Getting Started in Time and Talents (The New Software)

Members,

As you're finding out, in order to gain the functions members are requesting, we've switched software platforms.  To get you up and running quickly, the Getting Started guide is a must read to help you with the switch from the previous software.  It'll get you logged in and answer many of the basic questions you'll have getting going in the new software.

You also need to read this Quick Start guide.  This teaches you about posting offers, requests, and announcements.  It also teaches you how to record transactions, indicate satisfaction with an exchange, endorsing members, creating and joining groups, and updating your account information.

For those of you that want to jump right into the mobile app, please note that you need to set up your web based account before going to the mobile application.  Make sure you've got your new password set up, make sure your profile looks OK, change what you feel you need to change, etc.

With that out of the way, we should talk about a couple of points about the website.  The banner area after you log in now looks like this:

You'll notice a 'Contact Us!' button on the right side of the banner, just above the dark horizontal bar.  The most efficient way to contact the admin is through use of that button.  Please be aware that our admin is a volunteer who works a 40 hour week at a paid job and thus cannot check emails every minute of every day.  Please allow for sufficient time for the admin to be able to see the email and respond.

Also in the banner, you'll see buttons for 'Offers' and 'Requests' (the middle buttons on that dark bar).  These buttons take you to all offers and requests that are currently posted by our members.  From that page, you can drill down by category or select the 'Browse Offers Directory' button (there's a 'Browse Requests Directory' if you've followed the request link) if you want to see all posts for every category on a single page.

To get to your personal posts (both offers and requests), please use the links that are shown below the dark bar, just under the words 'Welcome back, <your name>' where <your name> is you.  You will also see these links from your account page.  They look like this:

We will go through them from left to right:  Clicking on the left-most circle (with the dashed arrow pointing inward) will take you to your personal requests so you can edit or delete those requests.  The next circle (with the solid arrow and plus sign), will allow you to create new requests.  These arrows point into the circle to symbolize individuals asking for the members to provide something.  Hovering over the symbols brings up a little text box describing where each will take you so if you forget, you can still figure out which is which.

The next two circles deal with your offers.  Arrow pointing out, meaning you're offering services/time to other members.  The circle with the dashed arrow allows you to manage your existing offers, the solid arrow with the plus sign allows you to add new offers.

Of mention here is that there are many more categories with which to request and offer services.  This is done to help our members connect more quickly rather than browsing all posts to try to find what they need and want.  For instance, a person who does odd jobs, may not be the right person to fix an electrial wiring issue but both are help at home activities.

Also, you cannot have two offers or two requests in the same category/subcategory combination. So many of the offers and requests from Community Weaver were sorted into categories in hOurWorld to ensure all posts from users were migrated completely.

You will need to search Google Play or the Apple App Store for 'hourworld' to find it and then download to your device.  Once you have followed the directions above and in the guides provided, you can then go to the mobile application and use your login (email address) and new password.  The mobile application is being enhanced regularly so please pay attention when your app store tells you there's an update.

What you'll see are six symbols on the page when you log in.  Announcements, Offers, Requests, Search, Groups, and More.  The Offers and Requests categories are set up to show the most recent of each that have been posted.

All older offers and requests are searchable in the mobile app and use of wild card characters are encouraged.  For instance, someone might need a proofreader while others are offering proofreading services.  Search using the term 'proofread*' to see all of the combinations. 

Also, all posts are indexed every night at 2AM (Eastern) so that the posts from today are searchable after that time.  So, you are not likely to see today's new posts in the mobile app until morning.

I hope you find this information helpful as you begin using the new software.  Please come back often to see more detailed information about using the software.

Rob Harveland
Board Treasurer

Seeing Offers and Requests as soon as they are posted -- RSS Feeds

Because access to Community Weaver 2.0 (CW2.0) requires a log in, it is difficult to set up an RSS feed in a standard feed reader such as Google Reader. However, I believe Time Trader Rob has found a workaround, at least for those who use Mozilla Firefox as their web browser. (Thanks Rob, for your patience and help on this issue!)

If you use Firefox, you can download an "add-on" that allows you to receive notifications of new Service Offers and Service Requests as they are posted in CW2.0. The notifications appear as a "ticker," a scrolling bar across the bottom of your screen, and are visible as you surf the web on Firefox.

