Network Q & A

Your Account

How do I create an account?

To create an account, click on the ‘join our network’ link on the network homepage. You will be asked to provide some basic information, and will then receive a confirmation email. Check your email account for an email from bcnaonline@bcna.org.au. If your email doesn’t arrive, then check your spam folder. Follow the link in the email to activate your account. If you don't do so within 48 hours, your registration will expire and you'll have to go through the creation process again.

If you've been provided with an invitation link by another user, clicking this link should take you to the right place. The first thing you should do when you confirm your email address is change your password from the temporary one provided, to one you choose.

Will my user name be publicly displayed?

Yes, the online network is public, so be sure to choose something you're happy for others to see.

What characters can I have in my account user name?

You can have letters, numbers spaces and underscores in your user name.

How do I activate my account?

After you have created an account, you will be sent an email with an activation link. Check your email account for an email from bcnaonline@bcna.org.au. If your email doesn’t arrive, then check your spam folder. Follow the link in the email to activate your account. If you don't do so within 48 hours, your registration will expire and you'll have to go through the creation process again.

How do I change my email address?

You can change the email address associated with your account on the Edit > profile page, which you’ll find under the ‘edit’ tab at the top of your Home page.

How do I change my password?

You can change the password for your account on the Edit > password & account settings page, which you'll find under the ‘edit’ tab at the top of your Home page.

Can I change my account name?

It is not currently possible to change your account name (ie, your username) once it has been created, so please choose it carefully. Under some circumstances the site administrator may be able to change it for you.

How can I recover my lost username or password?

You can recover a lost password via the password recovery form which you can get to by clicking on any ‘forgotten password’ link. If you've forgotten your user name, entering your email address will retrieve your username as well as your password. Your details will be emailed to you at the email address associated with your account. If you’ve forgotten both your email and your username you can contact us via email on bcnaonline@bcna.org.au to investigate whether we can identify your account.

Account tabs

What is My Home?

'My Home' is your home page in the network, where you can see the activity of all of your contacts and groups. If you use Facebook, it’s similar to your Newsfeed.

What is My contacts?

‘My contacts’ is a list of all the people you have connected to in the network. Click on any user’s name or icon to get to their page, then click on the "add as contact" link under their user picture on the left side of the page to add the person as a contact.

What is My groups?

‘My groups’ is a list of all the groups you have connected to in the network. Click on the group’s name or icon to get to their page. To add a group to My Groups, go to the group's home page (click on their name) and then join the group. The group will automatically appear in your My Groups list.

Blogs

What is My blog?

‘My blog’ is the place where you can post on a regular basis to stay in touch with others. To find your blog click on the link in your user panel labelled My Blog.

How do I post to My blog?

You must have an account on the Network and be logged in to post or comment. You can click on the 'Create a post' link at the top right of the blog.. This will bring up the 'Create blog post' form - just fill in the fields with what you want to say and hit post! We would also ask that you read the Network posting guidelines before you make any posts in the network.

What can I include in a blog post?

A blog is sometimes called an online diary, so you can post anything you like here. You just need to give your post a title, and enter some text in the body field. If you also give your post a ‘tag’, then you will later be able to find all posts with that tag if you want to. Please read the Network posting guidelines before you post.

How do I edit a blog post?

When you are logged in, you'll see an 'Edit' link on your own posts anywhere they appear on the Network. This displays in a tab at the top of the post. Just click the tab and you'll be taken to the 'Edit' form, where you can make any changes you'd like. Changes will not be posted until you hit 'Post'. If you are editing a post, it is always good etiquette to make a note about what you changed for other users.

How do I delete a blog post?

You can’t delete a post because there may be other comments attached to it. You can edit any post, however. If you are editing a post, it is always good etiquette to make a note about what you changed for other users.

How do I control who can see my posts?

At the bottom of your Edit settings page, there is a panel titled “My blog settings”. You can either set your posts to public or private here. Public means that all visitors to the Network will see your post (including people who are not network members). Private means only people you are connected to will see your posts. At the moment you cannot set the privacy on individual posts, just on your entire blog. Blog posts that are posted in a group will be visible according to that Group's settings (ie. public, or group members only).

What HTML can be used on posts?

The text editor does not accept HTML, just use the icons at the top of the field to format your text. You can choose bold, italic, bullets, quotes, etc.

Can I post images in the network?

You can't upload images or videos to our server at the moment, but you're welcome to embed or link to images hosted elsewhere. There are several free public image hosting sites, such as flickr, photobucket and picassa that you can use. You can also link to images you have posted on Facebook and other blog sites.

