Neighborhood Link FAQ
Basic Questions
1. What is the mission of Neighborhood Link?
Neighborhood Link’s mission is to encourage communication, provide resources, and enable connections – on a neighborhood to national scale. We will achieve these goals by creating a network of websites and related services that empower neighbors to organize information, build relationships and solve problems.
2. What can a Neighborhood Link website do for my neighborhood?
Neighborhood Link makes it quick and easy for you to create your free website. In minutes we can help you create a comprehensive communication tool for your neighborhood that includes:
# Your neighborhood's contact information
# Your newsletter and history
# Local school information
# Community calendar
# Discussion forum
#8 Pages containing information and photos you choose
# Links to your city council members, mayor's office and community police
Neighborhood Link is very simple and fast! The neighborhood sites are created using simple Web forms. Passing on the upkeep duties to the next volunteer can happen with no effort at all!
3. Can I post commercial information on Neighborhood Link sites?
You may create a classified ad in the "Free Classifieds" section of your neighborhood site. You can say anything you would like about your business in this area.
Please do not post commercial advertisements anywhere else on Neighborhood Link. They will be deleted. Thank you.
2. What is the difference between Neighborhood Web sites and Club & Organization Web sites?
Neighborhood Link provides two kinds of free Web sites: Neighborhood Web sites and Club & Organization Web sites.
Neighborhood Web sites are provided to neighborhood associations that have specific geographical boundaries. These sites can be created by the association's board of directors or they can be created by a group of neighbors interested in utilizing our Web site to improve communication. Neighborhood Web sites have some content provided by Neighborhood Link, including government links and civic resources. Additional content is created by the Neighborhood Web site coordinator(s) and neighbors.
Club & Organization Web sites are provided to not-for-profit groups, such as Cub Scout packs, churches, parent/teacher groups, service groups, book clubs, etc. Your group does not have to be 501(c)3 to participate. All content for Club & Organization sites is created by the site's coordinator.
For more information on Clubs & Organization Web sites, click here.
Discussion Forum Questions
1. Why are there topics from other places showing in my Discussion Forum?
Neighborhood Link intends the Discussion Forum to be a place where we can talk about what it means to live together as a community, whether in your neighborhood, your town, as part of a larger Metro area, or the whole country. To this end, each website displays 20 pages of topics. These topics always begin with postings made in your neighborhood, then widen out to nearby areas, and beyond.
The breadcrumb trail at the top of the page displays your location. Every topic displays a tag with the neighborhood name, city, and state so there is no confusion. If you are interested in how other neighborhoods have handled problems or would like to share your expertise with others locally or around the country, you may want to read posts made further out than your neighborhood. If you want to know only about your area, please read only those posts tagged with your neighborhood's name.
2. What is the Respect-o-Meter and how does it function?
The Respect-o-Meter assigns each user a rank based on the quality of that person's participation in all areas of Neighborhood Link. If you are helpful, respectful of others, and promote community, you'll be ranked high. Typical of most online ranking systems, we are intentionally vague about the specifics. This deters people from 'gaming the system'. Rankings will be assessed and changed periodically by the server.
3. How is the Discussion Monitored?
Each post has a "Report" link below it. Clicking that link will send that post to the Neighborhood Link Flagging System for review. This is an automated system which reviews the post and determines whether it should be retained or removed. If the post is removed, its text will be replaced with the words, "Removed by the Neighborhood Link Flagging System" and the date.
4. Can I view only topics posted on my location?
Yes, if you'd like to see messages posted just in your neighborhood, you can change a Preference setting in your Profile to do so. This will change the topics displayed for you on this computer. On the Discussion Forum, click your username and you'll get to your Profile page. Click the "edit" link. At the bottom of the page you'll see a "Discussions - browsing" drop down menu. Choose "restricted" and click "Save." When you go back to the Discussion page, click the Refresh button on your browser and the display will show only topics posted where you are.
5. How can I make the text size larger in the Discussion Forum?
You can make the text size for the Discussion Forum larger by changing the preference on your Profile page. On the Discussion Forum, click your username and you'll get to your Profile page. Click the "edit" link. At the bottom of the page you'll see a "Discussions - text size" drop down menu. Choose "larger" and click "Save." When you go back to the Discussion page, click the Refresh button on your browser to begin viewing the text larger.
