Inspire

Quick Start Guidelines

The Daily Activity Summary

The Daily Activity Summary is a listing of the discussions, journals, replies and members that were new or had new replies in the previous 24-hour period. Each day there is activity, you will receive a small message like this:

• Leave this message open in your e-mail, and bring up a new browser window for inspire

• Click on http://vhl.inspire.com

• Sign in, or sign up for the first time.  Follow the screen directions. If you are joining for the first time, you will need to reply to the e-mail they send you before you can log in and participate.

• At the bottom of your computer screen there are tabs representing the tasks you have open on your computer.  Click on the browser task that will show you this e-mail again.

• In this e-mail, click on the discussion you would like to see.  That will take you into Inspire, on the right page. If you just click “New Replies” you will be taken to a screen that shows all new journals and discussions in a list that includes journals and discussions that have received a new reply recently. The grey text under the post title will explain which it is. If the journal or discussion is new it will say, “posted at XX:XX am or pm” if it has a new reply it will say, “new reply today at XX:XX am or pm.”

• Read the discussion.  Feel free to join the conversation. 

If you prefer, you can simply go to http://vhl.inspire.com and log in. On the front page there is a listing of the new postings, which you can browse through and explore.  You can also browse new material by clicking "New." Under "New" you'll see: All = all journals and discussions posted recently

Active = journals and discussions in order of the most recent comment to them
Discussions = just discussions listed newest to oldest
Journals = just journals listed newest to oldest
Members = Members listed from most recent join

Terms: Here's the logic

The GROUP is the whole space for our discussion group

TOPICS are created by Inspire and VHLFA as a framework for the Forum. Whenever you “Start a Discussion” you will be given the opportunity to choose a topic under which it will appear. Pick the one that seems most relevant.  It likely won't be a perfect fit -- that's ok! For example, under "Medical treatments that worked for me" you might ask for input on treatments, as Nate has done, or talk about one that didn't work, etc.

DISCUSSIONS are the topics created by users (like Audiology")

REPLIES are responses to the discussion topic

You can reply to the DISCUSSION, or to one of the REPLIES, as you choose.  Don't worry if you don't get it quite right -- you're not alone!! Just having the conversation together topically is a big help.

A JOURNAL is whatused to be called a “blog” and is a place to write whatever you would like to say. Tell as much (or as little) of your personal story as you would like to share.

A RECOMMENDATION is your way of saying, “hey I enjoyed this, and you might too.”

Preview / Post

When you create a discussion, you will be able to choose a topic, as mentioned above. Then you can choose who you wish to read your message:

Public = anyone who has an internet browser and comes to the site.

Members = any member of Inspire.com

Friends = any person who is on your friends list, you can review who that group is here:

https://www.inspire.com/friends.pl

You will then see a button to “preview.” This allows you to see how your message will look once posted and gives you a chance to double-check what you've written before you actually submit or post it.  When you are satisfied with your post you can click “Post.” If you changed your mind, click “Cancel” and the message will be deleted.  

Explore the Journals

(1) At the very top of the page, click on "Journals"

(2) You will see on the left hand side "All.” these are all the journals that have been posted, newest to oldest. You can also click “Active” in the navigation which will show you Discussions in the order they were posted OR newest reply. “Recommended” lets you view the journals based on how many recommendations they have received.
 

Explore the Discussions

(1) At the very top of the page, click on "Discussions."

(2) You will see on the left hand side "All” these are all the discussions that have been posted, newest to oldest. You can also click “Active” in the navigation which will show you Journals in the order they were posted OR newest reply. “Recommended” lets you view the journals based on how many recommendations they have received.

(3) “Topics” will show you the topic, it’s description, the most recent discussion posted there and a link to browse all other discussions that were filed under that topic by the member who posted it.

(4) Click “Start a Discussion” to start your own, instructions are above.

Have Fun!

Other Helpful tips:

Why aren’t I getting my daily newsletters?

The new messages are coming from subscriptions@inspire.com, so please look through your bulk mail folder as they may Under the old system, daily e-mails came from vhl@clinicahealth.com and had the tile/subject line “Daily Newsletter – The VHL Community.” Under the new system, daily e-mails come from subscriptions@inspire.com and have the title/subject line “New today from the VHL Family Alliance Support Community and more.”

Please look through your bulk mail folder as your e-mails may be landing there. All of the mail from our group will now be sent from either team@inspire.com or subscriptions@inspire.com, so you’ll want to be sure you have put both those addresses on your allowed senders list.

I forgot my password.

You should be able to log in with your E-mail address and the password you provided when you registered, however, you can request a new password by clicking the "Forgot password?" option on the login page. Put in your e-mail address so that we can reply to you.

It will then send you a new password. Follow the instructions contained therein to log in. Sometimes these messages get marked "Bulk" or "Spam" so if you do not receive it please check those folders.

How do I change my password?

Log in to your account and click “Me” at the top of the page. Then click “Settings” in the blue bar. Click “Password.” You will then be able to enter your new password. Don’t forget to click “Save” when you are done!

How do I post a discussion?

To post the discussion, Click on "My Groups" at the top of the page. Select the group you wish to post in and click it's name. It will take you to the Community main page and you can click "start a discussion.”

Where do I find my group’s posts?

Log in and click “My Groups” at the very top of the page, click the group whose posts you wish to see, that will take you to their homepage.

I activated my account but still can’t log in

Here are some tips for troubleshooting log-in issues:
--Make sure you are logging in with your E-mail address, not username
--Passwords are case-sensitive; make sure your caps lock is off
--Passwords must contain at least 6 characters and one number, unless it is one we sent you
--You browser's cookie settings must be on at least "medium."

If you are still unable to log in you can get help with your password here:
https://www.inspire.com/forgot-password.pl

Why am I getting stuff from groups that have nothing to do with my condition?

If you wish to only be a part of the one group, click "My Groups" at the top of the page, you can click "remove" to leave any group you do not wish to be a part of.

What are groups?

Inspire was born from the premise that every person has multiple health relationships. For example, you may care for someone with VHL but also suffer from arthritis. The old way, you’d have to join two separate web sites. With Inspire, you can join two groups. However, you can participate in just one if you wish.

How do I invite my friends?

To invite friends and family members to join the group, click “Inspire Others” in the “you” menu or just enter their e-mail address here: https://www.inspire.com/friends.pl?op=inspire-others.

How do I find friends?

At the top of your group page is a button that says "members". When you click this button a search page comes up that lets you type in keywords, sex, zip code and other limiting factors to a search of other group members. If you see someone you would like to be friends with, click on their picture. At the top of the page that comes up you will see a button that says "add me as a friend". Click this to send the member a friend request message.

Why do I have to be friends with someone to send a message?

Here at Inspire we believe you should have control over who can contact you. Moderators and team leaders can contact you via the site regardless of friend status; however, you must accept a friend request from a member for them to be allowed to send you a private message.

Why would I want private messages?

You may want to talk to another member about a matter privately but anonymously. Messages allow you to talk to someone one-on-one without sharing your email address.

How do I update my profile?

When you click on 'About Me', you'll have the opportunity to enter information about yourself, and choose what to share with friends. You can also upload pictures of yourself by clicking “change” next to the place for your photo. Remember that the more you share about yourself, the more likely you are to meet others.

Please be sure to review our Community Rules, enjoy this community, and participate often. We welcome your ideas. If you ever have thoughts to share or questions about this Community, please see our FAQ page, Help page, or e-mail vhl@clinicahealth.com