Welcome to Mainstreet Online!

In efforts to make the site more user-friendly and dynamic, I thought I'd write some words about navigating the site and things you can do to make it more comfortable.

REGISTER

The first thing you need to do (if you want it to be somewhat interactive) is look to the top left side of the home page where it says Hello Visitor and find the links that say Login or Register. If you haven't already set up a username, click on Register and follow the instructions. You need a valid email address and a username (whatever you want to see in as your name in front of comments you leave or other interactions). You can embellish this membership later with a picture and biographical information, if you like. You do this by (after you've registered the first time, and you find yourself on the page with your name at the top left corner - i.e: Hello Ingrid) clicking on your name and going into edit. There you can upload an image and enter further details.

SHOUTS

On the left hand side of the page, under the Search bar, you'll see an italicized prompt called SHOUT. Under this word, you can type in whatever is on your mind and click Shout and it will appear almost instantaneously. It's like Instant Messaging for the website. Have something that just burns you up? Want to send some love to a special someone? Want to start a discussion? Put it here! This is to be used for personal and/or non-profits to get their message out as well. It is not intended for business use.

BLOGS

Off of the Home Page, you'll notice several tabs... The first one (after Home) is the Blogs tab. This is where some regular bloggers will have their submissions posted. If you click on that tab, you can then click on the bloggers name to see the blogs that he or she has written. Then you can click on the link to go to that blog and read what's printed. At the bottom of the blog, you'll see an option to leave a comment. Click either "Add New Comment" or just start typing your comment and then click Preview and then Save.

FORUMS

Under the Forums tab, you'll find topics of discussion. You can post your own comments here, or even start a new topic by putting in a Shout (see above) or by contacting me via email: mainstreet@theeastshore.net or by phone: 250.227.9246.

CLASSIFIEDS

The classifieds section is intended for buying and selling goods and services. Classifieds cost $2 for the time being and can be paid for with Paypal or Credit Card. They are left on the site for 4 weeks at that rate. Please try out the classifieds and let us know how the process worked for you. To place a classified: Click on the Classified tab next to Forums. Click on How To Place Your Classified Then click on Join the Classified - go to this page. Enter your Ad Title, the category and your text. Be sure to keep your body characters to under the restricted limit of 200. If you want to add a photo, browse for your image and attach it. Click Save. This is where it gets a bit tricky. There is some text that reads: "This item is still unpaid. Other users will not be able to access it. Use the "PayPal Publish" above to make it live." Look to the top right of your screen, and click (in the black box) PayPal Publication. In the next screen, click "Proceed to PayPal Publication". Next you can enter your PayPal information and proceed, or choose "Pay with a Credit Card" below. Follow the on-screen prompts and you should find yourself redirected to the main website where your classified will be published shortly. You may need to refresh or log and and back in to see your classified ad.

EVENTS

If you have an Event that you'd like posted, click on the calendar and click the link to post an event. Fill out the fields and when it comes up to the Editor once you've finished, I will publish it for you. If you want me to list your event (will show up on the calendar and on the home page's Upcoming Events) please sent it to me via email, phone or Shout, and I will post it for you. Any event can be listed, whether non-profit or business and I encourage you to use this feature. 

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

The Business Directory tab is fairly self-explanatory. This is a basic listing of nearly every business on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake. It includes the business name and phone number and will likely develop over time to be more expansive and colourful. If you notice that your business is not on this list, please contact me and I will add it immediately. Apologies if you've been overlooked...

FERRY SCHEDULE

Here you'll find the Kootenay Lake year-round ferry schedule. Watch this tab for some live weather web cam shots, including a ferry landing web cam in the coming months!

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

You will also see some ads on the main page. I would like to thank those businesses for their support and welcome new advertisers to join the site. There is a weather button on the page, where you can see our current local (Crawford Bay) weather, as well as find weather for Nelson, Creston, Calgary and Vancouver. If you click on the button itself, near the middle, you will be navigated away from the page to another page where you can see photos of the region taken by local photographers who take it upon themselves to document the conditions. There are also Facebook and other social media connection buttons, where you can post something you see on the website to your favourite social media site.

THANK YOU

Thanks for taking the time to familiarize yourself with the site. It is, indeed, a work in progress, and your support and feedback is most appreciated. Here's to progress!