You must have Firefox open and be logged in to your CW 2.0 account at timetrader.timebanks.org
If you are using your personal computer (not a shared or public computer), I would recommend allowing Firefox to store your log in information so that you will automatically be logged in to CW2.0 whenever you open Firefox. This should enable you to move to the next step, downloading the add-on.

It is called "RSS Ticker" and here is the URL:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/rss-ticker/

On the page, click the green box that says "Add to Firefox."
Once it downloads it will prompt you to restart Firefox.

Instructions for using the add-on are located at:

http://www.chrisfinke.com/firstrun/rss-ticker.php?v=12

Once you have restarted Firefox, you should be able to go the Time Trader homepage at timetrader.timebanks.org and look in the blue bar at the top. On the right side there are a number of links. Click on "Recent Offers," then go to "Bookmarks" in your menu bar at the top and click on the RSS feed icon where it says "Subscribe to this page." Do the same thing with the link next to it that says, "Recent Requests."

If that does not work, you may have to add the URL of the feed manually. Email timetrader@familyservicerochester.org with the subject line RSS FEED and explain that you have tried to add the RSS feeds but you need the URLs. I will send them in an email along with brief instructions about how to enter them to receive the feeds.

Once the feed starts working, the request titles will scroll across the bottom of your screen. You must click on each individual offer title. This will bring up the offer or request in CW2.0 and then the title will disappear from the ticker. The first time you do this, ALL existing requests or offers will appear, so you will need to click on each one and look at the listing. After that, each new offer or request will scroll across and you will be sure that it is brand new.

I do apologize that this requires such effort on your part, but since RSS feeds were designed for publicly viewable information on the web to be shared, it is difficult to make them work within the privacy settings we have set up in Community Weaver for the safety and peace of mind of our members.

Again, right now I can recommend this as a solution only for those members who use Mozilla Firefox as their web browser. I will continue to look for other solutions for the rest of you, and if you are a member who has a solution, please let me know. I will pay you Time Credits for explaining it to me.

I do the best I can to reach members as many ways as possible and to make it as convenient as possible for members to access Community Weaver 2.0 and to remain active and engaged in the community. If you have ideas or suggestions about how I can do that more efficiently or effectively, please do let me know by emailing me at timetrader@familyservicerochester.org.

Top Ten Tips for Navigating Community Weaver

1.    Sign In

• Get your username and temporary password from the email notifying you your account has been activated
• Go to www.timetrader.timebanks.org
• Enter your username and password under “User login” (upper right)
• Click the log in button.

2.    Edit your User Account and Profile

• Click the Edit User Account link in the left sidebar under your name. Change your password and upload a picture of yourself if you wish. Make sure your address and phone number appear as you wish other Time Traders to see them. Click Save.
• Click My Account above your name or in the tabs on the upper right again.
• Looking at the left sidebar under your name, scroll down until you see Edit Profile Details and click on it. Edit those portions of your profile, including your general availability and adding any links such as your personal blog, your business website, or your Twitter handle. Your phone number and email address will be made public unless you uncheck the boxes. Click Save.

3.   View Other Members’ Profiles

•  Mouse over the Give & Receive tab (upper right) and then click View All Members on the pulldown menu.
• Click anywhere in a row to see a specific member’s profile OR use the boxes (Member Name, Neighborhood, Affiliations) and click Search to sort by those values.

4.   Locate an Offer / Request

• Click on the Give & Receive tab to get to the Time Bank Marketplace.
• You can locate a service offer or request by clicking a specific category link to view those listings (i.e. Child Care, Events, Lessons, etc.). You could also click the Browse All Requests or Browse All Offers link (upper center), OR click the Search All Service Ads link to use a keyword search for service ads. 
• When you find an interesting ad, press the more… link for a fuller description.
• If you want to reply to the ad, click on Respond to this Post. That opens a draft reply message form. Use a short form of the Request or Offer title as your subject. (i.e. If the Request is “Can you make cinnamon rolls?” your subject should be “cinnamon rolls.”) Write a brief message asking for the service or offering your service, list your availability, and the best way to contact you. Include your phone number if that is your preferred form of communication.
• Click Send Message to send.
• When you reply to an ad, the other person gets an email inviting him/her to visit the TimeBank website to read the message. When he/she responds to your initial response, you’ll get a notice via email as well. This will go back-and-forth until the two of you settle on a date and time for the service.

