Frequently Asked Questions
MEMBERSHIP
My membership was not approved. Why?
When we disapprove a member, we cannot always send them an email telling them why. If you were disapproved it was probably for one of the following reasons:
1. You did not upload a picture showing your face. While the picture can be "arty" it cannot obscure what the person really looks like.
2. You show a residence outside of the Sacramento area. You must reside in or around Sacramento to be a member
3. You did not submit a reasonable description of yourself. To get approved you must answer the "Tell us about yourself" question with a description that actually tells us something about you. "Just ask" and "email me" are not adequate. We do not insist that you lay out your life. If your answer to that question is short, but you have provided additional information in response to other non-mandatory questions, you will probably be approved.
4. Your profile was not about yourself,. Some people have tired to submit profiles for businesses, an event, or a club they belong to. We do not permit profiles for businesses. Profiles for clubs must be entirely separate from profiles of members. If you want to post information about an event, you must be a member first, and then post the information on the Events page.
5. Your profile in some other way, violated the rules of conduct for members.
If I am disapproved, can I file another profile that conforms to the rules?
Yes. Just start all over again as if you had never tried to register.
If I am removed from the site for any reason after being approved, can I resubmit a profile.
Only with prior approval from the administrator.
GETTING HELP
How do I find out how to use Cafe Q's features or functionality?
Look through the Table of Contents at the Notes home page. You will find each feature discussed. If you do not find an answer there scroll down through these FAQs and you will probably find that answer. If not and your question might be of general interest to others, you can post a new discussion on the "Use and Design of this Site" Forum. If it is a problem peculiar to yourself, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on "Report an Issue" and send us a clear description of the problem.
How do I report misconduct to Cafe Q?
First, make sure it is really misconduct and not something that you just don't like by looking over the rules of conduct. If you think it violates our rules, scroll to the bottom of the page. Near the right hand side in the red footer you will see a link, "Report an Issue." Click on it and fill out the box explaining in detail what your issue is and who the offender is.
BLOGS
What is my personal blog for?
Anything you want, provided it conforms to the Terms of Use. You can post a daily or weekly diary of your life and loves. Rant about the war in Iraq. Write a short story. Write political editorials.
Why are some blogs featured on the home page of this site?
When we find a blog entry that is particularly well done and we think others would be interested in it, we put it on our featured list. The latest entries to the featured list appear on the home page.
If I think my blog entry is good enough to be featured, how do I bring it to your attention?
Just send the administrator a message stating the title of your particular blog entry. We will look at it and decide if it meets our needs.
I have a good idea for a series of blogs I would like to feature. How do I get it approved and featured? We are always on the lookout for persons who want to take on "projects." That is, prepare a series of guides, tutorials on something, etc. See our volunteer section for some suggestions. If you have a good idea for an ongoing project, let us know. We can either feature your individual posts or create a special subject link to your blogs. In some cases, we might be up to creating a link to a blog you have created in Blogger or WordPress.
COMMENTS
What are comments for?
The comments box you see below a lot of features lets visitors tell the person who entered the information their opinion of it or ask information that was left out or maybe to correct misinformation.
Who can make a comment?
Anyone who is a member, provided that the author of the material did not disable the comments box.
Can I control the comments made to my profile?
Yes. Click on the edit button and then click on "Yes - approve comments first." this will allow you to approve any comments before they can be displayed on your page. You may also delete a comment by clicking on the small grey circle with the :"x" in it beside the comment.
EVENTS
Who can post an event?
Any member.
What kinds of events can I post?
Any kind of event that reasonably would be of interest to the LGBT community of Sacramento and is held by a nonprofit organization or by a member for non-commercial purposes. We have an exception for workshops, such as writing, art or photography workshops that charge a small fee for remuneration of the instructor if the workshop is sponsored by a non-profit organization. So a writing workshop held by the Lavender Library would be allowed but a writing workshop held by a book store would not be allowed if it charged a fee.
