Where's Willy? ® 2.4 Frequently Asked Questions


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#1 Why is this site all about?
	In 1998, I created Where's George? - The United States Currency Tracker. Since then, I've had many requests to create a version to allow our Canadian neighbors to play as well..and Where's Willy? is here to do just that.


#2 When did this site get started?
	Where's Willy? was officially launched on February 20, 2001.


#3 Who is "Willy"?
	"Willy" is Sir Wilfrid Laurier - The first French Canadian Prime Minister. He held office from 1896 to 1911. His portrait is on the Canadian $5 bill.


*#4 I got this bill with Where's Willy?* on it, What do I do?**
	Please go to the Where's Willy? Home Page and enter the serial number and your current Postal Code and then hit the 'SUBMIT' button. Remember that you need to register before entering any bills in order to put them on your account so you can come back and track where they go next!


#5 HELP! I followed all the directions, I registered, and then entered this bill I just got with www.whereswilly.com on it. But it did not have any history associated with it. If someone wrote or stamped the address on the bill, it must be in the system. What did I do wrong? What's going on? I really want to see where this bill has been!
	If the bill report you got back had no other entries (be sure to scroll down all the way), then either the person who stamped the bill never entered it, or entered it incorrectly. Be sure to enter the correct denomination and series, as these are the most common mistakes. If you email the serial number, denomination, and series to us on the Contact Us Form we will look into it and let you know what happened. In the mean time, be sure to properly enter the denomination, serial number, and series when you enter bills.


#6 Do you make money from this? If so, how?
	Where's Willy? was not created to make money or collect email addresses or anything like that. It was created to simply allow people to track their currency as it circulates around the country and the world. The funds generated from the banner ads and the Friends program go to help pay for the hardware, software, and bandwidth it takes to keep the site running. The point is to have fun tracking your dollar bills and interacting with thousands of other fun and interesting people here at Where's Willy? Please join in the fun!


#7 Then who/what pays for the site and keeps it running?
	First and foremost, the site is entirely FREE for all users. It costs you NOTHING to use the site. Second, the site is mostly funded by me, from the banner ads, and from selling Where's George? merchandise (see the George Store or Cafe Press WG store) Many users have also joined the OPTIONAL Friends of Where's Willy? program for some extra special benefits. I also invest a significant amount of my spare time each week.


*#8 Great, but what is the Friends of Where's Willy?* program?**
	It is a program to allow the users to access new and enhanced features for a small monthly contribution. In addition, ALL banner ads are removed for members of the Friends program. Click Here for information on how to join the program. Every little bit helps - and thanks for your support.


#9 Is it legal to write on or mark currency?
	Where's Willy? does not encourage the defacement of your currency. We cannot locate any Canadian statutes that prohibit writing on currency. For more detailed info on the Canadian laws, please see this link. The United States law defines "illegal" defacement as defacement that renders bills unfit to be re-issued. Users of Where's Willy? should follow the same guidelines to prevent problems for Canadian banks and merchants. For the legal details from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, please Click Here


*#10 Where can I get a Where's Willy?* rubber stamp?**
	We no longer sell any Where's Willy? rubber stamps, but if you contact www.stamp-connection.com, they should be able to help you.


#11 Do you have a Privacy Policy?
	Yes. Please see it here. Your personal information is safe at Where's Willy?, as we will never sell or disclose your email address or personal information to anyone.


*#12 What are the generally accepted guidelines for entering and distributing Where's Willy?* bills?**
	Please see the Where's Willy? User Guidelines page for all the details.


#13 Can I change the settings, email address, or password I used to register, without losing access to my bills?
	Yes! Just go to this User Setting page and you can update all your user setting including your EMAIL ADDRESS and PASSWORD. If you change your email address, you will have to re-validate it. Please, DO NOT RE-REGISTER if you lost your password. Simply go to the LOGON page to reclaim it or click here Password Recovery.


#14 I entered a few bills, and then I registered. Now it won't let me re-enter the bills under my new account. Can you move these bills so I can see them under the 'Your Bills' page?
	You can now do this yourself. Once you have registered and are assigned a user number, go to the Where's Willy? Lost and Found Department (See the Menu on the left). You will need to enter the denomination, series, and serial number of the bill, and your Postal Code, user number and password. If we can locate the bill in your Postal Code, it will be re-assigned to your user number.


#15 I entered a wrong Postal Code when I entered a bill. How do I correct it?
	You must be a registered member to make Postal Code corrections. Simply go to 'Your Bills' and locate the bill you entered (most likely under 'Recently Entered Bills'), then click the 'Edit Zip' button for the bill. There, you can enter the correct Postal Code. Please remember these two rules: 1. Always use the Postal Code where you are when you entered the bill, not where you got or spent the bill. 2. Once you correct a Postal Code, you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE IT AGAIN. ** Any persons using the Postal Code editor to create fraudulent entries will have their accounts terminated without warning.


