Praize Help - Clubs Support

Clubs are a great way to get together with others and form your own little (or large!) online community. You can surf through pages and ask to join existing clubs, or you can create your very own club and get others to join up. Or you can do both!

By making a club, you receive access to a variety of tools that you can share with others. The following is a breakdown of the components that make up a club:

The basic structure of the Clubs revolves around the discussion forum. To find clubs, you will need to surf around the directory structure of the discussion forums/clubs.

This is basically a splash page that gives you a little introduction to the club. It contains a table marked "Club History".

The Club History table lets visitors and members know about the recent activity in the club. The scope of the history is determined by the club owner - they could set it up so that activity shows up from the last 3 days, 10 days, or something else.

Within the table, you can find out how popular a club is taking a look at the "Pageviews". The Pageviews are broken down into two categories - Members and Non-Members. This will tell you how often the club has been visited by its members, and by non-members.

Also in the Club History table are the Additions. If the club members have added anything to the club, it will be listed here as a link directly to the area. For instance, if a member has added a new News site to the News section, "News" will show up under additions and link back to the News section.

New people coming to the club will be able to tell active the club is, and returning club members will always know what their fellow club members have added.

In order to join a club you must apply. You will be added to a list that the club owner, or another member, can look over and then decide whether to let you join or not.

As a member, your email address and username are already known by the system, therefore there is no need to enter them. All that is asked of you is to include a short comment, letting the members why you want to become one of them.

This page lists all the current members of the club. First Name, Last Name, Username, and Email Address are all provided by you upon registration. The page will also list when the member's last visit was.

If you are the Club Owner, you see a few other elements on this page. Checkboxes running down the side of the listings and the [Delete] button allow the owner to remove members from the club. Simply fill in the checkboxes next to the members you want to remove and then click [Delete].

The basic structure of the Clubs revolves around the discussion forum. To find clubs, you will need to surf around the directory structure of the discussion forums/clubs.

Once you have joined a club, if you click on the link to the club forum, the forum associated with the club will open in the main frame. This way, the forum is brought to you and you still have all the other club functions at your disposal.

All ongoing conversations, or "Threads" are listed in a table with six columns, and as many rows as there are threads. These six columns are:

Clicking on any of the column headers will sort the table's information by that column. Clicking on the header a second time will reverse the sorting order. In this way, users can click on "Last Response" to get all conversations with new additions listed first, or could sort by "Started By" in order to read all posts by a certain individual.

1) Type
Under the Type column will be listed a variety of icons. These icons differentiate the various types of posts, and are a way for users to give their posts a little personality. When posting your messages, you are asked to choose a "Post Type" (i.e. Idea, Announcement, Smile, Question, etc). The "Post Type" you choose will translate into a graphical representation and be listed under the Type column.

2) Subject
This is the subject of the thread you enter when posting your message. Clicking on this link will open up the threaded conversation.

3) Started By
This column lists the names or username/handles of the people who started the threads. Clicking on the name will open up a new mini-window that contains information from the member's profile - their username, email address, date joined, last visit and a description if they have entered one.

4) Started On
This column lists the date of the origina l post that started the thread. Sorting by this column will list newer conversations above older ones.

5) Last Response
This column lists the date of the last post added to the thread. Sorting by this column will move older conversations (based on the Started On date) that have had a new post added to them recently to the top.

6) Posts
The final column lists the amount of posts contained within the thread. You can easily spot where the active conversations are taking place.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe
By default, this link/button will say 'Subscribe'. If you subscribe to a forum, then it will be listed in your "My Forums" section (see below). Once you have subscribed to a forum, the button/link will appear as 'Unsubscribe'. Clicking on "Unsubscribe" will remove the forum from you're My Clubs listing.

My Clubs
Clicking on [My Clubs] will open up a new page that lists all clubs that you have subscribed to. Next to them are checkboxes. Un-checking one of them will unsubscribe you from that forum, but it will remain listed so you can always re-subscribe later. Clicking on one of the forum links will bring you directly to that forum.

My Filters
This option allows you to filter out unwanted material. Filters can slow down load times, so they are completely optional. You can also toggle them on or off at a later date if you change your mind.

You can choose to filter either users or words. Filtering users is the equivalent of an "Ignore" option in a chat program. To do so, you must enter the username of the individual(s) in question.

