Q: What are the benefits of MemoryBlogger membership?
A: As a member, you gain access to the MemoryBloggers Forum, which offers a fun, relaxing environment where you can share and preserve memories, recipes, and reflections and make new friends from across the globe. Members also receive a quarterly newsletter and are eligible for giveaways.
Q: I am not a writer. Can I still participate in this website?
A: Absolutely! MemoryBlogger is for everyone!
Q: I am not sure what to write about—do you have any suggestions?
A: Yes! Check out MemoryJoggers for a list of memory-provoking ideas. The forum also provides categories (a.k.a. groups or subforums) that can help inspire those memories!
Q: What is a forum?
A: A forum is an online message board where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. It provides a space for members to interact with one another on various topics of interest.
Q: How do I gain access to the forum?
A: To post a story or comment inside the forum, you must first register to join the MemoryBlogger family. Once you have done that, you will automatically be logged into your profile page. Click “Forum” in the main menu, and you will be brought to the MemoryBloggers Forum, where you will see a list of categories. Click on any of those to start reading, sharing, and replying to topics!
Q: What are the guidelines for participating in the forum?
A: Thank you for asking! We ask that everyone review and adhere to our Community Values while participating in the forum.
Q: I set up a username and password—now what?
A: After you join, you will be brought to your profile page, which you may want to bookmark for quick access in the future. Here, you will see a list of the forum categories (e.g., Childhood Memories, Family History, and Recipes). You can click on any of those to start posting and replying to topics. Before you do that, though, you may want to upload a profile photo (avatar) by clicking “Profile” in the membership section menu and then clicking the link to upload a photo.
Q: How do I access my MemoryBlogger account?
A: When you’re logged into your MemoryBlogger account, you will see your username next to the “Log Out” button in the sidebar (may appear in the footer on mobile devices). Click your username, and it will bring you to your membership account. Anywhere your username appears (e.g., in a forum topic or reply), you can click on it to bring you to this page.
Q: What is the difference between my MemoryBlogger membership account and the My Account page accessible from the footer menu?
A: Your MemoryBlogger membership account is where you access your profile, friends, notifications, messages, and other forum-related functionality. The My Account page is your customer account. From here, you will be able to view past Bookstore orders, membership content, and customer account details such as addresses and payment methods.
Q: How do I change my password?
A: Go to the customer My Account page (accessible from the footer menu) and click on Account Details in the lefthand menu. Enter your new password in the “New Password” field along with the “Confirm New Password” field below that, then click the “Save Changes” button.
Q: What if I forget my password?
A: On the login page (this will show as the My Account page when you’re logged in), click the link underneath the login form titled, “Lost your password?” This will bring you to a screen where you will be asked to enter your username or email. After entering that info, click the “I’m not a robot” radio button and then click the “Get New Password” button. A new password will be emailed to you. Return to the login page and enter this new password. You can then change your password using the instructions outlined in the previous question.
Q: What are categories?
A: Categories are a way of grouping related topics. Categories can also be referred to as “groups,” “group forums,” or “subforums.” The MemoryBloggers Forum contains the following categories: Childhood Memories, Family History, Health & Wellness, Holidays & Traditions, Military & Patriotism, Miscellaneous, Recipes, Spirituality & Faith, and Travel. A brief description is provided for each category. You can view these categories on the Groups page, which is accessible as a menu item from your membership account.
Q: How do I subscribe for notifications for a category?
A: When you’re viewing a category, you will see a table showing the list of topics. Underneath the category heading (e.g., Childhood Memories) and before this table, you will see a light-blue box listing the number of topics and replies. Just above this blue box on the righthand side, there is a “Subscribe” link. Click that to receive notifications related to this category. Note that “Subscribe” changes to “Unsubscribe” after you click it. Just click “Unsubscribe” if you wish to turn off notifications for this category.
Q: What are topics?
A: Topics are titles of stories/memories that are posted inside the forum. They spark interest and invite others to read, comment, and engage.
Q: How do I favorite and subscribe for notifications for a topic?
A: When you’re viewing a topic, you will see a light-blue box listing the number of replies and voices after the topic heading. Just above this blue box on the righthand side, there are “Favorite” and “Subscribe” links. Click “Favorite” to save a topic to your Favorites and click “Subscribe” to receive notifications about replies to this topic. Note that “Favorite” changes to “Unfavorite” and “Subscribe” changes to “Unsubscribe” after you click them. Just click “Unfavorite” or “Unsubscribe” if you wish to unfavorite or turn off notifications for this topic.
Q: How do I post stories within the categories?
