The
Web Pals noticeboard is a place where blind and partially sighted people can make new friends and catch up with old ones. Please note that to post messages or contact people
you must be registered and logged in.
People leave messages on the Web Pals noticeboard, so that others can read the message and contact the sender privately by email. You can only add messages or contact someone if you are registered with the website and you are logged in.
When you have posted your message, people looking for friends on the board can contact you by email. To contact someone you have to be registered and logged in. Once you have registered, you can also login to access any of our notice or events boards and discussion forum.
Adding a message
If you want to add a message to the Web Pals board, you will need to
register. If you are already registered you will need to
login to add a new notice.
When you are logged in, go to the Web Pals board and use the '
new notice' link. You can only add one notice at a time. If you have already added a post, the 'new notice' link won't be available.
Your post won't go live until it has been moderated, and it will say 'Not approved' next to it until it has been moderated and published.
Remember that you have to be logged in to add a new message. There's guidance further down on this page that explains
how to find out if you're logged in or not.
What kind of information should I put in my message?
A typical message might include brief details of your hobbies and interests, your age, or perhaps where and when you went to school or college, or the kind of friendship you are looking for.
For your own safety, don't add personal contact details such as address or phone numbers. Messages with personal contact information will be edited. The WebPals board is viewable by the general public. The WebPals board is also subject to the website's
terms and conditions of use.
Why not read some of the messages on the board to find out the kind of info that other users are adding?
Not approved - what did I do wrong?
Don't worry if you see the words 'Not approved' next to your message. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. All posts are moderated before they go live - 'Not approved' simply means that your post is
awaiting moderator approval. It will go live as soon as one of our moderators gets to it - usually within 24 working hours, Monday to Friday.
How many messages can I have on the board?
You can only have
one at a time. If you want to update your message, you will need to delete your original notice and add a new one.
Finding my message
If you've successfully added a post to the WebPals notice board, you can find it again by clicking on '
View my notice'. You must be logged in to do this. There's guidance further down on this page that explains
how to find out if you're logged in or not.
Editing my message
You can't edit your message once posted - you'll have to
delete it and add a new one. Remember that you will need to be logged in to do this. There's guidance further down on this page that explains
how to find out if you're logged in or not.
Deleting my message
If you are logged in, you can delete your own message.
Go to the Web Pals board and click on the link that says 'View my message'. You must be logged in to do this. Then you can delete your message using the '
Delete' link.
Remember that you must be logged in to delete your message. There's guidance further down on this page that explains
how to find out if you're logged in or not.
Contacting someone
You must be registered with the website and logged in to contact someone. Once you have registered (you only need to do this once) and logged in, go to the message you like. There will be a link on the page saying '
Contact'. Use that link to send a private message to the person.
For instance, if you want to contact Bob - England/Bob:
-
make sure you're logged in to the website (If you're logged in, there will be a link at the top of the page saying 'Log out', and there will be a message saying "Hello" and then your name. If you're logged out, the link will say Log in and there won't be a hello message)
-
find the message of the person you want to contact (such as Bob - England/Bob)
-
click on the link that has their name and country of residence (such as Bob - Enlgland/Bob)
-
if you're logged in, you'll now have a link that says 'Contact' available. Use this link to send a private message to the person whose notice you're reading (in the example given, that's Bob - England/Bob).
Please make sure you only contact people using the method above.
When you register with the website, you're asked if you want your profile and email address to be visible. Anyone who says yes to this will find that their user name becomes a link to their profile page, with their email address visible. When you use WebPals you will therefore be able to see the profile pages of those people who want them to be visible. But this is not the best way to contact people via WebPals. Use the 'contact' link, as described above, to send a private message.
Replying to an email from someone
If you get an email from someone via the Web Pals board, their email address will be included in the message. Please don't reply directly to the email message, as it will go to an unchecked mailbox (noreply@rnib.org.uk).
You must use the email address given in the text of the email if you want to contact the person.
Complain about a message
If you want to complain about the content or nature of a Web Pals message, please contact webeditor@rnib.org.uk. We will decide if it breaks our terms and conditions and will take appropriate action.
We are not responsible for any private email correspondance that you enter into with someone you meet via Web Pals.
Logged in or logged out - how do I know?
You can only log in to the website if you are registered with the website.
If you are logged in, there will be a message at the top right hand side of the screen saying "Hi" and then your name. There will also be a link at the top right hand side of the screen saying 'Logout'.
If you're logged out, there won't be a "Hi" message, and the links at the top right will say 'Login' and 'Register'. If you're not logged in and you want to login, you should click on the 'Login' link at the top right hand side of the page.
When you login, there is a tick box that says 'Automatically log me in on this computer'. If you tick that box your computer should remember to log you in automatically to RNIB's website next time you visit (but only if you're using the same computer you used when you ticked the box. Don't use the tick box if you're using a public computer, at a library for instance).
Automatic login will only work if you have 'cookies' enabled on your browser. You should refer to your broswer's help pages for information about how to enable cookies. A browser is what you use to access the Internet (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera).
Still having trouble?
If you've followed all the advice on this page and you're still having trouble, you can send us an email. We'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Please give us as much detail as possible about what you did and what happened. We will definitely need your full name and the email address you tried to register with. What we will
never need (and you should never share) is your password.
Send an email with all the relevant details to
webeditor@rnib.org.uk
Lacking confidence?
Could some of your problems be because you're not too confident using your computer, or the internet, or your access technology? It seems that technology is everywhere, but we know that not everyone is a computer whizz!
Try reading our
Technology section for some advice and to learn a bit more.
You might also like to check out our
Technology discussion board - it's for all ages and abilities.
Contact our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email
helpline@rnib.org.uk - ask them if there's an IT volunteer who could spend some time helping you to learn more about computers and websites.