What is FaithStreams Communities?
FaithStreams Communities is a new online community. The system uses the power of groupware and social networking to make it easy for members to create groups to stay in touch with extended family members, find information targeted to their needs, manage communications, find other groups and members with similar interests, and make new friends - all in a faith-oriented environment.
Who can join FaithStreams Communities?
Membership is open to anyone. Adult members over the age of 18 can create a group page and invite members to join. Registered users can search for and find public groups and request membership in them. The group's leader determines what kind of membership he or she wishes to allow: friend, family member, group member or leader.
How does FaithStreams Communities differ from MySpace and similar sites?
FaithStreams Communities is different from other social networking sites. Here are a few examples:
* Unique search features to find groups and members who share common interests, faith-group affiliation, or location. At their discretion, group leaders and members can choose to "opt-out" of the search process and allow members-only access to their group and member pages.
* Security measures such as verification of leader identity, use of usernames and avatars instead of personally identifiable information, leader management of membership status (including a "probationary" status and "family" group who can "see yet be unseen" to help moderate the site, keep up-to-date with activities, and ensure that their students' member page information is appropriate), control over what features and information is available to members, friends, family and the general public
* Member page tools that reflect the capability of other social networking sites, including invitations, friend and family relationships, "comments," and private messaging.
* Articles, music reviews, and other original content not available anywhere else - all with a faith-emphasis.
How much does it cost?
There is no cost to use the system. Registration, group creation, and the tools you need to communicate with group members through articles, photo galleries, calendars and private messages are completely free.
How can use of the site be free?
FaithStreams Communities is supported by revenue from premium subscriptions and content including downloads of music and video, expanded functionality, affiliate programs with partner vendors, and limited, audience-appropriate advertisements.
FaithStreams Communities empowers group leaders by providing tools to help you communicate with your members, their families and friends. Each group portal has:
* a calendar where your group can post information about upcoming events and meetings
* a photo gallery where the group can post pictures of events and activities to relive the fun any time
* an easy-to-use tool for sending out custom emails and private messages to group members, family or friends of the group
* FaithStreams Communities builds strong connections within and among its member groups.
* Group Leaders can search for other groups that share common interests, faith-group affiliation, or geographic location for community building and professional collaboration.
* Groups can be made up of congregational youth programs, camp sessions, special event and trip participants - any common interest - under the guidance of an adult leader.
* FaithStreams Communities gives your group a central place to meet online
* Each group has its own Forum where on line discussions among group members (or family and friends, at the discretion of the group leader) can take place
* Each group has its own Articles tab where the group leaders or members can write about topics that are important to the group
FaithStreams Communities enables groups to showcase the activities of the group, and provides control over who is able to view the different features of the group's FaithStreams Communities portal. At the option of the group leader:
* Each group can display their name and location, and the faith group or other organization they are affiliated with
* The group's basic information can appear in searches made by other FaithStreams Communities users, to help you form connections across the community
FaithStreams Communities has unique security features to help protect its members:
* Group Leaders are in control of every aspect of their Group's FaithStreams Communities portal. For example, you may choose to make the Photo Gallery and Members modules invisible to non-members (but keep them visible for members of your group). You also control who may post to blogs and forums, and who may upload photos.
* You may choose to hide the Group from searches, rendering your Group invisible to users who don't already know of the Group's existence (and have the appropriate permissions to view it.) This is particularly useful for Groups that may contain vulnerable members.
* Group Leaders control who may become a Member, Family or Friend of the Group, assigning appropriate permissions to each Role. A Group Leader can create special announcements that are sent only to Group Members, or Family (e.g., parents ) or Friends of the Group (or all three together).
FaithStreams Communities members can create their own pages to reflect their interests, activities and friends. It's a place where you can be yourself, and form genuine relationships with new friends who have similar interests.
Within the group portal, your page is your own space to shape the way you want. It includes a blog for journaling, a photo album to display your favorite images, images of your friends with links to their member pages, and a comments area where your friends can leave quick notes.
You can control who sees your pages, and which parts of your page are visible to friends, family, other FaithStreams Communities members, or others. You can invite other members to join as your friends or family, or request to become a friend or family member of others. You can find members who share your interests and build your connections within the FaithStreams Communities system.
FaithStreams Communities gives you control over your privacy. If you want, you can even opt-out of searches to keep your member page private and make it accessible only to your approved friends and family members.
Who can create a group?
Only adults over the age of 18 can create a group.
After you've registered with FaithStreams Communities and created a member account, go back to the home page, or to the Groups page in the top navigation, and click "Create a New Group." The wizard will guide you through the rest of the group creation process.
Part of the group creation process is inviting members to join. If you don't have that information on hand, you can skip this step and use the invitation tool on the group control panel to issue invitations at a later time. You can invite people to join your group as a member, family member, friend or leader.