Can I post my videos in the network?

You can't upload photos or videos to our server at the moment, but you're welcome to embed or link to videos hosted elsewhere, eg. on YouTube.

Comments

What are comments?

Comments are replies to other members' blog posts. You will find 'reply' link to add a comment and read existing comments at the bottom of all posts.

How do I post a comment?

At the bottom of each blog post, you will see the 'add new comment' form with a text box where you can type your comment.

As well as leaving a comment on someone’s post, you can also reply to someone else's comment by clicking on the 'reply' link under that comment. Comments on the Network are threaded, so replies to comments will be attached to the relevant comment, and display immediately below it with an indent. Please read the Network posting guidelines before you post.

How do I identify myself when I comment?

You must be logged in to the Network when you post a comment, so your username will automatically be added when you post. If you don't have an account on the Network, or you don't want to log in, then you won’t be able to comment.

How does comment threading work?

Comment threading is reasonably popular and means that a collection of comments appears like a tree, with each comment attached to the entry it belongs to. This enables each conversation to be visually represented and easy to follow.

What are the limits on comments?

There is no limit on the number of comments you can make, but we would ask that you please read the Network posting guidelines before you post.

Can I edit or delete my comment?

You can’t delete a comment because there may be other comments attached to it. You can edit any post, however. If you are editing a post, it is always good etiquette to make a note about what you changed for other users, especially if there are responses to your existing comment. If you have made a mistake and would like a comment deleted, please contact the system administrators at bcnaonline@bcna.org.au, and we may be able to delete it for you.

Can I edit or delete a comment made on one of my posts?

You cannot edit other people's comments. You can only edit posts or comments that you have made. If you see any comments that do not meet the Network Terms of Use , then you should let the Network administrator know using the ‘report as inappropriate’ function.

What is a spam comment? What can I do about spam?

A spam comment is usually a comment automatically posted by a machine or by a spam user. They often contain links to other websites or advertising. The same comment posted many different places where it isn't wanted can also be spam.

If you receive a spam comment on one of your posts, click the 'report as inappropriate' link to report it to BCNA. You should not respond or comment on a spam post itself.

Groups

What is an online group?

An online group can be set up by any user. Online groups are designed so that users with similar interests can get together. To create an online group click on ‘create a group’ at the bottom of your ‘My groups’ page.

How do I join an online group?

Visit the group homepage. In the group information panel on the left side of the page you will see a ‘request membership’ link or a ‘join group’ link. Click the link and follow the instructions. If the online group is open, you will become a member straight away. If the online groups membership is moderated, you will have to wait for the facilitator to approve your request.

How do I leave a group?

Click on the ‘my membership’ link in the group information panel. To leave the group just click the ‘leave this group’ link.

How do I create a group?

To create a group click on ‘create a group’ at the bottom of your My groups page. Fill out the fields on the Create Group form, including the compulsory fields, and then click the ‘save’ button. Your group is created!

Icons

How do I upload a user icon?

To upload an icon, go to Edit Profile and scroll down to the ‘upload icon’ area. You need to have a picture already on your computer that you’d like to use. All you need to do is use the ‘browse’ feature to find the image you want and then upload it to the Network.

What size can my user icon be?

The Network will resize any file you upload, but if you know how and want to make an icon of the right size, you should crop your image to 178 x 190 (w x h) pixels.

What does it mean if I see an icon with a pink corner on it?

The pink corner on an icon indicates the online network administrators who are monitoring the network and will help you out if you have any problems. If Network administrators give you advice or an instruction, we would ask that you please follow their request.

Invitations

How do I receive an invitation?

You don’t need an invitation to join the network, just click on any ‘join our network’ link and follow the instructions. If you do receive an invitation from a friend who thought you might be interested in the network, then follow the instructions in the email to join the network.

I've joined the network. How do I invite someone else?

On the ‘find members’ page and the ‘find groups’ page, there is a “tell a friend” panel on the right side of the page. When you click the button you will be taken to the ‘tell a friend form’, just enter one or more email addresses (separated by commas) and your friends will automatically be sent an invitation.

Notifications and subscriptions

What is a network notification/subscription?

The online network generates a notification to you when there is network activity you might be interested in. For example, when a blog post is made in a group you are a member of, or when someone comments on a post you have made.

How do subscriptions and notifications work?

