Help
What is The Living Room?
The Living Room provides support to people whose lives have been touched by cancer. As a member of The Living Room, you can make meaningful connections, join communities, share your experiences, stay in touch with family and friends, and get access to all of our helpful tools and resources. Twenty-four hours a day, wherever you may be, as a member of The Living Room, you will never have to face cancer alone.
Who can join?
The Living Room is open to every man, woman, and teen 13 and older from any country, anywhere in the world.
Does it cost anything to join?
There are no costs associated with being a member of The Living Room; all use of the site is free!
How do I create an account?
Creating a Living Room account is easy. Click the “Join now!”button on the “Login” page, and then enter the required informationin the spaces provided on the “Registration” page.
Can I change my username?
Once you set your Living Room username, it cannot be changed without deleting your account and creating a new profile.
You can change your email address anytime you like. Click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of any page on the site. You can easily change all of your profile information there.
You can change your password anytime you like. Click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of any page on the site. You can easily change all of your profile information there.
Your Living Room password can include any combination of characters, but must have a minimum of 6 characters without spaces.
Don’t worry! If you forget your password, navigate to the “Login” screen and click on the “Forgot password” link. We’ll send you an email with a temporary password and directions on how to create a new Living Room password.
Don’t worry! If you’ve forgotten your password and the email address you used to register for The Living Room, you can let a site administrator know using the “Report a problem” link in the global footer. The Living room administrator will send you an email with instructions on how to reset your email address and password.
To upload a photo or image for your profile, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then click the “Edit photo” link. Alternately, you can change your image by clicking the “Update photo” link right on your “Profile”page. You can use any type of image — photo, illustration, etc. — as long as it does not violate The Living Room “terms of use,” and as long as the file is smaller than 4 MB. If you do not upload an image, a default image will be provided for your profile.
If you are having trouble uploading a photo or image, it may be because the image is too large (bigger than 4 MB), or because it was not saved as an accepted file format (JPG, GIF, or PNG).
To delete your photo or image, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Delete photo.”
To cancel your Living Room account, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Delete my profile.”
Who can see “My profile” page?
Only Living Room members whom you have allowed to view your profile can see this page. To change who is allowed to view your profile, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Privacy.” For more information about privacy settings, please refer to “Privacy.”
Who can see my member activity in the “See what’s new” section?
Only Living Room members whom you have allowed to view your profile can see your member activity. To change who is allowed to view your member activity, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Privacy.”
Profile
My friends
What is “My friends”?
You can invite other members of The Living Room community to become your friends on the site. Other members may also invite you to become their friend. Your friends are the members whose names and images appear on your homepage. Your friends should be members with whom you want to share, as they will be able to view your profile page and your member activity.
You can add a Living Room member to your list of friends by rolling over that member’s image on the “Connect with members” or “Join communities” page. Click on the “Request to be friends” link in the pop-up window that appears. You can also add a member as a friend by clicking on the “Request to be friends” link on that member’s profile page. If that member agrees to your request, he/she will be automatically added to your friends list.
How do I remove a friend?
To remove a member from your friends list, click “Remove” in the friend-detail-pop-up window that appears upon rollover in the “My Friends” section of your homepage. If you remove a member from your friend list, he/she is not notified in any way.
My journal
What is “My journal”?
Your journal is a place to record your daily thoughts and feelings and to make them visible to or hidden from any Living Room member you choose. Go to your “Privacy” page to change which members can see and comment on your journal entries.
Can I save an entry and post it later?
Yes. Click “Save” on the journal entry page to save a journal entry and post it later.
Who can see my journal?
Only Living Room members whom you have allowed to view your profile are able to see your journal. Go to your “Privacy” page to change which members can see and comment on your journal entries.
Only members whom you have allowed to see your journal are able to comment on your journal entries.
How do I delete journal comments?
To remove a comment, click on “Delete” next to the comment in your journal. You can only delete comments posted to your journal entries.
Can I edit comments made to my journal?
No. You cannot edit a comment posted to your journal. You can, however, delete any comment that another member has posted to your journal.
Message board
What is “My message board”?
Your message board is a place where you can receive messages and updates from other Living Room members. You can post messages to your own message board, too.
