Audiobook Community (ABC) is a friendly online social networking site where listeners, narrators, authors, and fans of audiobooks can connect, discuss, and discover all things audiobook. Find out more About Audiobook Community.

Sign-up and My Profile

2. How do I sign up? Back to Top

Just go to www.audiobookcommunity.com, and click "Sign Up" at the top of the right column of the page. You'll be taken to the sign up page for Audiobook Community.

1. First, type in your email address. You'll enter this email address every time you sign in to Audiobook Community, and all notifications will arrive in this email's inbox.
2. Next, enter a password. If this is the first time signing up for a Ning Network, this is your chance to create a password. Otherwise, just enter the password you've already created for your email address.
3. Retype your password to confirm that you've entered it correctly.
4. Use the drop-down menus to enter your date of birth.
5. Type in the text exactly as you see it in the image on the right (called a CAPTCHA). This step ensures that you're a real person and is an important security measure.
6. Click the "Sign Up" button to join the Audiobook Community! By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which you can read by clicking on the links to them on the sign up page.
7. When you join the community, we will add you to our monthly AudiobookCommunity.com eNewsletter list (if we don't see that you already have subscribed to it). The collection, use and disclosure of your personal information is governed by the Privacy Policy. If you decide that you no longer wish to subscribe to the AudiobookCommunity.com eNewsletter, you may request to be unsubscribed by following the link at the bottom of the eNewsletter. Please allow four weeks for your request to become effective and note that the request to unsubscribe will only apply to those email address(es) that you provide in you request.

3. Why does the sign-in ask for my birthday? Can I hide this information? Back to Top

ABC is a Ning network, and Ning requires that users enter their birthday to prove that they are old enough to use the site legally.

You can hide your age and/or your birthday by clicking on “Settings.” Under your birthday, there is a dropdown menu that allows you to choose what people can see.

4. I’m not 18 yet. Can I be on Audiobook Community? Back to Top

Yes. The minimum age for members of Audiobook Community is 13. We strongly encourage teens and their parents to check out Ning’s Teen Safety Tips.

5. How do I add/change/remove a profile photo? Back to Top

Click the "Settings" link in the upper right corner of the page. On your Profile Settings page, click the "Browse" button next to the Photo field, which will allow you to choose the photo you want to upload from your computer. When you upload a new photo, the old one will be deleted. Be sure to click SAVE at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, your changes will not be implemented.

6. What kind of information should I give in the “About Me” section? How do I edit the “About Me” section of my profile? Back to Top

In accordance with our User Guidelines, please do not share personal information (address, phone number, etc.) This is a place for you to share with other ABC members your connection to audiobooks (fan, narrator, publisher, etc.), your favorite authors, narrators and genres, your hobbies, etc.

The “About Me” section is about half-way down the page. Once you’ve typed in what you want to say, you can go to your profile page and read what you just typed. Your About Me entry will appear in the middle column of the page, under your Recent Activity.

We’ve found it’s helpful to put your “About Me” at the top of your profile so that other ABC members can find it easily.

To move this information to the top of your page, hover your mouse on the title bar of your Profile Information. A small crosshair icon will appear to the left.

Now just click and drag the module to the top of your page, so that it appears above your Recent Activity.

7. How can I change my privacy settings? Back to Top

By default, anyone can view your Profile Page and list of friends on Audiobook Community. However, you can change the privacy settings for this page at any time. You can set your Profile Page to be visible to everyone (the default), to only members of ABC, or to just your friends on ABC.

To change the privacy of your Profile Page, click on the "Settings" link in the right column of the page and click "Privacy" on the left. Choose the level of privacy you'd like from the first question on this page.

By default, all photos, videos and blog posts you add to ABC will still be visible to everyone. You can also choose the privacy level of the content you add to ABC from this page.

If you've changed the privacy of your Profile Page, visitors who don’t have access to your Profile Page will only be able to view your name, photo and basic information, like age, gender and location.

ABC administrators will still be able to view all member Profile Pages in full, regardless of privacy settings.

8. I’m getting too many emails from the community. How can I fix this? Back to Top

To change the number and type of emails you get from ABC, you just need to fix your email settings. To get to your Email Settings page, click on the "Settings" link in the right column of any page.

Next, click "Email" on the left. The next page displays all of the different types of notifications you'll receive.

In the "Audiobook Community Messages" section, you can control the email notifications you receive when messages are sent on your ABC.

In the "Requests & Invitations" section, you can control email notifications generated by friend requests, group or event invitations.

In the "Content & Members" section, you can choose whether or not you like to receive email messages when your content is approved or featured, when someone sends you a gift, when a member you've invited joined or when new members join.

In the "Moderation" section, if you have turned on moderation for comments on your comment wall or blog post, you can choose to receive email notifications when someone makes a comment.

