How to use this site

Topics

• Profiles
• Friends
• Blogs
• Groups
• Videos
• Events
• Photos
• News & Opinions

Profiles

Editing your personal profile details

• The first step is to sign in and click the "Settings" link in the upper right corner of the page. From this page, you can change your email address, password, correct your location or age, and upload a profile picture!

Your Personal Box

• Go to 'My Profile' in the top toolbar and scroll down too the 'Your Box' module.
• This is your space. One of the easiest things you can do to make your profile page your own is add content to your box! You can add anything you'd like to the text box on your profile page - including text, images, widgets, and links!
• Just select “+ Add Text” and share something about yourself with the rest of the world!

Uploading/changing your profile picture

• Click on the “Settings” link in the right column of the page. Next to the “Profile Photo” field, click the “Upload a photo” button and then select “Browse” to find an image on your computer. When you have found your photo just click “Done” and then “Save” at the bottom of your Profile Setting's page.

Changing the layout of your profile page

• You can rearrange the layout of your profile page and place the features however you'd like.
• To move content around on your profile page, head to your profile and locate the feature you'd like to move. Put your mouse in the title bar of that box. If it can be moved, a small crosshair icon will appear to the left of it.
• Drop the box where you'd like it to be, and keep going until you have the perfect layout!
• Some elements on your profile page- like you profile photo, basic information and the My Friends box- can't be moved, but other than that have fun!

Adding profile Apps to your page

• To add a Profile App, click on the “Add Profile Apps” link that appears in the left column of your profile page, beneath your photo.
• This is will take you to the Profile App Directory, where you can browse all Profile Apps or view them by category. When you find a Profile App you'd like to add, click on the “Add to My Page” button and then confirm by clicking “Add Profile App”. The Profile App will now appear on your profile!

Friends

How to request new friends

• To send a friend request to someone on the social network, go to their profile page. Click the "Add as friend" link under their profile photo. A confirmation window will pop up. If you'd like to add a note to your friend request, click the "Add a personal message" link. This is a great way to let them know how you might know each other or why you'd like to be friends!
• You can also browse all of the existing members or even search for specific members with similar interests! The Advanced Search is an easy way to find people you want to befriend.

How to invite your existing friends

• Well for one thing, just tell people- word of mouth is a powerful tool!
• Otherwise you can simply click the 'Friends- Invite' option in the upper right corner on your homepage when you log in! Just make sure you click on 'Invite', not 'Friends' as they are two different hyperlinks!
• You have three options for inviting your friends:
• • Import from Web Address Book: Just type in the address and the password for an email account on AOL Mail, Gmail by Google, Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Mail or Hotmail & you'll immediately be able to invite any of your contacts to A Climate for Change!
  • Enter E-mail Addresses: If you have a particular set of email addresses you want to send invites to, you can manually enter them in this section. Just enter multiple email addresses into the "Send To" field!
  • Import from Address Book Application: You can also upload a .vcf or .csv contact file from services like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Address book! You'll be able to invite any contacts on this list to join A Climate for Change!

All about Blogs

Why create a blog?

• Blog posts are a great way to share stories and express you right on your profile page! They are about you and your experiences!

Creating a blog

• It's easy! To get started, go to the "Blogs" section in the top toolbar and click the "Add a Blog Post" link. 
• Then you can add text, links, images, and files to your blog post using the blog editor toolbar!

Tips to writing a blog

• By blog we mean your thoughts, opinions and questions on interesting articles, photos, videos which relate to climate change, that you have found. A couple of short, snappy and engaging sentences are enough to constitute a blog on A Climate for Change!
• The DOs:
• • Make your opinion known! Be natural, be passionate! It's OK to say what you think! The world would be an irksome place with a diversity of opinion!
  • Keep it casual, short & sweet. 250 words is fine!
  • Link like crazy! So everyone can read/watch/listen to all this amazing stuff as well!
  • • To insert a link, highlight the text you want to be linked and click the “Insert a Link” icon, which looks like chain links in the toolbar. In the box that pops up type the URL you want the text to link to.
  • Keep it open for discussion & debate!
  • Pimp it up with a related picture or video!
  • • You can insert an image to your post by clicking the "Add an Image" button, which looks like a framed picture, in the toolbar. A window will appear prompting you to select a photo from your computer to upload. Once you've found the image you want, click the "Add" button. 
    • To embed a video, just copy the HTML code and paste it into your blog post.
  • Remember to think of a catchy title! Get peoples attention!
• The DON'Ts
• • It's about your views, not the article copied & pasted!
  • Don't forget to acknowledge where you got your information from, so everyone can read it too!
  • A Climate for Change doesn't encourage profanity and racial, homophobic, or bigoted names should not be used.
  • Anything deemed offensive can and will be removed.

Editing your blog

• You can definitely edit your blog entry after you've posted it! To do so, go to your My Profile. Click the “My Blog” link at the top of the page and then click on “Manage Blog” on the right side of the page.
• Drafts will be indicated by a pencil in the column to the left of the post title. Click “edit” next to the post you want to change. This will bring you to a screen where you can make tweaks to your post.
• You can also approve or reject comments, edit drafts or published posts, or delete blog posts from this page.

Commenting;

• Comments are a quick and easy way to interact with other members. They are short notes, including text, hyperlinks and images that you can leave on any photo, video or blog post on ACFC, or on any member's profile page.
• Commenting Profiles:
• • To comment on someone's profile, go to their profile page and locate the Comment Wall in the middle column.
• Commenting on photos, videos & blog posts
• • Don't be shy- let the poster know your thoughts! You just have to type them in the “Add a Comment” box below the piece of content you want to comment on!

