What are Connections?

Just like in the real world, building and strengthening a community is all about making connections. At Famboogle, you can connect to People, Organizations, Schools, Events, New Stories and Discussions. At Famboogle, a Connection means:

• … a show of interest in and support for the connected node to everyone else in the community.
• … that the node is moved into your “My Connections” folder where you can access it quickly for future reference (for instance phone numbers, for sending messages, as a simple reminder etc). Think of the “My Connections” folder as your Refrigerator Door at Famboogle
• … that the connected nodes (for instance an organization or school) can send you information through the Famboogle network. You are giving the connection permission to reach out to you. You can see that this is a great feature for non-profits, schools etc to reach their members and supporters, without having to maintain a separate email list.

You establish a connection by finding what you are interested in, and then clicking the “Make this a Connection” icon
Since Famboogle connections work two-ways, some connections (like those to other People) require the approval of the other node, before they are established. In this case, a message is sent to the other side, asking for approval first.

You can delete a connection at anytime by clicking on the “Remove from my connections” symbol .

How is Famboogle related to community?

Its simple: Famboogle helps local communities to help themselves. Local communities have been under attack for decades, they have driven us apart from each other. Famboogle can help build bridges in the communities that adopt it. But, Famboogle will not work without the active support from the community.

Famboogle is part of your community, and we prove it. In times of ever tighter town budgets, of reducing funds for anything public, Famboogle shares 10% of its advertising revenue with the local school or organization of the user’s choice. It may not be all that is needed, but it can surely pay some bills.

I need help understanding how to use your site. Where can I find more information?

There are two great ways on how to do that:

• Look for the “Tutorial” links which we have posted on the site, mostly inside of the main modules, but also other important places. Clicking on the “Tutorial” opens a separate window with an animation explaining exactly what to do how (make sure to turn your speakers on!).
• Look for the “LiveChat” button in the top-right side of the screen. If LiveChat is available, you can chat with one of our Customer Support experts directly from your computer. Note, Famboogle is a small, community-driven company, and we may not be available very often. Please be patient. If needed, you can leave a message in the support desk and we will get back to you as soon s we can.

I worry about the environment – how can Famboogle help me live a more sustainable life?

Sustainability and localism are closely aligned. The more we live our lives locally and the more we use local resources, the higher our chances of living sustainable lives. Famboogle attempts to assist community members live their lives more locally, in natural, efficient and fun ways. Use Famboogle to connect to your community, and you will probably live your life more locally. Use Famboogle to connect others in your community, and chances are they will do the same.

What is the Famboogle Notification Tool?

With the Famboogle Notifier, you won’t have to check Famboogle again and again for updated information. Think of Famboogle as a search tool for local events, offer and news that you set to retrieve information for you automatically. You set your interests in Famboogle, and the Famboogle notifier checks our database in the background. Whenever the Notifier detects a new event, offer or news story that may be of interest to you, a little message appears in your computers system tray (Windows PC only for now). You can ignore this message completely, or you can click on the little message, and you are immediately taken to famboogle.com to see what we found. Give it a try – it really is kind of handy!

Does Famboogle cost any money?

Most functions in Famboogle are completely free to most users. We charge local businesses when users click on their offers (similar to the big search engines). In the future, we are planning to offer users simple and affordable home technology solutions, for which we may charge hardware costs and/or monthly subscription fees. All of these options will of course be completely optional.

Famboogle is a for-profit corporation. How can it be a “community organization” at the same time?

The biggest problem with online community initiatives is that they don’t make any money. Most of them are started with the best intentions, providing services to the community for one or another purpose. But, what started as a great effort quickly runs “out of steam” and loses momentum. It’s different when money is involved. Money keeps things going – for the benefit of the community! Remember, 10% of Famboogle’s advertising revenue can be directed by the user as a charitable contribution to the local school or organization of his/her choice. Yes, money does come in handy when trying to support communities.

Can I have Famboogle in our community?

Famboogle is currently only available in the community of Arlington, Massachusetts. We will consider expanding the platform in the future. If you are interested in having Famboogle in your community, please email arlington@famboogle.com

I keep having general problems on the site, not all of the functions in Famboogle seem to be working?

Famboogle is a small, community-driven company that is still evolving. While we are working hard to make the site “perfect”, there is still a large amount of work to be done. Please bear with us during this learning period, and feel free to forward technical concerns, bugs etc to arlington@famboogle.com Sending along a screen shot of your problem can help us greatly in identifying and solving the problem.