In the "Activity" section, if you have added new items, you can choose whether or not you like to receive email messages when there is activity on them. You will automatically follow discussions or blog posts you add and those you reply to. You will also automatically follow a photo you've added, an event or a page you've created. You can choose to receive email notifications when there is activity on a group you're a member of and when a new member joins that group. If you're already following these items, you can stop following all at once by clicking the "Stop Following All" link.

Finally, if you don't want to receive any email notifications, you can check the box next to "I don't want to receive emails from Audiobook Community" at the bottom of the page. Keep in mind this means you will not know when you are sent personal messages until you sign in, and you also will not receive broadcast messages from the ABC Creator and admins. If you decide to receive notifications again, uncheck this box and click "Save" to bring back your previous email settings.

9. How do I change my email address on ABC? Back to Top

To change your email address, first sign in to Audiobook Community.

1. Click on the "Settings" link in the upper right corner of the page.
2. Click "Change" next to the Email Address field.
3. Enter your new email address in the first field. Keep in mind that you cannot change your email address to one that's already been registered with Ning.
4. Enter your current password in the third field.
5. Click "Save" to confirm your changes.

If you are a member of multiple Ning networks, you will use your new email address to sign into each of these Ning networks. It's not possible to change your email address on one Ning network but keep the old one on another.

You can also change your email address on your Ning.com profile. Sign in to Ning.com, click on "Settings" in the top right corner of the page, then click the "Account" tab. From here you can change and confirm your new email address.

10. How do I change my password? Back to Top

To change your password, first sign into your Audiobook Community.

1. Click on the "Settings" link in the upper right corner of the page.
2. Click "Change" next to the password field.
3. Enter your current password in the first field. Then enter your new password in the second field. Confirm your new password in the third field.
4. Click "Save" to confirm your changes.

If you are a member of multiple Ning Networks, you will use your new password to sign in to all of them.

11. How do I delete my account? Back to Top

1. Click on the "Settings" link in the right hand column of the Main page.
2. On the My Settings page, you'll see a link to remove yourself and all of your content from ABC on the bottom of that page.

3. When you click this link, you'll have the option to tell administrators why you're leaving by clicking the arrow on the left to open the comment field. By default, the box to delete your content from ABC you are leaving will be selected, but if you wish to leave your content, deselect this box.

4. When you're finished, click "Leave" and confirm that you want to leave ABC, and whether you will be deleting your content.

Blogs, Groups, and Discussions

12. What's the difference between a Blog, a Group, and a Discussion? Back to Top

Blogs are great if you want to express your opinions and ideas about all kinds of audiobook-related topics. They’re totally your own. Blog posts allow you to share stories and express yourself right on your profile page. Groups are a place where you can engage in more focused discussions with other community members. These group discussions are a good place to share news way to discover others on ABC who share your interests and tastes and to share news and reviews with them.

13. How do I join a group? Back to Top

With the exception of a few administrator groups, all groups on ABC are open to any member. All you have to do is click on the Group you’re interested in. On the main Group page, click “Join [Group Name]”.

14. How do I add a new group? Back to Top

Currently, only administrators can add new groups. Group members are free to start discussions within the established groups.

15. I want to start a discussion that doesn’t fit into any of the groups on this site. Can I suggest a new group? Back to Top

Sure, we’re always open to the ideas and suggestions of our members. Please feel free to send suggestions for new groups to abchelp@audiofilemagazine.com.

16. How do I start a discussion? Back to Top

To start a discussion, you first have to become a member of the group in which you’re starting the discussion. (See: How do I join a group?) Then you go to the group’s main page and click the “Start Discussion” link, located in the middle of the page under the Discussion Forum.

17. How do I add a blog post? Back to Top

To get started, go to your profile page and locate the "Blog Posts" link on the left hand side. Click the "Add a Blog Post" link. You can add text, links, and images to your blog post using the rich text editor. You can also select the privacy of your blog post to allow anyone on ABC to view it, just your friends on ABC, or just you.

To see what your blog post will look like before you post it, click the "Preview" button at the bottom of the post box when you're done.

If you're happy with the way your post looks, make sure to click the "Publish Post" button. If you want to work on it some more, or save it for later, you can use the Back button on your browser to return to the compose page.

You can edit a blog entry you've posted or a draft by going to the My Page tab. Click the "My Blog" link at the top of the page and then click on the "Edit Blog Posts" link.

You can also approve/reject comments, edit drafts or published posts and delete blog posts from this page.

Drafts will be indicated by a pencil icon in the column to the left of the post title. Click "edit" next to the post you want to change. This will bring you to a screen where you can edit your blog post.

18. Do I have to add tags to my blog post? Back to Top

You don’t have to tag your posts, but tags allow you and other members to easily see what the post is about and find related posts. You can categorize any blog post you've written by adding tags to it.

