• Finding friends (Find penpals using the SHACK)
• The friend List (Your favourite friends)
• Messages (Your Personal Mailbox)
• Account / Profile maintenance
• Mobile friends
• More ways to Connect (NEW!)
• friend SHACK Safety Tips

Finding Friends (Using the SHACK)
How do I see more detailed information about someone? In the SHACK list, profiles are organized by photo, gender, country, nick name, age and the friends' message. Click on the nick name (hyperlink in blue) for a more detailed profile of the penpal.

I've chosen a Country for my search and then selected "Save selections". Now every time I go to the shack page I see that Country. How do I set it back to all Countries? On the SHACK page, set the Country drop down to the first selection (blank). Now click "Save selection" and then the search button. Now your search criteria will be set to the default.

I see a flag but how do I know what Country that is? Please your cursor over the flag and wait (don't click). A flyout should show the Country where that penpal lives.

If I see someone I am interesting in, how do I "bookmark" them? See the section below entitled "The friend List".

The friend List
How do I add a friend to my friend List? In the SHACK (or on the Mail page), click on a penpal´s nick name. This should show this person´s detailed profile. On the left side of the page, below the pictures you will see a new hyperlink called "Add to my friend List" (it has a star next to it). Simply click this link to add this new penpal to your list.

How do I see my friend List? Once you add friends to your list, they will have a star next to their picture on the SHACK page.

Yes, but how do I see ONLY my friend List? A new check box has been added to the filters on the SHACK page. It is called "Your friend List only". Check this and choose search. Now you will only see the people in your friend List (note: you have to have friends in your List before you see this check box).

How do I remove someone from my friend List? View the penpal by clicking on their nick name. On the left side of the page, below this person´s pictures you will see a hyperlink called "Remove from my friend list". Simply click this link to remove this friend from your list.

Messages (Your Personal Mailbox)
How do I check for and read new messages? Click on the Mail link (at top) to see new messages. You'll have a listing of new messages. On the left side of the page is your navigation. Your choices are Inbox, Sent and Deleted. The default selection should be Inbox. If you are brand new to friend SHACK, you should see a new message from us. Click the blue hyperlink under the Subject column to see the contents of the message. If the message has an attachment (a picture), you'll see a small paper clip icon at the bottom of the message.

How do I send a message? 3 simple steps to sending a message on friend SHACK: #1 Go to the SHACK page. #2 Click on a profile nick name (the blue hyperlink) of someone you want to write to. #3 At the bottom of the message, enter a subject and message to this potential new friend. Next click send.

How do I reply to a message? On the Mail page once you have read the message, you'll notice at the bottom a reply box. Simply use this message box to reply to your friend.

I want to add an attachment to my message. Want to send your friend a picture of your pet, your recent holiday photo, or your best photography? Now you can attach pictures to your friend SHACK messages. This is different then adding a picture to your profile because the picture you send with your message can only be viewed by you and your recipient. Just remember, pictures should be less than 200 kb.

Account / Profile maintenance
How do I change my password? On the Profile page, scroll about half way down the page. On the left, you will see a window entitled: "Modify Account". Click "Change password...", click "OK", then follow the on page instructions.

I would like to hide my profile. Is this possible? Yes! On the Profile page, scroll about half way down the page. On the left, you will see a window entitled: "Modify Account". Click "Hide profile ...", click "OK", then follow the on page instructions. To un hide your profile, do the same thing but click on "Show profile". When you hide your profile it means that you are no longer searchable on the SHACK page. People that you message or people that have you in their friend List will still be able to view your profile. Essentially, this limits new friends from contacting you.

Can I change my nick name? Yes. Send a message to Friend stating what you would want your new nick name to be.

How do I upload photos to my profile? On the Profile page you can easily upload up to 3 photos of yourself to your profile. Click browse to find the photo on your hard drive. Next click SAVE at the bottom of the profile page. If that doesn't work, you can always email photos to your profile! See the help box on your profile page for more details.

What about my email address. Can I change it? Of course, you can change all of your profile information at any time on the Profile page. Once you have made changes, click Save at the bottom of the page.

How do I know who has viewed me? On the Profile page, scroll about half way down the page. On the left, you will see a window entitled: "Who's seen me (last 5) ". These are the friends who have most recently looked at your profile. You should also see an orange box in the middle of this page which shows you how many times your profile has been seen and who has looked at you most.

What do the Emoticons mean? Well that is up to you. We left them without descriptions on purpose. But you should pick one that represents your current state of mind :)

How do I cancel my friend SHACK membership? On the Profile page, scroll about half way down the page. On the left, you will see a window entitled: "Modify Account". Click "Delete my profile ...", click "OK". Bye bye

Mobile friends

Got mobile? If you are a mobile phone user with a WAP 2.0 enabled device you can easily surf friend SHACK with your cell phone. Using your phone (or WAP 2.0 enabled device), visit wap.friendshack.com. Tell your mobile friends because they can register using our mobile sign up page!

More ways to Connect
There are many other ways besides email to connect with your new penpal. Below are a few ideas with descriptions of each:

• Snail mail (a list of post offices around the world)
• Chat (some free chat sites)
• SMS (what is SMS? Free SMS tools)
• Voice over IP (VoIP) allows you to make phone calls from your PC
• Swapping things, for example: address labels, friendship books, or postcards
• Learn about where your friend lives through their local newspaper (NEW!)