Frequently Asked Questions

• “My Social Center” is an interactive space where you can meet and mingle with other sponsors. You can post a story or update in the “Story Center,” join a discussion on the “Message Board,” let others get to know a bit about you through “My Profile” and see all of CI’s social feeds on the “Social Hub.”

• First, set up your profile in the “My Profile” section. It’s your personal page where you can access your privacy settings, tell others about yourself, review notifications, add media (such as photos or videos), view badges you have earned and more. (To earn badges, update your profile through actions such as adding a profile photo and filling out the “About Me,” “What I Love About CI,” “Personal Motto” and “Children I Sponsor” sections.) 
• In the “My Profile Comments” section at the bottom left-hand side of the page, others can leave a public or private comment for you.
• Once your profile is set up, introduce yourself to others in the “Story Center.”

• Your “My Profile” page serves two purposes. 1) It gives others a chance to learn about you and why you are a sponsor. 2) It serves as a dashboard to show all your activities on “My Social Center” – your posts, stories and photos, as well as the members you follow and which members follow you.
• When you add a profile photo and share details about yourself and your sponsored child(ren), you can better connect with others who may have interests in common.
• When you see a story or status update you find interesting, simply click on the author’s “Screen Name” to visit his or her profile page. You can then choose to follow that individual by clicking “follow” under his or her profile photo/avatar. Following members allows you to filter what posts you see in your “Story Center” feed (the list of posts you see).
• In the “My Profile Comments” section at the bottom left-hand side of the page, others can leave a public or private comment for you. You can also leave messages for others by going to the “Profile Comments” section on their profile page at the bottom left-hand side of the page. (Note, if you do not see this section, that means the user has chosen not to allow personal comments on his or her profile page.) To leave a comment for this user, click the “View All” button to access his or her “Profile Comments” page. From here, you can add a public or private message. You can also read any other public comments that have been left for this user.

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Click on your screen name in the top left corner of the navigation bar or the “My Profile” heading.

   

2. Use the “Edit” button next to each section to change or complete your profile.
3. Click on “My Screen Name and Settings” to change the public name others see and select who can see the details on your profile page and the most recent photo(s) of your sponsored child(ren).
4. Replace the profile avatar (the image others see that represents you) with a personal photo that you upload from your computer.
5. Tell others about yourself by completing the “About Me,” “What I Love About CI” and “Personal Motto” sections.
6. Tell others about your sponsored child by completing the section under the child photo.
7. Add photos from your computer to “My Media” to share in your stories.

• In “My Profile,” just to the right of your profile photo, is “My Screen Name and Settings.” Select the “Edit” button for that section. On this page, you can choose to have all members see your profile page, only people that you follow or to hide your profile page from all members of “My Social Center.” You can also choose whether to display your sponsored child’s most recent photo and whether to allow members of “My Social Center” to leave comments on your profile page.

• Your screen name is the name that represents you and appears in “My Social Center” — both on your profile page and any time you post, like or comment on a status update or story/photo. The default screen name is the username you created when providing information for your account. You can change your screen name at any time. Go to “My Profile” and look for “My Screen Name and Settings” listed near the top of the page. Click on the gray “Edit” button to create a new screen name and click “Save.” If you try to save a screen name that is already in use by another user, you’ll see a notification below the box where you are keying in the name. Please note: Changing your screen name will not change your username in your account.

• Yes! As you hover over the question marks within your user profile page, you’ll see pop-up “Tool Tips” that describe each section to help you navigate this new space.

• The “Story Center” is located on the main “My Social Center” page.

  

• You’ll always see “Post a Story” at the top of the page. You have the choice to either post a quick status update or a longer story to which you can add photos.
• When reading stories in the “Story Center,” be sure you give a “Thumbs Up” to posts that you enjoy. 

• In the “Story Center” section under the “Status Update” box, you have two options to filter stories. Use the drop-down button to view ​posts from all members, only those you follow or just your own. If you want to save a specific ​post, you can mark it as a favorite. You can then click “View post from” on the “Story Center” page to see “My Favorites.” You can sort by “Story Date” or “Recent Activity,” which will bring up the ​posts with the most recent comments. Alternatively, you can select a date range (up to a maximum of 30 days) by using the “Start Date” and “End Date” options. Either type in the dates or use the calendar pop-up screen to select a date and then hit the “Search” button.

  

• You can also choose what content you want to read by following, hiding or blocking individual members. Simply click on that person’s profile photo/avatar (next to a story or message board post on his or her user-profile page) to choose the setting you prefer.

  

• When you hide a member, you will no longer see that person’s stories in your “Story Center,” but you will see his or her comments to other members’ stories and message-board posts.
• When you choose to block a member, you will no longer see any content they post, and they will no longer see anything you post or be able to view your profile page. 

• Only those with an active account on the site can enter the space and see posts and other information.

• Yes! If you have a heart for helping children, and an online account with Children International, feel free to get involved on “My Social Center.” It’s a lively, warm and active group of people who love helping children!

• We’ve made it easy for you: Look at the navigation at the top and you’ll see choices for our “Message Board,” the “Social Hub” and “FAQ.”
  • Our “Message Board” allows you to jump into a conversation about a wide variety of topics or start your own. When you navigate to the “Message Board” page, you will view our top-level forums. Click on a topic to see the list of discussions, the most-recent posted message and the level of activity. 
  • You’ll love the “Social Hub” to instantly view all Children International’s social feeds. Click on any feed to jump into the action!
  • The “FAQ” section will guide you through answers to the most common questions. Please note that the “Frequently Asked Questions” page has two tabs: one for questions about “My Social Center” and one for commonly asked questions about sponsorship.