Only Living Room members whom you have allowed to view your profile can see your message board. To update which members can see your message board, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Privacy.”
Only your Living Room friends are able to post to your message board.
Yes. To reply to a message on your message board, click “Reply” below the message, which will post a message to the sender’s message board, or you can post a message directly to your own message board.
Can I delete messages on my message board?
You can only delete messages posted to your message board. To remove a message, click “Delete”next to the message on your message board.
Mailbox
What is “My mailbox”?
Part of an internal Living Room email system, your mailbox is the place where you can send messages to and receive messages from other Living Room members.
As a member of The Living Room community, you are able to send mail to any other member of The Living Room.
No Living Room member can see which messages you have or have not opened.
You can receive Living Room emails and notifications in an outside email account but you will have to go to your Living Room mailbox to respond.
My communities
What is “My communities”?
Communities are groups in which Living Room members with similar diagnoses, life situations, and interests can connect and share their thoughts, feelings and experiences. “My communities”collects and organizes the various communities you have chosen to join.
My settings – Profile
What is “My settings – Profile”?
In “My settings — Profile,” you can change all of your profile settings, from your privacy settings to your profile image, to your current mood and status.
My settings – Privacy
What is “My settings – Privacy”?
In “My settings – Privacy,” you can change who is allowed to see your profile information.
My settings – Notifications (also see Notifications section below)
What is “My settings – Notifications”?
In “My settings – Notifications,” you can change your email notification settings and preferences for The Living Room.
Communities
What is a community?
Communities are groups where Living Room members with similar diagnoses, life experiences, and interests can make connections and share.
Any Living Room member is able to join any community on the site. Generally, communities are made up of members with similar diagnoses, life experiences, and interests.
To join a Living Room community, click the “Join community” button that appears on any page within the “Join communities” section of the site
To suggest a community, enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a community” text field found in the right-hand column of any page in the “Join communities” section of the site.
To leave a Living Room community, click the “Leave community” link on your profile page. You can also leave a community by clicking the “Leave community” link on that specific community’s page.
A discussion is a conversation within a community between two or more community members. Discussions are visible to the entire Living Room community, but only members of the community can join the discussion.
To start a discussion, click the “Start a discussion” link on a community page. To start a discussion within a community, you must be a member of that community.
You cannot post to a discussion if you are not a member of the community in which the discussion is taking place.
People
How can I make friends?
The blue emoticon next to a member’s image symbolizes that a member is currently online, while a white emoticon means that they are offline.
No. If you decline another member’s friend invitation, he/she will not be notified in any way.
No. If you remove members from your friends list, they will not be notified in any way.
Resources
What is a “resource?
A resource is helpful information — an organization, article, video, etc. — that is relevant to The Living Room and that has been compiled by The Living Room team.
How can I suggest a resource?
To suggest a resource, enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a resource” text field found in the right-hand column of any page in the “Find resources” section of the site.
Here are some guidelines to consider when suggesting a resource:
- The resource should be national or international in scope
- The resource should contain useful, responsibly written information
- The resource should use a supportive and non-threatening vocabulary
- The resource should contain practical and valuable information, rather than simply marketing an institution or treatment
- The resource should provide contact information for the site and/or organization
Why can’t I play video?
If you are having trouble viewing a resource video, it may be because you do not have the correct video player installed on your computer. You must have at least Flash Player 7 in order to view a Living Room resource video. To download the latest version of Flash, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
Why can’t I hear audio?
If you are having trouble hearing the audio component of a Living Room resource, it may be because the volume on your computer (or your computer’s video or audio player) is turned down or on mute.
An “RSS” or Really Simple Syndication feed delivers regularly updated summaries of content from various Web sites. Using RSS feeds helps you to stay current and allows you to collect and organize lots of Web content in one easy-to-access place.
To subscribe to a Living Room resources RSS feed, click on the orange “RSS” button within the “Find resources” section and follow the prompts.
To obtain an RSS reader, go to any the following readers’ Web sites and create an account.
Why are The Living Room feeds not appearing in my RSS reader?
Please contact your RSS reader provider if you are having trouble adding Living Room feeds to your RSS reader.
A Living Room RSS feed can be added within the site by clicking on the orange RSS button within the “Find resources” section. Living Room resource feeds can also be added through your feed reader. Additionally, you can use your feed reader to unsubscribe from any Living Room feed.
