| |
| Help | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Table of Contents
Main Page Welcome to Ability Online Support Network. If you are already a member click on the red login button then enter your login id (first name space last name) and enter your password in the boxes provided. It is NOT a good idea to click the box labeled remember my password if other people use this computer. Once you have entered both login and password then click on OK. If you wish to join and be able to meet new people in a family friendly environment then click on the blue new user button. You will be asked for some personal information that will be kept absolutely confidential. This information is vital for all our member's security. We will send you a special ACTIVATION CODE in the mail to allow you to write messages to the many friendly people you will meet on Ability Online. If you want to know more about us before becoming a member click on the green General Info button. This will take you to the part of our website that will explain what we do and who sponsors us. If you tried to register and something went wrong, click on the "forgot your password" or "problem logging in" lines and give us enough information to contact you so we can help you either over the phone or by email. Otherwise, during office hours you may contact us at 1-866-650-6207 toll-free or 416-650-6207 if you live in the Toronto Area.. If you are a member who uses Wildcat Navigator, click on the blue underlined "Login using Wildcat Navigator". Once you have registered, you may want to use the extra features of Wildcat Navigator which can be downloaded from our files by registered members. If you cannot see the small movie which should appear just above the blue Ability Online title, then you may want to download the FLASH program. Click on the "Get Flash" button at the bottom of the window and follow the instructions displayed. This is not necessary to enjoy the benefits of Ability Online, but the movie shows a brief look at what we are all about that is -- KIDS.
New User Registration Policy Acceptance Safety.htm This explains the need to get personal information online. Remember, we do keep this information entirely confidential. We do not give out confidential information and we keep it secure within our office. Be sure to read the Basic Agreement carefully. You will be bound by these policies and rules if you choose to continue. If you accept the conditions then click on the "continue registration" button. If you cannot accept the conditions then click on the "Cancel" button.
New User Registration Form This is where we collect the information we need to register you as a member of Ability Online. User Name: this is the name you will use to login to our system. It should be your first name and a space and your last name. If someone else has already registered using these names, then you should look at changing your first name (try using a nickname) or if that is not possible, then add a middle initial or middle name. Please Don't use periods with any initials. Password: this can be any combination of letters and/or numbers that is at least 8 characters long (remember no spaces are allowed, none of the characters can be spaces). Try to think of a word that is easy for YOU to remember and will not be guessed by any of your friends. It is not a good idea to use your name or address as a password. DO NOT TELL ANYONE your password. If you forget it, a new one can be issued by the system manager. To get a password first you click on the "Forgot my Password" line on the first page of the website. The system manager will contact you using the information you gave in the forgot password procedure, and create a new password for you. Birthday: We use this information to decide which conferences you can see. Also we like to remember your birthday by sending you greetings on that special day. Address1: is the postal address (street and apartment number) of your home. We use this to mail you the Special ACTIVATION CODE that allows you to write messages and enjoy the benefits of Ability Online. If the address is incorrect then you won't receive the special ACTIVATION CODE and you will miss the fun of our fellowship. Address2: is used only when there is not enough room in Address1 for your complete address. Foreign Addresses often need to be longer to be accurate. City: is the name of your city - this is used by the postal service to deliver the letter containing the special ACTIVATION CODE to you. If your country doesn't use this type of designation enter "*****" (4 asterisks) Province or state: is the name of the province or state where the letter will be sent. If your country doesn't use this type of designation fill enter "**" (2 asterisks). Country: is the name of the country where you live and where the special ACTIVATION CODE will be sent. Postal or ZIP code: enter your Postal code (for Canadians -please leave a space between the first 3 characters and the last 3 characters). If your country doesn't use this type of designation enter "*****" (5 asterisks). Phone number: enter the phone number where we can reach you in case of an emergency or to help you if you are having problems. Email address: if you already have an email address you may enter it here. This is an optional field and it can be left blank. We could use this to notify you if the registration process had a problem