Vibrant Nation

I’m trying to log in to VibrantNation.com. I’ve entered my email address and password, but now what do I do?
Just click the green arrow on the right of the login screen. In about 10 seconds, the login screen will go away and you’ll see your member name beside the word “Welcome” at the top of the Web page, indicating that you’re logged in.

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I forgot my password or need to change it. What do I do?
Visit the Reset Your Password page. Enter your email address in the text box. An email will be sent to the address you provide with a link to reset your password. Just click the link in your email, enter your new password, and save your changes.

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Where can I see my comment after I click the Submit button?
Once you click the Submit button, your comment will appear on your screen. If it doesn’t happen immediately, just wait 30 seconds and refresh the page. Clicking submit again will result in posting your comment more than once. If it’s an original post, it will appear by itself on the page (just waiting for other Vibrant Nation members to respond!). If it’s a reply to someone else, it appears underneath the comment you responded to.

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How can I find a previous comment I’ve made?
First, be sure you are logged in by checking to see if your member name appears at the top of the page. Your comments and posts can be found by clicking on “My VN” at the top of your screen. After a Vibrant Nation editor “tags,” or catalogs, the post by topic, you’ll be able to find it by clicking on that topic in the link menu on the left of every page. You can also enter a keyword relevant to your post in the white Search box at the upper right of the screen and then click the arrow to find your post. (It can take up to 24 hours for posts to appear in Search results.)

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What do the blue numbers in parenthesis that sometimes show up after conversation titles mean?
These signify the number of responses a conversation has received. A thread with (20) after its title has 20 responses. That many responses means it’s a lively and interesting thread – you might want to check it out!

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Is there some kind of filter on what gets posted?
We have instantaneous posting, which means that sometimes a post that is not up to our community standards is seen by others before one of our VN staff members removes it. If there is an inappropriate or undesirable post, please report it by checking the box beside "report" in the action bar just beneath the post. Or send an email to info@vibrantnation.com to alert our staff members in case they have not seen it yet. The post will be removed or edited promptly!

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How do I delete a post?
Vibrant Nation does not delete posts unless they run counter to our Community Guidelines; however, you can make your comments anonymous by changing your member name and photo so others will not know what you've posted.

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How do I unsubscribe from VN newsletters?
To stop receiving VN newsletters, simply click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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How can I cancel my VN membership?
To cancel your VN membership, please send an email to Marilyn. Please let us know why you wish to cancel your membership so we can continue to improve the VN member experience.

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How do I upload a photo to my VN profile?
First, be sure you are logged in by checking to see if your user name appears at the top of the page. Click on “My VN” at the top of your screen. Underneath the default picture on your profile there is a link to “upload your photo.” The link will take you to a page where you will be asked to choose an image to use as your photo. To find an image on your computer, click the “Browse” button and locate the image wherever it is saved on your computer. Next, click “Upload.” Your image will now appear as your profile picture!

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How do I fill out my VN profile?
Click on “My VN” at the top of your screen. You will be taken to your empty profile page. To fill out your profile, click on “Edit Your Profile”. This will take you to a page where you can answer the questions in your profile so that other VN members know a little bit more about you. When you are finished typing your response in the comment box, click the orange “save changes” button on the right of the comment box to save your response. Now when you visit your “my VN” profile, you will see your responses!

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How did Carol become involved with Vibrant Nation?
In Carol’s words: “It’d been such a long time since we’ve had a media outlet exclusively dedicated to the women of our generation, I had given up hope. And then I stumbled across Vibrant Nation (VN). I had just left the corporate world, where I had co-founded and co-led the first initiative by a global PR firm to help companies market to the Boomer generation, and I wondered if there might be a role for me at VN. (Read my full bio here.) To make a long story short, I met the founder of VN, Stephen Reily, at the Boomer Summit in Washington D.C. He's the co-founder of a marketing licensing firm with clients like Coca Cola and Lifesavers. I was surprised that Vibrant Nation was founded by a man in his 40s. By the end of the Summit, I recognized that Stephen Reily is also a smart entrepreneur who was motivated by the simultaneous opportunity to provide an under-served demographic with a dedicated website—and to support this website with advertising. (Read Stephen's full bio here.) He also realized that he needed a woman 50+ in a leadership role on the site, and offered me the opportunity to throw my hat into the ring with his start-up dot com.

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How does the site make money?
Vibrant Nation screens and solicits advertisers who will be compatible with our mission of serving upscale women over 50. Ads are clearly identified, in traditional online advertising formats. When you see an ad that is of interest to you and you “click through” for more information, we receive a small amount per click from the advertiser. If you don’t click, we don’t get paid. Eventually, when our numbers are larger, advertisers will pay to have their ad appear on the site. Ads and promotions will always be clearly identified.

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Do people pay VN to include their content on the site?
No. Never. If you see an endorsement for a product or service posted, it is because one of our members has an opinion about it that she wants to share. (And only women 50+ are invited to become members.) We provide some links to other websites, such as connecting a book review to Amazon.com, but this is a service to you and we receive no financial benefit from this. If there were ever to be an exception to this rule, it would be clearly identified as advertising.

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Can people advertise their own products or services for free in their postings?
There is sometimes a fine line between sharing one’s passion for what one is doing, and blatant self-promotion. We do not allow advertising disguised as editorial, but this is a judgment call, and we always try to take a balanced view of both the individual’s rights and the community’s standards. If you’re not sure if you’re crossing the line, shoot Marilyn@VibrantNation.com an email and ask.

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I have a vibrant friend who I think would be a great fit as a member of VN. How can I show her the site?
Visit the Invite a Friend page at the bottom of every screen and enter as many emails as you like in the text box. The message below the text box will be sent to all of the email addresses you provide.

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Do you sell or share the names of our members?
No. Never. The only people who would ever see or have access to your real name and email address are the in-house VN staff members, for the purposes of sending you your newsletter and other communications between you and VN. You can be totally anonymous, if you wish, by coming up with a user name that has nothing to do with your real name. However if you are using Facebook Connect, your username will be visible to your facebook friends and Vibrant Nation friends.

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How can I be sure that no other member will contact me directly?
As long as you don’t post your email address yourself, you can’t and won’t be contacted by another member. However if you are using Facebook Connect, you may be “friended” and contacted via Facebook. This is an optional service that our members are free to use at their own discretion! Please note that if you are using Facebook Connect, your username will be visible to your facebook friends and Vibrant Nation friends.

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None of the links in my newsletter work. Why is that happening?
The newsletter might have been trapped in your Junk folder or Spam folder. Move it to the Inbox to reactivate the links.

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What kind of content will I receive in the newsletter?
The newsletter highlights some of the best and most interesting conversations on VibrantNation.com. If you don’t visit the site regularly or haven’t found a conversation you want to participate in, the newsletter is a great tool to point you in the right direction. We also feature quotes from Vibrant women around the site. Our members have a lot of interesting opinions and ideas, and we love showcasing them!