Frequently Asked Questions

General stuff

• What is the purpose of Activ?

  Activ is for you… Our main goal is to connect YOU with everything that is going on in your area. It’s fun, it’s interactiv and most of all it becomes very addictive the more comments you add. Activ members are required to add honest and accurate reviews, therefore, the information you find will be based on real life experiences. If you experience something great share it, likewise if you have a bad experience share that to. Yes we monitor content to ensure nothing is abusive, slanderous or false, however, if it’s your opinion don’t be afraid to have your say. Seeing as all Activ members take this approach it ensures we can help you to identify what’s good and what’s not in your area

• What can I do on Activ?

  You can do loads of stuff… Our goal is to ensure the information you receive is tailored specifically to your interests. You can:

  Connect with organisations you have an interest in and receive their latest news, events, jobs and special offers
  Review any organisation you have visited, by writing a review, uploading a photo or sharing a video.
  Follow up your interests and receive information that is tailored specifically to your interests
  Invite friends to join the fun and stay in contact with them through your very own blog
  Comment on forum topics and have you say about what’s going on around you
  Sell your goods including your property, car, the old sofa, the bike you don’t use anymore, literally anything you want
  Advertise and promote your organisation for free! Feel free to use our organisation development tools to help generate you more business.
  Receive live stats on who is reviewing your organisation. If you like the feedback you can even link to your Activ reviews directly from your own website (visit MANAGE in MY ORGANISATIONS to find out how)

• Is Activ free?

  Yes! It’s free to join, its free to add your organisation, it’s free to add your news and its free to sell your goods! So what are you waiting for? Join the Activ community now There are a few features that cost however these are clearly highlighted and all aimed at helping you promote your organisation online. Should you use any of these features all payments are taken through our secure payment system.

• What does the Activ app do?

  It’s a mini version of the main website. Most of us all have our mobile phone with us all the time therefore if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or Android phone download the app now to ensure you can search find and comment on what’s good and what’s not when you’re out and about.

Members Dashboard

• How does my member’s dashboard work?

  When you join Activ you will receive your very own member’s dashboard. This is your part of the site where you get to select what information you want to receive, and is where you can add all your information for free. Its whole purpose is to give you complete control of what organisations to ‘Connect’ to and what interests to ‘Follow Up’. There is too much going on in the Member’s Dashboard to explain it all here, therefore, sign up now and find out for yourself exactly how Activ connects you with everything that is going on in your area.

• How do I add a photo to my profile? Where will it show?

  In your dashboard you have an option to add a photo to your profile. It can be of anything you want (within reason)…Make it funny, change it constantly it’s your profile photo to do exactly what you want with. Your profile photo will show next to every review you add therefore the more you comment the more you add content to the site the more exposure your profile will get, therefore be sure to make your profile photo interesting.

• How do I CONNECT with organisations?

  You can search for all sorts of different organisations on Activ, including local businesses, schools, community clubs and charities to name a few. When you find the organisation you are interested in click the ‘Connect’ button. Any organisations you ‘Connect’ with will then appear in your dashboard.

• What happens when I CONNECT to organisations?

  Each organisation that is featured on Activ has their very own blog to add their latest news, events, special offers and jobs. Therefore, by connecting with organisations you are interested in you will be sent their latest information for free as soon as they add something. Connecting with organisations is a great way of staying up to date with everything that is happening around you.

• How do I add an advert to advertise my property, car or any item I wish to sell?

  In your dashboard, click on the option ‘My Adverts’ and select which category the item you wish to sell falls into. Upload your information and away you go, it is as easy as 1,2,3.

• How does My Blog work?

  You will receive your very own blog when you join Activ. You can use it to share your thoughts with the world, it’s free so use it as often as you want. Each organisation you add to Activ gets its own blog so don’t get confused with your own personal blog and an organisations blog Both types of blogs work pretty much the same. If it’s your own blog any friends you have will see your comments. If it’s an organisations blog and “Connects” you have will see what you have to say.

• How does Follow Up work?

