Introduction

This website is designed to allow you to post content and share it with your fellow community members. All of the content on the site is created by your fellow community members and is organized into "content types", such as "news", "reviews" or "classifieds". Each piece of content (such as a news story) can be "tagged" in order to further categories it. Typical "tags" include the the town (such as "Falmouth") or story type (such as "Education"). These tags enable the website to organize the content and allow other users to find it easily. Some content types even let you create your own tags, effectively creating your own categorization that is shared with the community.

Content Types

All of the content on the site is generated by community members and is divided into "content types", listed below:

• Blogs - a blog is a personal journal specific to one person, but that is shared with the community. Each community member has their own blog.
• Events - the event calendar shows member submitted community events
• Forums - forums are like bulletin boards on the web, with users submitting topics and other users responding. Responses to a particular topic are "threaded", or attached to the topic that started the "thread". There are multiple forums, based on themes, which help organize the discussions.
• News - news items are "catch-all" articles. A news article or story can be an editorial, an item of interest in the community, an interview, or a typical news story generated by a community journalist.
• Reviews - reviews are generated by community members to talk about services, restaurants, pubs, and businesses in the community. A community member first submits a "service item", which is the name of the business they wish to review, and then they can review and give it a rating. Other user's can easily add new reviews to any existing business or add a new business to review.
• Classifieds - classified ads are the web-based alternative to newspaper classifieds. Unlike a newspaper, they are free to post and easy to search.
• Groups - groups allow you to meet up with community members around a shared interest. You can join an existing group or create a new one and then use the group home page to communicate with each other, find other community members with shared interests, and plan your meetings.
• Group News - group news is posted to a specific group home page and is your method of communicating with fellow group members.
• Comments - comments are special, since they can be attached to virtually any of the above content types. For example, if you read an interesting news article, you can comment on it and see how other users have commented.

Navigation

In order to navigate the website, there are two primary navigational menus. The first is across the top, directly under the "YourCape.com" logo. This navigational area is always the same and takes you directly to the various content types described above, such as News or Reviews, as well as the "Create" area so you can add your own content.

The second navigational menu is on the left and looks different depending on if you are logged in or not. Arrows pointing to the right on any menu item indicate an additional "sub-menu" that will appear when you hover over the primary menu item.

When you are logged in, you have access to the following features on the left navigational menu:

• create - this allows you to submit content, with a sub-menu that takes you directly to the various content types you can submit.
• recent posts - this lists the most popular or recent content submitted by users.
• my blog - this takes you to your personal blog.
• my home page - this is a personalized home page that you can use to "track" categories of content that you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in any article tagged with the "Falmouth" category, go to "my home page", click on the "add/remove content tab", scroll down to the "categories" area and type in "Falmouth" into the "tag name". Click "Add Term" and you are done. Now, whenever new articles are posted with the "Falmouth" tag, they will appear on your personal home page.
• my group news - shows any news you haven't seen yet associated with groups that you have joined
• my submitted content - this page shows you the content that you have submitted
• my subscriptions - a subscription allows you to receive an email notification each time a certain piece of content is added to the site. You can define a subscription based on a category (e.g. "News:Politics"), a particular member's blog, or a discussion forum "thread" (a posting in a discussion forum).
• my account - this allows you to manage your account information, such as your email address and contact information. You can also update your subscriptions from this area, as well as which "blocks" appear on your website. "Blocks" are the areas on the left and right-hand side of the website, such as "Who's online" and "Upcoming events". Some of these blocks can be turned off if you don't like them.
• news collector - the news collector pulls in content from other websites and collects or aggregates it on YourCape.com. The aggregated content arrives in RSS format, a standard web format for syndicating content, and the actual feeds available on this site are pre-set by us. Let us know if you have a favorite RSS feed that you think the community would benefit from.
• log out - log out of the website

On the top-right hand side of the page, there is a search box, as well as links to a contact us form, this help page, and a site map which shows all of the various content types on the site, organized by tag, with quick access to any area.