Filtering words can be used to weed out posts which may contain content you feel is not suitable for you or for a computer user in your family. For instance, if you're a parent, you may choose to filter posts containing swear words in order to protect your child. Or perhaps as a user, you just do not care to discuss politics and would rather not read posts containing these themes. Using a 'words' filter, they may be able eliminate many.

You have two options as to how the material if filtered. Offending posts can be hidden, in which case a link to read the post will appear in its place. In this way, they can decide based on the context of the post if the content is worth reading. The other option is to have the software ignore it entirely. You will never even know the post was there.

My Highlights
My Highlights provides a list of all posts you currently have highlighted (see the Thread Help for details). They are listed by Forum and Thread Subject. Clicking on the Forum will jump the user directly to that forum. Clicking on the Thread Subject will jump the user directly to the conversation.

My Preferences
There are three preferences that you can set. The first two deal with how the pages are displayed. They can decide how many posts and threads to show per page. If you are worried about load times, you can choose to only have a low number of posts/threads appear on any page. Conversely, if you do not want to be constantly navigating through multiple pages, you can set these values high.

The third option determines whether or not you will receive emailed notifications when someone responds to your post. You can choose to receive a notification after the first response, after every response, or no notifications at all. Notifications are a great way to keep up-to-date with all the latest conversations and make sure you stay on top of things.

The top, originating post of the thread will always appear in its own background color and posts thereafter will appear with alternating background highlight colors.

If the current amount of responses surpasses what has been set as the default number of posts per page, then links should appear to "see more" or "see newest posts".

Each post in the thread has four icons running along the top. The first two (by default a pencil and a green highlighter) allow the user to Edit and/or Highlight the post. The third is a folder icon that opens up the membership profile of the user who posted the message. The final icon, a hand filling in a checkbox, is a shortcut to respond. The "Post a Message" table will open up in a new window and you can enter your message. Regardless of where you click on the respond button, your message will appear at the end of the thread.

Edit
Clicking on the Edit icon, will open up the post in a new mini-window. You can make changes and spellcheck your post. If you have attempted to edit a message that was not posted by you then no changes will take place. Only the original poster can alter their message. The moderator and administrator are also capable of altering any post.

Highlight
Clicking on the Highlighter icon will change the selected post to a different color. If you liked the post and want to come back to it, highlighting it makes it easy to find.

The main Photo Gallery page lists the various image categories in a table. You can click on the Category title in order to access the images inside.

If you want to add a new category, click the [Add] button in the top-right corner. A new window will open asking for a "Name" and a "Description". Enter the information you like and then click [Save] to close the window and save your new category.

Within the category, there is another table. This one lists the image thumbnails in the first column, the image description in the second, and lists who posted the image to the site in the third. The fourth column contain [Edit] buttons for each image.

Editing the Category
In the very top-right corner of the table, you will see an [Edit] button. Clicking this button will open a new window in which yo u can edit the settings of the category. You can rename it, and/or change the description. Just make sure to click [Save Changes] when done. If you want to remove the category (and all its content) altogether, just click the [Delete] button.

Adding an Image
In the top-right corner, there will also be a small [Add] button. If you select this, a new window will open. In order to add a new image, three things are asked for -

Editing the Image
If you click on one of the [Edit] buttons, a window will open containing information about the image. You can change the description or upload a new image over the old one. When you're done making changes, click [Save Changes]. If you want to get rid of the image altogether, click the [Delete] button.

The calendar lists the month and year, and highlights the current date. Clicking on a day brings you to a listing for that day, broken down by the hour. It is a great scheduling guide to help anyone who needs to keep track of his or her increasingly hectic life, and will help club members coordinate their schedules. You can jump around from month to month, making it possible to plan things out in advance (even going several years ahead). Furthermore, upon entering information into the calendar, you can choose to have a reminder sent to them via email.

Each day on the calendar is clickable. When clicked on, it brings you to a chart containing all of the hours in the day. These individual hours are also clickable, bringing you to a form where you can enter in any items or events that you would like displayed in your calendar for that date and time. When items/events are included for any given day, you will be able to tell from the main calendar page. Next to the numbered day on the calendar, a link called "events" will appear if something is listed. It will also note how many events are listed for any given day (i.e. the link will be "2 events" if there are two items). n

The [Edit] buttons will always be present, and after you’ve added a piece of content, you can use that button to edit the content (i.e. correct spelling, change the name of the picture, etc).