If I am an artist and I decide to sponsor a painting field trip where I charge a fee, would I be allowed to post?
No. For such an event, you could have a "kitty" of a certain amount to cover carpooling, parking and bridge tolls, but not for remuneration for yourself. If Cafe Q is the success we think it will be, we will probably add a classified section where members can advertise items for sale and services.
May I post a private event for just a few friends?
Yes. Just check the box labeled "Private - Only invited people can RSVP"
When an event is over, is it automatically removed from the calendar?
Unfortunately no. It no longer appears in the listing, however it continues to be reflected in the number of events stated for a particular category. So the "Music" category may still show five events when there are only four. To really eliminate the event, you must click on the calendar for the date of that event and then select it and delete it.
FEATURED CONTENT
How do you decide which content to feature?
It depends of the particular kind of content. Here are some general criteria:
If you think you have supplied content that deserves to be featured, just send a message to the administrator from the administrator's profiles.
FLIRTING
Most social networking sites have a feature for sending flirts, how can I do that on Cafe Q?
A flirt is a short message that indicates you are interested in a person. The person receiving it is not expected to return it unless he/she is interested in you. To send a flirt in Cafe Q, simply leave a short comment of admiration in the comments section of the person's profile. Something like, "Hi," "Kisses," "Nice pics," "You turn me on," "I could cuddle you," etc. If you receive a flirt from someone who interests you, you can invite them to be your friend and exchange private messages. If you are not interested in the person, please feel free to ignore it or just reply, "Thanks."
FORUMS
Can you add a new category to the Forums section?
Yes. Just send us a message to the administrator. We will create a new category if we think there is a demand for it.
FRIENDS
What are "Friends" and who should I ask to be my friend?
You can only send private messages to a person if they are your friend. So you should invite all the people you want to send messages to to be your friend, unless of course, you already correspond with them through email. Unfortunately, some people are just running popularity contests and will ask just about anyone to be their friend in order to run up popularity score.. If they want to be your friend and you don't expect to be messaging them, feel free to deny their request. There is a special box on your profile where you can spell out who can be your friend.
How do I ask someone to be my friend?
Each profile has a "Message to potential friends" question. Check out the profile of the person to see if they have any special instructions as to who can be their friend. If you meet their requirements, click on the "Add as a friend" link under their picture. This will send them a message requesting that you be added. If the person wants to add you, he/she can click on the invite link and a message will be sent to you by email informing you of the invitation.
How do I accept an invitation to be someone's friend?
Click on the link on the email invitation and it will take you to Cafe Q where you can accept the invitation. It is important to click on this link, otherwise you will not be added as the person's friend. This is a bug in the program which the developer's are working on.
How do I delete a friend
Just go to the person's profile and, under their picture, click on "Delete as Friend."
GROUPS
How do I join a group?
Go to the group page and scroll to the very bottom. Click on the "Join" link. Most groups have an "Introductions" discussion in the Discussions section. Click on it and then reply with a short message introducing yourself to the group and telling why you want to join the group.
Can I start a group of my own?
Yes. Any member can start a group by simply going to the group page and clicking on "Create New Group." You should have a picture or some kind of logo that would identify the group ready to upload. The picture needs to be 175 px X 175px. See Optimizing and Resizing Images for help in sizing your image. Then follow the instructions for setting up a group as stated in the Guidelines for Special Interest Groups.
Are there any rules on what kind of groups can be formed?
No. We ask only that the purpose of the group be consistent with the Terms of Use. That means groups cannot be formed around commercial interests. Generally, there should not be a duplication of groups unless the existing group is mismanaged. So there would not be two groups for Manga Comics. However, there could be separate groups for readers of Manga comics and persons who draw Manga comics. Eating out groups can also be duplicated. So there could be a Second Tuesday dinner group and a Third Wednesday dinner group. If a dinner group such as Second Saturday gets too big to be easily accommodated at a single restaurant, it can form sub-groups for eating out. For instance, an Original Peats group and a Buckhorn's Group. or there could be a mens Second Saturday Group and a women's Second Saturday Group.