6. How do I put up a picture next to my username?
Click on your username under the "Sign Out" link and you'll be taken to your Profile page. Click "Update Photo" and Browse your computer for the image you would like to use. When you find the image, click Open and you will see it in the box next to "Update Photo." Click "Go" and the image will be uploaded to the server. Once the file is finished uploading, click the Reload or Refresh button on your browser to see your new picture. Our video will walk you through the process.
7. How are Discussion Topics ordered? Do I have to wade through all the pages so I don't miss anything?
Discussion topics posted in your location (neighborhood or town) will show up first. They are ordered most recent post first. So, if someone has just replied to a post which was created yesterday, that post will show up at the top of the page. Once all the posts from your neighborhood have been displayed, you will see topics from the areas nearest you which have discussions.
8. Where can I find the most recent reply to a topic?
Replies are ordered by date, so the most recent reply will always be at the bottom. Since there may be many pages of replies, you can quickly skip to the end by clicking on the last page number listed above and below the posts. When replying, you may find it helpful to use the "Quote this post in your reply" feature so people will know which part of the conversation you're replying to.
Getting Started
1. How do I register as a Neighborhood Link Community Member?
1) Go to: www.neighborhoodlink.com
2) Click “Sign in here”
3) Under the “No I don’t have an account yet” heading, click to register.
4) Fill in the registration form. You will be emailed a confirmation number. Please be sure to check your Spam or Junk folder for this message.
5) Sign in with the username and password you created.
6) When prompted, enter your confirmation number. You will only need this number the first time you sign in.
The video below will walk you through this process.
2. Why do I need to register?
Why do I need to register? To ensure the security of your neighborhood website, we only allow registered users to add content to the site. To that end, during the initial Sign In process your email address is verified. Privacy of all Neighborhood Link users is very important to us. Your information will never be sold or given out except in the case of a court-ordered subpoena.
Read our Privacy Policy
3. Is there a site already up for my neighborhood?
Neighborhood Link has many neighborhoods, HOA's, towns and cities up already. To see if your group already has a site, you can search by zip code, or state and city and then key words from www.neighborhoodlink.com.
If you don't find your city or neighborhood, email use and we'll set it up for you.
4. How do I start up my free Club & Organization Web site?
Neighborhood Link has established one criteria to provide a free Web site to a club or organization: Your organization must be not-for-profit. Your organization need not necessarily be a 501(c)3.
Instructions starting up your Club or Organization Web site
1) Connect to the Internet and open your browser.
2) In the Web site address box type: www.neighborhoodlink.com/org
3) Hit the Enter key. A page titled "All Neighborhood Link Cities Clubs & ..." will come up.
4) On the left side of the page, click "Sign Up Your Organization." A page titled "Put Your Organization on the Web" will come up with information on what you can do with your site. (NOTE: If you have not already signed in, you will be prompted to do so. If you have not become a Neighborhood Link Community Member, you will need to register. For complete registration instructions, click here.)
5) Scroll down to the list of Neighborhood Link cities.
6) Click your city. The "Sign Up Your Club" page will come up.
7) Fill in the information requested. Any of this information can be changed at a later date.
8) At "No New Members?" click the box if you want to prevent new members joining your club online. Members have the ability to post discussions, add events to the calendar, and create member Web pages. If you do not check this box, anyone can sign up and become a member. Please note that you, as your site's coordinator, can delete postings and members.
9) At "Create Your Club's Web Address" type the letters or words you want to be your Web address. Note that your Web address will be: www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/( ) with the (blank) being the name you choose for your site. We strongly recommend that you choose a short, simple name for your site.
10) Click the "Select a Category" button to move to the next sign up page.
11) Chose a category/sub-category for your group by clicking the appropriate check box.
12) If your group fits in more than one category, you may click up to 3 choices.
13) Click the "Finish Registration" button to finish registering. The "Manage Your Web Site" page will come up.
Your registration is complete!
5. How do I create or update information on my Club & Organization Web site?
While all areas have detailed instructions, the following is an overview of your Web site, to give you an idea of the options available to you and your organization.
Accessing Your Web Site to Make Changes
1) Type in your group's Web address: www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/( ) Or go to www.neighborhoodlink.com/org and access your group's site by searching or browsing.
2) On the left side of your group's home page, click the "Coordinator Access" link under the 'Welcome, ...' greeting. The "Manage Your Web Site" page will come up and you can click on the links to make changes or additions. (NOTE: If you see 'Please Sign In' click on it and enter your username and password.)
