How Do I Create a User Account?

It's simple, painless, and you only have to do this once!

1. Find the "User Login" box on the top left sidebar of this website
2. Click on Create new account.
3. Fill out the form.  We recommend you use your real first and last names or a very familiar nickname as your Username so you don't forget it.  Please enter the email address you want to receive account confirmation at.  Note that fields marked with an * are required.  Click "create new account" once you are done.
4. In a couple of minutes you will receive an email note.  It will confirm your Username, a password and provide further instructions. 
5. Note:  Be sure to file this email note somewhere handy in case you forget your Username and password!

I Have a User Account. How do I log-in?

It's also simple and painless, but not necessarily obvious the first time:

1. Find the "User Login" box on the top left sidebar.
2. Fill in your Username and the password you received via email.
3. Click "log in"
4. Note:  Most browsers will allow you to remember your Username and Password

How Do I Edit My Account Profile?

1. Log in with your Username and password
2. Scroll down to your personal navigation block on the left sidebar (you will see your Username in orange.)
3. Click on "My account".
4. From the tabs on the top of the page, select "Edit"
5. Fill in the form as desired (i.e. if you wish to change your password, do it in the appropriate field).
6. In the "Block Configuration" box, please select "Navigation" with the check-box. Note, if you don't check "Navigation", you will not be able to see the commands that allow you to post to the website.
7. In the "Subscription settings" box, we recommend you select "Autosubscribe"(check-mark).  This way you will get an email to let you know if someone responds to something you wrote.
8. Click "submit" when you are done

I forgot my Username (or Password). What do I do?

Don't worry.  It happens to everyone!

1. Go to"User Login" on the left side of this page
2. Fill in the text field with either your Username or the email address you used to set up your User Account.  Fill out the "captcha" and click on "Email New Password". (Note: if the form doesn't accept any of your email addresses, chances are you don't have a User Account.  Please see "How do I Create a User Account" above.)
3. An email note will be immediately sent to you.  Check your inbox for a note from CFA_info (at) cfasports (dot) com.  This email contains a special login link that can be used only once. It expires after one day and nothing will happen if it's not used. 
4. Click on the login link. You will be directed back to a page on the Club Fat Ass website. Click on the "Reset your Password" tab.  This will take you to your profile page where you can reset your password.
5. Note:  Be sure to record your Username and Password so you remember the next time.

Who Can Use and Contribute to this Website?

Anyone is welcome to use the Club Fat Ass "online clubhouse". Use of our facilities is free.

We want the site to be a great resource for you, and people like you, who are looking for information about running and related activities.

We also want the CFA "online clubhouse" to be a place where you, and people like you, feel comfortable. Our community is very welcoming and sharing. We value your race reviews, your photos, your comments on our adventure stories and your advice. We value your opinion and trust that you will respect those of others you meet at the "clubhouse".

Like most clubs, we do get the occasional bad apple coming through the door. In the online world, this frequently means spammers, people who might vandalize our clubhouse or otherwise be mean to our members and guests.

To minimize the impact of "bad apples" and to make it easy for you and other "good apples" to benefit from our community, we ask that you create a User Account and that you sign in when you want to contribute to the community.

What are the Different Types of Content?

So you're ready to contribute a report about a running adventure, or something similar.  You click on "Create Content" and now have to make a choice about what type of content you want to create.  Here's a clarification:

• Event
  Club Events are scheduled for a specific date and time. Scheduled Events will be posted by admin. Flash Events can be posted by CFA members any time. To post an event, log in, look for your navigation block on the left side bar, select "create content", and select "event".
• Forum post
  A forum is a threaded discussion, enabling users to discuss a particular topic. You can post a forum topic here. Forum topics will also be posted on the right hand column under Active Forum Topics.
• Image
  We use Flickr to share photos of our events and the Traveling Colours Contest.  Instructions are posted here.
• Personal blog entry
  A blog is a regularly updated journal made up of individual entries, often called posts, that are time stamped and typically arranged by the day, with the newest on top (a diary is the reverse). They tend to be quite personal, often containing links to things you've seen, or to editorials that you find interesting. Some blogs also contain original material written solely for the blog. Since a blog is personal, you and only you have full control over what you publish. Blog posts on the CFA website will automatically be posted to the front page, so make sure you check your spelling before hitting submit!
• Poll
  A poll is a multiple-choice question which visitors can vote on.
• Story
  A story is similar to a newspaper article. It automatically gets promoted to the front page. As an Event Host you can use the story function to announce your event or results. Stories can also be used to announce events in the community, as long as the announcement/event is relevant to Club Fat Ass. Please use this feature responsibly. Any inappropriate content will be removed and might result in the cancellation of your posting privileges.