and we needed to connect with you to verify information. We DO NOT SEND OUT SPECIAL ACTIVATION CODE BY EMAIL. This violates our security policy and reduces the protection we are providing for our members. Sex: you may wish to say that you are male or female, this information is not displayed to other members we use it strictly for our own statistical purposes. Mother's Maiden Name or secret word:, when you forget a password, the system manager will ask you for your mother's maiden name or secret word. This is to prevent someone from pretending they are you and changing your password so you cannot get into your messages. When what you say to the system manager matches what was in your member record - there is a good chance that it is really you who are asking for a new password. How you found us: this is optional but telling us how you heard about us is important in helping us reach more people who can benefit from our services. Just click on the little down arrow at the right side of the box and click on the appropriate reason. PLEASE READ OUR TERMS OF USE. Click on the read box to get to the page that shows our Terms of Use and Policies. You must understand and agree to these rules and policies to be a member of Ability Online. In general the rules can be summarized by saying be nice online, inappropriate behaviour will result in your removal from online access. User: this is where the member must click the accept or decline button to say they understand and agree to the terms of use. User's Parent, Guardian or Approved sponsor: is where the parent or sponsor of a person who is under 18 years of age must click to certify that the person is aware of the terms of use. Finally, click on the Register button to submit the registration for processing. If there are any errors the page will be redisplayed and the errors highlighted in red, under the data in error. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Write Your First Message This is the spot where we can help you write a message especially that first message. The first message will be in conference 1 (welcoming new users) and it will be to ALL, which means anyone can answer it. When you look at messages in the conferences, even if the message is not addressed to you, you can reply to it and add your comments. This is the benefit of Ability Online, you have a chance to see other members messages so you can get to know them before you write to them. First, lets select a suitable subject, just click on one of the list that are offered. Only choose one. You have to select one or the computer will complain. Remember you can change anything that is selected before you actually send the message Next, click on one of the list stating how you found out about Ability Online. Only choose one or none. Remember: you don't need to use every section, you can skip sections you are not interested in. Next, we will look at pets. Click yes or no to the "do you have any pets" question. Then you can click on what type of pets you have, or leave it and fill it in later before you send the message. You can choose none, one or more items. If you choose some pets then you should also click on yes I have pets. Next, you can type in your favourite colour or colours, or skip it if you really aren't a colour person. Next, you can click on some of the things you like to do. The first message should tell enough about yourself to allow others to decide if they are interested in messaging with you. You can choose none, one or more of these activities. Next, you can select what sports if any you like and you can choose none, one or more of these. Next we explore your musical preferences, and you can again choose none, one or more of these. Next we look at what you like to do, and you can choose none, one or more of these activities. Now, we look at what you want to happen from joining Ability Online. Choose none, one or more of these items. Finally we close the letter by choosing one of message ending lines. FYI (for your Information) we tend to use lots of short forms in messaging. TTFN means Ta Ta for Now, and TTYL is talk to you later, FAQ is frequently asked questions, and BRB be right back, PPL is people, MORF is male or female, and POV is point of view, etc. When you are satisfied that you have clicked every thing you wanted, then click on submit at the bottom of the page and a new page will appear with your message ready to be sent or edited as you desire. If you are happy with what was created by the computer, then just click on the send message button. Otherwise move the mouse to point to what you want to change and make the changes you want and then click on the send message button. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
READ MESSAGE You are now at the Message Reading part of our system. You will see messages that are in the conference area that has been selected. The conference area name is shown in the blue banner just above the list of messages. To read a message click on the blue underlined subject. Normal view is the threaded mode, which shows the first newest message at the left and each associated message is shown underneath and indented. The light blue band above the conference name blue band, allows one to navigate around the list of messages and search for a particular message or change the viewing of the index of all messages. TOP - shows the beginning of the list of messages PAGE UP - moves the index of messages up one by one group (usually many messages) PAGE DOWN - moves the listing of messages down by one group BOTTOM - shows the bottom of the list of messages. WRITE NEW MESSAGE - goes to the create a message page. SEARCH - allows you to find a specific message. VIEW FLAT MODE - shows you the messages as they were written with out indentation and threads, also they are in reverse sequence with the newest listed last. REMEMBER: those options (above) that are not applicable will be grayed out. Messages marked with:  is a private message is a message which can be read without being
