Making Gling Work For You: Part One

Welcome to Gling! I know, to most of you this seems way overdue. The fact is, there are so many new members joining all the time that I have not had the time to get around and greet everyone personally. Please know that the sentiment is there!

This new series, Making Gling Work For You was inspired by all the new faces, but is directed to both new members and veterans alike. One of the most common tweets is “finding my way around”. In order to assist you in finding what you are looking for (and maybe showing you things you hadn’t realized you wanted) I am compiling a complete user guide to Gling.com.

Gling is deceptively simple! The site itself seems so simple at first that some of the best features may be overlooked. I have been a member of this site for quite awhile, yet, find that there is always more to see. It’s like a huge mansion, complete with secret passageways and hidden stairwells. It could take years to uncover it’s secrets!

Okay, the “years” is an exaggeration, but it would take a long time! That is the exact reason why I wanted to do this guide. It is my plan to grab my flashlight and explore, a lot! Every discovery will be revealed to you, right here, a piece at a time. I invite all of you to join me as I explore the nooks and crannies of all that Gling has to offer.

To begin, here is a huge, but basic overview of the features offered. To make the list easier on the eyes, I have split the list into three categories. Some features will fit into more than one category, but I tend to go with the most obvious one. Keep in mind that this is just a listing, every one of these puppies will be explained in depth in the articles to come.

Information Features

There is a mind boggling amount of information on Gling. It can be found everywhere, and in many forms. Here are the main links to look for:

• Search Box- Located at the top of every page. Use it to...search.

• Articles- Fun gems of information, written just for you!

• Blogs- Did you know that anyone can write blog entries? More on that later.

• Bookmarks- These are links that your fellow Glingsters wanted to share. They lead all over the place and are usually very helpful.

• Recipes- From savory suppers to delectable desserts, Gling has it all. (If we don’t, then add it!)

• Food- List your favorites here.

• Locations- This is where you can bring Gling home by adding your favorite hot spots.

Social Features

There are a lot of people on Gling. This means there are a lot of friends to be made. These are the links to look for to maintain those friendships:

• Messages- You can send and receive personal messages.

• Tweets- Like twitter, you can post short messages (140 characters) and carry on conversations or just let the everyone know what you’re up to.

• Friends- This is where you can find the current list of your friends.

• Photos- Upload photos to share with everybody!

• Tribes- These are underused, but very cool. Join these sub-groups to have forum-type discussions with like minded people.

• Profile- It’s all about you! Make your profile shine by describing yourself and adding links, pictures and bookmarks.

User Option Features

• Settings- Puts you in the drivers seat to decide what you want your Gling to be.

• Favorites- Keep track of all your faves, and other people’s too.

• Home- From your home page you can access all of your settings and keep track of news, notifications, and much more.

Grab your flashlight and join me next week as we go beyond the lobby and see what each of these feature rooms has in store.