Q: Who is MICentral?
A: MICentral.com is the online portal for The Oakland Press, The Macomb Daily, The Daily Tribune in Royal Oak, The Morning Sun in Mt. Pleasant, Heritage Newspapers in Southgate and more than 80 weekly newspapers in Michigan all owned by Journal Register Company.

Q: Why did I have to enter my e-mail address to upload photos and post comments? Will I start getting spam and junk mail?
A: MICentral users submit their e-mail addresses and create user names to facilitate the functionality offered on the site. MICentral.com © 2007 Journal Register Company (is a network of Michigan newspaper websites) shall not use any user information for any purpose other than those defined in the terms of use without explicit consent from the users.

Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: MICentral.com  adheres to a strict privacy policy.

Q: What types of image files can I upload to MICentral?
A: Easier to say what images you cannot upload to MICentral, actually. MICentral images must be jpg files of photos that you've taken. No uploading images that are retouched in any way. Do not upload your non-photo artwork, photos that you've found on the web, stock or celebrity photos, stuff that appears to be copyrighted by someone else, screenshots, panoramic or oddly sized photos. No content that's inappropriate for public areas or nudity. Nudity, even tasteful, is probably not going to make the cut. Nothing out of focus, underexposed or overexposed, unless it's done artfully.

Please pay attention to composition. Photos should be crisp, not too dark or blown out. We encourage good photography and a good viewing experience for the MICentral community.

Q: What information should I include in my caption?
A: Please include the location where the photo was taken and the circumstances if appropriate. Do not use the caption field to advertise your website.

Q: What size images may I upload to MICentral?
A: MICentral only supports jpgs. They can be of any size.
Video files (.avi, .dv, .mov, .qt, .mp4, .mpeg, .3gp, .asf, .wmv).

Q: I uploaded a photo to an album. Why isn't it showing up?
A: All photos go through an approval process before they appear on the site. If you've uploaded an image that falls into a category we don't accept (as specified above), we won't approve it. Otherwise, it will show up in the appropriate album once it is approved.

Q: I commented on a photo. Why isn't it showing up?
A: It is probably waiting on approval. But if your comment contains profanity or hate, it's not going up.

Q: How do I suggest a new album or category to MICentral?
A: Send us a suggestion to videos@heritage.com. In the subject line, type "How about a new category?" We'll look it over and if it works for us, we'll create that album on MICentral.

Q: Is registration required on MICentral.com for me to comment, upload photos to MICentral or vote a photo as "Best"?
A: No. But you must enter a user name and email address to comment and to upload photos. User name and password are not required to vote for a photo as "Best."

Q: What does "Best" mean?
A: You may vote for one photo, per album, per session that you feel is best out of any given album.

Q: One of my photos was stamped as "best" and now it's not. Why?
A: At any given time, in each album, the photo with the most "best" votes from users will have the "best" stamp. Should more than one photo get the same number of "best" votes, they will all have a stamp. Once the tie is broken, the photo with the most "best" stamps will retain the stamp, while the runners-up will lose theirs. That's how it works.

Q: What does the "Best" stamp mean on the tile-view album page?
A: That means that out of that album, a user has voted for that photo as best.

Q: How do I know if someone has commented on one of my photos?
A: You will be notified by email, sent to the address you entered to submit your original comment.

Q: How do I know if my comment has been approved?
A: You will receive an e-mail informing you if your comment has passed through approval and has been posted.

Q: How do I upload my photos to MICentral?
A: Click on the album you wish to upload to and then click "Submit a Photo." Fill in the required fields and you're on your way.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of photos I can upload to MICentral?
A: Each user may upload up to six images per user session. We've imposed a limit as this is a community website and we want to avoid any one person dominating an album or category. That's just no fun.

Q: Can I access my original images?
A: Unfortunately, storage of all MICentral users' hi-res images isn't possible. We suggest you keep a backup of the hi-res images you've uploaded to MICentral.

Q: Can I use MICentral for commercial purposes?
A: MICentral is for personal use. If you attempt to sell products, services or yourself by means of uploaded photos, logos, etc., we will not allow you to upload further photos.

Q: How do I make an album of my favorite photos?
A: Just click on the suitcase icon next to the shot you like and it will be added to My Album. As you browse photos in MICentral, your My Album collection will appear at the bottom of the pages in the orange rail.

Q: What if I see something offensive on MICentral?
A: Send a note to videos@heritage.com and we'll look into it.