Which Website Features Can I Use?

The table below tells you which features different users can access:

How Can I Create Content?

As highlighted in the table above, there are permission levels depending on your member status.

• Log in with your Username and password
• Find your personal navigation block on the lefty side bar (you will see your Username in orange followed by a selection of blue links).
• Click "Create content".
• Select the type of content you would like to create. Please check the table above to find which content you have permission to post.
• Follow the prompts on the form. In general, you will be asked to type in a title (keep it short but informative) and depending on the type of content, you can choose a category from a drop down list. (i.e. if you are posting a blog post you can choose from "adventure", "general", "run report", "training", etc ). If appropriate you can even choose several categories at the same time. This means your content will be posted in several places on the site.
• Type your content into the text box labeled Body.  
• Some type of content allows you preview and re-edit your content. When you are happy with your content, click "submit".

Yuck! What's all of this gibberish in my post?

You have just spent the last half-hour crafting a brilliant and helpful story to share with friends, fellow FatAsses and folks out there in Internet land. 

You cut text from one website or another, maybe you got it from an email note or a Word document?  You pasted it all together on the CFA site, formatted it nicely, checked your spelling and pressed save.  Voila.

To your horror, your opus is full of weird formatting, weird text (e.g. <span>, <end if>) and other weird stuff. "Crappy website!," you holler in frustration.

You have stumbled across one of those technology things that we just have to work around.  You see, word processors, email programs and other computer programs that manage words and images have all kids of hidden codes.  When you paste information from these programs into a web editor such as ours, the hidden code comes along for the ride.  You can either make sure there is no hidden code in what you post to this website, or you can clean out the hidden code from your post on this website.

1. Cut and Paste from Word.  If your original document is a Word document, best to use our editor's handy "Paste from Word" tool.  To do this, copy your content from the Word document.  Go to the post on our website where you would like to paste the text.  Place your cursor at the exact paste location.  Look for the Word icon (a folder with a blue "W" in the text editor toolbar above.  Click on the Word icon.  A "Paste from Word" window will will open up.  Paste your text here and press ok. 
2. PreWash.  A hassle, but certainly the easiest way to get rid of hidden code in your posts on this site is to make sure it never gets into your posts on this site in the first place.  Hidden code is automatically stripped out by a simple text editor such as Wordpad.  You then paste to the CFA site
3. After the fact.  Edit your post as you normally would.  There is two ways to strip additional formatting:
   - use the handy "Remove Format" tool in our text editor above.  Highlight the text where you'd like to remove formatting, look for the "remove format: tool in the text editor (note: it looks like an eraser).  Click on the "remove format" icon.  If you still see some funky code or formatting use the next option:
   - Below the editor, you will see "Switch to plain text editor".  This will take you below the hood to the HTML editor where you can strip out the invisible code.  Warning... requires some knowledge of HTML!

Image Uploading

Club Fat Ass uses the great features of the photo sharing website Flickr to display and share photos of our members, events and submissions to the Travelling Colour Contest.

How can I add photos to the Members In Action block (right side-bar), or to the Travelling Colours Contest?

If you would like to share your club-related photos via Flickr (and have your photos magically appear in various sections on our website) you need a Flickr account and to follow the instructions below. If you need help with Flickr please refer to their user guides or take their tour.