Some subscriptions are already created when you join the network (see automatic subscriptions). Others are created by your activity. For example, the system remembers when you have made a post or leave a comment, and creates an individual network subscription in your account. The system will then send you a notification if there is further activity in relation to that post or comment.

How can I manage my subscriptions and notifications?

To manage your default settings for all network notifications, use the Edit profile tab, then go to the password & account settings page. There you will see a heading 'Messaging and Notification settings'. This determines the setting for all new subscriptions that are created.

To manage newly created network subscriptions and notifications, use the 'edit profile' tab and go to the 'subscriptions' page, then click the 'manage' link next to the subscription.

To turn off a notification either temporarily or permanently, click on the 'manage' link next to the subscription. If you want to temporarily disable a subscription click the 'inactive' button and then 'update'. To permanently turn off a subscription, click the 'unsubscribe' link.

How do I receive notifications?

You can choose when you receive notifications (immediately, every hour, twice a day, daily, weekly) and how you receive notifications (by private message or by email). If you choose to receive notifications by private message, they will appear in your inbox.

To change the default settings for all network notifications, use the Edit profile tab, then go to the password & account settings page. There you will see a heading 'Messaging and Notification settings'. What you set here determines the setting for all new subscriptions that are generated.

You can also change the setting for individual notifications from the network. In the Edit profile tab, go to the 'subscriptions' page and click on the 'manage' link next to a subscription.

What are automatic subscriptions?

When you register for the network, you are automatically subscribed to notifications for updates in the BCNA blog so that we have a way of communicating important information to you. Other automatic network subscriptions are: notification each time a member sends you a contact request, and when you are added to a group by a facilitator. You can disable notifications from an automatic subscription by clicking on the 'manage' link and making it inactive.

What are private messages?

You can send a private message to another network member by selecting the 'write message' tab in your inbox. To manage the settings for private message notifications, select the 'edit profile' tab and then go to the 'password & account settings' page.

Profile

What is My Profile?

My Profile is the page that belongs to your user name (the one you log into the network with) and displays all the information you choose to enter about yourself, as well as your latest blog posts. The more information you provide here, the better other members of the network can get to know you.

How do I edit my information?

You can view and edit your information by clicking on the ‘edit’ tab at the top of My Home. You can also manage all your profile and privacy settings on this page.

What does my profile contain? Who can see the information on it?

Anyone can see the information you choose to display publicly, whether they have an account in the Network or not, but you can decide how much information to make public. Use the privacy settings attached to each field to decide whether to make that field’s contents public, private or hidden. You will need to make fields ‘public’ if you want other users to be able to find you in network searches. For more information, read the Privacy Settings tip on the BCNA blog.

Reportable content

Report as inappropriate

Every post in the network comes with an automatic "report as inappropriate" link at the bottom right of the blog post or comment. This is primarily to report posts that do not comply with the Network's Terms of Use. It should also be used to report spam. Just click the link and make a note of what you've seen and we will receive an automatic notification with a link to the post in question. You should not respond or comment on a spam post itself.

Block author

When you receive a personal message into your inbox, it will have a 'block author' link on it at the bottom right. If you receive an inappropriate message, or one from a member you don't want to receive further correspondence from, then you can click this link. You should not respond to a spam message, or give out personal or private details to someone you don't know. Because your inbox and personal messages are private, we would appreciate you letting us know by email if you receive spam or an inappropriate message by personal message. Use the contact form, or email us at bcnaonline@bcna.org.au.

How do I report a violation of the Network's Terms of Use?

If you think that another user has violated the Network's Terms of Use, please report the actual post to us using the ‘report as inappropriate’ link that is at the bottom of every post and comment in the network.

Where can I find out about the Network's Terms of Use?

You'll have been asked to read the Terms of Use when you signed up. If you'd like to revisit them, please see the Terms of Use page. You should also read the Network posting guidelines before you post.

Search and Browse

How can I search the website?

You'll find the search box at the top right of every page. Search automatically searches across all areas of the network, including the website pages. When the results are displayed, you will see a label at the right of each item in the list of search results that indicates whether the result is a page in the website, a blog post or a group, etc.

How can I search just on the network?

To search for people whose experience matches yours, go to the network search page by clicking on ‘find members’ or ‘find groups’ and enter your information in the fields available, then click go. You can choose as many or as few options as you want. If you get few results then selecting less options will help.

Search and privacy

Network users are able to adjust the privacy settings on all of their information other than their username. Those privacy settings will affect search results on the search page. For example, a user may select to keep their family name hidden from other users. If they have done so, they will not appear in search results for that family name.