If I join a private group, will my membership in the group be public?
No. The members feature for private groups is displayed only for members of the group. And your membership in the group is not displayed on your profile as is your membership in public groups. See the Younger/Older SIG for an exampl;e of a private group.
MESSAGES
How can I send a message to another member?
You will not be able to send another member a message unless you are that person's friend. (Check out the Friends section above.) When a person is your friend, go to their profile and click on "Send a Message" under their profile picture.
PERSONALIZATION
Why can't I personalize my profile like on MySpace and other social networking sites?
You cannot change the appearance of your profile. This retains a uniform look and feel for Cafe Q and facilitates searching for and finding information. You can change the layout of your profile to a certain extent. Just click on the heading to a section and drag it where you want it. You still have plenty of ways to express your personality by adding pictures and a blog to your profile and adding widgets. We are working on a page of HTML instructions that will enable you to add formatting and pictures to your posts
PRIVACY
How private is the information I post on Cafe Q?
Any information you post on Cafe Q is visible to the Administrator/Creator of the site and any additional persons given administration privileges for the purpose of managing the site. It is also available to NING, the providers of this platform. Information that you have designated to be only visible to your friends can be seen only by your friends (in addition to the administrators). Information posted in any public area of the site can be seen, collected and processed by anyone in the world.
Can I post materials that only my friends or I can see?
Yes. You can make your photos private to either your friends or yourself only by editing each photo and under "Who can view this photo?" checking the appropriate box. You can do the same by editing each blog entry and checking the appropriate privacy setting.
Do I need to be concerned about posting information that might invade the privacy of others? Yes. You should not post any personal information on anyone else without their explicit consent. If you want to post a picture of yourself with someone else, the other person should know it and approve. The only exception is when persons are participating openly in public events where they will know that they can be identified. Such things as persons staffing booths at festivals, participating in parades, speakers at rallys or author events, etc. You may post pictures of crowd scenes without the permission of the participants, however, it is not a good idea to identify any non-public figure in the crowd by name, either in the description or the tag. Be aware that people have different levels of personal privacy and that a person who might feel comfortable appearing at an all gay event, might not want a picture of him/herself there to be generally circulated -- especially at the office where it could end up on the bulletin board with a derogatory comment appended to it. Never, identify a person by name unless they are public figures or you have their explicit consent. Names can be easily Googled.
PROFILE
Do I need to use my own name on my profile?
No. You may use a nick name or screen name. Most people may want to use only their first name. As a general rule, the only way a person searching the internet for you can find you easily is to search on your name or email address. Since we do not put your email address on your public profile, that means that no one could easily find you unless you were to use your full name in your profile. However, be aware that once a person is able to find your profile, they will be able to read all of the posts you have made to various forums and see all your photos. So it is best not to post anything that you may regret later.
Who can see my profile?
Everyone in the world who has access to the internet.
Do I have to answer all questions on my profile?
No. Some of the option questions may not apply to you. For instance if you are in a relationship, you are probably not looking for a partner. However, you should answer enough of the questions that others get a sense of who you are and why you joined Cafe Q. Cafe Q is open to everyone. So you do not need a profile to find events in the community, read the posts on forums and attend events. Your profile is required only if you wish to post events or message other persons, or participate in forum discussions. The reason we require a profile to use this functionality is so that people you exchange messages with, know who you are. No one wants to go to a party where everyone has a sack over their head, keeps their mouth shut but takes pictures and notes and makes sound recordings of the conversations of everyone else. So we delete profiles that are not reasonably complete and give a sense of who the person is. A general rule is that you would answer as many of the questions you want so that the toal words in non-mandatory questions is at least three lines of text or 40 words.. We don't think that is too great a price to pay for admission to the most exciting and useful LGBT website in Sacramento
Why do you require that people reveal so much about themselves? Most sites just let you leave questions blank.
