My Settings [ Edited ]

[Bill_S]

• How do I change the image (avatar) next to my name?

The image next to your name is your avatar and it's an easy way for you to personalize your identity a bit. You automatically get an avatar when you join a community, but you can change it to something you like better.

To change your avatar:

1. After you sign in, click My Settings to go to your My Settings page.
2. Click the Avatars tab.
   You can choose one of the community avatars, or if you have permission, you can upload an image or use one located on another web page. For now, we'll stick to the easiest way: choosing one from the community.
3. Choose a Collection to see a set of avatars.
4. Click an avatar to use it.

You can change avatars as often as you like. Your current avatar always appears at the top of the Avatar page.

• How do I create a signature for my posts?

Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of your posts. This is your chance to be creative (within community guidelines, of course).

To create your personal signature:

1. Click My Settings to go to your My Settings page.
2. On the Personal Profile tab, click Personal Information.
3. Enter your signature text in the Signature box.
   If your community allows it, you can use HTML in your signature. Check with a moderator if you have questions.
4. Click Save Changes.

• How do I tell other community members about me?

You can tell other community members as much or as little about yourself as you wish - whatever you're comfortable with. You can enter a short biography, your location, your interests, or anything else (within community guidelines, of course).

To tell other community members about yourself:

1. Click the My Settings link to go to your My Setting page.
2. On the Personal Profile tab, click the Personal Information link.
3. Scroll down to Biography and tell us a bit about yourself.

You can also enter your name and location and any other information you want to share with the community.

By default, anyone in the community can see the information you enter on this page. If you're not comfortable with that, you can limit display to just the people on your Friends List.

Here's how to show your info only to people on your Friends List:

1. Click the Preferences tab and click Privacy.
2. For Show profile to (the first setting), choose Friends Only.

• What is my Friends List and how do I add people?

Your Friends List is a way for you to create your own little community within a community.

Depending on your Privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography and other personal information or whether you're online. If you send Private Messages, you can choose your friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

Note: Your Friends List is only available if your community allows Private Messages.

To add people to your Friends List:

1. Click the login name of a friend to see the friend's About ... page.
2. In the Contact area, click Add ... to Friends. That's all there is to it!

• How do I set my viewing preferences?

You can make a lot of changes in the way you look at community pages -- from the time zone and language, to text size, to the way menus behave, the order that messages appear, your privacy settings, kudos leaderboards, and more.

To set your viewing preferences:

1. Click My Settings to go to your My Settings page. Click the Preferences tab.
   Tip:This page has lots of tabs for the different kinds settings you can change. If this is your first visit, take a moment to click through the tabs and see what's available. If you already know, you can go right to the tab and make your changes.
2. Make your changes and click Save Changes.
   That's all there is to it!