Club and Contact Information
Should you wish to recruit new members or volunteers for your organization, visitors to your site can join your group by clicking on the "Join Us" link on your home page. If you have chosen to prevent members from joining online, the coordinator can add members this "Club Coordinators and Members" area.
6. How do I add or change a Neighborhood Web site coordinator?
To use this feature, you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Web Site Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
As the Coordinator of your neighborhood's Web site, you may want to ask others to help you keep the site updated. Everyone who has access to the management side of the site must be registered as a Community Member. If a neighbor clicks the "Request Web Site Coordinator Access" button, you will be emailed instructions on how to either accept or deny their request. If you have chosen someone to help you with the management of the site, follow the instructions below to give them access:
1) Connect to the Internet
2) Go to your neighborhood Web site
3) On the left-hand side of the screen under "Welcome..." click on "Coordinator Access". (If you see "Please Sign In," click it and enter your username and password.) The "Manage Your Neighborhood Website" page will come up.
4) Click on the "Manage Coordinators" link. The "Manage Your Neighborhood Coordinators" page will come up.
5) In the box under the heading, "Search Neighborhood Link Users" type the email address of the person to whom you'd like to give coordinator access. The "User Search Results" page will come up.
6) Find the person to whom you'd like to give access and click on their underlined username. A page will come up with check boxes next to all of the areas of the site for which you can grant access.
7) Put checks in the appropriate boxes.
8) Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Save" button.
9) The next time the person signs into Neighborhood Link, they will see the "Coordinator Access" link under "Welcome..."
7. How do I copy and paste text into an Add-a-Page?
To use this feature, you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Web Site Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
Below are instructions for creating an Add-a-Page for your Web site. Please remember that any special formatting (such as tables) will not be saved.
1) Connect to the Internet.
2) Go to your neighborhood Web site.
3) On the left-hand side of the screen under "Welcome..." click on "Coordinator Access". (If you see "Please Sign In," click it and enter your username and password.) The "Manage Your Neighborhood Website" page will come up.
4) Under the "Community Pages & Hotlinks" heading, click on the "Add-a-Page" link. The form for creating a page will come up.
5) Scroll down to the "Write the Text for the Page" heading.
6) Type a title for the page into the "Page Title" box. This is the wording that will appear as a hotlink under the "Community Pages" heading of your Web site.
7) Type a headline for the first section of the page into the "First Headline" box. You may either type text into the "Section" portions or copy and paste from an existing file. If you choose to type the text, when you finish, skip down to number 14.
8) Open the word processing file containing the text you wish paste into your Web site.
9) Using your mouse, highlight the text.
10) While holding the "Ctrl" button, hit the "C" button (both buttons are located on your keyboard).
11) Go back to the Web site.
12) Click in the box called "First section" so that your cursor is blinking in the box.
13) While holding the "Ctrl" button down, hit the "V" button (both buttons are located on your keyboard).
14) The text you highlighted in your word processor will be pasted into the "First Section".
15) Repeat for the next two sections (if needed).
16) Scroll down and click the "Save" button.
You may create as many "Add-a-Pages" as you like.
8. How do I add my newsletter to my neighborhood site?
To use this feature, you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
Below are detailed instructions on how to copy and paste newsletter articles into your Web site. Please be aware that any formatting (such as tables) will not be saved. If your newsletter is hosted on a Web server (as a PDF, Publisher, HTML, or any other kind of file), you can also link to it from this section.
1) Connect to the Internet.
2) Go to your neighborhood Web site.
3) On the left-hand side of the screen under "Welcome...", click on "Coordinator Access". (If you see "Please Sign In," click it and enter your username and password.) The "Manage Your Neighborhood Web site" page will come up.
4) Under "Association Information", click on "Neighborhood Association Newsletter".
5) In the "Newsletter Name" box, type the name of your newsletter.
6) In the "Current Issue Name" box, type the issue name.
7) Click the "Save" button.
8) Scroll down to "Add an article: Click here" and click on the link. The "Article" page will come up.
9) Type the headline in the box.
10) Open the word processing file containing the newsletter.
11) Using your mouse, highlight the text of the first article you wish to paste into your Web site.
12) While holding the "Ctrl" button, hit the "C" button (both buttons are located on your keyboard).
13) Go back to the Web site and put your cursor in the box titled "Body".
14) Delete the text that is already there that says: "No information currently available."
15) While holding the "Ctrl" button down, hit the "V" button (both buttons are located on your keyboard).