Adding an Event

As mentioned above, clicking on a day of the month brings you to an hourly breakdown of the day in question. Clicking on any of the hourly blocks listed down the left side of the page will bring you to the "Add An Event" page. The "Add An Event" page is broken down into several components:

A) Title - The title will appear next to the time in the hourly block, so it should be descriptive enough to act as a short reminder of what the event is.

B) Date - This is filled by default with the date that you have selected. The power of this function is that if an event is to be rescheduled, it is not necessary to delete it, navigate to the new date, and re-enter the item. You can simply edit the original date, and the program will take care of moving the item to the new date.

C) Time - This represents the scheduled time of the event. As with the date (above), the time can be edited easily if the event is rescheduled and the program will take care of moving the item to the proper date and time.

D) Remind You By Email? - You can choose to have an email notification sent to you to remind you of a scheduled event. You can also choose if you want to receive it one day, two days, or a week before the event takes place. After you receive the one-week notification, you may choose to be reminded again shortly before the event. This can be done by editing the listing.

E) Description - The title gives you a quick reminder of what the event is, but the description area allows you to enter detailed information on what is involved with a particular item. You can leave notes on the person you're meeting, directions to a location, a reminder of what to bring, etc.

If something gets cancelled, or you want to delete an entry for some other reason, it is quite simple to do so. Once an event is added, it appears in the hourly breakdown of the given day. Next to it, there will be a check box. To delete an entry, you can put a checkmark in the checkbox next to the event in question. Next, you must only click the [Delete] button at the bottom of the page. This will remove the entry.

We have gone to lengths to include a lot of functionality in the address book. You are able to list people by various means, and search through your listings for accurate information. When displayed, the Address Book contains alphabetical links to its listings, as well as a link for "All" and for "Search". Club members can list all their email addresses in the book so that everyone will have an easy way of getting in touch with each other.

You will see a button called [Add] in the top right corner. This will open a new Contact Sheet, which contains various fields for information. You can enter as much information as you choose and then complete the process by clicking [Save Contact] at the bottom of the page.

Editing/Managing Entries

Select a page from the address book - for example, clicking on the letter "A" will give a listing of all individuals in your address book that have a last name beginning with that letter. In addition, other pieces of information will be listed (if the you have entered them). These are First Name, Company, Email, Home Phone, and Work Phone. These all appear as menu items that are clickable. By clicking on them, you can sort according to each. For example, by clicking on Company, the listi ngs will be sorted alphabetically by the company names listed.

You can also choose to send an email to one of these individuals by clicking on their email address - which will open up an email box.

Clicking on the person's name will bring you to the Contact Sheet for that person. If any changes must be made, this is where to make them. Any of the fields can be edited and changed so long as the [Save Contact] button is clicked after all changes are made.

To delete an entry from an address book, simply find the entry to be deleted and go their Contact Sheet. At the bottom of the page there is a [Delete] button that must be clicked, and then that person's entry will be removed.

The ToDo list is quite simply a list of jobs that you wish to accomplish. It allows you to set a deadline for each task, as well as set a priority rating for each. Clicking on the [Edit] button in the top right corner of the My ToDo List section of your start page brings you to a control page where you can add/edit/delete jobs.

Click on the [Add] button in the top right corner of the control page. You will be brought to a blank "Edit a Job" page. There are several elements that make up this page:

a) ToDo Title - is the name that you assign to any given job. In the My ToDo List section of the start page, this title will be clickable and appear in list format.

b) Description - an area where more detailed information about the listed job can be included.

c) Due Date - you can set deadlines for your jobs. Along with the Priority feature (see below), this will help you keep track of what should be done first.

d) Priority - you can keep track of what needs to be done, and in which order, by assigning a numeric value between 1 and 10 to each job (the higher the number, the higher the priority).

From the start page, if you click on any of the jobs in the ToDo list, it will open up the "Edit a Job" page with all of its information filled in. You can make changes to it and then save them using the [Save Changes] button at the botto m of the box. For example, what was once a high priority may take a backseat to something else, and the Priority ratings would have to be adjusted.

There is another, similar, way to edit My ToDo List jobs. From the start page, you can click on the [Edit] button in the top right corner. This will bring you to the control page. Next to the column of checkboxes that are used for deleting items, there are three more columns. The first lists the Priority ratings, the next gives the Title and the third contains the Due Date. Clicking on any one of these Menu Titles will sort the data according to that item. In other words, you can sort data alphabetically by title, by priority rating or by due date. From there, you need only click on the link for the Title that you want to view/edit and you will be brought to the "Edit a Job" page.

