How do I use BluegrassMoms.com?

Why should I join? You or your organization can create a personalized profile page and blog; comment on or recommend stories and post information on discussion forums. How do I become a member? On the upper left side of http://www.bluegrassmoms.com , you'll find the "Join" label. Click on that tab for a link to register. Go to "login" on the upper right of the site to use your login and password to get into the site. You can use your Kentucky.com user name and password on BluegrassMoms.com. I'm registered, how do I find my page? After you have logged into the site, you'll find links to "my profile" and "my account" on the upper right of the page. Click on "my profile" to access your pages where you can designate friends; write a description of yourself and your interests; leave messages for the friends you've designated; add an avatar (a small picture); and start a blog. Your profile page, found under the home tab, will keep a copy of all remarks you leave in story comments or in forums. That enables folks who like your viewpoint, to see other interesting things you have written. And you can do the same with folks you appreciate. You can start or join discussions in our discussion forums. How do I create a blog? Click on the "My Profile" link at the top right of the page. When your profile page loads, click on the blog tab, which is to the left of "home," and "public messages." The system will provide you another link to the "blog settings" page. There, you can name your blog, set your preferences, add a list of other blogs you find interesting and save to create your blog. Then you're ready to post. In your preferences, be sure to decide whether you want to allow others to comment on your blog with or without you seeing the comments first. How do I make posts on my blog? Once you create your blog, a variety of new links will appear under the blog tab on your profile page. Those include write new post, edit posts and approve comments. Follow the prompts by filling in a title in the Post Title field, selecting a post date (you can set a post in advance to publish later), Click in the body field, to write. Add a picture to your blog post by clicking the tree in the icons at the bottom of the body field box. When you're done, save draft or publish. Where are the discussion boards? Click on the forums link from BluegrassMoms.com. Find a discussion in which you're interested by scanning or using the search window in the center of the page. Click on start a new discussion to open a new topic. Add your headline in the labeled field and enter your comment in the "your post" field. You can also leave your remarks on discussions already in progress by clicking on the link to the discussion you want. Then click "add new post." Remember to follow discussions in which you're particularly interested by clicking "subscribe." How do I designate a forum or discussion as one I want to watch? In the discussion forums, click on the headline of the discussion that interests you. Click on the "watch this discussion" button to the right of the crumbs line that reads Forums >>Kentucky.com forums>>category>>discussion. The discussion will automatically be linked on your Watch List on your profile page. You can get their by clicking "My Profile" at the top right of the site. How do I comment on stories? At the bottom of articles, you'll find a box labeled "Add a Comment." Put your comment inside that box and click submit. How do I find another user's profile page? While you're on an article, click on another user's screen name to go to their profile page where their recent remarks and comments are located. What else can I do on other users' pages? You can leave messages for a user or ask them to add you as a friend by clicking either one of two buttons on their persona or profile pages. What should I do when I find an offensive comment on the site? Click the "report abuse" button found to the bottom right of each comment on a story or forums. There is also a "report abuse" button on users' profile pages. If three reports of abuse are received, the system automatically hides the comment or text until we at Kentucky.com and the Herald-Leader can review the material. Our guidelines are well-documented. We reserve the right to suspend or ban users who do not follow the guidelines. What are some other things I can do? You can recommend stories by clicking on the "Recommend" button after a story. How will I know when someone leaves me a message or adds me as a friend? The system is set to send you an e-mail notification when someone comments on your blog, leaves you a message or adds you as a friend. You can turn that notification off by clicking on "my profile" on the homepage and "profile"on your page. You can click the button next to "no" at the bottom of the my profile form. I want to limit messages to friends only, how do I do that? Go to your profile page again and click the button next to "friends" where it asks "Allow messages for"