You can add tags to your blog post when you're writing it. You can also add tags once you've published a blog post by clicking the "Add Tags" link next to your post.

19. How do I add a comment to someone’s wall? Back to Top

Comments are perfect for welcoming a new member or checking in with your friends. Go to the Members tab on ABC and click on the name of any member you'd like to leave a comment for, to be taken to their Profile Page.

You can leave a comment on any member's Profile Page. Comments can be seen by any member of ABC, so don't use them to post personal information. For more private communication or notes you might not want anyone on ABC to see, you can send a private message.

20. How do I comment on someone else's blog post or discussion? Back to Top

To leave a comment on videos, photos and blog posts, navigate to the content you want to comment on and type your thoughts in the "Add a Comment" box.

21. How do I format my blog posts, comments, and discussion posts? Back to Top

You can make the text you post in text boxes (blog posts comments, and discussions) bold, italicized or underlined, as well as add a hyperlink, insert an image or embed a video.

22. How do I add links and attach files to my posts and comments? Back to Top

To insert a link, highlight the text you want to be linked and click the "Insert a Link" icon, which looks like chain links in the toolbar. In the box that pops up type the URL you want the text to link to. Once you save your post, anyone can use the link.

Finally, you can upload a file by clicking the white page icon. Anyone will be able to download the file by clicking it.

23. How do I add photos, videos, and audio clips to my posts and comments? Back to Top

You can insert an image to your post by clicking the "Add an Image" button, which looks like a framed picture, in the toolbar. A window will appear prompting you to select a photo from your computer to upload. Once you've found the image you want, click the "Add" button.

To embed a video, just copy the HTML embed code and paste it into your blog post. When you publish your post, anyone will be able to see the video.

Posting YouTube videos is a bit different. Click HERE to see the specific tips.

At this time, you can’t embed audio clips into your posts on ABC, but you can link to audio files that are hosted on another site. Simply add a link the same way you would insert a link to any other site (see #22).

24. Why isn't my blog post on the main ABC page? Back to Top

At this time, only posts that our site moderators choose to feature appear on the home page.

25. What does it mean when some content (blog/video etc.) is "Featured"? Back to Top

Our site moderators feature content that they believe is relevant and interesting to the majority of the community.

26. What censoring / editing of content is done? Back to Top

The site moderators may tweak the title or tags on your blog post in order to make it easier for other users to find. But they don’t edit the content of your posts. If the content of your post is found to be in conflict with our User Guidelines, it will not be approved for posting. If you feel your post was rejected in error, you may contact the site administrator at abchelp@audiofilemagazine.com.

27. How do I report inappropriate content? Back to Top

If you find objectionable material, it is best not to comment about it on the site. Instead, send an email message about your concerns to abchelp@audiofilemagazine.com. Also, please report any misuse or misconduct by email either to the group administrator or to the site administrator at abchelp@audiofilemagazine.com. As soon as possible, we will review the situation and determine what action, if any, needs to be taken. For more information on what is considered objectionable material, please see our User Guidelines.

Making Friends

28. How do I invite my friends to join ABC? Back to Top

Go to the Invite tab to invite your friends.

There are three options for inviting your friends from the Invite page. Click on the blue triangles to expand or collapse the invitation options.

Import from Web Address Book: Just type in the address and the password for an email account on AOL Mail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail — you'll immediately be able to invite any of your contacts to ABC.

Enter Email Addresses: If you have a particular set of email addresses that you want to send invitations to, you can enter these email addresses manually in this section. Enter multiple email addresses into the “Send To” field.

Import from Address Book Application: You can also upload a .vcf or .csv contact file from services like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Address book. You'll be able to invite any contacts that you've stored here to ABC.

29. How do I add another member as a friend? Back to Top

If you find someone on ABC you'd like to be able to send private messages to or invite to your groups or events, you can add them as your friend. You can even add a personal note to your friend request to them. Once you add them as a friend, they'll receive a notification that you'd like to be friends. They can then choose to accept the friend requests and become friends with you, or ignore the request.

To send a friend request to someone, go to their profile page. Click the "Add as friend" link under their profile photo. A confirmation window will pop up. If you'd like to add a note to your friend request, click the "Add a personal message" link. Some people don't feel comfortable accepting friend requests from people they don't know, so this is a great way to let them know how you might know each other or why you'd like to be friends.

30. Where do I see my list of friends? Back to Top

Click on “My Profile.” Your list of friends is in the lefthand column, under your profile picture. To see all of your friends, click “View all.”

31. How do I remove someone as a friend? Back to Top

To remove someone as a friend, go to their profile page. Click the link that says “Remove as Friend” under their profile picture in the lefthand column. You may also choose to remain friends with someone but block messages from them. At any time, you may unblock their messages and add them as a friend again.