1. Join Flickr or log into your existing Flickr account
2. Use the neat Flickr uploader tool to upload multiple photos.
3. Join the Club Fat Ass Flickr Group. (The join button is on the Flickr Group page on the right side a bit down the screen
4. Add your photos to the Club Fat Ass group pool. You can use the Organizer tool on Flickr to do this in a batch.
5. Tag your photos as below to appear in different areas on our website:
   • Members In Action. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss. Please note that only member photos, shirt photos or photos of CFA events should be added.
   • Travelling Colours Contest. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss, TravellingColoursContest and TravellingColoursContestYear (replace "year" with the current year, i.e. TravellingColoursContest2010)
   • Event Photos. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss, ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEventsYear (replace "year" with the current year), EventName and EventNameYear (replace "EventName" with the name of the event and "year" with the current year, i.e. FullMonty2010.
   • Bagger Challenge Photos.  Add to the CFA Flickr Pool and tag your photos: ClubFatAss ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2011 BaggerChallenge2011 BaggerChallenge (with a space separating each tag on the flickr template)

How can I add an image to a post (blog, results, story, weblink)?

If you just want to post a photo in your blog, results, or a story, you can still do this by using the image icon in the tool bar of our text editor (it's that little square icon with a meadow an a house with a red roof). Please note: to use the image icon in our text editor your image needs to be hosted somewhere on the web - this can be a photo-sharing site like Flickr or Picasa or your own website).

• grab the image location by right clicking on the image you would like to insert and selecting "copy image location"
• in the CFA text editor click on the image icon (the little icon that looks like a picture frame). A pop up window will open.
• paste the image location in the Image URL field
• optional: fill in Image Description
• set alignment
• either use the orignal image size or set Image Size to less than 490px. If you are using a photo posted on Flickr use the different images sizes Flickr offers. Medium works best for full size photos (i.e starter photos on top of the results page) and small is recommended for photos that are within the text body.
• leave border blank
• indicate 3 for vertical and horizontal space
• Click insert. After the photo is inserted you can drag and drop it into different locations within the page.

How Can I Include Photos in My Post Using Flickr?

Club Fat Ass uses the great features of the photo sharing website Flickr to display and share photos of our members, events and submissions to the Travelling Colour Contest.

How can I add photos to the Members In Action block (right side-bar), or to the Travelling Colours Contest?

If you would like to share your club-related photos via Flickr (and have your photos magically appear in various sections on our website) you need a Flickr account and to follow the instructions below. If you need help with Flickr please refer to their user guides or take their tour.

1. Join Flickr or log into your existing Flickr account
2. Use the neat Flickr uploader tool to upload multiple photos.
3. Join the Club Fat Ass Flickr Group. (The join button is on the Flickr Group page on the right side a bit down the screen
4. Add your photos to the Club Fat Ass group pool. You can use the Organizer tool on Flickr to do this in a batch.
5. Tag your photos as below to appear in different areas on our website:
   
   
   • Members In Action. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss. Please note that only member photos, shirt photos or photos of CFA events should be added.
   • Travelling Colours Contest. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss, TravellingColoursContest and TravellingColoursContestYear (replace "year" with the current year, i.e. TravellingColoursContest2010)
   • Event Photos. Add to the CFA group pool and tag with ClubFatAss, ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEventsYear (replace "year" with the current year), EventName and EventNameYear (replace "EventName" with the name of the event and "year" with the current year, i.e. FullMonty2010.

How can I add an image to a post (blog, results, story, weblink)?

If you just want to post a photo in your blog, results, or a story, you can still do this by using the image icon in the tool bar of our text editor (it's that little square icon with a green tree). Please note: to use the image icon in our text editor your image needs to be hosted somewhere on the web - this can be a photo-sharing site like Flickr or Picasa or your own website).