16) The text you highlighted in your word processor should be pasted into the "Body".
17) Click on "Save".
18) Repeat for each article.
To edit your articles, scroll down to the bottom of hte newsletter page, and click the title of the article you want to change. The article will appear in the form for you to make you changes. Your articles can be ordered by putting numbers in the boxes next to the titles. Remember to click "save" when you are finished.
You may also add an image to each article by clicking the Add/Edit link under the "Photo" column in this table.
9. How do I add a school to my site's "Schools" page?
To use this feature, you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
Neighborhood Link would like to list all of your community's public & private schools. Please email Neighborhood Link, with the following school information:
10. How do I add a photo or graphic to my site?
To use this feature (except for Classified ads and Meet Your Neighbors pages), you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Web Site Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
Photos or graphics can be added to many places on Neighborhood Link Web sites. These include: Add-a-Pages, Meet Your Neighbors pages, Association and Neighborhood Info and Contacts, Newsletter Articles, and Classified Ads.
Images must be in .jpg or .gif format in order to be posted to your site. The file must be located on your computer's hard drive. They cannot be uploaded from a floppy disk, from your desktop, or from a CD ROM disk. The file's name must not have any spaces or capital letters. The file must also be 75k or smaller in size.
Step-by-step instructions for putting an image on your site:
1) Connect to the Internet.
2) Go to your neighborhood Web site.
3) On the left-hand side of the screen under "Welcome..." click on "Coordinator Access". (If you see "Please Sign In," click it and enter your username and password.) The "Manage Your Neighborhood Website" page will come up.
4) Go to the area of the site where you would like to add an image. Text must be written and saved to this area before adding the image.
5) Scroll down past the "Save" button to the list of items in that area. Note: the "About Our..." pages have a "Click here to add an image" link.
6) Click "Add/Edit" next to the corresponding item. The "Post a Photo..." page will come up.
7) Scroll down to the "Filename" box and click the "Browse..." button. A "File Upload" window will appear.
Note: If you are a Windows user, you must click the drop down arrow next to the "Files of type" box and choose "All files" from the menu.
8) Find the folder where your image is located and double-click on its name. The path to the file will appear in the "Filename" box. (example: C:\pics\image.gif)
9) Click the "Save" button. Your image will be uploaded to Neighborhood Link's Web server and will appear on your site. Each image has a "Click to enlarge" link that will enable you to see a larger version of the photo or graphic.
11. How does the Add-a-Fax feature work?
Your Web site coordinator creates an Add-a-Fax page using the fax number of someone with whom your group wants to communicate. This can be a government official, the Association President, anyone with a fax number. When the Add-a-Fax page is created, a link will show up on your Web site under the "Community Pages" heading.
When you click on the link, a form will come up with places to type in your name and other information, as well as a text field to type comments to the person being sent the fax. After filling out the form, simply click the "Send Fax" button at the bottom of the form and the fax will be sent to the number the coordinator entered. There are no phone charges for this service and it's a great way for your group to communicate about important issues!
12. How do I market our Web site to my neighbors?
We want to help you promote your neighborhood Web site! Here are a few ways to publicize your site and get the word out to your neighborhood.
1) Place an article in your printed neighborhood newsletter. There is a sample article included below.
2) Post fliers in public areas of your neighborhood, pass out fliers at neighborhood meetings or drop them off door-to-door.
3) Talk! Talk! Talk! Talk about the Web site at meetings and other neighborhood events. Tell your neighbors and your friends. If you don't tell people, no one will know about it! Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement!
4) Before your neighbors know about the Web site, it's a good idea to make the site fun, informative, and intriguing. We suggest:
Start several discussions about topics relating to your neighborhood. For example: "Is anyone else concerned about the zoning decisions being made?" OR "What do YOU think about the new grocery store they're building on the corner?" Create Add-a-Pages with useful information. Create an Add-a-Fax to your local councilperson or City Hall. Add a few upcoming events in the Community Calendar. Be sure to choose the schools in your area and choose the appropriate councilperson so your Web site links to them!
All of this will take you only a few minutes, and it will make the site an interesting place for your neighbors to visit the first time.
5) Talk to people about the specific features of Neighborhood Link. Remind your neighbors that the "Talk About It" area can be a powerful tool to organize around a specific topic of interest. Promote the "Community Calendar" by encouraging people to post upcoming events and to check the calendar regularly. Remind neighbors that there is a free classified section to buy and sell items, and promote their business. Tell people that anyone can post a page in the "Meet your Neighbors" section. Let them know about the abundant information that is provided about the neighborhood, local government, schools, and other civic resources.
