shrine to our greatness.

Why, thank you for asking! THAT is our new profile system! [cue applause] Now you can create your own customized avatar, personalize your page to show off your faves, friend other kids on the site, and just generally be more awesome than people who aren't in THE STACKS.

Need some help getting around the profiles? Never fear — we've got a whole FAQs section dedicated to profiles, below!

As part of our profile system, everyone gets something called "My Stack," which is a collection of quizzes, games, and so on — saved on your profile page. If you see the "Add to Profile" link on an activity, then that means you can add it to your personal Stack!

Still confused? Check out our FAQs section just about My Stack, below.

Whoa, are you some kind of tech whiz? We salute you, but actually, you don't need any special programs to visit THE STACKS; you should be able to view the site as long as you have Flash. If you have Flash on your computer and are still having trouble viewing the site, you can try downloading the latest version of Flash, just in case. (Be sure to ask for your parents' permission first!)

Download the latest version of Flash for free.

We definitely want to hear from you guys, and we've set up a Stack Back Message Board just to get your opinions! What are your favorite things about THE STACKS? What do you think needs improvement? Tell us!

Ouch. Even so, we still want to hear from you, and we've set up a Stack Back Message Board just to get your opinions! What are your favorite things about THE STACKS? What do you think needs improvement? Tell us!

At the top of every page on THE STACKS, there's a "My Profile" button and an avatar head next to it. Click on either of those, and you'll be asked to sign in.

Of course! At the top right of your profile page, there is a link that says, "Sign Out."

Easy — just click on the "My Profile" button or the avatar head right next to it. For your convenience, we've put them at the top of every page in THE STACKS!

You can also SIGN IN to your profile through this URL: http://kids.scholastic.com/community/my_profile.htm

Heck, no! We're not here to make you do more work! If you already have a STACKS Screen Name and password, then you can use them to get to your profile.

If we had both Allie Finkle profiles and STACKS profiles on the site, then life would be like this:

You know how when you share a bedroom with your brother or sister and all of your stuff gets mixed up with theirs and all of their stuff gets mixed up with yours and then your parents yell at you for making a mess and never being able to find anything and maybe they even ground you and you miss out on a really good birthday party and then everyone is talking about it at school on Monday and you feel really left out and it's all because of having to share a room with your darned sibling?

Yeah, life would be like that . . .

BUT we don't have both Allie Finkle profiles and STACKS profiles on the site, so now life will be like this:

We moved all of the existing Allie Finkle profiles into the new STACKS profile system. If you had an Allie Finkle profile, then we've already set you up with a STACKS profile — and all of your old faves and waves are waiting there for you. To get to your new STACKS profile, just click on the "My Profile" button at the top of the page.

If you want to keep track of your Rules Notebook on your new profile page the way you used to on your Allie Finkle profile, you can do that too! You can:

1. Click the "Add More" button next to the "My Stack" header on your profile page, and then select the Allie Finkle Rules Notebook from the next page.

OR

1. Go to the Allie Finkle site and click the "My Rules Notebook" button. There's an "Add to Profile" link right there.

Don't fret — we're working on it! Your friends list will soon be restored to it's full glory. You can also look for your friends' STACKS Profiles and request to be friends with them again!

Go to your profile page. Click the "Change my avatar" link. Voila!

Every avatar must have eyes, eyebrows, ears, lips, and a nose. All of the other categories are optional (for example, hat, hair, shirt). To get rid of your selection in one of those categories, choose the "None" option.

Sorry, you can only wear one item from each category. But honestly, who can see earrings under headphones that big anyway?

Patience, grasshopper — we will be adding new options to the Avatar Maker in the future.

Nothing — for now. But we're working on it!

Click the "Save" button. You will get a confirmation message.

Hm, you might need to download the latest version of Flash. (Be sure to ask for your parents' permission first!)

Download the latest version of Flash for free.

Lots of ways:

1. Click the "My Profile" button in the navigation bar.
2. Click the small version of your avatar in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Click the "Back to My Profile" text link that is right above the Avatar Maker.

You just need to make sure your profile page is refreshed:

On a Windows PC computer, hold down the "Ctrl" button and "F5" — your profile should refresh.

On a Mac computer, hold down the "Shift", "Apple" and "R" — your profile should refresh.

Darn! That's a little glitch — refresh your browser (see above) or sign into your account through a new browser. If all else fails, set up a new account.

If you don't want to create an avatar, you don't have to; it will just be a bare head. Hey, whatever floats your boat . . .

Rankings are just in the message boards right now, but we'll be adding them to profile pages in the future. Stay tuned!

My Selects is a list of your favorite things and hobbies that let other kids know more about you.

Go to your profile page. In the My Selects section, there is an "Edit" link.

Nope, you can make however many (or few) selections you want at a time.

When you're done, just click the "Save" button on the bottom or top of the page. Your selections will be saved, and you can always come back later to make more or change the ones you've made.

Shout-Outs are messages that kids can post to each other's profiles. In addition to text options, you can also gift friends with icons — like a Magic 8 Ball, a robot, or slimy goop!

