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Q. What’s the first thing I should do after I have created a Private Family Network (PFN) and logged in to the Family iBoard?
A. The purpose of the Family iBoard is to foster better communication between family members and provide a way to easily and securely share information, photos, family recipes & keepsakes, and more. So, the first thing you should do is INVITE other members of your family to join your PFN.
Q. How do I invite someone to join my Private Family Network?
A. To invite someone to join your Private Family Network, you need to click the “Invite New Member” button at the bottom of your Member Nav on the left side of the Home Screen. Fill out all of the info you can in the form that appears and Submit your Recommendation Form to the Manager of your PFN (i.e. whoever started your Private Family Network). Your PFN Manager will review the recommendation and, if approved, will generate the invitation on your behalf. You can check the “Member Invitations” screen in the My Account section to monitor the status of your Invitation Recommendations.
Q. Why do my PFN member invitations have to be approved by someone else?
A. One of the greatest features of the Family iBoard is that it allows families to control who has access to the family members’ personal information and content. In order to maintain a positive level of control, invitations for new members must be approved by the Manager of your Private Family Network. This is usually the person that first created the PFN, so they will help determine if someone invited to join the Network is an appropriate candidate. The requirement to have all membership invitations approved by another family member was instituted so that you (as a group) can maintain whatever definition of a family you want your PFN to emulate.
Q. I have new content that I want to share with my family and friends. How can I post the content once and have it available both in Facebook and the Family iBoard?
A. The ability to post content inside the Family iBoard and also have it posted to your Facebook account (and other popular social media sites) is a feature that is coming soon. Make sure to update your Family iBoard software whenever you are notified of an update so that you can make sure you always have the latest Family iBoard features and improvements.
Q. What are all the different things on the Home Screen when I first log in?
A. You will notice the main navigation menu in green across the top of the Family iBoard. This is how you will switch between the various sections of the iBoard. In the left side of the Home Screen is the Member Nav, which displays the members that have joined your Private Family Network (PFN). If a member has uploaded a profile photo, you will see it represented in the Member Nav with the member’s name beneath. If a member has not uploaded a profile photo, then you will see a silhouette icon with the member’s name beneath. You can click on the member photo/icon to see the Basic Profile Info for that member. At the bottom of the Member Nav is the “Invite New Member” button, which allows you to recommend new members for your PFN. In the middle of the Home Screen, you will see the “Recent Activity” list for your PFN. Each Recent Activity event includes the family member responsible for the event and the activity that took place (e.g. shared a photo, commented on an news article, etc.) Click on the member’s name to access their Profile Basic Info or click on the activity to access the content posted, comment made, etc. On the right side of the Home Screen is the “Content Highlights” panel. This panel includes a photo slideshow that displays the most recent 20 photos posted by other members of your PFN, as well as a listed of “Unread” content in each of the major Family iBoard sections. Just click on a slideshow photo or one of the “Unread” content links to access that specific family content.
Q. What kind of information is shared in the News section?
A. Sharing quick information with your family has never been easier. The Family iBoard News section allows you to quickly and easily share any family news with other members of your Private Family Network. Whether it's just a quick family update or a detailed story with photos, Family iBoard News Articles provide an easy way to share personal events with the rest of your family.
Q. What can I do in the Library > Recipes section?
A. Every family has those special recipes that need to be shared and preserved and the Library Recipes section of the Family iBoard is perfect for just that! Your special (and maybe even SECRET) family recipes can now be easily and securely passed down from generation to generation.
Q. What kind of content will I find in the Library > Keepsakes section?
A. For those families that have treasured photos, documents, etc. that should be shared with current and future generations, the Family iBoard's "Library Keepsakes" section allows you to safely store and share these family treasures as photo and PDF files. The Keepsakes section even allows you to include a detailed "story" about any of the family treasures that you share with your family.
Q. What can I see from a person’s LifePath?
A. Since the Family iBoard is all about fostering family communication, there's no better way to learn about a family member than from their Family iBoard LifePath. The LifePath feature does a superb job of documenting a family member's personal history, based on information and content uploaded into the Family iBoard. Any member of your Private Family Network can add LifePath data for content they upload, and it will be included in the LifePath of each family member "tagged" in that content.