Sample Newsletter Article
Here is an article for you to use in the next issue of your newsletter. You can also use this template for a flier announcing your new neighborhood Web site. Simply replace the words in brackets [ ] with your neighborhood name and don't forget to fill in your Web address at the end of the article.
[OUR NEIGHBORHOOD] Is Now Online!
Our neighborhood now has a Web site! Our new Web site includes information about [OUR NEIGHBORHOOD], an online newsletter, a list of the local schools in our neighborhood, and community pages about issues and events that affect our neighborhood. Links to city government officials and services, including the police, make it a great communication channel.
Our new Web site is not just an information source, but also a place for all neighbors to be connected on the Internet. Want to tell people about an upcoming meeting, garage sale, or lost pet? Then post a notice in the "Community Calendar". Want your own personal Web page? Then create one in the "Meet Your Neighbors" section - tell people about yourself, your family, your hobbies, or your interests. Concerned about a neighborhood issue? Talk to your neighbors - solicit new viewpoints. Go to the "Talk About It" section and create a new discussion.
This is our Web site - anyone can use it - and it's easy to use! You don't need any special computer skills to post information to the site - simply fill out forms and the information is posted! All you need is Internet access - everything is in an extremely user-friendly format.
So check it out! Our new Web site can be found at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/[CITY]/[YOUR URL]
13. How do I put a link on my Web site to link to Neighborhood Link?
Here are two easy ways to provide your Web site visitors a link to Neighborhood Link!
1. Put this Neighborhood Link "button" directly on your site!
Save this image and link it to www.neighborhoodlink.com.
To save the above image, click on it and hold if you are on a Mac, or right click on it if you are using Windows, then choose "Save Image As".
2. Put a Neighborhood Link neighborhood search feature directly on your site!
Simply highlight and copy the HTML below, and paste it into your Web page.
Horizontal Option
This image will appear on your Web page. It is for example only.
<!---Begin Horizontal Neighborhood Link Zip Code Search--->
<form action="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/cgi-bin/world_search.pl" method="post">
<table cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0 border=0>
<td bgcolor=666666>
<table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width="100%">
<td bgcolor=ffffff><img src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/hfind.gif" width=142 height=41 alt="Find Your Neighborhood"></td>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=ffffff><img src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/hzip.gif" width=69 height=12 alt="Enter Zip Code">
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, San Serif" size=-1><input name="zip" maxlength=5 size=5></font>
<input type="image" src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/hgo.gif" width=16 height=11 border=0 value="Go"></td>
</table>
</td>
</table>
</form>
<!---End Horizontal Neighborhood Link Zip Code Search--->
Vertical Option
This image will appear on your Web page. It is for example only.
<!---Begin Vertical Neighborhood Link Zip Code Search--->
<form action="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/cgi-bin/world_search.pl" method="post">
<table cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0 border=0>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=666666>
<table cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 border=0 width="100%">
<tr>
<td bgcolor=ffffff><center><img src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/vlogo.gif" width=85 height=48 alt="Neighborhood Link"><br><img
src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/vredline.gif" width=90 height=5></center></td>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=ffffff><center><img src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/vfind.gif" width=95 height=28 alt="Find Your Neighborhood"></center></td>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=ffffff><center><img src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/vzip.gif" width=86 height=13 alt="Enter a Zip Code"><br><font face="Helvetica, Arial, San Serif" size=-1><input name="zip" maxlength=5 size=5></font></center></td>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=ffffff><center><input type="image" src="http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/search/vsearch.gif" width=49 height=16 border=0 value="Go"> </center></td>
</table>
</td>
</table>
</form>
<!---End Vertical Neighborhood Link Zip Code Search--->
14. How do we become a "Worth Watching Neighborhood" or a "Premier Online Neighborhood"?
Neighborhood Link salutes neighborhoods that have good information and outstanding participation on their free Neighborhood Link site. To earn a star, your neighborhood Web site must meet the following guidelines:
Note: The status of the sites is updated nightly.