We have made some questions multiple-choice and mandatory in order to facilitate searching for general categories such as sex, generation, etc. We have only one mandatory narrative question. The rest are optional and, if not filled in, will not appear on your profile. We expect about 40 words for this question but accept shorter answers if other optional questions are answered. We want the site to be useful and used for its intended purpose. That purpose is to enable LGBT persons in the Sacramento are to meet and enrich their lives by sharing their lives, engaging in activities together and finding friends and partners. If a person is searching for a friend or partner, he/she would not want to have to screen through a hundred profiles that are relatively blank to find only one or two that might be promising. Research has shown that the best way to grow a site and make it useful, is to get the right persons and discourage the wrong persons. By requiring a reasonable profile for participation, we will guarantee that the site will be an exciting and useful site and fulfill its purpose.
People who are not out and cannot be frank about who they are, are still able to view all content on the site and participate in most of the events and activities. In fact, they can still meet potential friends and partners by simply browsing the profiles and attending events and activities that a potential friend or partner is attending. So we think it is a win-win situation all around.
How do I edit my profile?
Click on the "My Settings" link under the Sign In/Sign Out box in the upper right column. This will take you to a page where you can edit your profile and set your privacy settings for such things as your blog and photos. You can also update your face pic and email address from this feature
How do I delete my profile?
Click on the "My Setting link under the Sign In/Sign Out box in the upper right column. On the page for editing you settings, go to the bottom right and click on the link "Leave Cafe Q - Sacramento." Then confirm that you want to delete all your content on Cafe Q.
SUPPORT
Does Cafe Q make money by selling any information it acquires from its members.
No. Cafe Q does not compile information on individual members and does not give any information to others except under a court order.
Does Cafe Q make any money off of the Google Ads which appear on some pages?
No. Cafe Q does not get a dime. Ning, the provider of the platform provides the platform free of charge in return for the privilege of posting the Google Ads.
How does Cafe Q earn money to pay for this site?
At the present time, we pay nothing. The site is provided free by the Ning company in return for the right to post Google Ads. However, to grow the site we will have to pay for additional server capacity when our traffic reaches a certain level. We do not know how much we can grow before reaching that level, but believe it may be around 300 members. It depends on how many people post pictures and how often they come into Cafe Q and how long they stay.
How do you plan to earn money when that time comes?
We plan to incorporate the site as a tax-free non-profit corporation under Section 501 C(3) of the US Tax code. We will have a board of directors that will formulate policy for the site and raise funds for its maintenance. The charter will forbid Cafe Q from charging a membership fee, so the site will always be free. We will most likely raise money for its maintenance through a variety of fund-raising options such as subscriptions like NPR, boutique sales, affiliate sales, display advertising, fund-raising events, etc. The board of directors will decide on the methods to be used when the time comes.
TAGS
What are tags?
Tags are words or phrases that describe content. Many pages have tags so that a person searching for particular content can search for the word or phrase and find it.
How do I enter tags?
Type keywords that describe your content into the box provided and separated with a comma. If you want someone to search on more than one word, type the words in double quotation marks, e.g. "San Jose"
My membership was not approved. Why?
When we disapprove a member, we cannot always send them an email telling them why. If you were disapproved it was probably for one of the following reasons:
1. You did not upload a picture showing your face. While the picture can be "arty" it cannot obscure what the person really looks like.
2. You show a residence outside of the Sacramento area. You must reside in or around Sacramento to be a member
3. You did not submit a reasonable description of yourself. To get approved you must answer the "Tell us about yourself" question with a description that actually tells us something about you. "Just ask" and "email me" are not adequate. We do not insist that you lay out your life. If your answer to that question is short, but you have provided additional information in response to other non-mandatory questions, you will probably be approved.