  Your interests are your interests, your friends are likely to have something in common with you but no two people are the same. This is what is great about ‘Follow Up’ as it allows you to select what information you want to receive and what information you don’t There are lots of sections to Activ, including information on local:

  News
  Property
  Jobs
  Sport
  What’s on
  Where to stay
  And much more
  Follow up your interests and be notified each time any information is added to something you are interested in. Whoops nearly forget… you can find ‘Follow Up’ in your own dashboard

• Can I CONNECT with organisations on a different Activ site to where I live?

  Yes… If you’re going out of town to see the relatives or for a short break this is a great way to find out what’s going on in the area you are visiting. More and more of us don’t live in the area we grew up in so it’s easy to use Activ to keep up to date of what is happening in the area you once lived in.

• How do I invite my friends?

  You need to be logged in then click the ‘Invite Friends’ tab and enter your friends email addresses. This will then send your friends an email to request them to join you on Activ… The more friends that join you the more fun you will have. All of us have friends that are outspoken and like to have their say, therefore, make sure you invite them along to Activ to comment on what’s good and what’s not in your area.

• Can I invite friends through a multiple contact list?

  Yes… Use your existing contact book to send multiple friend invites all at once.

• Do the friends I make all have to be local to me and be related to my local Activ site?

  No not at all, Friends can be anywhere. Use the ‘Search Members” tab to see if your friends have already joined Activ, if they haven’t send them a friend request to join the fun.

• Can I login to other Activ sites using the same login details or do I need a different account for each Activ site?

  Your login details will work on any Activ site meaning you can access your dashboard wherever you are. If you login to a different site to the one you joined up on you can do the following:

  Add reviews on any site.
  Connect with organisations on any site.
  Send friend request to any member on any site
  Comment on ‘My Blog’
  What you can’t do is:
  Follow up your interests on other Activ sites as all your ‘Follow Ups’ will relate to the site you joined.
  Add an organisation to a different Activ site. Organisations you add will only appear on the Activ site you joined.
  Add an advert to a different Activ site as they will only appear on the Activ site you joined.
  If you wish to do any of the above you will need to sign up specifically on that site.

• How will I know if I have received a friend’s request?

  You will be sent an email as well as the notification will appear in your dashboard.

Content

• Are their guidelines of what to add and what not to add?

  Yes they can be found in the ‘Content Guidelines’ The question you need to ask, is this, “is what I’m adding accurate and honest?” As long as it is you have nothing to worry about. Don’t swear, threaten anyone or say anything slanderous.

• How do I add information to different sections on the site?

  Any reviews you add are added on the front end of the site, next to the organisation you are reviewing You then have your own dashboard where you can add and edit information to appear on specific sections of the site. This is all done through your personal blog or an organisations blog Each time you add a blog post select where you want the information you have added to be displayed. This will relate to sections on the site including Local Community Information, News, Events, Jobs or Special Discounts. If you want to add content to the Property, Car, Classifieds section this is done by adding an advert in ‘My Adverts’.

• How do I upload a video?

  You can use the Activ app, or you can upload a video directly from your computer. This can be done by selecting the ‘Upload a Video” option or by selecting the video option when you add a review. Videos are a great way to share information.

• How do I add a forum topic?

  The forum is a great way for you to share your thoughts. Find the section of the Forum you want to comment on and add a new topic. You will be notified each time anyone comments on a topic that you started.

• How do I report any errors I find?

  From time to time you might experience a few issues, if you find yourself in this situation please let us know by contacting us through the ‘Contact Form’.

Privacy Settings

• Who can see my profile?

  There are parts of your profile that no one can see for example your address and phone number. However there are parts of your profile that are viewable by anyone who visits Activ. You can decide what to show and what not to show by adjusting your settings in ‘My Settings’ in your dashboard.

• What does Activ do with my details?

  We take your privacy very seriously, so much so we have a whole page of legal’s for you to read about privacy. Please take time to review our ‘Privacy Policy’.

Nudges

• What are Nudges?

  Nudges are your way of ensuring you receive the information you want. They allow you to do 3 things…

  • If you can’t find an organisation you want to ‘Connect’ with send then a ‘Nudge’. Simply add an organisation that you can’t find on Activ in the ‘Nudges’ section of your dashboard and this will send them an email to request they join.
    Any organisations you find on Activ that are yet to claim their organisation give them a ‘Nudge’ to pull their finger out because as a user it is important you receive their latest information.
    As with most things when you start something new you are very excited, however, as time passes this excitement can be lost and certain organisations might forget that they have a number of ‘Connects’ waiting to hear from them. Therefore send them a ‘Nudge’ to kick-start any organisations that might go quiet for a while.