"Worth Watching"
You must have at least one discussion post, newsletter, or an event in the Community Calendar, and a combined total of at least 14 items posted. These items can include:
- Discussion postings
- Events in the Community Calendar
- Add-a-Pages
- Meet Your Neighbors pages
- Neighborhood Newsletter online
- Completed Neighborhood Map
"Premier Online Neighborhood"
- At least 20 Discussion postings; at least one within the last 90 days.
- At least 1 "Community Calendar" entries.
- At least 3 "Add-a-Pages".
- At least one "Neighborhood Newsletter" article posted in the last 90 days.
- At least 2 "Meet Your Neighbors" pages.
15. How does the site's Hit Report work?
Your Web site is comprised of a collection of Web pages; your neighborhood home page is just one page in this collection of pages. Every time you click to go somewhere within your neighborhood Web site, you are making a request for a different page to be called up and viewed.
Your site Hit Report counts the number of times a particular page is requested. Listed in the hit report are statistics for four of the pages of your entire site - the Home page, the Community Calendar page, the Discussion Area page, and the Newsletter page. There are many, many other pages contained in your Web site. The 'Entire Site' statistic in your hit report reflects the total number of times that any page in the site is viewed. Therefore, if you add up the numbers listed for the four specific pages of the site, they will not match the Entire Site number.
16. How do I add a PDF?
To use this feature, you will need coordinator access. If you do not already have coordinator access, click "Request Web Site Coordinator Access" on the left side of your site's home page.
Below are instructions for creating an Add-a-PDF link on your Web site.
1) Connect to the Internet.
2) Go to your neighborhood Web site.
3) On the left-hand side of the screen under "Welcome..." click on "Coordinator Access". (If you see "Please Sign In," click it and enter your username and password.) The "Manage Your Neighborhood Website" page will come up.
4) Under the "Community Pages & Hotlinks" heading, click on the "Add-a-PDF" link. The form for creating a link to view a PDF will come up.
5) Type a title for the page into the "PDF Title" box. This is the wording that will appear as a hotlink under the "Community Pages" heading of your Web site.
6) Follow the instructions on this page to upload the PDF to the site. NOTE: Files added here must already be in PDF format. A document can only be turned into a PDF using the full edition of Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) software. The Reader software cannot create these documents.
7) Click "Finish"
You may create as many "Add-a-PDF" links as you like.
2. How do I start up my free Neighborhood Web site?
In order to qualify for a neighborhood Web site, your neighborhood organization must have geographic boundaries.
If your neighborhood meets this criteria, please email Neighborhood Link and we will be happy to provide you and your neighbors with a Web site.
Technical Questions
1. What are the system requirements for using Neighborhood Link?
Neighborhood Link can be accessed with the following browser versions:
Neighborhood Link Web sites require that you have 'cookies' and Java Script enabled.
As with any Web page, the speed of your computer's processor will affect the speed with which the pages will come up.
2. Can I use HTML on Neighborhood Link pages?
HTML and other programming knowledge are not needed to create and maintain your neighborhood site. Although we are unable to assist you with specific HTML questions, here are a few helpful hints to some frequently encountered problems.
<a href="http://www.cnn.com">Cable News Network</a>
If you are not experienced using HTML, be aware that Neighborhood Link is probably not the best place to learn. If you are experienced using HTML, feel free to use it. But again, we are unable to provide technical support if any problems arise.
3. Can I FTP or upload PDF or other formatted text files into Neighborhood Link pages?
Neighborhood Link does not allow for anything to be imported in any type of publishing format.
When you post anything to your site, it is not displayed as a file for users to download, but as text on the Web page. Therefore, in order to view any document on your site, it must be copied and pasted into the template as text.
4. Why am I not able to view the changes I've made to my Neighbohood Link site?
The quickest fix for this problem is to make sure you have clicked the "Reload" or "Refresh" button on your browser after making changes. If you still can't see your changes, the problem may be related to the "caching" feature on your browser. Here is how to avoid this common problem:
Cache definition:
A cache (pronounced CASH) is a place to store something temporarily. When your browser's caching ability is on, Web pages you request are stored in your browser's cache directory on your computer. That way when you return to a page you've recently looked at, the browser can access the page from the cache rather than the Web server. This can save you time and saves the Internet the burden of additional traffic.
Cache problem:
When your browser's caching ability is on, you won't see any changes that have been made to your Web page since you last requested it from the Web server. When you hit the "Save" button the changes are sent to our Web server but not to the cache on your computer.
Here's how you can turn off the caching ability on your browser:
Netscape Version 4.x
1) Click "Edit" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) Then select "Preferences". The "Preferences" box will come up.