If you are on the control page, you can fill in the checkboxes of whichever jobs you wish to delete, and then click the [Delete Checked] button at the bottom of the page. The advantage of this method is that you can delete multiple jobs at once.

The second method is to delete an item directly from its "Edit A Job" page. You just need to click the [Delete] button at the bottom of the page to delete the job in question. This method will only delete a single item at a time.

Being part of a club means sharing things, and so when you find a site that you really like, you should make sure to share it with your fellow members. You can add links to this section of the club quite easily.

The front page of the Links section lists the various categories that have been created to store links. Clicking on the [Add] button in the top-right corner will bring you to a new window where you can add a new category (if the owner allows you to do this).

Creating a Category
You need only enter a name for the category, and then a short description about what the category will be all about… and then just lick [Save] and Presto! You have a new category.

Inside the Category
Clicking on one of the category names will bring you inside, where you will find a table listing the various links. The first column of the table houses the actual links. The second column contains a short description, and the third lists who posted the link to the club. The final column contains an [Edit] button for each link.

Editing a Category
In the very top-right corner of the table, you will see an [Edit] button. Clicking this button will open a new window in which you can edit the settings of the category. You can rename it, and/or change the description. Just make sure to click [Save Changes] when done. If you want to remove the category (and all its content) altogether, just click the [Delete] button.

Adding a Link
In the top-right corner, there will also be a small [Add] button. If you select this, a new window will open. In order to add a new link, several things are asked for -

Name - this will be the actual link text that members will see and click to access the site.

Address - this is the location of the site you are linking to (make sure to make a complete URL, starting with http://www.)

Category - this is a drop-down containing all the available categories; just choose the most relevant.

Description - you can add a little description here to let the other members know why you added the new link.

Editing a Link
If you click on one of the [Edit] buttons, a window will open containing information about the link. You can change the description, the link name and/or the Link Url (address). When you're done making changes, click [Save Changes]. If you want to get rid of the link altogether, click the [Delete] button.

Clubs all contain a News section, which works just like the Links section, in that members can upload links to news items in order to share them with their fellow members. The News is broken down into categories in which links to news stories/resources are placed.

Inside the Category
Clicking on one of the category names will bring you inside, where you will find a table listing the various News links. The first column of the table houses the actual links. The second column contains a short description, and the third lists who posted the news link to the club. The final column contains an [Edit] button for each item.

Editing a Category
In the very t op-right corner of the table, you will see an [Edit] button. Clicking this button will open a new window in which you can edit the settings of the category. You can rename it, and/or change the description. Just make sure to click [Save Changes] when done. If you want to remove the category (and all its content) altogether, just click the [Delete] button.

Adding News
In the top-right corner, there will also be a small [Add] button. If you select this, a new window will open. In order to add a new link, several things are asked for -

Name - this will be the actual link text that members will see and click to access the site.

Address - this is the location of the news you are linking to (make sure to make a complete URL, starting with http://www.)

Category - this is a drop-down containing all the available categories; just choose the most relevant.

News Description - you can add a little description here to let the other members know why you added the news item.

Editing News
If you click on one of the [Edit] buttons, a window will open containing information about the news link. You can change the news description, the link name and/or the News Url (address). When you're done making ch anges, click [Save Changes]. If you want to get rid of the link altogether, click the [Delete] button.

Similar but less formal than the My ToDo List, My Notes works like a small notepad that you can use to jot down brief messages. It appears as a drop-down menu (containing the titles of the various entries) with a [Jump] button next to the menu. The [Jump] button must be used together with the drop-down menu. You must first select an item from the drop-down menu, click [Jump], and you will be brought directly to that item. From there you can view or edit that item, or add a new item altogether by clicking [Add] in the top right corner.

To add a note, you will have to click [Add] in the top right corner. Next, fill in a Note Title (a name for that note), and the Content (the actual note message). To finish, the [Add Notes] button must be clicked.

To edit or delete a note, either select an item from the drop-down menu and click [Jump], or click [Edit] and only select an item from the drop-down once you are actually in the notepad. From there you can edit the note's contents (you cannot rename it, however) and click [Save Changes], or you can delete the note altogether by clicking [Delete].