What is an email notification?
An email notification is a message sent to your personal email account alerting you of any and all site activity updates you’ve requested to receive. To change your notification settings and preferences, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Notifications.”
Email confirmations are messages sent to your personal email account alerting you that a requested action has taken place. For instance, an email confirmation is sent to your personal email account when you create a profile for The Living Room.
If you are having trouble receiving email notifications, you may need to update the email notification settings of your Living Room profile. The notification emails may also be ending up in your spam folder. If so, update your settings within your personal email account to accept emails from The Living Room URL/email address.
How do I unsubscribe to my communities’ email notifications?
To unsubscribe from all of your communities’ email notifications, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Notifications.” To unsubscribe from an individual community’s email notification, click the “Unsubscribe” link in the email notification itself.
How can I make a general suggestion?
To make a general suggestion, click on the“Share an idea” link in the global footer. Only Living Room members can make a suggestion.
To suggest a community, enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a community” text field found in the right-hand column of any page in the “Join communities” section of the site.
How can I suggest a resource?
To suggest a resource, enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a resource” text field found in the right-hand column of any page in the “Find Resources” section of the site.
All personal information, with the exception of your username, will be kept private unless you decide to share it. To change who is allowed to view your personal information, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Privacy.”
The Living Room offers three levels of privacy settings: you can share your profile information with the entire Living Room community, your friends, or you can keep all of your information private.
To change your privacy settings, click on the “Settings” link under “My profile” in the left-hand column of the site, and then select “Privacy.” You can also edit your privacy settings right on your profile page. When you click on the arrows in the upper right hand corners of your “My journal,” “My message board,” “About me,” and “My communities,” a dropdown menu will appear in which you can edit your privacy settings.
The Living Room does not share any of your information with any outside company or organization — all personal information will be kept private.
The Living Room Privacy Policy can be accessed through the global footer, or you can link to it here [link].
Please refer to the Terms of use.
How can I report inappropriate use?
To report inappropriate use on The Living Room site, click the “Flag as inappropriate” link next to the content you feel is inappropriate. The Living Room staff will receive a notification and address the problem. If there is no “Flag as inappropriate” link next to the content in question, you can also notify The Living Room staff through the “Report a problem” link in the global footer.
Only The Living Room staff will ever know that you have reported abuse on the site.
Technical Support
Why can’t I log in?
If you are having trouble logging in, this may be because you either do not have a Living Room account, or because you are entering the wrong username or password. For your security, the system will temporarily lock your account after five unsuccessful log in attempts. The system will reset in 24 hours, so please try back then or contact the site administrator.
You may be entering the wrong password. If you’ve forgotten your password, click on the “Forgot password” link on the “Login” page. We’ll send you an email with a temporary password and directions on how to create a new one.
To let The Living Room staff know about a broken link or image, click on the “Report a problem” link in the global footer and describe the problem in the fields provided.
Donations & Sponsorship Opportunities
How can I donate to The Living Room?
To make a donation to The Living Room, click on the “Make a donation” link in the global footer, or click on “Make a donation” found in the left-hand column throughout the site.
To become a corporate sponsor of The Living Room, please contact sponsorship@gildasclub.org or 917-305-1200.
How can I see my public profile page?
To see how your “Profile” page appears to other Living Room members, click on the “View my public profile” link under your mood indicator on your profile page. This will show you how your profile looks to the rest of the site.
You can update your “I’m feeling” emoticon and Living Room status on your “My profile” page. Click the little arrow next to your emoticon (ie, smiling or frowning face) to choose another image.
If you are using a PC, you can make the text on The Living Room site appear larger by pressing the “Ctrl” and “+” keys. Pressing the “Ctrl” and “–” keys will make the text appear smaller. If you are using a Mac, press the “Apple” and “+” keys to make the text larger. Pressing the “Apple” and “–” keys will make the text appear smaller.
The blue emoticon on a member’s image symbolizes that a member is currently online, while a white emoticon means that they are offline. The emoticon also shows how the member is feeling. There are 12 different expressions a member can choose from to represent their mood: angry, frustrated, great, happy, in pain, OK, sad, scared, tired, anxious, lonely, and confused.