Categories and Tags

Each content type is further categorized through the use of “tags”. Tags are simply ways of labeling content to make it easier to locate. Typical tags include town names (“Falmouth”, “Wellfleet”) and classified ad type (“Cars”, “House for rent”). Some content types share tags that are generally applicable (such as a town name), while others are specific to a certain type of content (such as a classified ad type). Some content allows you to type in your own tag, creating a user-oriented organizational structure. When you view a specific content type, such as a classified ad, you’ll be able to filter the list by its tags, such as “town name” and “classified ad type”, or search by user-submitted tags.

Just think of tagging as a way of categorizing content. It’s as if you didn’t have folders in your filing cabinet, but instead just put a sticky note with some keywords on each piece of paper in your filing cabinet and then later looked up all the content with certain keywords. This lets you quickly find all of your “tax” related materials, even if they would have ordinarily been in different folders. Unlike a filing cabinet however, this is easy and fast for a computer to do.

Creating Content

Creating content is easy. The first step, if you haven’t done it yet, is to create a free account or log in. Once you are logged into the system, you can click “Create” on either the top navigation or the left-hand navigation. This brings you to a page showing the different types of content you are able to create (described in the section “Content Types” above). Simply click on the content type to continue.

To create the content, simply fill in the form shown. Any items with a red * denote a required field. Depending on the type of content you are adding, you will need to “tag” the content with certain categories (such as “ad type”). Most content types allow you to optionally select the town, if it is applicable, as well as enter in your own tags. Classified ads allow you to automatically show and then remove the listing on a specific date.

You can also add a photo or other file to most content types by uploading it at the bottom of the form. There is a restriction on the maximum size of any one file that can be uploaded as well as the maximum amount of total files you can upload as a user.

Once you have created your content, you are encouraged to preview it with the button provided before submitting it. Note that once it is submitted, it is available immediately on the website. You are able to edit your own content, even after it has been submitted, simply by viewing it and using the “Edit” tab.

Remember, this website is about you, so share your knowledge and talent with the community by creating content and taking part in the discussions.

A shortcut for creating a specific type of content is available by selecting that content type from the “Create” sub-menu on the left-hand navigation (reached by “hovering over” the “create” menu on the left-hand side with your mouse).

Joining A Group

To join a group, simply browse the list of groups by clicking on the "Groups" link in the top navigation. Newly created groups also appear on the right-hand side of the page, in a "block" titled "New groups". Click on a group name to view more information. Whenever you are viewing a specific group's home page, a new "block" appears with the name of the group on the left hand side of the page, under the left-hand navigation. If you are not a member and the group is open to new members, you will find a "subscribe" link. If you are already a member, you will find your membership options in this area.

As a member of a group, you can invite friends to join by email address or username (if they are already members of YourCape.com). You can also view the other members of the group, post a story visible only to the group on the group home page, and ask to receive an email whenever a new story is posted to the group page.

A list of groups you are a member of is shown on the right hand side of the page in a block titled "My groups".

Once you are a member of the group, you can visit the group home page to see the news associated with your group and submit news only visible to the group. Any recent group news is also available via the left-hand navigation by visting the "my group news" link.

Creating A Group

Creating a group is just as easy as creating a classified ad or story. You need to name the group and then select some subscription options (such as if your group is visible to other users on the group listing page, or if membership is by your invitation only). Once you have created the group, other members can subscribe to your group. You are responsible for managing your group.

As a group owner, you can add members, remove existing members, promote other members so they can help you manage the group, email all of the group members, as well as perform all of the normal functions of a group (such as submitting group only news, inviting friends to join and so on).

Comment on Existing Content

Most types of content, such as a news story, allow other users to add comments. If you are reading a story that you find interesting, use the area provided to add your comments. Please be aware that your comments are immediately visible on the website to all users, and your username is attached to them, so think carefully before you post.

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds are a web standard for syndicating content. Content syndication allows you to easily bring content to you from a website, such as YourCape.com. Whenever you see this image , an RSS feed is available for the content on that page. You can use various RSS readers, some of which are now built into the new versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox (and sometimes called "Live Bookmarks"), to view this content even when are not logged into YourCape.com. Search your browser help or Google for "RSS feeds" or "RSS reader" to learn more.

Thanks

Thanks and enjoy your website! If you have suggestions or questions, post them on the community help forum.