The following addition is already on the live site - added prompted by a member you had difficulties using the image icon:

• grab the image location by right clicking on the image you would like to insert and selecting "copy image location"
• in the CFA text editor click on the image icon (the little icon that looks like a picture frame). A pop up window will open.
• paste the image location in the Image URL field
• optional: fill in Image Description
• set alignment
• either use the orignal image size or set Image Size to less than 490px. If you are using a photo posted on Flickr use the different images sizes Flickr offers. Medium works best for full size photos (i.e starter photos on top of the results page) and small is recommended for photos that are within the text body.
• leave border blank
• indicate 3 for vertical and horizontal space
• Click insert. After the photo is inserted you can drag and drop it into different locations within the page.

How Can I Copy Content into My Post?

One would hope that cutting text from one place and pasting that text into another place (e.g. the CFA site) would be as simple as pie.  Unfortunately, it's not. 

What you cut from some software applications (Microsoft Word and Outlook come quickly to mind) comes with all sorts of invisible code that can make a mess of your contribution to the CFA site.  Here's how you can avoid problems:

1. Select the content in Word, Outlook or scrape from a webpage (use the mouse or Ctrl+A to select all).
2. Copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C or select "copy" from the edit menu).
3. Place the cursor on the location in your CFA post where you want the copied text to begin.
4. Press the "Paste from Word" icon (small blue W icon) on the little text editor above the post's body.
5. A pop up window will appear. Paste your text into the window (Ctrl+V) and click "insert".

How Do I Create a Flash Event?

A Flash Event is a one-time event.  It is free.  It is open to anyone.  The only gotcha is that Club insurance does not cover Flash events, so you need to make extra sure you take good care of your guests.

Anyone who is authorized to use the Club Fat Ass "online clubhouse" can put on a Flash event.  All you need is a User Account.  (See How do I Create a User Account.)

It takes less than 5 minutes to create and share a Flash event:

1. Log in
2. Click on "Create Content".  (On the left side of the main page under your user name.)  You will go to the content page where you will be given several options
3. Click on "Event"
4. Title.  Give your event a title:  e.g. Flash - Funky Chicken 50K.  Be sure to preface your title with "Flash" so it shows up in the list of events as a Flash event
5. Location.  The nearest town or suburb to the start
6. Tag it with "Flash Event"
7. Enter the event details.  We strongly recommend you use the recommended Flash Event format.  (See below.)  Be sure to include the disclaimer! 
8. Press "Save"  (Better than "Preview" as you are less likely to lose your work)
9. Your Flash Event will automatically appear in the CFA calendar and, if it's coming up soon, also under Upcoming Events in the right sidebar.  Admin will post it to the main page about 2 weeks prior to the Event.

Other hints and tips:

• Be sure to check your Flash Event page to make sure it is formatted as you expect it to be.
• If you need to edit the content of your Flash Event page, click on the edit tab at the top of your Flash Event page.
• We strongly recommend you use the "ShareThis" feature to tell your friends about your event.  You can find this feature at the bottom of your Flash Event page.

Flash Events are summarized on one web page.  Simply copy this format and use it to kick start your Flash Event:

What:  What's it all about?

When:  Date and time of the event.

Where:  Where is the start?  What route will you take?

Why:  Why are you doing this?

How:  How do I confirm I will join you?

Other:  Any other information that is relevant.

You are responsible for your own well being and safety and should be self sufficient. Please read the Release of All Claims. By participating in this event you agree to the terms of the Release of All Claims.

How Can I Download the Club Fat Ass Calendar into my Calendar?

This is a handy feature.  To do this:

Save the "calendar.ics" file to your desktop:

In Microsoft Outlook:

Social Media, Club Fat Ass and You

Got one of the first green or red Club t-shirts?  Then you might remember our first "online clubhouse"... a simple website cobbled-together in Frontpage back in the day before anyone knew what a URL was and only geeks had email addresses.   Social media, blogging or even commenting on a website was foreign to most of us.

All to say that Club Fat Ass has been an early adopter of new media as a way to provide value to you, our members and members-to-be.

With the explosion of social media and Club Fat Ass members using a variety of online communities, we thought it was time to provide a little road map to help you navigate the social media we use.