1. Use the “Search” tool. You’ll find this in the top right-hand corner of the navigation bar.

   

2. Click "Search," enter the terms for your search in the box and click on the magnifying glass. Remember: This search functionality is “exact match,” so if you are not getting enough results, try using fewer words.
3. As you review the search results, you’ll see they are categorized for you. Scroll down through the different sections and, when you find what you need, simply click the hyperlink to quickly jump to that section.

   

• Badges are a fun part of “My Social Center” that are based on your activity and participation, such as how many times you post a story or add photos.

• You can earn badges by sponsoring children, posting comments and getting involved in “My Social Center.”

• To share your sponsorship experience with others! This is your community – a community of like-minded people making a difference by helping children in poverty. You can post a short message of inspiration, a quick comment of delight when you receive a letter from your sponsored child or a detailed story with photos about your sponsorship experience. This is a space for you to share and mingle with others who love sponsorship.

• Yes. Simply visit your profile page and choose that option.

• Adding these identifiers to your story posts makes them easier to find if users want to search for stories related to your topic.

• Anyone can read your stories unless you choose the option to block the stories from appearing to specific members. To do so, click on the individual’s profile picture and select “Block.” Your stories will no longer be displayed in that person’s Activity Center.

• Yes! You can save a draft of a story but not a short status update. In fact, you can save up to three drafts of a story. To do so, click the “Save Draft” button in gray just to the left of the “Post” button.

  

• When you click on “Post a Story,” you can upload photos from your computer by clicking the landscape (mountain/sun) button in the upper right corner of the input box. You can upload up to 10 photos per story that you post.

  

• You can also upload photos from “My Profile” under the “My Media” section in the left column under “Followers.”

  

• You can upload up to 10 photos per story that you post. You can upload 500 photos in the “My Media” section of “My Social Center” for others to view.

1. Use the “Search” tool. You’ll find this in the top right-hand corner of the navigation bar.

   

2. Click "Search," enter the terms for your search in the box and click on the magnifying glass. Remember: This search functionality is “exact match,” so if you are not getting enough results, try using fewer words.
3. As you review the search results, you’ll see they are categorized for you. Scroll down through the different sections and, when you find what you need, simply click the hyperlink to quickly jump to that section.

   

• If you go to your profile page, you can view all of your posts under the “My Stories” header on the right-hand side of the page.
• In the “Story Center,” you can also “View posts from” and choose “Only Me” to view just your stories/status updates on the “Story Center” page.

• By going to a person’s profile page, you can see all of her stories/status updates on the right-hand side of the page under “My Stories.” You can get to a person’s profile page by clicking on her screen name, either on a story she has posted (if you are following her) or by searching for her in the search box.
• You can choose to follow specific people and then filter on the “Story Center” page to “View post from” only and then “People I Follow.”
• If you have a specific story you want to save and read for later, you can mark it as a favorite. You can then click “View post from” on the “Story Center” page to see “My Favorites.”

• When you first log into “My Social Center,” you’ll see a circle at the top of the page following your screen name. If that circle is gray with a “0” inside it, you have no notifications. However, when someone comments or gives you a thumbs-up, the circle will turn red with a number inside to indicate the number of notifications you have, including whether someone new is following you. You can go to your profile page to view others’ interactions with your stories or page under “My Notifications” on the left-hand side of the page.

• Under the “Story Center” section, beneath the “Status Update” box, you can choose between two options to filter stories: 1) Use the drop-down button to view stories from all members, only those you follow or only your own activity. If you want to save a specific story, you can mark it as a favorite. You can then click “View post from” on the “Story Center” page to see “My Favorites.” You can sort by “Story Date” or “Recent Activity,” which will bring up the stories with the most recent comments. 2) You can select a date range (up to 30 days) by using the “Start Date” and “End Date” options. Either type in the dates or use the calendar pop-up screen to select a date and then hit the “Search” button. 

• Visit your “My Profile” page to view all members who are following your posts and those you have chosen to follow.
• Block members from viewing your posts and profile page by clicking on their profile photo/avatar and choosing that privacy selection.

• If you go to another user’s profile page, look for a section called “Profile Comments” at the bottom left-hand side. (Note: If it does not appear, the user has chosen not to allow personal comments.) To leave a comment, click the “View All” button to access his “Profile Comments” page. From here, you can add a public or private message. You can also read other public comments left for him.

• If someone leaves you a message on your “Profile Comments” page, you will receive a notification on your profile page under “My Notifications” (under your photo) similarly to when someone comments on one of your stories or status updates.

• When you leave a message for someone, that action will be tracked under “My Recent Activity” on the right side of your profile page. If this action was among one of your last four, it will show on your profile page. However, if the action is older, you can find it by clicking “View All” next to the “My Recent Activities” header. If you click the words “Profile Comments” in the notification section, it will take you to the “Profile Comments” page where you can see the personal message you posted.
• When someone leaves you a personal message, you will get a notice under “My Notifications” on the left side of your profile page (under your profile photo). If you want to see more than the most recent four notifications, click “View All” next to the “My Notifications” header. If you click the words “Profile Comments” in the notification, it will take you to your “Profile Comments” page where you can read the personal messages you have received from other users. You can also access your “Profile Comments” page from your profile page by clicking “View All” next to the “My Profile Comments” header on the bottom left-hand side of the page.

• Visit our “Message Board” to find lots of great information and tips. You can also leave a question on the “Message Board” for CI moderators to answer, or you can send a private email to children@children.org.

• By sorting the “Story Center” page by recent activity (the default view), you can see which stories and status updates are receiving comments by other users. You can also see the most recent discussions on the “Message Board” on the left-hand side of the “Story” page. 
• You can catch up with the people you follow and your followers by viewing their recent activity on their profile page.