#16 I just got back a bill I spent a few days ago, but I can't enter it. Why not?
	Bills are only re-entered for the same user under EXTREME circumstances, like significant time or great distances. Just add a user note to the bill explaining the situation, and then respend the bill and hope for another hit. If you feel that your situation is EXTREME, see the Contact Us page for our email address.


#17 I have a 1954 note I want to enter, but the system does not recognize it. How can I enter this note?
	Where's Willy? simply doesn't track bills older than series 1971.


#18 What will you do with my email address?
	Three things: First, we will notify you by email if any of the bills you entered are re-entered by someone else (known as a 'hit'). Second, we will notify you of new and interesting happenings at Where's Willy?. Third, people will be able to send you anonymous email about your bills. You can enable and/or disable each of these features on the User Settings page. Your email address will never be sold, disclosed, or used to send unsolicited commercial email (UCE or SPAM).


#19 I just entered some bills, but they show up with three dashes in the middle.. Did they get entered/stored correctly?
	Yes, they have been stored with the entire serial number. The serial numbers are slightly masked to prevent other people from seeing your bills and entering them, causing fake 'hits' to be generated.


#20 Should I enter the letters of the serial number in UPPER or lower case?
	It does not matter. The system will convert them correctly.


#21 I just entered a bill for the first time, yet I'm getting a 'Houston, we have a problem' message that says I already entered it, but I didn't. What's going on?
	This usually happens when people double-click on the submit button, instead of single clicking it. If you just click the button once, it should work fine. Also, there is a known problem with older browsers sending your bill submission twice, instead of once. You are seeing the result of the second entry (which fails because your first entry was already processed, but you didn't see the result). No need to worry about this situation - you can always see what bills you've entered by looking at 'Your Bills' from the main menu. You might want to upgrade your browser, though.


#22 I just got a hit on a bill from far away, but it is telling me the bill travelled 'n/a' miles. What does that mean?
	If someone enters a new Postal Code that we don't have in the system, the distance and speed calculations are not valid and are disabled for that bill entry. The Postal Codes are occasionally updated to fix these issues.


#23 When will you support foreign currency tracking?
	As much as we would love to track other currencies around the world, the laws concerning defacement of currency vary from country to country. Please see the Cool Links page for other currency tracking websites around the world, all inspired by Where's Willy?


#24 I've entered many bills, but I'm not getting any hits yet. What's going on?
	There are three factors at work here. First, if you choose to mark your bills, make sure your bills have the URL (www.whereswilly.com) clearly written on the bill. If people can't see your message, they are unlikely to visit the website and hit your bills. Second, you'll need to spend your Where's Willy? bills in locations likely to turnaround your bills to other people who will be more likely to be curious and come to the site. Convenience stores, arcades, fast food restaurants, toll booths, and the like seem to be good locations. If your bills end up back at a bank, it could be months until they makes it out again. The third factor is pure luck. Some bills have been re-entered in hours or days, others have taken up to four months or longer to show again. The overall hit rate is currently about 11%, so just enter your bills and sit back and wait. Also, for the 11% of bills that have hits, the AVERAGE time for a hit is about 27 days. You may get a hit within a week, but don't be upset if your first hit takes a month or longer. The hits will come; please be patient!! (We've had people who have entered more than 1,000 bills before getting a hit.)


#25 What is the Willy Index and how do I get it?
	The Willy Index is automatically calculated when you enter bills and get hits. The more bills you enter, and more importantly, the more hits you get, the higher your Willy Index. They aren't worth anything, and you won't get any prizes. It is solely for the enjoyment by some users that like to compare themselves with each other. The formula used to calculate your Willy Index can be found on the 'Your Bills', 'Profiles by State' and 'Top 10 Users' report. The Score also goes down for inactivity on the site 1% per day after your 5th day of inactivity). To reset your score to its full value, simply run 'Your Bills' each time you visit the site. In addition, you need a minimum number of bills entered, bills with hits, and total hits before you are scored. Until then, you will be 'scoreless'. The only exception to this is on the User Profile Rankings by State report, where your 'Pre-certified' Willy Index is displayed, regardless of the number of bills or hits you have.