1. Go to the profile of the friend you want to give a Shout-Out to.
2. Click on the "My Shout-Outs" bar on their profile so that the Shout-Out section opens.
3. Click on the text link that says, "Send a Shout-Out!"

We totally understand, but safety reasons prevent us from letting you write your own Shout-Outs. When we made the list, we tried to come up with a wide range of options so that everyone will be able to find something they like in each category.

Nope, sorry. What's done is done.

The only way to get a Shout-Out is to have someone else send it to you. Why don't you start by giving a Shout-Out to a friend and see what you get back?

Click the "X" to the right of the name, date, and time it was sent. Bye-bye, Shout-Out!

Sorry, no can do.

My Stack is your personalized collection of quizzes, activities, and more — lined up all nice and pretty on your profile page.

We call the individual parts of My Stack "widgets." In other words, every game, quiz, or activity that you add is a widget. We'll keep making more widget options, so keep an eye out for your favorite characters and series!

Click the "Add More" button next to the "My Stack" header on your profile page. That will take you to a page with all available widget options. Ta da!

Also, as you're exploring THE STACKS, you may happen upon "Add to Profile" links here and there. That means there's a widget available for that activity!

Click the "Add More" button next to the "My Stack" header on your profile page. Then click the gray "Remove from My Stack" button in that widget's section.

Just click its name.

First, go to their profile. Above their avatar, next to where it says "My Profile," there is a button that says, "Add as Friend." Click that button.

Not right now — but in the future, yes! At the moment, the moderators are concentrating on, well, moderating, so they don't have time to fiddle with their profiles. But you can be friends with the Stacks_Admin!

If you don't see the "Add to Friend" link, that means that you've already sent a friend request to that person.

Hold your horses! People won't show up in your list of friends until they have accepted your friend requests.

No, it will always be your eight most recent friends.

If you have pending friend requests, there will be a link at the top of the My Friends section of your profile. That link goes to a page with all of your pending friend requests. You can accept or decline each request individually, or you can click the link to accept all requests at once.

Um, no.

Nope, sorry. But you can send a new friend request to the person.

Yup. Click on the "remove x" link under their name on your View All Friends page. Sayonara!

Everyone's profile page has a URL like this: http://kids.scholastic.com/community/my_profile.htm?username=NAME

The person's Screen Name goes after the = (equals sign).

For example, Allie Finkle's Screen Name is AllieF, so her profile URL is http://kids.scholastic.com/community/my_profile.htm?username=AllieF.

You're probably not signed in with a Scholastic Kids account (aka a STACKS account). Register for a new account now.

Don't fret — we're working on it! Your friends list will soon be restored to it's full glory. You can also look for your friends' STACKS Profiles and request to be friends with them again! And their avatars might look a little peaky — that's because they also haven't signed in to update them yet!

Click on the button that says, "The Scene" — it's at the top of every page in THE STACKS. After that, click on "See All Message Boards."

Yep. You can get quick access to your message board posts by clicking on the "My Message Boards" bar on your profile (it's under the "My Info" header).

The "My Message Boards" section of your profile is also available to other kids — so when they view your profile, they can easily to get to all your brilliant posts!

You're right — we're still working on the message boards. But no worries, they'll be getting a new look soon!

The "My Message Boards" section of your profile is also available to other kids — so when they view your profile, they can easily to get to all your brilliant posts!

You have to be signed in first. Click the "Sign In" link towards the top left of the page (under the blue bar), and you should be all set.

DO NOT click the "Sign In" button at the very, very upper right-hand corner of the page. Otherwise, you'll be responsible for destroying our website. Just kidding — it actually doesn't work for STACKS sign-in, so please just ignore it.

Nope. If you already have a STACKS Screen Name and password, then you can use them to sign in to the message boards.

Duh — we're not trying to trap you here! When you're signed in to the boards, you'll see your Screen Name towards the top left of the page (under the blue bar). Right next to that, there's a "Logout" link.

A "signature" is just a really fancy term for text or an image (or a combo!) that you put at the end of all your message board posts — like how you always sign your name the same way at the end of a letter. Get it? Well, we here at THE STACKS looooove you, and when we saw how many of you guys were typing up and formatting your own signatures on the boards, we decided to make some graphic signatures for you to use! [pause for grateful applause here] You're welcome!

We've designed a bunch of embeddable Signature images for you to choose from. So show off your fandom for your fave series (from Allie Finkle to Goosebumps), or just make your own unique mark on your post. However you use the signatures, they certainly liven up the message boards!

(If you don't see your perfect signature, don't worry, we'll be adding lots more!)

So now that we've enticed you, just head on over to the STACKS Signature page to get started!

You'll also be able to get to all of the signatures when you're on the message boards. Just go to the Message Board Homepage OR the message board of your choice, click on "Get Signatures," and start copying your faves!

1. Click the "Copy Code" button.
2. Go to your desired message board and create a post using "Edit as HTML."
3. When you're finished typing, paste in your signature code. It's as simple as that!

(Check out the Signature page for an example!)