4. Your profile was not about yourself,. Some people have tired to submit profiles for businesses, an event, or a club they belong to. We do not permit profiles for businesses. Profiles for clubs must be entirely separate from profiles of members. If you want to post information about an event, you must be a member first, and then post the information on the Events page.
5. Your profile in some other way, violated the rules of conduct for members.
If I am disapproved, can I file another profile that conforms to the rules?
Yes. Just start all over again as if you had never tried to register.
If I am removed from the site for any reason after being approved, can I resubmit a profile.
Only with prior approval from the administrator.
GETTING HELP
How do I find out how to use Cafe Q's features or functionality?
Look through the Table of Contents at the Notes home page. You will find each feature discussed. If you do not find an answer there scroll down through these FAQs and you will probably find that answer. If not and your question might be of general interest to others, you can post a new discussion on the "Use and Design of this Site" Forum. If it is a problem peculiar to yourself, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on "Report an Issue" and send us a clear description of the problem.
How do I report misconduct to Cafe Q?
First, make sure it is really misconduct and not something that you just don't like by looking over the rules of conduct. If you think it violates our rules, scroll to the bottom of the page. Near the right hand side in the red footer you will see a link, "Report an Issue." Click on it and fill out the box explaining in detail what your issue is and who the offender is.
BLOGS
What is my personal blog for?
Anything you want, provided it conforms to the Terms of Use. You can post a daily or weekly diary of your life and loves. Rant about the war in Iraq. Write a short story. Write political editorials.
Why are some blogs featured on the home page of this site?
When we find a blog entry that is particularly well done and we think others would be interested in it, we put it on our featured list. The latest entries to the featured list appear on the home page.
If I think my blog entry is good enough to be featured, how do I bring it to your attention?
Just send the administrator a message stating the title of your particular blog entry. We will look at it and decide if it meets our needs.
I have a good idea for a series of blogs I would like to feature. How do I get it approved and featured? We are always on the lookout for persons who want to take on "projects." That is, prepare a series of guides, tutorials on something, etc. See our volunteer section for some suggestions. If you have a good idea for an ongoing project, let us know. We can either feature your individual posts or create a special subject link to your blogs. In some cases, we might be up to creating a link to a blog you have created in Blogger or WordPress.
COMMENTS
What are comments for?
The comments box you see below a lot of features lets visitors tell the person who entered the information their opinion of it or ask information that was left out or maybe to correct misinformation.
Who can make a comment?
Anyone who is a member, provided that the author of the material did not disable the comments box.
Can I control the comments made to my profile?
Yes. Click on the edit button and then click on "Yes - approve comments first." this will allow you to approve any comments before they can be displayed on your page. You may also delete a comment by clicking on the small grey circle with the :"x" in it beside the comment.
EVENTS
Who can post an event?
Any member.
What kinds of events can I post?
Any kind of event that reasonably would be of interest to the LGBT community of Sacramento and is held by a nonprofit organization or by a member for non-commercial purposes. We have an exception for workshops, such as writing, art or photography workshops that charge a small fee for remuneration of the instructor if the workshop is sponsored by a non-profit organization. So a writing workshop held by the Lavender Library would be allowed but a writing workshop held by a book store would not be allowed if it charged a fee.
If I am an artist and I decide to sponsor a painting field trip where I charge a fee, would I be allowed to post?
No. For such an event, you could have a "kitty" of a certain amount to cover carpooling, parking and bridge tolls, but not for remuneration for yourself. If Cafe Q is the success we think it will be, we will probably add a classified section where members can advertise items for sale and services.
May I post a private event for just a few friends?
Yes. Just check the box labeled "Private - Only invited people can RSVP"
When an event is over, is it automatically removed from the calendar?
Unfortunately no. It no longer appears in the listing, however it continues to be reflected in the number of events stated for a particular category. So the "Music" category may still show five events when there are only four. To really eliminate the event, you must click on the calendar for the date of that event and then select it and delete it.