*#26 What are the rules for calculating the Willy Index?*
	First, The minimum number of hits you need to get an official Willy Index is now 5. Second, the 'days of inactivity' calculation kicks in only after 5 days of inactivity. For the first five days you are inactive, your Willy Index will remain constant, although you will still need to log in and run the YOUR BILLS report to have your Willy Index reflect new hits or bill entries you have made. So, after the fifth day of inactivity, your Willy Index will drop 5%, and then 1% per day after that, until you return and run the YOUR BILLS report. At that point, your Willy Index will be returned to its full, normal level.


#27 Why don't you have a report for FARTHEST or FASTEST bill traveled?
	Because that would motivate people to enter bills from other locations, just to get their bill(s) on this type of report. We discourage anyone from entering fake bills or bills from locations other than where they are at the moment they are entering the bill. Bills and/or locations that are identified as fraudulent are automatically deleted.


#28 I registered already, and now the site is asking me to register or logon again. What's going on?
	Don't worry. For various reasons, the cookie that Where's Willy? sends to your browser gets deleted. Simply go to the Logon page and enter your email address and password you used previously, and you will be logged on with the same user number. You can also select for how long you wish to stay logged on to the website. If you are in a public place and want to make sure you do not leave the terminal logged into your Where's Willy? account after you leave, select "One Hour" or "One Day". After that time, you will automatically be logged out of that terminal or browser. For more information about cookies, please see the


#29 Can I delete a bill that was mis-entered?
	Yes. Please go to 'Your Bills' and then select 'Recently Entered Bills.' (If this button is not displayed, simply refresh the report with the button on the top of the page.) You can then delete any mis-entered bills, as long as they were entered during the last 72 hours, and don't have any hits. If you need to delete a bill with hits, please email us with the serial number.


#30 What can I do if I entered a bill incorrectly (i.e. you entered the wrong series, denomination, or serial number)?
	First, please delete the incorrect entry (see previous question about deleting a bill), then Just go ahead and re-enter the bill correctly.


#31 Can I test to see if I am registered?
	Yes, click on this link to see the cookies Where's Willy? has saved for you. Click here!


#32 Can I log on and enter bills from multiple locations with the same user number?
	Yes! Just be sure to logon using the SAME email address, and Where's Willy? will log you on using your existing user number. Please remember to use your CURRENT, local Postal Code when entering bills away from home.


#33 Can multiple people use the same computer?
	Yes! Each person can Logon using their email address and password. Your browser MUST support cookies to do this.


#34 I'm going on vacation, should I keep track of the bills I spend and enter them when I get home? I'm going on vacation, should I enter the bills with the Postal Code of where I am going to be? I'm going on vacation, should I enter the bills I brought back with the Postal Code of where I was?
	The answer to all these questions is NO. The rule is pretty simple: Please enter bills with the Postal Code where you are at that moment. Any other type of mark-now-and-enter-later, or enter-with-the-Postal Code-where-I'm-going, or any other combination only leads to erroneous entries getting into the system. Since the entries are timestamped WHEN you enter them, you SHOULD PLEASE enter the Postal Code WHERE you are when you enter them. If you travel to another location and want to enter bills, just go find internet access and enter them there - libraries, internet cafés , heck, go into Best Buy and do it there! Just be sure to find out your CURRENT Postal Code. If you're going somewhere with no access at all, well then give it a rest - YOU'RE ON VACATION! I would rather have no bills in the system than lots of bad entries.


*#35 I want to add a link to Where's Willy?* Do you have any banners or graphics?**
	Yes, please see the User Links Page for some Where's Willy? user-created graphics.


#36 How do I get a user profile?
	First, please register. Then, go to the User Profile Page.


#37 The new webpage is too wide for my browser window!
	The new layout was designed to take advantage of your entire browser window. In a few cases, the browser may not display this correctly, and if this is the case, you can use this page to manually adjust the width of the website in your browser.


#38 How do I link bill reports to my posts in the Public Forums? How do I create one of those fancy user profiles?
	Many Where's George? users have put together a handy guide to making the most of Where's George?. You can find it Here..


#39 Can I enter a bunch of bills at once, instead of one at a time?
	Due to past abuses of the website, we will unfortunately not be offering this feature. Sorry.


#40 How about wireless internet access?
	Not currently, but we are more likely to do that than allow multiple bill entry. Stay tuned...


*#41 How do I unsubscribe from Where's Willy?* and have my account removed from the website?**
	Please visit the Contact Us page and select the 'Unsubscribe' option for the 'Type of Inquiry' section. You MUST include your email address, user number and password in order for us to remove your account. Requests submitted without this info will be ignored. Once removed, all bills on your account will become unregistered and will not be able to be reclaimed if you change your mind. Once you are removed from the system, you are TOTALLY removed, and all records associated with your account are deleted.