Organisations

• How did my organisation appear on Activ?

  It is important as many organisations as possible appear on Activ to ensure you receive up to date information of what is going on around you. Your organisation could be appearing because an Activ member has added it and sent you a ‘Nudge’ to claim your organisations. It could have been added by one of our local editors or finally through 3rd party data that we have acquired over the years. If your organisation is appearing on Activ take it as a compliment, it is there because local people want it to be there.

• The information about my organisation is wrong, what shall I do?

  All you need to do is claim your organisation and update the information so that it’s relevant. Organisations constantly change addresses or change their details so if something is wrong please update it for free. Find your listing and click the ‘Claim Organisation and become Activ’ tab.

• How do I claim my organisation and take control of my listing?

  Find your listing and click the ‘Claim Organisation and become Activ’ tab. You will then be asked to join / login and check the information we are displaying is correct. All claimed organisations need to be verified, therefore, once we’ve done this you will be informed by email and you can then manage your organisation. All approved organisations can be found in ‘My Organisations’ in your dashboard .

• How do I add my organisation to Activ?

  Once you’ve become a member, visit your dashboard and click on ‘My Organisations’, here you will be able to add as many organisations as you like. If you run a local business or a local sports team you can add them all here all from one admin. Once you’ve added it will appear in the relevant categories you selected on sign up. Once your organisation is live you can then make changes constantly be selecting the ‘manage’ option found next to each individual organisation you have added.

• Do I have to pay anything to claim my organisation?

  No, Activ is free to join. All you need to do is find your organisation, claim it and wait for it to be approved, then you are away and you can add as much information as often as you like.

• How can I use Activ to promote my organisation?

  Activ works for local organisations by providing you with a range of options to increase your exposure online. These can all be found under ‘manage’ next to your specific organisation. These include:

  • Email marketing facility for you to communicate with your database of contacts
    You own blog to promote everything that is happening at your organisation. Anyone who ‘connects’ with you will receive this information for free.
    Publish your blog posts in sections of the site where our users spend most of their time. This will increase your exposure and encourage more people to ‘connect’ with you. Dependent upon which section you want to promote your posts in could result in a small fee being charged
    Live reports aimed to assist you in developing your organisation, including; info on how many members have ‘connected’ with you, your average review rating and you can even link to your reviews directly from your own website
    Notifications when a review is added about your organisation allowing you to keep track of exactly what people are saying about you
    Enhance your listing and include it in relevant categories that are specific to you
    Add yourself to the weekly Activ newsletter
    Add your jobs and events for free
    You can even add special offers to encourage people to visit you
  The more time you spend on Activ to promote your organisation the more benefit you will gain. The internet has changed the way small organisations need to market themselves, so what are you waiting for….? Take advantage NOW of all the features we offer and you will see the benefits in no time at all.

• I can’t find my organisation on Activ, what shall I do?

  If you want to be part of an online community that is growing daily you need to add your organisation ASAP. All you need to do is sign up and on your dashboard visit ‘My Organisations’ Your organisation will appear on the site as soon as you have added it. The longer you leave it the longer you’ll be missing out on all of the free tools you can use to promote your organisation online.

• How do I add my latest news, jobs, event or special offers?

  First things first, you need to add your organisation to Activ. Once you’re organisation is live you can then add as much information as you want for FREE. What you need to do is find your organisation in your dashboard and click on ‘Blog’ to add a post. Then select if the item you are about to add is News, Event, Special Offer or Job. Then complete the post. Once you hit submit that post will then be sent to anyone who has ‘Connected’ with you. It will also appear on your very own blog that can be found on your listing page. The fun doesn’t stop there though… you can then choose to promote that post in other sections of the site so that other users can see what it is you are shouting about. Simply enhance the posting and it will appear in the sections of the site that the post relates to. For example if you have added an event it will appear in the events section.

• What is the purpose of an organisations blog?

