Pinoy Writers Online

Need help on how to use this website? You on the right page. You will be introduced to the main purpose of this website. Let me start with the basics first.

The Home Page:

Home page is where you find the basic operations you can use while navigating the website and creating items and articles. On the left side (The Side Bar), you will find 5 blocks. These are the five elements that will help you use the website easily.

First Element is the User Control Panel. This is where you find all the links you need to navigate the website or to create items or articles.

Set Status - allows you to post facebook-style statuses. It will be posted on the home page's latest activity, and will also be posted on your profile. Other users can comment on your status right from the home page.

My Account - displays your profile. Below it, you will find a submenu. This submenu displays the links to your pending friend requests (Pending), all your friends (Friends), your Inbox (Messages) and a link that lets you compose a message(Send Message).

My Articles - shows all your published items or articles. It could be a blog or a poll, or a poem, or even a forum topic.

Create Article - gives you the option to make or create a Blog, a poem, a poll, or a forum topic.

Second Element is the Shout Box. If you have shout outs or just want to leave a message to anyone or everyone in this site, then you can message us there.

Third Element is the list of categories. A blog or a poem is published under a category. Choose your type of category and it will show all the articles that fall under that category.

Fourth Element displays the newest members of Pinoy Writers Online.

Fifth Element shows you the online members.

However, Sidebar is not the only thing you will see on the frontpage. If you have noticed a block with this heading "What's Happening?" - that actually displays the most recent activities on the website. It allows you to comment on any activity, or even the statuses of members. Right beside (Right side) - is the list of the most recent blogs created and right below it (Below the Recent Activities), you will find the most popular blogs (according to daily blog views).

You will also notice the most recent poems and polls created by users below the "Popular Blogs".

Viewing Your Profile

Editing your profile is easy as pie. But if you are still confused - this is the right page for you. Go to "My Account" and you will have your profile. See the tabs right above it? Here's a screenshot for better viewing.

Here's a typical User Profile. Do you see the tabs right above? You will find 4 tabs right above it.

First Tab (View) - is what you use to view the profile. It's automatically selected by default.

Second Tab (Statuses) - displays all the statuses posted by the user being viewed.

Note: If you are viewing your own profile, there are two additional tabs, Edit and User Profile. More information will be under "Editing Your Profile"

Third Tab (Track) - is a link that displays all the posts, comments and replies made by the user being viewed.

Fourth Tab (Contact) - will display a contact form. It will send your message via email to the user being viewed without displaying his/her personal email. It also gives you the option to "Send yourself a copy".

Now let me show you what else is displayed on the User Profile Page. Since I can't really explain it here, here's a screenshot that will practically display everything. Here's the first part of the User Profile.

User Profile 1.1
User Profile 1.2

The last two blocks you will see at the bottom of the user profile will be the Comment Form (where you type your comment) and the Comments (where comments are displayed).

Editing Your Profile

Click "My Account" from the sidebar, and click "Edit" from the tabs above. You will be given your account form. Here is where you can edit your account, obviously. 

• Username - lets you change your display name or nick name or username
• Email Address - lets you change your email address
• Password and Confirm Password - lets you change your password
• Signature Settings - gives you the option to make your own signature. (Signature is like your own trademark or a significant quotation that describes you, it will then be displayed on the bottom of every article or forum post you make.)
• Language Settings - lets you change your default email language.
• Picture - lets you upload an avatar
• Website - lets you enter your website url, or your blog or any personal site you have
• Contact Settings - allows you to enable contact form (where people send you emails without publicly showing off your email)
• Locale Settings - lets you set or change your time zone

That's it for the basic profile editing. Now to customize your profile, click "User Profile" instead of "Edit" among the tabs right above the profile.

• Profile Title - lets you make a title for your profile
• Name - this is where you put your real name
• About Me - lets you create or edit your ''About Me'' section
• Interests - where you can talk about the things you like
• User Relationships Node Access - allows you to change your article preferences, whether or not your allow your friends to update or view your articles
• User Stats or Stats - lets you provide more information about you
• Contact - lets you provide your contact information, specifically email or IM
• Links - your favorite links or your other social networks
• File Attachments - allows you to upload a file for storage purposes only

Those are the customizations available for you to try out. Basically those are the only things you need to know to get the most out of this website. If you still have more questions and confusion, click here and post a question.