Your Profile is both a "portrait" of who you are and a "control center" that helps you and your Eons community keep track of your activities online.
The page is created automatically when you register as an Eons member, but it's up to you to make it come alive. This is your space to post your photos, tell others about yourself and where you've been, create your LifeMap, share your LifeDreams, write a blog, list your Eons groups and Friends, and more.
Since any visitor to Eons can view your Profile page, you will want to give some thought about the information you include. See also the article "How to use privacy settings and be safe on Eons."
The following is a description of each feature on your Profile page, along with guidelines on how to enter and control your personal information.
1. Control center (NEW)
The first thing you notice on your Profile page is a horizontal box at the top left, with a space for a square photo (or, a photo of you, if you have already uploaded one). This is the place where you can check your email messages, view comments from other members, and add photos, blogs, videos and more.
Tip: This area looks different to visitors. Instead of seeing links to your messages, videos, etc., viewers will see your screen name, photo, age, gender, and city or town. This information comes from the online form you filled out when you registered as an Eons member.
Please note: If you want to change your age or the city/town where you live, you need to go to the Eons Home page and (in the left column) click "Update my personal information." If you want to change or hide your marital status, go to your "My Profile" page and click "Add/Edit bio." To keep this information private, uncheck the box next to the words "Public (let other people see this answer)."
2. History
Where have you been?
Over the past 50 years or more, you've probably gotten around a bit. Here's where you can list your hometown(s), high school(s), college(s), military service, and work experiences.
Tip: From your Profile page, click "Edit my history." There you will find forms to fill in for each area (hometown, high school, college, occupations, military service). This section was formerly called "Where I've been"
3. Comments (NEW)
What are people saying?
This is where you can keep track of recent comments people make to your Profile and other Eons content you own or manage, such as your blog, photos and groups. You can access a complete list of the comments here.
You can control access to this feature, by blocking it completely, allowing only Friends to post, or letting anyone post a comment. You can also choose to review all comments before they are viewed on your Profile, rejecting those you don't want.
Tip: See "Privacy on Eons" to see how to set these controls.
4. About me
Who are you?
Imagine you have 30 seconds to introduce yourself to an audience. What would you say? On your Profile page, you have the space to describe yourself. Focus on what's most important to you: job, family, location, hobby or interest, or worldview.
Tip: Click "Edit about me" on the Profile page to add/edit this section and use the editing tools. (NEW) By using the editing tools provided, you can customize the lettering, add photos and more.
5. Blog
What do you think?
Your blog is your online journal. You choose the topics. Write about what's important to you or share a humorous anecdote. Chances are other Eons members will read your blog entry and leave comments.
Keep in mind that your blog is public and anyone can read it, not just Eons members. You will want to exercise discretion over the level of personal information you share.
Tip: From the center of your Profile page, click "Post a blog." This takes you to a form that will guide you through each step of writing and posting a blog. See also "How to write a blog on Eons."
6. Groups
What are you interested in?
A photo and link to groups you've joined appears in a box on the right side of your Profile page. The first four are visible on your Profile page. Click View all groups for a list of every group you belong to.
Tip: This feature is not visible from your Profile page until you join your first group.
Tip: To unsubscribe to a group, go to the group page and click on "Member preferences." Then click "Leave the Group."
7. Group Updates (NEW)
What are you talking about?
If you want to keep up with different conversations in several groups, you don't have to visit each group to see what's happening. Everytime someone posts a message in one of your groups, you will be notified in this space on your Profile page.
Tip: You can control whether you want to receive these notices from each group you belong to. Visit the group page and click on "Member preferences." There you will see several options, including "No email please."
8. Widgets (NEW)
What's cool?
A widget is a piece of interactive content that can be posted to a Web page, including your Profile. Examples of widgets include a dynamic clock, a live stream of news, or an interactive game. They are popular on MySpace.com profile pages and on many blogs on the Internet. Often you can personalize a widget, such as specifying your ZIP code to obtain the correct time from a clock.
Tip: To copy a widget for transfer to Eons, you will need to follow the instructions provided by its source. Then click on "Add a widget" on your Profile page and paste the widget into the space provided by Eons. If you see a widget you like on another Eons member's Profile, click on the "Add it to your profile" link accompanying the widget and it will automatically be added to your Profile.
Tip: To learn how to add the weather widget to your Profile, see the article How to add widgets and videos on Eons.
Tip: To find Web sites that offer free widgets, type "widgets" into the cRANKy search box.
9. Photos
What do you look like?
It's always nice for people who read your postings to be able to put a face with a name, and here's your chance to let them do that.