FEATURED CONTENT
How do you decide which content to feature?
It depends of the particular kind of content. Here are some general criteria:
- Profiles: We feature the profiles of persons who 1) have the best written profiles, 2) have an additional gallery of pictures of them selves showing them at their hobbies or in activities, 3) have participated in forums and groups, sponsored events or contributed other worthwhile content to the site.
- Groups: We feature those groups that 1) show themselves to be particularly active--there is lively discussion on their forums and they meet together in person or 2) groups that make a significant contribution through the quality of the content on their page or discussion forum.
- Forums: We feature those forum discussions that contain information of value to the community or that have particularly good contributions. We also feature discussions that are unique and explore issues that are not normally explored in the popular media. We are kicking off this site by featuring wedding announcements because we think most people in the community are going to be interested in who is getting married right now.
- Photos:We feature only photo albums, not individual photos. However if we find a particularly good photo, we may display it on our home page with credit to you. Generally an album can be about anything -- personal photos, a trip you took or a portfolio of your art. The quality of the photographs, their intrinsic interest and how interesting they may be to others are our general criteria.
- Blogs: We feature a blog if the content is particularly interesting and well done.
If you think you have supplied content that deserves to be featured, just send a message to the administrator from the administrator's profiles.
FLIRTING
Most social networking sites have a feature for sending flirts, how can I do that on Cafe Q?
A flirt is a short message that indicates you are interested in a person. The person receiving it is not expected to return it unless he/she is interested in you. To send a flirt in Cafe Q, simply leave a short comment of admiration in the comments section of the person's profile. Something like, "Hi," "Kisses," "Nice pics," "You turn me on," "I could cuddle you," etc. If you receive a flirt from someone who interests you, you can invite them to be your friend and exchange private messages. If you are not interested in the person, please feel free to ignore it or just reply, "Thanks."
FORUMS
Can you add a new category to the Forums section?
Yes. Just send us a message to the administrator. We will create a new category if we think there is a demand for it.
FRIENDS
What are "Friends" and who should I ask to be my friend?
You can only send private messages to a person if they are your friend. So you should invite all the people you want to send messages to to be your friend, unless of course, you already correspond with them through email. Unfortunately, some people are just running popularity contests and will ask just about anyone to be their friend in order to run up popularity score.. If they want to be your friend and you don't expect to be messaging them, feel free to deny their request. There is a special box on your profile where you can spell out who can be your friend.
How do I ask someone to be my friend?
Each profile has a "Message to potential friends" question. Check out the profile of the person to see if they have any special instructions as to who can be their friend. If you meet their requirements, click on the "Add as a friend" link under their picture. This will send them a message requesting that you be added. If the person wants to add you, he/she can click on the invite link and a message will be sent to you by email informing you of the invitation.
How do I accept an invitation to be someone's friend?
Click on the link on the email invitation and it will take you to Cafe Q where you can accept the invitation. It is important to click on this link, otherwise you will not be added as the person's friend. This is a bug in the program which the developer's are working on.
How do I delete a friend
Just go to the person's profile and, under their picture, click on "Delete as Friend."
GROUPS
How do I join a group?
Go to the group page and scroll to the very bottom. Click on the "Join" link. Most groups have an "Introductions" discussion in the Discussions section. Click on it and then reply with a short message introducing yourself to the group and telling why you want to join the group.
Can I start a group of my own?
Yes. Any member can start a group by simply going to the group page and clicking on "Create New Group." You should have a picture or some kind of logo that would identify the group ready to upload. The picture needs to be 175 px X 175px. See Optimizing and Resizing Images for help in sizing your image. Then follow the instructions for setting up a group as stated in the Guidelines for Special Interest Groups.
Are there any rules on what kind of groups can be formed?