Check us out on the following social media sites and make sure to share, tag and bookmark to spread the word:

ShareThis

Before you even leave the CFA site l with Facebook and Twitter, you can very easily share any post directly from our website.  Look for the "ShareThis" link below any post.  Clicking on this gives you a choice of social networking sites to share with.

Facebook

Facebook Page

• http://www.facebook.com/ClubFatAss
• Club Fat Ass' primary presence on Facebook is located here. 
• "suggest to friends" function in the upper left can be used to invite your active friends to "like" us (formerly "become a fan")
• "add to my pages favorite's" can be used to add the CFA page to your page as a favorite
• "Share" (bottom of left side bar) can be used to post our page to your profile or to send it to your friends
• Feel free to start a discussion, write on the wall and add a review, links, photos and videos.  You can do all this from the tabs at the top of the page

Facebook Group

• www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2260647323
• while this group is still out there, Facebook has added more functionality to their "pages".  We therefore no longer actively use this group. 

Facebook Events

The CFA FB page is updated with our upcoming events.  You can help the Event Host promote the event by:

• RSVP via FB (but please don't forget to register for the event on the Club Fat Ass website as well)
• "invite people to come" by clicking on the invite link under the event image
• Share the event.  By clicking the "share tab" (under the links in the upper right under the porker) you can post the event to your profile or share it with your FB friends.
• Feel free to add photos, links, videos or write on the wall

Facebook Tagging

If you have event photos or videos on Facebook, please tag them with ClubFatAss and ClubFatAssEvents

Share

You noticed this has come up a few times. While you can share from within FB, you can also very easily share any post directly from our website.  Look for the "ShareThis" link below any post.  Clicking on this gives you a choice of social networking sites to share with.

Twitter

I won't make an attempt to explain Twitter to you here.  It's sort of like Facebook but way different...;-)  You can find a beginners primer here: www.twitip.com/13-twitter-tips-and-tutorials-for-beginners/

Club Fat Ass' tweets can be found and followed at http://twitter.com/ClubFatAss Yours truly is the official CFA tweep and I attempt to tweet about upcoming events, contests, updated web pages, results as well as  subjects that might be of interest to you.

If you like to become part of the Twitter community and Club Fat Ass' tweets you can do the following:

• follow @ClubFatAss (we will follow back, but it might take a few days) I make every attempt to avoid following suspect accounts or accounts that are more concerned with naughty bits than running.
• retweet aka RT our tweets if you like them.  You do this by preceding a copy of the tweet with RT @clubfatass there are Applications like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck which provide you with an easy retweet function.
  
• tweet about Club Fat Ass and our events.
• use hashtags...huh?  Hashtags are words or phrase preceded by #  as in #ClubFatAss or #ClubFatAssEvents.  I recommend to use #ClubFatAss or #ClubFatAssEvents in any tweet about the club or or events.  Sometimes you need to make a call on how many hastags you use, as you are limited to 140 characters per tweet.
• use "share this" below any post on our website to tweet about an interesting story directly from the CFA website.

Flickr

Club Fat Ass uses Flickr's great photo sharing features to display photos in posts, in the Members in Action area in the right side column, for our Travelling Colours contest and in slideshows linked from results pages.

You can find extensive instructions how to post photos to our website using Flickr here.

YouTube

Club Fat Ass's YouTube Channel is at: http://www.youtube.com/ClubFatAss

Here is what you can do to stay tuned in to the channel and promote our events:

• Subscribe to the ClubFatAss channel.  Look for the yellow subscribe tab in the upper left of our channel page (also down the screen on the left
• add Club Fat Ass as a friend. Look for the +friend tab down the screen a bit on the left side
• rate/favorite our movies (look for the tabs below individual movies)
• comment on our movies (look for the comment below individual movies)
• if you upload movies of your CFA events, please use "Club Fat Ass"  in your description, and add the tags "ClubFatAss ClubFatAssEvents NameofEvent" to your movie.  You can grab the embed code provided by YouTube and embed the movie in your ClubFatAss blog post or to a results page and even in comments.

Delicious

coming soon!

If you think Club Fat Ass should participate in other social networking sites, please email and we investigate