  It is a great way for you to share your organisations news. Use your organisations blog to keep your ‘Connects’ up to date of exactly what is happening. Have you got a special event this weekend, do you need a new member of staff, have you got some latest news you want to share? Whatever your reasons for having something to say, use your blog as often as you want it’s free. Be careful though not to get confused between your own blog and your organisations blog, the last thing we want is for you to rant and rave about the terrible day you have just had and it be sent to potential customers rather than your friends! Pay special attention to what you are adding and where.

• How can I add an organisation to a different Activ site that I joined up on?

  Currently you can’t, you will need to join up as a member on the site you wish to add an organisation to.

• Do I get notified of Activ members who CONNECT with my organisation?

  Yep, every time! You can keep track of how many members are connecting with you in your ‘Report’ section of ‘My Organisations’.

• Do I get notified each time someone adds a review about my organisation?

  Of course! The whole purpose of Activ is to ensure it provides everyone with honest feedback; that includes you to. If it’s your organisation you are going to want to know what people think, therefore, you will be notified each time a review is added.

Reviews

• How does the review system work?

  Reviews allows you to share your experiences of any organisations you have had any dealings with… When you add a review you will be asked to review the organisation out of 5, with 5 being the best and 0 being the worst. What you select is entirely your decision. When adding reviews be careful about the language you use, opinions are always welcome, however, slanderous and abusive language are going to get you in hot water. Yes we monitor content, but wherever possible we want to ensure all reviews stay live so make sure what you say is accurate… This works the other way to, don’t start adding reviews because a local restaurant has asked you to say something nice in exchange for a free meal. Keep it honest and accurate! Next to each organisations name you will see the average rating they have received, therefore, we recommend you read all reviews because each person will have different experiences, some good, some bad, that’s life!

• My organisation is appearing in the What’s Good section, how did it get there?

  Your local community loves you. Well done! If your organisation receives an average star rating of 4 or more will result in you appearing in What’s Good. If your customers put you there, make sure you say thanks! Don’t rely on past performances to keep you in the What’s Good section, keep up the good work and check back regularly to see how you are performing.

• My organisation is appearing in the What’s Not section, how did it get there?

  Someone somewhere has had a bad experience with you and given you a rating of 2 or less. Don’t worry if it’s just a one off as the What’s Not section takes all reviews into consideration, it works out your average rating and you will only show if your average rating is 2 or less Honest reviews are key for our member’s user experience, therefore, we will always consider our members interests if you challenge a review. If you think a review breaches our content guidelines, let us know and explain the reasons why.

• How is the review rating calculated?

  Reviews are out of 5
  5 is the highest and 0 the lowest. All individual reviews added by members will show. The average rating will then show by the organisations name.

• Are reviews ranked in a certain order?

  No, the latest review added will appear at the top. Make sure you check all reviews to get accurate information about the organisation. Don’t forget everyone is different, what some people might see as a good experience others might not, therefore it is important you look at all reviews, not just a select few.

• I am an organisation and I don’t like a review what shall I do? Shall I inform a solicitor?

  Activ aims to ensure all its members receive honest information, therefore, before you go running off to a solicitor and spending a fortune just so they can send a threatening letter to the party in question, lets just slow down a bit! If you take this approach a situation could very quickly get out of hand and a simple misunderstanding could suddenly become a much more serious issue. All Activ reviews need to comply with our ‘Content Guidelines’, therefore if you find a review that doesn’t, report the content through the “Report Abusive Content’ section of the site. We can’t promise the review will be removed, however, we will follow our internal procedures to identify if the review is bogus or not, or fails to comply with our content guidelines. Try not to stress while we carry out this process because if the review is bogus it will stand out like a saw thumb to anyone reading it.

• Can I add reviews on different Activ sites?

  Yes you can, you can review organisations from any site you wish and they will all appear in your dashboard under ‘Reviews’.

Email Notifications

• What notifications are sent to my email account?

  You will receive email notifications that relate to your activity and your interests. This could include latest information from organisations you have connected with, friend requests, weekly newsletters and lots more. Email communication is our main form of communication to ensure we keep you informed of what is happening in your area.

• How do I change my email address that notifications are sent to?

  Your email address is found in your ‘Profile’, therefore, should it change or you need to update it visit your ‘Profile’.