Click "Add/Edit photos." In a box that says "Upload new photos," click on "Browse" and you will be taken to your computer's hard drive. Find the photo you want to use; click on the photo and then click "Open." The link to the photo will now appear in the box next to "Browse." Type in a caption of up to 50 characters (about seven words). To view a tutorial on posting photos, please see the article "How to upload a photo on Eons."
Tip: Keep in mind that your photo will appear not only on your Profile page but will also show up every time your name comes up in a member search. So you will want to put your best face forward!
Tip: A head-and-shoulders shot looks best. You can make the photo any size, but on the site it will be 150 pixels wide at 72 dots per inch (dpi). Photos more than 150 pixels wide will size down in an acceptable way. However, original photos under 150 pixels will lose quality when they expand to fill the space and your face will look like it is made of Lego blocks.
Tip: See instructions below for how to "Edit my banner."
10. Interests & Activities (NEW)
What do you like?
Here's where you can list your favorite movies, books, and more. Simply click on "Edit my interests and activities" and then fill in the blanks after each question you want to answer. When you save your answers, each title (of a movie, book, TV show, etc.) and keyword will hyperlink to a new page with photos and links to the profiles of all Eons members who share that same interest.
Tip: You may find you already have answers to some of the questions. This section used to be part of the "Question of the Day" feature on the Profile page.
11. Question of the Day
What do you prefer?
Every time you answer a "Question of the Day" on the Eons Home page, your response goes into your Profile and appears in this space. By default, all of your answers are public. If you do not want your answer to be public, don't answer the question. Eventually, you will no longer be asked the question.
Tip: This is a change from the previous release of Eons. It is no longer possible to hide an answer to the "Question of the Day."
12. Friends (NEW)
Who are your Friends?
You'll find some interesting people on Eons, and may want to have direct, regular contact with some members. The "Friends" feature gives you a means to create a circle of friends who can view areas of your Profile not visible to everyone and also to send you messages and comments. As in real life, there is a protocol to inviting someone to be a Friend. Please see the article "How to manage Friends and Favorites on Eons."
Tip: At the top of the person's "Profile" page, click on "Invite as a Friend." An email will be sent to the other person with your request to become Friends. If he/she accepts, the friend's screen name will appear in the Friends box on your Profile page (and yours will appear in theirs).
Note: This feature is not visible from your Profile page until you add your first "Friend."
13. Friend Updates (NEW)
What are your Friends up to?
Friend Updates keep you informed of your Friends' latest blog postings, group comments, and new photos. Click on "More Friends updates" to see a full list of your Friends' activities.
Tip: You can sort the list by user or date. Click on the photo or screen name of each Friend to get a full update on everything that person has been doing.
14. Favorites
Who do you find interesting?
Many of the interesting people you find on Eons won't become your Friends, but you may still want to read their latest blog or view their latest photo. You can bookmark their Profiles very easily and without sending a request. On the person's "Profile" page, click on "Add to my favorites" and that person's link and photo (if he/she has one) will appear on your Profile page.
Note: This feature is not visible from your Profile page until you add your first "Favorite" person.
15. Videos (NEW)
What do we "have to see"?
Do you have a favorite video on YouTube.com or some other Internet site? If so, you can post a link to it on your Profile, making it easy view the video any time and share it with others.
Tip: Go to YouTube.com, copy the URL address for the video. On your Profile page, click on "Add and manage videos" and paste the URL into the space provided.
16. LifeDreams
Where are you going?
LifeDreams are your "want-to-do" goals: things you hope to accomplish, places you want to go, people you want to meet. Your list of LifeDreams tells others what you want your future to be, and that says a lot about who you are right now.
Tip: By clicking "Add/Edit LifeDreams" from your Profile page, you can add to your list or delete an entry from it any time.
17. LifeMap
What's your story?
Every life is a story to be told, or at least a collection of short stories. And the LifeMap is the perfect place for you to start writing yours. Here you can plot the major events of your life: births, family events, romance, education, jobs, travel, accomplishments and more.
For each event, you can add a photo and an account of what happened. Your photos become a slideshow that you can send to friends, who can also tour your LifeMap. You don't have to create your life story in chronological order. Just click on one of the events and start writing!
Tip: For more directions, read the article "Getting started with your LifeMap."
18. Banners (NEW)
Add a personal touch
A banner is an image or graphic that "decorates" your Profile by replacing the blue bar behind your name and home town. You can add or edit your banner from the Photos box on your Profile page. Click on "Edit my photos" and then "Edit mybanner." Choose any of your photos to use. Or, if you find an image elsewhere on the Internet that you would like to use, copy and paste the URL address in the space provided for "Images from the Web." For those who do their own digital photo editing, you will want to crop and save your image at 940 pixels wide and 90 pixels deep.
posted by Chocktaw
And where can I expect to find your answer?
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