Welcome to Global Twin Cities. Here’s a quick guide to finding your way around – about a three-minute read.
1. Get started
- Add a photo and a few words about yourself. Open the menu under your picture and choose Edit Profile. Every other field, including location and profession, is optional.
- Join two or three Spaces that interest you. Spaces are groups built around a country, a language or a shared interest.
- Say hello in Minnesota Meets the World: where you are, and what brings you here.
2. Where to post what
- A Space: conversation, news, photos and quick questions for people who share an interest. Start here when in doubt.
- The Forums: practical questions whose answers will still be useful next year (visas, insurance, getting around). Each question gets its own thread that others can search later.
- Events: talks, concerts, festivals and gatherings, ours and the community’s.
- Photos & video: albums and slide shows, with captions in your own words.
- Your own blog: longer pieces such as trip reports and essays. Start one from My Blog; a moderator reviews new posts before they appear.
3. Who can see what
- Posts in open Spaces and on the main Activity feed are visible to everyone, including people who aren’t members.
- Posts in members-only Spaces are visible only to that Space’s members.
- Each profile field, photo and album has its own visibility setting. Choose who sees it when you add it.
- Please be careful about others. Some members live in countries where being identified online can be dangerous. Use first names, and never post anyone’s full name, photo, workplace or location without their permission.
4. Make it yours
- Your feed shows posts from the Spaces you join and the people you connect with. Leave a Space or unfollow someone to see less.
- Too many emails? Go to Settings to choose which notifications you get, and how often.
- Saw something useful? Bookmark it to find it again under Bookmarks in your menu.
5. A few ground rules
We don’t need a long rulebook, but here’s what I’m hoping for:
- Be kind, and assume the best about each other. We come from a lot of different countries, languages and points of view, and things don’t always translate the way we meant them.
- Disagree as much as you like – that’s half the fun – but argue with the idea, not the person.
- Please check with me before posting ads or fundraising appeals.
- If something bothers you, send me a private message. I read every one.
I’m glad you’re here. Introduce yourself, look around, and let me know what you think – including what we’re missing.
– Jeremy