Video Tutorials for Members

Click here for a Video & Guide: How to Use BigTent

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Be advised that only Admins can add an Event or Group News. If you know of an event that you think MICAH should add to their online calendar, please contact us with the event information.

What is located in the "my bigtent" area? How is it different from the "buzz" page?

The "my bigtent" area pulls together information that is specific to you as an individual in BigTent. Read on to learn more about what you can do in this area.

The "what's new" page provides an overview of new information that may be of interest to you, as well as reminders or alerts about tasks that require your attention. Click on your "tasks" in the right-hand box to view invitations to join new groups and other tasks. In the center of the page, you'll see updates to your groups' content (if any) including upcoming events and new forum posts. Click on any of the headings to go to that area of your group.

Your "profile" shows your personal information, which will be displayed according to your group's privacy settings. Note: To edit the information displayed on this page, navigate to the "settings" area. Learn more about your profile on BigTent here.

- The "journal" page provides a list of past journal entries you have posted. You may also edit existing entries or create new entries from this page. Learn more about your journal here.

- The "photos" page displays all the photos you have added in BigTent and provides you with the tools to add and manage photos. Learn more about photos here.

The "tentmail" page allows you to read, compose, and manage your TentMail (BigTent's internal mail). Read more about TentMail here.

The "gifts" page shows you gifts you've recieved from your fellow group members, and allows you to send gifts to other group members. Gifts are a fun way to say a quick "hello" to group members. Gifts also appear on the profile page and the "what's new" page. Learn more about gifts here.

The "bookmarks" page allows you to manage your bookmarks -- group content that you have either created or have flagged in order to receive notice of updates. Find out more about bookmarks here.

The "settings" page allows you to make changes to your profile and preferences on BigTent. From the settings page you can change your contact information, manage your group memberships, add family members to your profile, edit your email options, and more. Learn more about the settings area here.

If you are a member of more than one group, upon sign-in, you will land on the "my bigtent" page where you can launch into any of your multiple groups and quickly review all the new content in each of your groups. If you are only a member of one group, you will land on your group's "buzz" page upon sign-in. The group "buzz" page also provides an overview of all recent activity and other important information, but for a single group. Think of the "buzz" page as a launch point into all the information and content for one specific group.

Why do I see "You do not have any groups" when I click on "my groups"?

If you see the message "You do not have any groups" on the my groups page, or if you can't find your group on the my bigtent page, it's likely like you haven't successfully completed your enrollment or renewal with your group on BigTent. Follow these steps to get going on the site:

* Go to the my bigtent page. You'll see a reminder to continue with your enrollment or renewal. Once you click on the link, you will be launched into the enrollment or renewal process.

NOTE: If you don't see an enrollment or renewal reminder, it is possible that your enrollment or renewal invitation has expired. In this case, contact your group administrator to request a new invitation.

* Complete the steps for enrollment. Learn about the enrollment process in this handy FAQ: What is the enrollment process like for new members?

* If your group does not need to approve memberships nor collect membership payments or if you pay by credit card or through PayPal, you'll be able to complete your enrollment / renewal on the spot.

Overview: The Buzz Page

The Buzz page pulls in all the new and interesting content from your groups events, news, classifieds, polls, forums, and new members. Depending on your group's set up, your Buzz page might look a bit different, but here's an example of the Buzz page of a very active group. You can see that new and featured content is highlighted here, as are new group members, and you can click on any of the content to see that information in detail.

How is the Buzz page different from the "My BigTent" page?

The Buzz page contains new or updated content for one group only, where the My BigTent page will show you new content across all your groups, and will highlight your new gifts and other personal updates as well.

What are tags and where can I use them on BigTent?

Tags are descriptive, searchable labels that allow other group members to find content of interest on BigTent. While categories usually refer to the classification of an item (like "restaurant"), tags often refer to an attribute of an item, like "kid-friendly" or "just-for-fun."

Using tags speeds up forum and classifieds searches, and provides even better matches to your search criteria. Tags can be found in the files, classifieds, photos, news, and forums areas. Click on a tag to reload the page and show only the items in the selected category.