The following is a list of frequently asked questions received by our helpdesk. We will add to this list as the need arises.
For-The-People was founded by our site director Jennifer Thomas and went live in August 2000. Since then we have put together a talented management team and we have welcomed thousands of new members.
People live much more successfully when they draw on the strength and support of their fellow human beings. The internet has allowed human kind to cooperate and collaborate in ways never conceived of before. In that tradition, For-The-People brings people together from all walks of life and from all over the world. At For-The-People, we believe that bringing large numbers of people together in the ways we do improves life for all of us as individuals.
As a For-The-People member one of the first things you will notice is the community atmosphere and the sense of caring and sharing among your fellow members. Whether you are learning in one of our classes, being entertained in one of our events or just socializing in one of our many voice enabled chat rooms, we trust that For-The-People is a place you will want to return to often.
A chat room is a virtual meeting place on the internet where two or more people can communicate in real time. Most chat rooms only allow the room occupants to communicate by sending text messages to each other. Voice enabled chat rooms allow the room occupants to speak to each other using a microphone plugged into their sound cards. Many voice enabled chatrooms include soffisticated add-ons such as integrated web browsing, application sharing and white boards.
The use of our chat rooms is restricted to members only. Becoming a member is easy. Just fill out our join form and within 72 hours (usually much sooner) you will recieve confirmation of your membership by email. Click on the link below if you wish to join.
You will require a pentium class computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Also you should have Internet explorer version 5.0 or higher installed. The Netscape web browser will not work with our chat rooms. When you enter a chat room for the first time a small program called a chat client will be automatically downloaded and installed.
A chat client is a small program that when installed allows you to enter a chat room and converse with the other chat room occupants.
For-The-People uses a program called Chatterbox from Simple Software.
No. The chat client is automatically downloaded and installed the first time a member enters the chat room. If the new version of the chat client comes available the member's computer is automatically updated the next time he or she enters a chat room.
Microphones can be purchased at most any store where computers or stereo equipment is sold. Most modern sound cards come with a microphone which is more than adequate for use with Chatterbox. If you don't already have a microphone you should be able to purchase one for between $10 and $20.
It is possible to use Chatterbox without a multi-channel sound card. However if you are using a software speech synthesizer which uses your sound card such as elloquence, you will not be able to use your screen reader while you are in a chat room. Most modern sound cards used today are multi-channel sound cards.
We have created a page witch will guide you through the common problems most new members have when trying to log in for the first time. If you have received your confirmation letter and you find that you can't log in using your userid and password you can click on the link below for help.
Its possible that you are experiencing this problem because you have your browser's active scripting option turned off. Consult the section entitled "Ensuring That Active Scripting Is Enabled" on our login help page for assistance. To display our login help page click on the link below:
For an explanation of how cookies work and how to enable them click on the link below:
Enabling Cookies In Internet Explorer
We've seen this behaviour on some computers. If you find your browser hangs on a download dialog box when attempting to enter a chat room, enter the chat room using one of the following methods:
Either one of the above methods should get you into the room without difficulty.
In most cases if you follow the directions at the link below you will be able to enter the chat rooms.
Trouble Entering Chat Rooms When XP/SP2 Is Installed
The 202 error message is displayed because your browser is not sending the referring URL. A referring URL is the URL of the page you were on when you clicked a link or form's submit button. In almost every case we have found that the problem is caused by Norton Internet Security. If you are using Norton Internet Security the link below should help you to make the proper adjustments to the Norton firewall. Note that if you are a screen reader user you may need sighted assistance to follow the provided instructions.
Enabling The Referring URL When Using Norton Internet Security
First, make sure your microphone is plugged into the right jack on your sound card. Most sound cards have line in, microphone and speaker jacks. If you are totally blind you may need sighted assistance to locate the proper jack. Secondly, make sure your microphone volume control is properly set. You can get help setting your microphone volume control by clicking the link below:
Setting Your Microphone Volume Control
All For-The-People members should make themselves familiar with our policy guide. You can view our policy guide by clicking on the link below:
We publish a schedule of events each week. You can get the event start times in either eastern time or your local time. Note that in order for the schedule to work correctly, the time zone on your computer must be set correctly. You can view the schedule of events by clicking on the link below:
Click the link below to get help setting your computer's time zone:
Setting Your Computer's Time Zone
We have quite a number of mailing lists covering a wide variety of topics. You can learn more about our mailing lists by clicking on the link below: