Help

Q. I am new to this...what can I do on the Community Network?

A. Welcome to the Community Network! There is a lot to see and do here, but there's no need to get overwhelmed--you can take your time or leap right in; you can participate selectively or spend all your spare time with us! Each of us will have different needs and inclinations. Here are some things you can do to get started:

• Customize Your Profile: Click on My Page, located in the tabs on top of any Community Network page, and you will see a lot of options for letting others on the Community Network learn about you. You can upload a photo (see My Profile) and tell a bit about yourself to start. That helps other “Members get to know you! If you use more than one email address, you can tell the Community Network all about it, too. My Page also contains options that let you edit settings on any Affinity Groups (like Yahoogroups; see Affinity Groups) you are a member of, and change your password. Just click the appropriate link!

• Join a Affinity Group: Most of the fun and learning in the Community Network comes from participating in Affinity Groups (see Affinity Groups). When you first join the Community Network, you will be placed on an announcement Affinity Group for your Area or Affiliate--that's how you will learn news. Participating in other Affinity Groups is optional. You can participate in as many or as few as you want! From the Welcome page, clicking on any of the six main Affinity Group Categories (see Viewing Affinity Groups by Category or Topic[new page]) will take you to listings of many types of Affinity Groups, ranging from volunteer activities to management to hobbies. Or you can click the Affinity Groups tab located in the tabs on top of any Affinity Group page for the same information. If you see a Affinity Group that you would like to find out more about, you can visit its home page to learn more details on what the Affinity Group is about and who it is intended for, whether it is an open or closed Affinity Group (see How do we make our Affinity Group private), and, if the Affinity Group is open, learn who is a member and read its email archives to see if it fits your needs. You can contact the moderator of a closed affinity group to find out more about it or request to join it! Feel free to browse the Community Network before making your choices--you can join as many or as few Affinity Groups as you would like to. And if you decide a Affinity Group is not for you, you will easily spot many links to help you sign off.

• Check out Resources in the Shared Library: As the Community Network grows, so will our collection of resources. Clicking the Library tab, located in the light blue tabs on top of any Community Network page will take you to the Shared Libary home page (see Shared Library). There you can browse among a collection of uploaded documents, a list of useful Web links, a book review collection, and a growing database of Member Stories. You are welcome to contribute in any of these areas, too.

• Find a Friend or Colleague: Clicking People, located among the light blue tabs on top of any Community Network page, will take you to the Community Directory page. From there you can search by first or last name to see who else has joined the Community Network (see Searching). You can also use the All People option in the Search blank, located near the top right of each Community Network page to find someone by name, location, etc.--just type in what you want. Once you have started searching, additional options, like searching by location, etc., can be found, either in helpful left margin "quick links" or by clicking Advanced Search.

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