Groups

Join a group

• To join an existing group, go to the Groups tab located on the right hand side of the page when you are signed in. You can browse existing groups by most active, or sort them by latest activity, most members, or latest created. Just choose your option from the "Sort by" menu.  Once you find an interesting group, click on its title. If the group is public, there will be a link in the top right of the page to “+ Join” the group. If the group is private, you can apply to join the group from the group's page.

Participating in your groups

• Once you join a group, you can participate in it! You can add a comment to the group's comment wall or check out the group's discussion forum and start a reply to the discussions! If you want to view all of the discussions in the group's forum, locate the Forum box and click the “View All” link.
• When you join a group, you'll automatically follow the group. You'll be subscribed to changes on that group. This means that any time someone joins the group, comments on the group, or starts or replies to a forum discussion within the group, you'll receive an email notification letting you know. This is a great way to keep you involved in groups you belong to and keep you in the know about activity happening on the group.
• You stop following a group you belong to at anytime by clicking the "Stop Following" link on the group's page.

Creating your own group

• To create a group, go to the Groups tab and click the link at the top right of the page to "+ Add a group." Next, fill in information about your group. Give your group a name and be sure to upload a group image that's roughly square in size. Fill out a description for your group, which members will see when looking for groups to join. If your group has another website, or a location, you can add it here! 
• On the right side of the page, you choose which features your group will have. You can add a comment wall, discussion forum, text box, and RSS reader to your group.
• Don't forget to choose the privacy settings for your group! You can allow anyone to join the group, or moderate membership. If you choose to moderate membership, new members will have to apply to join and you'll be able to review their request before they can join. You can allow members to invite other people to join and allow people to request membership if you'd like. If you turn off both of these options, the group will be invite-only - and you'll be the only one who can send invites to join the group.
• Finally, choose whether or not members of your group can send broadcast messages to the whole group.
• Click "Add Group" and your group will be added to the social network!

Videos

Uploading videos from your computer

• Firstly, video's must be in one of the following formats: .mov, .mpg, .avi, .3gp or .wmv
• Go to the Videos tab on your profile, and click “+ Add Videos”.
• You can then choose to browse your computer for videos. Using the bulk photo uploader, you can upload up to 30 videos at a time; however your computer will require Java to run this.

Adding videos from other sites

• You can add videos to your social network from other services, including YouTube, GoogleVideo, and Hulu, by embedding them.
• From the “Add Videos” page, scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the section that says “Add videos from YouTube or GoogleVideo.” Click the “Add Video” link.
• Next, copy the HTML code from the YouTube, GoogleVideo, or another video sharing service that you'd like to add to your profile, and paste it into the box!

Sending in photos & videos by phone or e-mail

• When you join ACFC, a unique email address is assigned to your profile. You can use this email address to send photos and videos in one at a time to your profile. If your mobile has a camera and email, this is a great way to add photos to your profile on the go! Any photo or video you send in to your unique email-in address will be added to your profile as uploaded by you! Nifty hey!
• To find your email-in address and get started, click the 'Settings” link in the right column of the page. At the bottom of the page, locate the “Useful addresses” section. You'll find your email-in address under “Add by phone.” It should look like a combination of your name of ACFC and a few numbers, and the domain will be the URL of ACFC! E.g. JohnDoe123@aclimateforchange.org

Events

Finding out about events

• You want to join others in taking action?
• Your navigation toolbar on the right has a list of upcoming “Events.” You can browse all the upcoming events in the next few months by clicking “view all” You can even choose what type of event!

Creating an event

• To create your own event, go to the Events tab and click “+ Add an Event.”
• Next, fill in information about your event. Required fields include event name, event image, description, event type, start time, and location. You'll want to upload an image that's roughly square in size. In the "description" field, you can add text, hyperlinks, images, and even files.
• If you'd like, you can add an end time, street, city or town, website or map, and phone number for your event.
• By default, any event you add to a social network will appear as organized by you and will link to your profile page. However you can change who the event is organized by if you'd like in the "Organized By" field.
• Don't forget to choose the privacy settings for your event! Anyone can RSVP to a public event, while only invited people can RSVP to private events. However some information about private events will still be visible to all members of ACFC, including the title, start time, event type, and organizer. You can also choose to disable RSVP altogether or hide the guest list.
• Click "Create Event" and voilà! Your event will be added to A Climate for Change's social network!

Photos

Uploading photos from your computer

• Firstly, photo's must be in one of the following formats: .jpg, .png, or .gif
• Go to the Photos tab on your profile, and click “+ Add Photos”.
• You can then choose to browse your computer for photos. If you have a lot of photo's you want to upload, then you can choose to use the bulk photo uploader- however your computer will require Java to run this.

Import photos from Flickr.com

• Click the “Add Photos” link to continue to Flickr and sign in to your Flickr account. You will then be taken back to A Climate for Change. Here, choose which of your Flickr photos you'd like to upload.
• Use the available options to get your most recent photos, get all photos with the same tag or get all of your photos in Flickr. You can also choose to import descriptions or the full-size version of each photo.
• Click “Get Photos.”

News & Information

• On our homepage, the bottom module is dedicated to 'Climate Change News from Around the Web', updated daily by RSS feeds, so you can keep up to speed with climate change news from around the globe!
• 'The Issues' tab in our main toolbar will also take you to pages full of climate change related facts for your argument supporting pleasure!
• The 'Get Active' tab in our main toolbar has a number of ideas and ways to show you and your friends how you can get active about climate change! Become a presenter (just like Al Gore!), write a letter, organise an event! Dare to take action, you won't be without support! Check out those pages for more details!