5.   Set Up an Exchange

• All emails are sent and received via the TimeBank website. When someone responds to your ad, you will get an email inviting you to go to the TimeBank website for the response. 
• Click the link in the email to go directly to your Message Center Inbox, or go to www.timetrader.timebanks.org/ to sign in. Mouse over the My Account tab and then click My Messages.
• Each row in your Inbox contains a summary of the emails pertaining to a specific ad. Mouse over the topic you wish to see until it becomes underlined, then click on it to see all the emails about a particular service exchange.
• You’ll see all the emails you have exchanged about the ad, and a white box labeled “Message”. Type your reply in the box, and when it is ready to send, click Send Message.

6.   Record Your Hours

• Once an exchange has been completed, you need to record hours for it. The simplest way to do this is to go the Service Offer or Request itself and first make note of the category of service, found on the right under the words “See similar ads from these categories”. Just above that, click on Record Hours for this listing.
• Click the button to indicate the appropriate Service Category
• The current date is the default. If the service was performed on a different day, enter the correct date. Please enter all transactions for a month by the 7^th of the following month so that Board Numbers are correct.
• Enter the names of the Provider and Recipient of the Service in the appropriate boxes. Time Credits (TC) will go from the Recipient to the Provider.
• Enter a description of the service.
• Enter the number of whole hours in the first box next to Number of Hours. If the time includes a fraction of an hour, enter it using the pulldown menu, choosing .25, .50, or .75.
• If all information is correct, click Record an Exchange. It will subtract the TC from the person who received the service and add them to the person who provided the service. The math will work correctly regardless of who records the hours.
• This triggers an email notification to both parties to ensure accountability. Occasionally hours are recorded incorrectly. If you get billed incorrectly, send a message to the TimeBank Coordinator to dispute your bill.

7.   Place an Offer / Request

• Mouse over the My Account tab, then click on My Services.
• Select Post a new Offer of a Service or Post a new Request for a Service, depending on what you want to add (a request or an offer).
• Click on the appropriate Service Category from the menu.
• Fill in the information: Ad Title, Description, and Availability. The default expiration (3 months) will appear; if you want the ad to expire prior to that, change it now. If you prefer to be contacted by phone, include your phone number in the description. The software hides all phone numbers automatically.
• Click the Preview button to see how your ad will appear. If it looks the way you want it to, submit it by clicking Save.

8.   Edit or Stop an Offer / Request

• Mouse over the My Account tab and click on My Services.
• Click the ad you want to change, and click the edit button.
• Ads expire automatically after 3 months. In order to reactivate them, simply find them in Expired Service Ads and edit the expiration date.

9.   View Account Activity

• Mouse over the My Account tab, then click on My Hours.

10.   Exit the System

• Click the log out button (top right of main page) and that’s it!

Writing Effective Service Offers

by Debi Neville, Freelance Writer and Time Trader, January 2011

Four basic items need to be addressed in each offering:

1)   identify the problem or need

2)   offer a solution to the problem

3)   explain how YOU can provide the solution

4)   call to action

Example:

1) Dream of cinnamon rolls like Mom used to bake?

2) A dozen can be delivered fresh to your door

3) I have 20 years baking experience and a wonderful old fashioned recipe, can be made with whole wheat and fruits if you want to try something a bit new, will deliver same day!

4) This weekend curl up with a good book, a cup of coffee and delicious, warm sweet rolls; call to order today!

Words to use which conjure up emotions, wants, answers, memories, needs, etc. which are more likely to get a response:

Warm                                                     Depend

Organized                                              Memory(ies)

Clean                                                     Creative

Spic-span                                               Unique

At your fingertips                                  Experience

Solution                                                 Fun

Finally                                                    Quality

Friendly help                                          Searching

Desire                                                     Direct

New                                                        Now

Vision                                                   This is the year

Worry free                                           Recycle, reuse

Express yourself                                    Thoughtful

Cross off your to do list                           Dessert

Problem solver                                          Do!