markd as read. Click on the
to preview the message. is a new message
Members HOME Page This is called the HOME page. Here is where you can see the format of all the inside pages. There is a group of tabs that perform the following functions: Conferences tab will allow you to go directly to our message conferences, Inbox/You've got new mail tab will take you to your inbox, Personalise tab will take you to the pages where you can select only those conferences you want to see regularly, change your password, view your current statistics. Finally the Home tab which will return you to this screen. The four Face icons (pictures) will take you to the 4 basic functions of Ability Online. The top most face icon will take you to our Messaging function when you click on it once. The messaging function will allow your to read messages and when a full member you may also write messages to others. The right most face icon will take you to our Chat function when clicked once. You can only enter chat when you are a full member. The bottom face icon will take you to the General Information section that describes what Ability Online is all about, who sponsors us, contact information, events that are upcoming, and how to volunteer to help us. Finally, the left most face icon will take you to our Fun Stuff page, containing games and other fun things to do. Clicking on the Show Kids you Care Virtual Hug button will allow you to send hugs to other members of Ability Online or others on the internet. At the bottom of the page there are several other links: Renew Membership - you should click this when you get a message to renew your membership. Renewals are done annually. This gives you a chance to correct your address and phone numbers if they have changed and you have not already notified the system manager Suggestions - this button allows you to send suggestions to the management on how to improve the service. Files download - this connects you to the section where you can download files you may need to access Ability Online more effectively. Who is Online - this button allows you to see who else is accessing Ability when you are online. This is handy if you are waiting to chat to a particular person. The numbers at the very bottom of the page are a hit counter, which records the number of times this page has been accessed by members.
MESSAGING This is where you can elect to read or write messages, from a selection of most accessed conferences. If you are not fully registered (ie. have not input your ACTIVATION CODE code) you will only be able to read messages. Click on the read or write icon in the conference you want to look at. If you want to view a conference that is not shown, then click on the blue tab called CONFERENCES to display the list of all conferences. You can then click on the one that interests you. If you are a new fully registered member then you may want to click on the text that says "FIRST TIME HERE?" this will take you to a web page that will help you write that all important First Message that will help you start to achieve the benefits of Ability Online. The other Blue Tabs will take you to see your Inbox or to Personalise your access to Ability Online and the last one HOME will take you back to the HOME page where you can select other things to do online. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Write a new Message Writing a New Message is where you can send as many messages as you want to your friends. Remember: You must select the conference 1st. If you change your conference once you have started to input your new message, all your input will be lost. This does not apply to Reply or Forwarded messages. If the person you want to receive the message is a member of Ability then you just have to know your friend's First and Last Name (for conferences 1-400). If you want to send a message to all the people in a specific conference (only for those conferences 1- 400) use the TO: name of ALL. Use conference 0 to send a message to someone who is not a member of Ability. You need to put in their full e-mail address (don't forget to enter the @). You should enter a subject for the message, The subject line should be relevant to the message. One more good thing about this is, you can actually send any files from your Hard Drive to your friends by clicking on the Browse button (beside the File attachment box) and locating the files that you want to send. This send files feature is only available in conference 0-Local/Internet E-mail. Now your are ready to write the message. Move the cursor to the area below the type your message here: banner and start to enter your message. Check out the E-Mail Commandments to be sure you are following good email etiquette. You can move the cursor to text that you want to delete or modify and start typing or pressing the delete key to remove unwanted text. After you completed writing you message you just have to click on the Send Message Button to Send the Message. In the same way you can also reply to any message by clicking the reply button on the message that you want to send a reply. E-MAIL COMMANDMENTS 1. Thou shalt include a clear and specific subject line. If you are talking about bunnies, then the subject line should reflect that and say "bunnies". 