Q. How can I tag content in the Family iBoard so it shows up in our LifePath?
A. When you are adding or editing a piece of content that you own, click the “Tag” icon on the edit screen for the piece of content you wish to tag. It will pop-up a window that allows you to tag a piece of content with a date, as well as multiple members of your Private Family Network.
Q. What’s the difference between Stories in the Library section and Articles in the News section?
A. Posting Articles to the News section is like blogging. This is information and photos that are about what’s happening “now” or “lately.” A Story in the Library section is something that you want to last, like the story of how you and your spouse met.
Q. What kinds of things can I do in the Calendar section?
A. The Family Calendar allows you to share all family events with other members of your Private Family Network... from family parties, to birthdays, to anniversaries. All Calendar events can be exported to Outlook or iCal for easy syncing with your mobile devices.
Q. Is the Gallery just another term for photo album?
A. The Photo Gallery allows you to share all of your family photos with other family members inside your Private Family Network. Your uploaded photos are encrypted so they can only be seen and commented on by approved family members within the Family iBoard. Your photos cannot be downloaded and re-posted by another family member, unless you specifically give them the download rights inside the Family iBoard. Even “Print Screen” functionality is disabled within the Family iBoard, to help provide additional security for your photos. Full screen and slideshow functionality are also built into the Photo Gallery, to help make the most of your photo sharing experience.
Q. Is the Post Office a form of internal email for the Family iBoard?
A. The Family iBoard Post Office is a private email system that allows you to communicate with any of your family members inside the Family iBoard. No need for email addresses since you can easily send a message to anyone listed in your Private Family Network. Family iBoard Messages cannot be sent outside of the Family iBoard and outside emails are not allowed in.
Q. How can I upload or change my profile picture?
A. Click on the “My Account” menu at the bottom of the iBoard and then click the “Change Photo” link in the Profile > Basic Info screen.
Q. What is the Family iBoard and what does it do?
A. The Family iBoard is a unique desktop application that provides the first truly private social network for families. The Family iBoard includes features and functions that help families better communicate, share and preserve photos, videos, important documents, history and keepsakes with loved ones, safely and securely on their own private network. Mobile versions of the Family iBoard will be released later in 2012.
Q. How is the Family iBoard different from Facebook and other social networks?
A. The Family iBoard differentiates itself from Facebook and other social networks by being a true private and secure social network, implementing a cloud storage system for all family content to be available for all future generations, and being built where the features, functions and nomenclature are specifically designed for family usage.
The Family iBoard is a triple secure, closed network, with no advertising or sharing of personal data. Facebook, even with privacy settings in place, offers no guarantee that content shared will remain strictly private. For example, on Facebook, a photo shared with an approved “friend” can be easily saved, and then easily shared inside and outside the Facebook network.
The security settings in the Family iBoard allow for all content to be encrypted. Only if a Family iBoard member specifically grants download permission to another member can this content be saved. Otherwise, it is only viewable within the Family iBoard and nowhere else. The Family iBoard even disables the “Print Screen” function to help prevent your family’s content from being shared outside of the Family iBoard.
And, unlike Facebook, the Family iBoard will never share tracking data with other online entities that risks wider and further invasion of privacy.
Q. What security policies are in place for the Family iBoard platform?
A. All content uploaded to the Family iBoard is digitally encrypted and viewable ONLY within the Family iBoard. Even if one person gets access to a user’s Family iBoard content, they will not be able to view it unless they have a Family iBoard account and are an approved member of the content owner’s private family network.
The Family iBoard is a desktop and mobile application, rather than a web application, which helps reduce security risks. There are always risks involved when working online, regardless of how secure a host might say a web application is, but the Family iBoard helps to minimize these risks.