A: As a MemoryBlogger member, you have access to all the categories. At the forum, select the category you wish to post to, scroll down, and click on “Create New Topic – Topic Title.” Next, fill in the title of your story/memory. Lastly, paste or type your story/memory into the editor, apply any desired formatting such as bold or italics by clicking the appropriate icon in the editor’s toolbar, and click the “Submit” button.
Q: Can I add a link to my forum post (topic)?
A: Yes. To add a link to your post, highlight the text you wish to link and click on the “Insert/Edit Link” icon on the editor’s toolbar. Paste in the url into the popup and click the blue arrow icon to apply the changes. You can also click on the gear icon in the popup to add a description (“Link Text”) and check the box to “Open link in a new tab” (please do this if you can remember) before clicking the “Add Link” button at the bottom.
Q: Can I upload photos to my forum post?
A: Yes! To insert a photo into your post, simply click on the “Insert/Edit Image” icon at the right end of the toolbar. The image uploader will open, and you will then be prompted to locate the photo by clicking on the folder icon next to the “Source” field. After selecting your file, enter the image description in the next field and click the “OK” button to insert. Note: Please make sure your photos are under 300k before uploading.
Q: How do I resize a photo in my forum post?
A: In the image uploader, you will see a section at the bottom for “Dimensions.” “Constrain proportions” is checked by default and should be left checked to maintain the aspect ratio of the image. You can either leave the Dimensions fields blank or enter smaller dimensions (e.g., 400×600). The dimensions entered are in pixels (px).
Q: What are topic tags?
A: When you post a new topic at the forum, you have the option to add tags. These should be generic and correlate to search terms people might use when trying to find relevant topics. For example, someone might be interested in topics about “children’s books” or a particular surname when researching family history.
Q: Can I respond to others’ forum posts?
A: Yes! As a MemoryBlogger member, you can respond to posts by other members. Simply open a category, select a topic of interest, scroll down to “Reply To,” enter your comment in the editor, and click the “Submit” button.
Q: Who can see my forum posts?
A: The forum is a public group, meaning those who are not MemoryBlogger members can view your posts. Only members, however, can post to the forum.
Q: What is the function of the “Leave Group” button in the forum categories?
A: When you are in a particular category (e.g., Travel), you will see a “Leave Group” button. You can click that if you’re not interested in the particular subject and don’t want to participate in the conversation. Most people will want to retain access to all of the categories (groups) so can just ignore this button.
Q: How do I send a Friend invite?
A: Click on the username of the participant you would like to befriend (the username will be visible next to the participant’s forum topic or reply). This will bring you to their membership profile page, where you will see a button beside the avatar that says, “Add Friend.” Click this button to send a friend invite. You will receive a notification when your friend request is accepted, and you will be able to see your friends by clicking on “Friends” in your membership section menu.
Alternatively, you can view a list of members by clicking on the Members heading in your membership profile homepage. On the Members page, you will see an “Add Friend” button beside each member, and you can send invites to whomever you like. Note this is also where you can unfriend someone by clicking the “Cancel Friendship” button that appears next to existing friends.
Q: I want to private message (PM) another member. How do I do that?
A: When you’re viewing a participant’s member profile page, you will see a button that says, “Private Message.” Click this button to send a PM. You will be notified when there is a response, and you can engage in a chat with this person. You can also start a new message by clicking “Messages” in the memberships section menu while you’re in your membership profile. You will see a little pencil-and-paper icon at the top of the Messages window. Click that to start a new message (thread). In the “Send to” section, start typing the recipient’s username and then wait for a list of options to fast-fill. Select your desired recipient from the list of members that pop up, enter your Subject, type your content in the Message editor, and then press the “Send Message” button at the bottom. You will see the response pop up in this window (like a chat session) and can engage in direct messaging with your friend here.
Q: How do I see my forum activity?
A: From your user profile, you will see “Forums” in the membership section menu. When you click on that, it will bring up a submenu showing “Topics Started,” “Replies Created,” “Engagements,” “Favorites,” and “Subscriptions.” Click on your desired section to see more details.
Q: How do I view my notifications?
A: In your user profile, you will see “Notifications” in the membership account menu. Clicking that will bring you to the “Unread” section of your Notifications page. You can click on “Read” in the submenu to view your previously read messages.
Q: What if I want to turn off certain email notifications?
A: In your user profile, you will see “Settings” in the membership section menu. Clicking that will bring up a submenu, one of which is “Email,” which you can click to bring you to a page where you can turn on or off notifications according to your preferences. Click the “Save Changes” button to apply these settings.
Forum Cheat Sheet
Click here to view, download, or print a handy Forum FAQ Cheat Sheet.