2. Thou shalt edit any quoted text down to the minimum thou needest. No one wants to weed through pages of >, >> and >>> to get to a one word or line answer. 3. Thou shalt read thine own message thrice (3 times) before thou sendest it. Does it make sense? Will the recipient be offended? 4. Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might react to thy message. If you are being silly, be sure to add a :) or [grin]. 5. Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy grammar. Not a big deal here on Ability. Remember, there are lots of young people, so spelling or grammar will reflect that. 6. Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam or USE all CAPS. Cursing, flaming and spam are all no-no's here. Outside of Ability, ALL CAPS are considered yelling. Here, some users need CAPS to see the message more clearly. 7. Thou shalt not forward any chain letter. Especially in a public area. No one wants to see a conference with 10+ messages all saying exactly the same thing... "pass this message on to your friends". 8. Thou shalt not rely on the privacy of email. Don't post things you know you'd want to be kept private. Any email can be forwarded and/or printed and passed around. 9. Thou shalt not use email for any illegal or unethical purpose. Don't ask for an illegal copy of the latest version of Star Wars or Billy's serial number for a game to work properly... that's not what we are here for. 10. And, the Golden Rule of email: That which thou findest hateful to receive, sendest thou not unto others. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Viewing Message In Inbox The blue banner at the top of the page is consistent in many of the web pages and it functions in a similar manner in most pages. The tabs when clicked will take you to the pages specified. For instance, clicking on the conferences tab will take you to the page that shows all the conferences (message areas) to which you have access. Clicking on the inbox tab will take you to your private Inbox containing all the messages specifically addressed to you. Clicking on the personalize tab will take you to the place where you can change the way things appear and select those particular conferences you want to see. Home tab will take you back to the home page where you can select another area of Ability Online to explore. Under the blue tabs line there is a grey banner line that contains commands relating to the message portion of our system. The first button will show you the index of all the messages in the conference you are currently in. This index is helpful to see other messages and it allows you to choose another message to view. The Prev button will display the previous message. the Next button will display the next message in the list. the Write New Message button will allow you to start writing an new message in the conference. the Reply button will allow to write a reply to the message that is highlighted and will include that message in the body of the reply. The Forward button will allow the highlighted message to be forwarded to the person you will specify and will allow you to add some comments of your own. The Delete button will allow you to delete the message. Note: when this or any other button is Grayed out, it will not function. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
INBOX/You've got new mail All messages that were addressed specifically to you will appear here, regardless of the conference in which they were written. They will be displayed in a table with columns that are labeled DEL (for delete), DATE (for the date they were written), SUBJECT (what the person writing the message put in the subject line), and finally FROM(indicates who wrote the message). To read a message - click on the underlined subject, the message should then be shown full screen. To delete a message that you have read and want to erase or don't want to read ever, simply click in the DEL column in the box provided and a check mark will appear. When you have selected all messages that you want to delete and checked them accordingly, then click on the delete button at the bottom of the table. This will delete the check marked messages. To delete all messages at once click on the delete all box and then click on the Delete Button. REMEMBER: once a message is deleted it cannot be seen again. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
MESSAGING Choose conference list Here you can find the list of all the conferences that are available. You can select a conference that interests you by clicking on it and then you can read or write messages in that conference. For example, if you are a New User and don't know where to get started then you can start with the 1-Welcoming New Users conference or if you are interested in sports you can select the Sports Chat conference. It is a great way to communicate with those who are really interested in the same things as yourself.
