What is a Xombyte?

A Xombyte is a term we use for a blog, article, or fiction that is submitted to Xomba. A Xombyte should be a full fledged piece of writing containing at least 150 words. It can contain links to other web pages but that should not be its main focus. Posts which use a link to another web page as its main focus should be Xomblurbs.

What is a Xomblurb?

Xomblurbs are a social bookmarking tool that allows users to share links with the entire Xomba community. In a Xomblurb you can share a link to a website, article, blog, image and video.

How do I make money on Xomba?

Xomba uses Google Adsense on every page of the site. Any posts made by the user will display targeted ads on their Xombyte/Xomblurb. Xomba automatically rotates ownership of the ads between users and the website. You are paid by Google when someone clicks on these ads. For information on setting up a Google Adsense account click here .

Who holds the copyright to articles posted on Xomba?

The users retain all rights to any article they post on Xomba. You own whatever content you post on Xomba. You are allowed to add a Creative Commons license if you wish.

Will my existing Google Adsense account work with Xomba?

Yes! Just enter your account number into the appropriate field and start making money today. For account setup information click here.

Why are the ads on my page not targeted? Why is there a public service announcement instead of ads?

There are several reasons as to why the ads on your page may not be targeted. The most likely reason is that you have not provided enough keywords on your page for Google to target it properly. Other reasons may include a lack of advertisers for your subject matter, spelling or grammar issues and it may just be that Google has not processed the article yet (this can sometimes take up to 24 hours).

Google shows a public service announcement instead of ads when it believes the web page has violated its terms of service. You can find Google’s terms of service here

This article deals with certain words that trigger your ads into becoming PSAs.

How does the Xomba referral program work?

The referral program allows you to invite other users to sign up on Xomba. For every user you refer we will give you 10% of their ad revenue. Don't worry they will still get their 50%, we'll take the 10% out of our half. That's 10% for every post for as long as that user is a member. You can easily invite friends from your profile.

How do I edit my profile? How do I change my password?

To edit your profile first click the my profile link on the top right navigational menu. From there select the edit tab. On this page you can change your username, profile picture and password. You should now also see a tab titled personal information that will let you edit the details on your profile page. Make sure to hit the submit button at the bottom of the page after making any changes.

What are categories?

Categories are the basic organizing blocks of Xomba. Whenever you create a Xombyte or Xomblurb you must select the most appropriate category for it to belong to. The categories are listed on the right navigational menu.

What are tags?

Tags are keywords that are similar to categories. Tags allow you to describe your Xombyte or Xomblurb so other people can find it quickly. Tags allow you to more specifically identify your article than categories would. For example if you are writing a Xombyte about a pasta recipe then you would want the tags to be pasta, recipe. Tags should always be separated with a coma.

How do I upload/display images?

When posting a Xombyte or Xomblurb simply click the insert image button shown here .  This will allow you to upload or hotlink any image you wish.

How do I flag a Xombyte or Xomblurb as offensive?

If you come across a Xombyte or Xomblurb that you feel violates our Posting Policies (including pornography, asking people to click their ads, plagiarism, personal harassment, illegal drug use or anything else you feel we should look at) please click the Flag This button located in the green box below the article. This will send us an alert informing us of a possible violation. Please note that you must be logged in order to flag a post.

What are User Points?

User Points are earned when certain actions are completed on Xomba. Here is the breakdown of points you can earn on Xomba:

5 points - Post Xombyte
1 point - When you invite a user
3 ponts - When a invitee registers
4 points - Referring a user using referral link
3 points - Post A Xomblurb
1 point - Vote on a blurb/byte
1 point - Leave A Comment

Consequently, you will lose points for deleting any posts you made. Check the User Point Leaderboard to see how are users are ranked.

User Points are for entertainment purposes only. We started keeping track of user points on 05/29/08.

How do I vote on Xomba? What is the plus sign next to my post?

Xomba users can vote on Xombytes/Xomblurbs they like by clicking the plus sign next to the post. The number left of the plus sign will increase for each plus given. You can only vote once per post and authors are allowed to vote once on their own articles.

How do I add/remove users as friends?

Xomba allows you to keep up with your friends.

You can add a friend by simply viewing their profile and clicking the "Add As Friend" link located underneath their user picture.

Approval from the user is required before they are added to your friend's list. 

To view your friends and any pending requests click the Friends link in the top right navigational menu.

Remove a friend...

What is a RSS Feed?

Rss is a type of format for syndication that allows people to subscribe to your blog using a News Aggregator. To find a user's feed, scroll to the bottom of their profile and click the orange button .  Rss feeds are found at the bottom of category pages as well. 

What are subscriptions and how do I change them?

When you post a Xombyte or Xomblurb you are automatically subscribed to them. This means you'll receive an email notification if someone comments on it or you edit it.

You are also subscribed to any Xombyte or Xomblurb you comment on. This means you'll receive an email for any person who comments on the article or if the author edits the article.

You can view and change your subscriptions by logging in and clicking the Subscriptions link in the top right menu.

This option will allow you to view all the Bytes/Blurbs you are currently subscribed to. To unsubscribe from them simply click to remove the check box and then click the save button at the bottom of the screen.

The other tabs at the top allow you to subscribe to different categories or all content on the site. We DO NOT recommend you select these options due to possibility of being overwhelmed by emails. The last tab is the RSS Feed which shows you all your subscriptions in RSS.

To turn auto subscriptions off you'll need to click the edit tab on the top of your profile and deselect the Autosubscribe box in the Subscription Settings section. Don't forget to click the save button to confirm your choice.

How do I contact a user?


There are three ways to contact a user on Xomba.com. The first way is to send them a private message. You can do this by clicking on the user's profile and selecting the send a message link. The second way is to view their profile and post a message on their wall. This will allow you to post a message on that user's profile. The third way is to send an instant message to the user using the instant message block on the right bottom block.  You must be friends with that user to send them instant messages. 

What do I do if my account has been blocked/banned/deleted?

If your account has been blocked/banned/deleted, without any warning from the staff at Xomba, then chances are an error has been made. If we have blocked your account due to a violation in our TOS and you fail to contact us before creating a new account then you will be permanently banned. In other words, we rarely ban anyone, but we will not tolerate a blocked user creating a new account before resolving the issue with us.

Is there an official Xomba blog?

Yes, we try to post a new blog about Xomba every few days. We write about updates, policy changes and tips on using features. You can find them all listed here. Our most recent entry is listed first. We welcome comments and questions on our blogs as well.

What if I suspect a Xomba user is posting my content on Xomba.com?

We take plagiarism very seriously. If you feel a Xomba user has copied your work then we ask that you file a notice of infringement with us.

You can find out how to file a complaint of infringement by clicking here.