No. We ask only that the purpose of the group be consistent with the Terms of Use. That means groups cannot be formed around commercial interests. Generally, there should not be a duplication of groups unless the existing group is mismanaged. So there would not be two groups for Manga Comics. However, there could be separate groups for readers of Manga comics and persons who draw Manga comics. Eating out groups can also be duplicated. So there could be a Second Tuesday dinner group and a Third Wednesday dinner group. If a dinner group such as Second Saturday gets too big to be easily accommodated at a single restaurant, it can form sub-groups for eating out. For instance, an Original Peats group and a Buckhorn's Group. or there could be a mens Second Saturday Group and a women's Second Saturday Group.
If I join a private group, will my membership in the group be public?
No. The members feature for private groups is displayed only for members of the group. And your membership in the group is not displayed on your profile as is your membership in public groups. See the Younger/Older SIG for an exampl;e of a private group.
MESSAGES
How can I send a message to another member?
You will not be able to send another member a message unless you are that person's friend. (Check out the Friends section above.) When a person is your friend, go to their profile and click on "Send a Message" under their profile picture.
PERSONALIZATION
Why can't I personalize my profile like on MySpace and other social networking sites?
You cannot change the appearance of your profile. This retains a uniform look and feel for Cafe Q and facilitates searching for and finding information. You can change the layout of your profile to a certain extent. Just click on the heading to a section and drag it where you want it. You still have plenty of ways to express your personality by adding pictures and a blog to your profile and adding widgets. We are working on a page of HTML instructions that will enable you to add formatting and pictures to your posts
PRIVACY
How private is the information I post on Cafe Q?
Any information you post on Cafe Q is visible to the Administrator/Creator of the site and any additional persons given administration privileges for the purpose of managing the site. It is also available to NING, the providers of this platform. Information that you have designated to be only visible to your friends can be seen only by your friends (in addition to the administrators). Information posted in any public area of the site can be seen, collected and processed by anyone in the world.
Can I post materials that only my friends or I can see?
Yes. You can make your photos private to either your friends or yourself only by editing each photo and under "Who can view this photo?" checking the appropriate box. You can do the same by editing each blog entry and checking the appropriate privacy setting.
Do I need to be concerned about posting information that might invade the privacy of others? Yes. You should not post any personal information on anyone else without their explicit consent. If you want to post a picture of yourself with someone else, the other person should know it and approve. The only exception is when persons are participating openly in public events where they will know that they can be identified. Such things as persons staffing booths at festivals, participating in parades, speakers at rallys or author events, etc. You may post pictures of crowd scenes without the permission of the participants, however, it is not a good idea to identify any non-public figure in the crowd by name, either in the description or the tag. Be aware that people have different levels of personal privacy and that a person who might feel comfortable appearing at an all gay event, might not want a picture of him/herself there to be generally circulated -- especially at the office where it could end up on the bulletin board with a derogatory comment appended to it. Never, identify a person by name unless they are public figures or you have their explicit consent. Names can be easily Googled.
PROFILE
Do I need to use my own name on my profile?
No. You may use a nick name or screen name. Most people may want to use only their first name. As a general rule, the only way a person searching the internet for you can find you easily is to search on your name or email address. Since we do not put your email address on your public profile, that means that no one could easily find you unless you were to use your full name in your profile. However, be aware that once a person is able to find your profile, they will be able to read all of the posts you have made to various forums and see all your photos. So it is best not to post anything that you may regret later.
Who can see my profile?
Everyone in the world who has access to the internet.
Do I have to answer all questions on my profile?