Family members can upload, view and share family photos and (soon to come) videos, and only with other family members included in the private family network. Uploaded photos and keepsakes are never accessible or viewable by strangers. Even those family members permitted to see shared messages and digital content will not be able to download or post them on the Internet, unless the user who posted it specifically provides permission to do so.
Very important is the fact that the Family iBoard contains no advertisements or promotions, and there is absolutely no sharing of personal data outside of the private family network.
And because it is a desktop and mobile app, accessing the Family iBoard is as easy as clicking on the icon on the desktop of your computer or mobile device.
Q. Is the Family iBoard compatible with both PC and Mac computers?
A. Yes, the “desktop” version of the Family iBoard is built on the Adobe AIR Framework, which allows for easy compatibility for both PC/Windows and Mac computers. Note: Adobe AIR is a required component in the installation of the Family iBoard software.
Q. Can I install the Family iBoard on my mobile devices?
A. Currently, the Family iBoard is only compatible with desktop/laptop computers. It is planned that mobile versions will start to become available early in 2013.
Q. Is the Family iBoard available in mobile app stores?
A. Currently, the Family iBoard is only compatible with desktop/laptop computers. It is planned that mobile versions will start to become available early in 2013.
Q. Where is the content that I upload to the Family iBoard stored?
A. All user content in the Family iBoard is stored and backed-up in our cloud storage network, serviced by Amazon Web Services. Our Cloud Storage Network guarantees to subscribers that their content will always be available to pass down from generation to generation.
Q. Is there a download limit to what can be downloaded from the Family iBoard?
A. Each Family iBoard Membership includes 1GB of monthly data transfer for downloading content from the Family iBoard. Once you start to approach that 1GB Data Transfer limit, you will receive a warning message from the Family iBoard and will be given an opportunity to purchase additional Data Transfer Bandwidth.
Q. Do Family iBoard users have unlimited access to cloud storage?
A. No. Because the Family iBoard is a digital safe deposit box for all of your family’s memories, from the past, the present, and the future, there are limits to how much storage is included with the Family iBoard standard fees. Additional cloud storage is available, when needed, as well as the ability to delete any content that is not needed for long-term storage.
Q. What is the cost if we need to add additional storage capacity to our Private Family Network?
A. If more storage is required, additional storage is available at the following annual rates:
- Additional 50 GB - $6.00/year
- Additional 250 GB - $25.00/year
- Additional 500 GB - $45.00/year
- Additional 1 TB - $60.00/year
Q. What does it cost to start my own Private Family Network?
A. The Private Family Network (PFN) Set-Up Fee is a one-time $19.99 charge to create the PFN. The PFN Set-Up fee is due 30 days after the PFN is created, and can be paid by a single PFN member, or shared across multiple members.
Q. How much does it cost to join a Private Family Network (PFN) that already exists?
A. There is a $9.99 annual membership fee for a Family iBoard account, which will allow the member to access up to three PFNs. Access to additional PFNs is available at $1.99 per network per year.
If you’re interested in a volume discount for purchasing more than one membership, then the following discount packages apply:
- 4 Memberships - $34.99
- 10 Memberships - $84.99
- 20 Memberships - $159.99
Q. Do you have a discount for military members on a remote deployment?
A. Annual membership fees are waived for all currently deployed military personnel, allowing them to be connected with their family via the Family iBoard.
Q. Does the Family iBoard work even if I’m not connected to the Internet?
A. Yes, as long as you’ve logged in at least once while connected to the Internet. However, you will not be able to download new content or post any content of your own until you, once again, connect to the Internet.
Q. Can a child have a Family iBoard account?
A. Children 13 years old or older can create a Family iBoard account and join an existing Private Family Network (PFN), with parental acceptance/approval. Children 12 years old and younger can have Family iBoard accounts, but they must be invited by the owner of the PFN which they wish to join, and with the same parental acceptance/approval.
Q. Are there any parental controls established for teen users and, if so, how are they enforced?
A. Yes. First, you must be 18 years or older in order to create a Private Family Network. In addition, all members under the age of 18 will require parental acceptance before any personal information is collected and before a Family iBoard account can be created for them
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