3) In the left hand pane, titled "Category", click on the plus (+) sign next to "Advanced".
4) Click the "Cache" option.
5) On the right hand side of the box at the bottom, click the radio button next to "Every time."
6) Click the "OK" button.
Internet Explorer Version 6.x
1) Click "Tools" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) In the drop-down menu, click "Internet Options". The "Internet Options" box will come up.
3) Click the "Privacy" tab.
4) Click the "Advanced" button. The "Advanced Privacy Settings" box will come up.
5) Make sure there is NO check in the "Override automatic cookie handling" box.
Internet Explorer Version 5.x
1) Click "Tools" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) Then select "Internet Options". The "Internet Options" box will come up.
3) Click the "General" tab.
4) Under the "Temporary Internet Files" heading, click the "Settings" button. The "Settings" box will come up.
5) Click the radio button that says "Every visit to the page".
6) Click the "OK" button on the "Settings" box and then on the "Internet Options" box.
Internet Explorer Version 4.x
1) Click "View" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) In the drop-down menu, click on "Internet Options". The "Internet Options" box will come up.
3) Click the "General" tab.
4) Click the "Settings" button.
5) Click the radio button next to "Every visit to the page".
6) Click the "OK" button.
5. Why do I get "cookie" errors on Neighborhood Link sites?
It sounds as though the problem you are experiencing is related to the "cookies" feature of your browser. Having this feature disabled can cause you problems on the Neighborhood Link Network.
So, why must you enable cookies to use Neighborhood Link? It's the only way for us to ensure the security of the neighborhood Web sites. Cookies allow our server to deny access to those people using unauthorized usernames or passwords. Here is how to avoid this common problem:
Cookie definition:
A "cookie" is a small piece of information that a Web server stores temporarily on your computer. This allows the Web server to retrieve specific information from your computer at a later time. For example, when you browse through an "online shopping mall" and add items to your "shopping cart," a list of the items you've chosen is stored in a cookie on your computer so that you can pay for all of the items at once when you're finished shopping. It's much more efficient for each shopper's computer to keep track of information like this than to expect the Web server to remember who bought what, especially if there are thousands of people shopping on that site at a time.
A cookie file is NOT a secret way for a Web server to find out everything about you and what you have on your hard drive. The cookies Neighborhood Link uses only allow our Web server to retrieve the information we placed there and nothing else. They cannot be read by any other Web server that also uses cookies.
There is absolutely no way for our Web server to get access to any private information about you or your system through cookies. Also, there is no possible way that a virus could be spread through the use of our cookies.
To enable cookies:
Netscape Version 4.x
1) Click "Edit" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) In the drop-down menu, click "Preferences". The "Preferences" box will come up.
3) In the left hand pane, titled "Category", click "Advanced".
4) On the right hand side of the box, click the radio button next to "Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server."
5) Click the "OK" button.
Internet Explorer Version 5.x
1) Click "Tools" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) In the drop-down menu, click "Internet Options". The "Internet Options" box will come up.
3) Click the "Security" tab.
4) Click the "Custom Level" button. The "Security Settings" box will come up.
5) Scroll down to the "Cookies" heading and click on "Enable".
6) Click the "OK" button on the "Security Settings" box and then on the "Internet Options" box.
Internet Explorer Version 4.x
1) Click "View" on the menu at the top of your browser.
2) In the drop-down menu, click "Internet Options". The "Internet Options" box will come up.
3) Click on the "Advanced" tab.
4) Scroll down to the "Cookies" heading and click the radio button next to "Always Accept Cookies"
5) Click the "OK" button.
6. Why do I have to sign in again after checking the "Always Sign In Automatically" box?
There are two possible reasons why the "Please Sign In" link showes up after you have signed in and checked the "Always Sign In Automatically" box.
The first is that you clicked the "Sign Out" link when you ended your session on Neighborhood Link. The "Sign Out" link is there for people who use Neighborhood Link on public computer terminals (in a library, for instance) and need the ability to end their session so that the next person using the terminal can't use their username and password.
The second possibility is that you are using more than one computer to access Neighborhood Link (at home and at work, for instance). When you sign in to Neighborhood Link, the Web server verifies your access level using your username and password. If you go to Neighborhood Link from a different computer, that verification process must be repeated in order to maintain the security of the site.
How do I contact Neighborhood Link?
Email us. Neighborhood Link support hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
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