No. Some of the option questions may not apply to you. For instance if you are in a relationship, you are probably not looking for a partner. However, you should answer enough of the questions that others get a sense of who you are and why you joined Cafe Q. Cafe Q is open to everyone. So you do not need a profile to find events in the community, read the posts on forums and attend events. Your profile is required only if you wish to post events or message other persons, or participate in forum discussions. The reason we require a profile to use this functionality is so that people you exchange messages with, know who you are. No one wants to go to a party where everyone has a sack over their head, keeps their mouth shut but takes pictures and notes and makes sound recordings of the conversations of everyone else. So we delete profiles that are not reasonably complete and give a sense of who the person is. A general rule is that you would answer as many of the questions you want so that the toal words in non-mandatory questions is at least three lines of text or 40 words.. We don't think that is too great a price to pay for admission to the most exciting and useful LGBT website in Sacramento
Why do you require that people reveal so much about themselves? Most sites just let you leave questions blank.
We have made some questions multiple-choice and mandatory in order to facilitate searching for general categories such as sex, generation, etc. We have only one mandatory narrative question. The rest are optional and, if not filled in, will not appear on your profile. We expect about 40 words for this question but accept shorter answers if other optional questions are answered. We want the site to be useful and used for its intended purpose. That purpose is to enable LGBT persons in the Sacramento are to meet and enrich their lives by sharing their lives, engaging in activities together and finding friends and partners. If a person is searching for a friend or partner, he/she would not want to have to screen through a hundred profiles that are relatively blank to find only one or two that might be promising. Research has shown that the best way to grow a site and make it useful, is to get the right persons and discourage the wrong persons. By requiring a reasonable profile for participation, we will guarantee that the site will be an exciting and useful site and fulfill its purpose.
People who are not out and cannot be frank about who they are, are still able to view all content on the site and participate in most of the events and activities. In fact, they can still meet potential friends and partners by simply browsing the profiles and attending events and activities that a potential friend or partner is attending. So we think it is a win-win situation all around.
How do I edit my profile?
Click on the "My Settings" link under the Sign In/Sign Out box in the upper right column. This will take you to a page where you can edit your profile and set your privacy settings for such things as your blog and photos. You can also update your face pic and email address from this feature
How do I delete my profile?
Click on the "My Setting link under the Sign In/Sign Out box in the upper right column. On the page for editing you settings, go to the bottom right and click on the link "Leave Cafe Q - Sacramento." Then confirm that you want to delete all your content on Cafe Q.
SUPPORT
Does Cafe Q make money by selling any information it acquires from its members.
No. Cafe Q does not compile information on individual members and does not give any information to others except under a court order.
Does Cafe Q make any money off of the Google Ads which appear on some pages?
No. Cafe Q does not get a dime. Ning, the provider of the platform provides the platform free of charge in return for the privilege of posting the Google Ads.
How does Cafe Q earn money to pay for this site?
At the present time, we pay nothing. The site is provided free by the Ning company in return for the right to post Google Ads. However, to grow the site we will have to pay for additional server capacity when our traffic reaches a certain level. We do not know how much we can grow before reaching that level, but believe it may be around 300 members. It depends on how many people post pictures and how often they come into Cafe Q and how long they stay.
How do you plan to earn money when that time comes?
We plan to incorporate the site as a tax-free non-profit corporation under Section 501 C(3) of the US Tax code. We will have a board of directors that will formulate policy for the site and raise funds for its maintenance. The charter will forbid Cafe Q from charging a membership fee, so the site will always be free. We will most likely raise money for its maintenance through a variety of fund-raising options such as subscriptions like NPR, boutique sales, affiliate sales, display advertising, fund-raising events, etc. The board of directors will decide on the methods to be used when the time comes.
TAGS
What are tags?
Tags are words or phrases that describe content. Many pages have tags so that a person searching for particular content can search for the word or phrase and find it.
How do I enter tags?
Type keywords that describe your content into the box provided and separated with a comma. If you want someone to search on more than one word, type the words in double quotation marks, e.g. "San Jose"
About
Valuable Links
Groups
-
Younger/Older SIG
4 members
-
Sacramento Valley Vete...
4 members
-
Insite Films
2 members
-
Drawing SIG
3 members
Photos
Badge
© 2009 Created by Cafe Q Admin on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
