It's difficult to engage in meaningful conversation when you can't find your way around a website--hence this Book of Faith Social Network help section!

Here you will find answers to common technical questions regarding the Book of Faith Social Network site.

Speak up! If you're having difficulty understanding something, odds are you're not alone. Please feel free to leave any technical or site-related questions or concerns in the comments section.

Creating a group will allow you to connect with members of your church, synod, or those with whom you share a common interest.

Click on the "Groups" tab and select "Add a Group" in the upper right corner.

Enter the name of your group. If you would like to add an image for your group, click on the image icon and you will be prompted to upload an image from your computer.

Note that the fields in red--Name, Image, and Group Address--must contain content in order for you to set up a group. Your Group Address will populate automatically as you fill in your group's name, so you don't need to worry too much about that field.

Important! The group information can be modified after the group is created; however, you will not be able to modify the group's privacy settings once you have saved the group!

Once you've created your group, you may go back and change the settings on it at any time. Click on the "Groups" tab at the top and then select "My Groups". If you are a group administrator or creator, you should see a section titled "Admin Options" on your group's page. Here you can edit the group's settings or manage members.

When you click "Edit Group", you will be able to modify your group's information. You will also be able to modify the group features--conversations, forums, etc.

When you click "Manage Group Members", you will be able to assign administrator roles to other members of the group. Likewise, you can also change administrator status and reassign those roles to other group members. Should you need to, you may also ban members from your group.

You might have noticed some pages have different colors or background images. Adding a theme is a fun way to personalize your page. If you're really savvy with CSS, you can create your own theme. Otherwise, there are several templates from which you may choose.

Click on "My Page" from the top menu. Below your picture and location details, you should see the words, "Change my Photo or Theme." Photo and Theme are both active links. Click on "Theme" and you will be presented with several theme options. Once you've selected one, you'll notice more options below.

You will see a sample of your page to the right that will give you a general idea of how your page will look. To the left, you have the option of changing fonts and colors for your page. As you make changes to the colors, the image to the right will change to reflect these.

Have fun and be creative! Just be sure to click "Save" in the lower right when you've made your page as unique as you!

To add a friend, click on "Invite" in the top menu. In the right side navigation below your name you will also see a link to invite friends.

You can also add multiple friends at once from your online address book. Select your email domain (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) and enter your login information. You will be able to choose which contacts you send invitations to.

Web badges are used to promote the site. Click on "Get More Badges" below the badge to the left and you will see options for placing a badge on popular sites. If you place a badge on a social networking site such as Facebook, it will be visible to others. If you place it on your Google homepage (iGoogle), it will only be visible to you when you log in.

For information on web badges in general, visit this site.

An RSS feed is a way to keep current on your favorite websites. While you can use a bookmark list to return to frequently visited sites, you can subscribe to RSS feeds that will alert you when content is updated on your favorite sites. Instead of the entire story, you will get a snippet of it, or possibly just a headline and author, as well as the time and date the content was updated.

If you're using Firefox as your browser, you can add your RSS feeds as live bookmarks. If you're using Internet Explorer, under the "Tools" menu, you will find a Feed Discovery, that will show you the RSS feeds available at a given page.

For a more detailed explanation of RSS feeds, visit this site.

Got questions about small groups? Looking for new ideas? Wondering how others are using the Book of Faith? Start a conversation!

Click on the "Conversation" tab at the top to get started. On the Conversation Forum page, you will see featured conversations, and conversation categories. Click on "Add a Discussion" at the top right to start your new conversation.

When you're finished writing, assign your discussion thread to one of the conversation categories. You may want to browse discussions in each of the categories to get a feel for where your new conversation will fit best. Be sure to add a few tags so others will be able to search for your conversation!

A blog is a great way to share your thoughts. Think of it as a journal with each entry as a post. When you're ready to post, select "Blogs" from the top menu, and click "Add a Blog Post" on the right.

Give your posting a title, and then start writing! The entry box will allow you to customize your text, as well as add links or images. If you're really savvy, you can also use HTML in the entry box.

You decide who can see your blog and who can respond to it. If you decide later you would like to turn comments on or off, or change who can view individual posts, you can return to your blog later and edit it. Just click on "Blogs" at the top, and select "My Blogs."

You can also tag your blog based on its content. These should be individual words or brief phrases, and should summarize your blog. These tags are searchable and allow others to find your blog based on its content.

Happy blogging!

Events are a great way to share what's going on in your congregation, synod, or community. To create an event, click on the Events tab at the top, and select "Add an Event". List as many of the event details as you'd like (and don't forget to include an image--you may receive an error if you do not attach an image to your event!). You are required to give the event a start time, and you may also give it an ending time, though this is not required.

You can also decide who can RSVP to your event--the entire online community, or just selected members. If you choose to make your event a public event, all members of the Book of Faith online community can see your event's details and RSVP. If you choose to make it a private event, only those members and friends you invite can RSVP. If your event is private, you can also control whether members need to RSVP or not, and whether or not they can see who else you have invited.

After you've created your event, you are free to go back and edit it later--just click the Events tab and select "My Events" and edit away!

Thanks to user questions, we've learned that you actually cannot change your email address from the Book of Faith Social Network site. You can, however, change it at Ning's main site.

Click on "Sign In" at the top right under the search bar (use your current login information). You should be taken to the same page, but notice your picture and name are now at the top right. Click on your name to change your profile.

Now click on the word "Change" next to your e-mail address. Type your new address twice, provide a password, click Save, and you're good to go!