Questions About Private Pods

A Private Pod is your own private site that can include a private chat and a private message board. The services in a Private Pod are only accessible to members of that Private Pod. The creator of the Private Pod has the ability to invite, add, and remove members on his or her Private Pod Member List. Private Pods are great for people who want to have a Web page, but only want it viewed by a certain group of people.

Q: Why would I want a Private Pod?

If you want to publish a Web page, but you don't want everyone on the Internet to be able to view it, a Private Pod is the perfect solution. You can build a homepage (or several pages) with Tripod's superior pagebuilding technologies, and then create your own Pod member list. Only people on your member list are granted access to your Private Pod and all of its services.

Q: What can I do with a Private Pod?

You can do almost anything you want! Create a family photo album; keep your book group updated; store business information that you and your employees will have access to anytime — the list goes on. You can also choose to include a private chat room and a private message board in your Private Pod.

Q: How many Private Pods can I make?

As of now, Tripod members can make up to ten Private Pods.

Q: Can I make an existing directory private?

You sure can. When you first decide to build a Private Pod, you are given the choice of either building a new directory to make private, or selecting one you have already created to make private. You can scroll through the "Available Directories" on the page and select one.

Q: Can I make a private file public?

Yup. If you build a Private Pod and then decide you would like to make if accessible to everyone on the Web, go to the Files option in the Private Pod administrator, and click "Public" in the second step.

Q: Can I change the title of my Private Pod?

Sure. After you have built a Private Pod, go to the Files option in the Private Pod Administrator. There you will be given the option of changing the title of your Pod.

Q: Can I make a page other than the front page of my Private Pod public?

Yes. Just go to the Edit section of the Administrator and in step 2, you can enter the URL of the page you want to be public. That way, if you list your page in the Private Pod Listing Index and people click on your link, they will get to see the page you made public.

Q: Why would I want a public page in my Private Pod?

If you would like people other than the members of your Pod to know what your Private Pod is about, it's definitely helpful to have a public page that they can view without having to be a member. You can also let people request to join your Private Pod on this page. You do not have to create a public page for your Private Pod, and you do not have to list it in the Private Pod Listing Index.

Q: How do I get listed in the Tripod Private Pod Index?

Go to the Listing option in the Private Pod Administrator. Enter a URL and pick a category — your Private Pod will then appear in the Tripod Private Pod Listing Index.

Q: What happens when I am listed in the Tripod Private Pod Directory?

When you add your Private Pod to the Tripod Private Pod Index, anyone on the Web will be able to see that your Private Pod exists. Viewers who are not members will not be able to enter your Pod; they will only be able to go to the public page of your Pod.

Q: What happens if I am not listed in the Index?

Your Private Pod will remain just that — private. Only people you have invited or added to your member list will know about your Pod. You won't receive any random visitors or requests to join your Private Pod.

Q: Why did my Private Pod not show up in the Private Pod Listing Index?

The Private Pod Listing Index is updated every 15 minutes. If you don't see your Pod there when you first check, come back to it in 15 minutes and it should be there!

Q: How do interested people join my Private Pod?

If people find out that your Private Pod exists and go to your public page (presuming you have one), they can e-mail you and ask to become a member. You are the only one to decide who joins your Private Pod.

Q: How do I join someone else's Private Pod?

The same way someone joins yours. Find out who runs the Private Pod you want to join and send them an e-mail asking if you can become a member. It's up to them if they want to grant you membership. And if they say no, you can always build your own Private Pod!

Q: How many members can I add to my Private Pod?

You can add as many as 101 members to your Private Pod.

Q: What's the difference between adding and inviting someone to my Private Pod?

You can only add someone to your Pod if they are already a Tripod member. You need to enter their Tripod member name in the Add option in the Private Pod Administrator. If the person you wish to make a member of your Pod is not a Tripod member, then you have to invite him or her to join your Pod and Tripod, by using the Invite option in the Private Pod administrator. Once the person joins Tripod, all you have to do is add his or her Tripod member name to your member list in the Add section.

Q: Can I add only Tripod members to my Private Pod?

Yup, that's just the way things work. In order for you to add a member to your Private Pod, they have to be a Tripod member first.

Q: What if I can't find someone's Tripod member name?

We've included a Tripod member search in the Add section of the Private Pod administrator. Type in all the info you know, and let the search engine do the rest.

Q: Can I invite anyone to my Private Pod?

Sure. We're not stingy when it comes to invites. You can invite as many people from as many places as you like. To cut down on spamming, we've made it possible to send only one e-mail invitation at a time.

Q: What if I don't know the e-mail address of someone I want to invite?

We've included a PeopleFind search in the Invite section of the Administrator especially for this dilemma. Type in as much info as you can, and see what the search engine comes up with.

Q: What can I use my Invitation List for?

You can delete names from your invitation list in the Invite section of the Administrator. If you like, you can delete people who have actually joined your Pod. Or, you can simply keep the list as it is, keeping track of everyone you've ever invited. That way you'll never invite someone twice. It's up to you really — whatever helps you keep things organized.

Q: What happens when I remove someone from my Member List?

When you remove someone from your Private Pod member list in the Remove option in the Administrator, you have essentially revoked his or her Private Pod membership. They will no longer be able to access your Private Pod, or any of the goodies that accompany it (i.e. private chat and message board).

Q: Can I add someone again after I remove then from my member list?

Sure. Just go to Add in the Administrator and add their Tripod member name to your member list. Cool.

Q: Who is on the Member List in the Remove section?

The member list in the Remove section of the Administrator is a current listing of the members in your Private Pod. You can check out their Tripod member profile by selecting their name on the list and clicking on "View Member Profile" (go figure). You can also remove a member from your Pod by selecting their member name and clicking "Remove Member" at the bottom of the page.

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