General Information This is the Place where you can find all the Information that you need to know about Ability Online such as who we are, what is our mission, what we do, our history, our achievements so far, our staff, our members, our Volunteers and lots more. If you are interested in donation or want to sponsor you can find all the information here. You can get information about current ongoing events related with Ability Online, our Annual report, you can request for our logo, you can sign in to our Newsletter Program to get the latest news available through your e-mail, you can find out about the Volunteer Opportunities that are available right now and can apply online if you are interested. You can find out some pictures of famous people who support our goals from our Hall of Fame. Another important thing that you will find is we have gathered many helpful Links that will help you to find Information and resources to suit your needs. Move the mouse to the selection you want and when the cursor changes to a hand then click to go to the selection Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Files Download From this section you can Download some helpful Files for your computer such as wildcat navigator, and you can get some important utilities for your Mac. You just have to select a category from the list below that interests you for example, if you want to get some Mac Utilities just click on the Mac Files & Utilities then it will show you all the list of the files that are related to Mac. You can also get a brief Idea about how many files are there under each category if you just look at the right side of the table next to each category. If you are looking for a file that you know the name of but you don't know which category it belongs to or are having trouble finding it. You just type the name of the file that you want in the search box and hit enter we will find the file for you. You can also search for a file by entering the age of the file. For example, if you are looking for a file that is within the last 7 days then you can just type 7 in Days Box and just click on New Files then it will list all the files that are just uploaded in the last 7 days. Once you have found the category you want just click on it to see the files it contains. File listing of area You will see files listed here that are available for downloading. The main file that is downloaded is Wildcat NAVIGATOR. This application once installed on your system is very helpful in accessing CHAT and messaging quickly and easily. The name of the file to be downloaded is WCNAV2K.exe. To start the download just click on the file name, and follow the instructions in the windows that will appear. Be sure to remember where you saved the file. It will be handy when you come to install it. Installing Wildcat Navigator is simply done by clicking on it in the My Computer or Windows Explorer program, and waiting while it installs itself (often several minutes).
MESSAGE SEARCH RESULTS In this page you will see all the results of the search you have just submitted. For example, if you have submitted a search for a person named Joe Smith in the search result page you will get a list of all the messages that are from JOE SMITH. From this page you can get information about the messages you have found such as the date of the message when it was posted, to whom it was posted, who posted the message, how many replies the message has got so far (which is indicated by R at the top left corner just after To field), the subject of the messages and the number of the message. And from there on you can click on a blue underlined subject of the message that is listed to read that message.
Message Search Form Here is where you can search, find and read any messages from the many messages that are posted each day. You don't have to look at each & every message to find out the message that you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a message from one of your friends named Joe Smith, you can just type the name of your friend where it says From in the search form. Just type JOE SMITH or JOE or Smith and click on Search Now and we will find you all the messages from Joe Smith (and others named Joe or Smith- if you did not use the full name). After you have entered the search information, click on the Start Search button. If you want more specific result from the search, suppose you want to find out a message from Joe Smith and the subject of the message was "hi I am new" then you can put the subject and the person's name and can search to find a more specific message. Basically it is a very good and time saving way to find exactly you are looking for.
Send Virtual Hugs A Virtual Hugs is a way to send Special hugs to your friends online. In other words you can say it is an Online Hug. Only fully registered members can send a Virtual Hug. A fully registered member is one who has entered their ACTIVATION CODE and it has been accepted by the computer. You can send virtual hugs to any of your friends by clicking the send Virtual Hug button in the middle of the Page and then it will take you to this page where you just have to put your friend's name (if they are a member of Ability Online) or if not a member you need to enter their email address to send a virtual hug. We will do the rest for you. Click on the Send HUG button to send your hug. Sending Hugs to your friends just got better through Ability Online. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Search LINKS In this Page (Resources & other interesting web sites) you will find many links to other valuable web sites, which may assist you. To quickly find the kind of web site you are seeking, you just type a word in the search Box and click on submit and we will find the links that include your search word in their description. To See ALL the LINKS, leave the search word blank and click on submit. From the list that is produced you may click on the underlined name to link to the web site. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Games Here you can enjoy some very good games like puzzles, Tic-Tac-Toe and some other interesting games. After clicking on Games you will be taken to a page with Game Icons where you can choose the games that you want to play by clicking on the appropriate Icon. Each icon (little picture) shows a peek at the game or puzzle that will start when you click on it. Have FUN !
