Is it complicated?
You don't need to know any special computer languages or coding: no HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), no FTP (File Transfer Protocol), no hassle. You just need to know how to use a browser such as Netscape or Explorer.

How does the Events Calendar work?
You can publish your group's scheduled events not only on your group's own Web page, but also on the master Communities calendar that serves the entire site. Here's how: Go to the "Organizational Control" page by clicking on "Edit" and entering your password. Click on "New" (or, to alter or delete an existing item, click on "Edit"). Then, follow the instructions. The event will appear on your group's page, and it also will show up when anyone searches the calendar database on the Communities home page. After the date of your event has passed, you will need to delete the calendar item.

What about HTML?
You don't need to know any HTML to use this site. Currently, the site will treat most HTML code as regular text characters. But you do have some basic HTML options in the "News" portion of your SouthSound.com page. HTML is not supported in the events calendar.

But when you edit the "News" section, you can use these HTML tags to format text, add line breaks and paragraphs, and insert links to other web pages:

<P> to start new paragraph.
<BR> to start new line.
<B> or <I>, with end tag, to <B>boldface</B> or <I>italicize</I>.
<A HREF> with end tag to insert a link. For example, this:
<A HREF="http://www.abc.com/">abc.com</A>
will look like this on your Web page: abc.com.

Note: Using the <P> and <BR> tags is the only way to force line breaks and new paragraphs.

How do I update my page?
After you have been approved, go to your page (just go to http://www.southsound.com and click on the link to Communities). Then find your page by linking directly through the category navigation bar or by doing a search using a keyword for your organization's name or description. (Click on your name and you'll be at your own Web page). Click on the link that says, "Edit this page" on the upper right-hand side. You'll be prompted to enter your username and password. Then you'll see your administrative page in which you can add events, news items, check your hit counts, change your description and more.

Where can I get help?
You can send us e-mail to the Webmaster at webmaster@southsound.com with any questions you may have. If you have questions while you are editing or updating your group's page, you may find what you need under a help button at the bottom of the page.

What's my Internet address (URL)?
The URL for your site will be sent to you by e-mail when you are approved. It will be in this format: http://communities.southsound.com/XXXX/ (where XXXX is a number unique to your group). You can either publicize this address or simply direct people to http://www.SouthSound.com and to click on the Communities link. Tell them to use the keyword search form or the category navigation bar to find your group's Web page.

Who else has control of my page?
Anyone with your password can change your page, so be sure to keep it secret. If you lose your password, it can be resent to your e-mail address when you try to log in to edit your page. SouthSound.com reserves the right to edit or remove any posting or entire site without notice but is not responsible for monitoring member activities. If you find something offensive in a member's site, please notify us at webmaster@southsound.com and we will determine action accordingly.

Why are groups divided into categories?
Each group is listed under only one of 21 categories intended to suggest the group's emphasis. If you don't find what you're looking for under one category, try another.

And what are these 'geographic service areas' (located in "Advanced Search")?
The contact person for each SouthSound group is asked to indicate the geographic area ñ e.g. Auburn, Gig Harbor, Kent, Olympia, Tacoma, Pierce County or South King County -- that represents the group's location or primary service area.

What if I forget my username or password for editing pages?
You can go to your group's page and click on the "Edit this page" link. Then click on the "Recall" button. The username and password will be e-mailed to the contact for your group. These are case-sensitive, so be sure you enter capital and lower-case letters correctly.

How is the "Contact Information" used?
If someone visiting your page has a question for your group, they need to be able to contact you by telephone or by e-mail. Your e-mail address is especially important: The administrators of SouthSound.com use your e-mail address to keep you informed about improvements and other developments that affect SouthSound members. Make sure your e-mail address is correct -- check for typos! Click "Edit This Page" and then choose "Contact" if you need to correct this information.

Will you sell my e-mail address?
No, SouthSound.com will never sell your e-mail address.

How can I send e-mail to members and other people interested in my organization?
Invite members and others to sign your Members List, where they add their names and e-mail addresses. You yourself can add Members List entries for your friends, if you know their e-mail addresses. You can send out a newsletter, bulletin or other e-message to every address in your Members List. Go to the "Organizational Control" page by clicking on "Edit This Page" and entering your password. Click on "Members" It will be sent out within minutes, and you'll receive e-mail confirmation of its delivery.

How do I get my group's logo to appear on my page?
You must have an electronic copy of your logo, in either .gif or .jpg format, on your computer. The file must be no larger than 200 pixels in width and 200 pixels in height, and no larger than 16,000 bytes in file size. Use the "Edit This Page" function. Go to the "Upload Your Graphic / Logo" form and follow the instructions to send the .gif or .jpg file from your computer to our server. If you need help scanning or formatting your logo, you can have it done at Kinko's or another service bureau.

What's the best way to get traffic to my site?
Making frequent updates to your page is critical to its success. If you have events that you'd like the public to know about, be sure to add it as an EVENT, not as news. This ensures that your event is placed in our Community Calendar. That way, your event will pop up when viewers click on the appropriate date on the calendar or do a search by keyword. Also, it's important for you to publicize it to the members of your group. Put instructions on how to get to it on your newsletters and flyers. Word of mouth is the most important promotional tool that we can harness!

What do the "Site - Page Views" measure?
If someone clicks to your group's page from the search query results, this visit to your page is measured, as explained below.

Monthly page views are organized so you can see how many visits each section of your site receives. Main page views reflect how many times someone has visited your group's main page, public page. Contact page views reflect the number of visitors to your main page who click on "contact us." Member List page views track the number of times that visitors click on "sign guest book" from your main page.

These are the only categories affected by public users.

Administration hits show how often someone with your group's password has entered the organization control page of your site. The Site Activity category tracks the times someone has selected "Site Page Views" from the organization control page. Total Page Views is a total of page views received in all these categories. Photo Album gives the total number of times someone viewed your photo pages.

How does my group post photos on our SouthSound page?
SouthSound allows your group to create photo albums. All you need to do is click on the "Edit this page" link in the left-hand column of your main page. Once you log in, click on "New" if you're creating a new PhotoAlbum or "Edit" if you're editing an existing album.

To create a new album: Click on the "New" link. You will then see a form that says "New Photo Album." Enter a "Title" for the album. The "Description" box, which is also on that page, is where you should enter the text you want to show up under the "Album Title" on your main SouthSound page. It should be a short sentence or two describing the photos that are included in that particular album (e.g., You may want to name an album "Christmas Party" and describe it as, "These are pictures taken at our organization's December 15th Christmas party.") Click on the "Create" button. Once you create an album, it will automatically send your browser to the "Edit PhotoAlbums" page, which is described below.

To edit an existing album: Click on "Edit PhotoAlbums" in the "PhotoAlbum Editor" page (if you just created a new album, you will automatically be sent here). Choose the album you want to edit. Then make the changes needed. You can add photos to an album, edit an existing photo, or move the position of a photo in the album.

You can create 5 albums and each album can contain more than a dozen pictures. Photos must be in either .gif or .jpg formats (jpgs must be "standardized," or "baseline." "Progressive" jpgs will not be viewable). Your pictures can be no larger than 500 pixels wide by 500 pixels high, must be 72 dpi and cannot be larger than 81,920 bytes. Please be aware that any pictures you post should be the property of your group, or else you should have written permission to duplicate them. It is illegal to copy pictures from other sources, including other Internet sites, and republish them without the express written consent of the copyright holder. If you feel a picture is infringing upon a copyright, or is otherwise inappropriate for SouthSound.com, please notify the Webmaster at webmaster@southsound.com.