Personalise (messaging) Conference Selection This web page allows you to change the options that were originally set for you when you registered. The number of messages per listing deals primarily with the flat mode of message viewing and has little or no effect on the threaded (usual) view of messages. The Reply quote characters specify what you want to be displayed when you reply to a message. The original message text will be preceded by the character you specify. Note: the normal character is ->. The selected conference groups will allow you to select specific conferences that will be displayed when you click on the selected conferences button in the view all conferences screen. Click on those you want to see and a check mark will appear in the box preceding the conference name. Remember to click on the save changes button or your selections will be forgotten by the computer.
Personalise (change Password) This portion of the system allows you to change your password. Type in your existing password and then type in your new password twice in the spaces provided and click on the submit button. Personalise (General) This will show the address information that is in your record. If it is incorrect, send an email to the system manager including the corrections. No changes are possible to the address information on this page. Personalise (Other) You can change the number of files to be displayed on a screen page. The normal value is 20. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Waiting for ACTIVATION CODE This is called the Waiting for ACTIVATION CODE HOME page. Here is where you can see the format of all the inside pages. There is a group of tabs that perform the following functions: Conferences tab will allow you to go directly to our message conferences, Inbox / You've got new mail tab will take you to your inbox, Finally the Home tab which will return you to this screen. The four Face icons (pictures) will take you to the 4 basic functions of Ability Online. The top most face icon will take you to our Messaging function when you click on it once. The messaging function will allow your to read messages and when a full member you may also write messages to others. A full member is one who has received the ACTIVATION CODE and has entered it and it has been accepted by the computer The right most face icon will take you to our Chat function when clicked once. You can only enter chat when you are a full member. The bottom face icon will take you to the General Information section that describes what Ability Online is all about, who sponsors us, contact information, events that are upcoming, and how to volunteer to help us. Finally, the left most face icon will take you to our Fun Stuff page, containing games and other fun things to do. Clicking on the Enter ACTIVATION CODE button will display a web page that will allow you to enter the ACTIVATION CODE you should have received in the mail and to become a full member. REMEMBER the ACTIVATION CODE will be a series of alphabetic characters. THEY SHOULD BE ENTERED AS CAPITALS WITH NO SPACES BETWEEN THE 8 LETTERS. At the bottom of the page there is a link to the Files download - this connects you to the section where you can download files you may need to access Ability Online more effectively. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Sponsorship For Sponsors ONLY. Enter your login name - remember the space between your first and last name. Enter your password Click on the submit sponsorship info button. You should see a page that welcomes the user as a fully registered member. If not, contact the system manager.
New User Message This is where you can elect to read messages, from a selection of most accessed conferences. If you are not fully registered (ie. have not input your ACTIVATION CODE code) you will only be able to read messages. Click on the read icon in the conference you want to look at. If you want to view a conference that is not shown, then click on the blue tab called CONFERENCES to display the list of all conferences. You can then click on the one that interests you. The other Blue Tabs will take you to see your Inbox or to Personalise your access to Ability Online and the last one HOME will take you back to the HOME page where you can select other things to do online. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
Chat This is where you can chat online with others that are online at the same time as you are. HELPFUL TIPS: the chat program is in JAVA and takes a long time to load. If you are using a Security Type Program (such as Norton Internet Security), the chat program may not load, you may have to disable the Security Program until the chat loads. Also, popup stoppers may not allow the chat program to run. If your browser does not show a little window that says connecting ...Don't close this window, which indicates that the chat program is loading, then launch the chat program by clicking on the "CLICK HERE" spot on the webpage. To really enjoy CHAT and have it appear much quicker - try downloading and installing WCNAV (Wildcat Navigator). The CHAT function in it is excellent. This program can be found in our Files section. Need more help - Describe your problem by clicking here or call us (toll free) at 1-866-650-6207 (in Toronto 416-650-6207).
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||