Confused?

We know that once you log in to Jake it can all seem a little overwhelming. Hopefully this little guide can help you on your way...

Home
When you enter the site, the first thing you will see is your Home page. On the top right of the page you will instantly be able to see if you have any new Jake Mail messages or Voicebox messages. To read your Jake Mail messages, click on the ‘In Box’ icon or click on the ‘mailbox’ icon on the top right hand side of the navigation bar. There are additional notes below relating to Jake Mailbox.

To listen to your Voicebox messages, click on the ‘Voicebox’ icon on the top navigation bar and click on your ‘Voicebox Inbox’ to hear your messages. There are additional notes relating to Jake Voicebox below.

You will also find links to the top Forum topics, Clubs and Societies, Polls and News by clicking on the links on your Home page. The most recent entries are shown on the home page so that you can get into ‘real time’ discussions more easily.

At the bottom left of the page you will find the Jake Randomiser, which selects Trusted member profiles at random. Click the round icon at the top right hand of the Randomiser and you will see more profiles displayed. At the bottom right of the page you will find the Rotary Randomiser. This displays Rotary Listings (adverts). Again, by clicking on the round icon you will be able to view more adverts. Anyone with a business or who wishes to market their employer’s firm can become a Rotary member and attend the special Rotary events.

Jake Mail
You can access your Jake Mail by clicking on the ‘Mailbox’ icon on the navigation bar at the top right hand side of the site. To message someone directly, click the button called ‘mail me’ with the envelope icon on their profile. You can also store messages in folders, or delete them by ticking the messages you wish to move or delete, then selecting the option you want from the drop-down menu marked ‘action’.

Responses to messages you send will appear in your Inbox (the envelope icon on the top right of your navigation bar). The system will remind you if you don’t open messages straight away.

Stopping email reminders
When logged off the system, a message will be sent to your standard email, suggesting that you check your ‘In Box’. You can choose not to receive email reminders by un-ticking the ‘Jake mail alerts’  option, then pressing ‘save personal details’  in ‘edit personal details’ on the ‘edit profile’ page. 

Associates
If you have something in common with another user, why not link to them? Press the ‘link’ icon on their profile and they will receive notification that you would like to link your profiles. If they accept, their profile will appear as a hyperlink under yours. Linking to many people helps the social network grow. If you find someone with similar interests or offering mutually beneficial services, suggest a link.

You can see which of your Associates are online and message them using Jake Mail by viewing your Associates in two ways:

(1) Click on the Associates icon on your Home page (located just below your photo towards the top left hand side of the page). Associates who are offline have a grey icon, whilst Associates who are online have a green icon.

(2) Go to the ‘edit profile’ page of the site, click on ‘view profile’ and your Associates will be located at the bottom left hand side of the page. You will be able to see which of your Associates are online or offline by the icon displayed on their profile.

You can view other members’ Associates at the bottom left hand side of the page when you view their profile. You can view your own Associates at the bottom left hand side of your profile. Click ‘view profile’ on the ‘edit profile’ page of the site to view your profile.

Adding or deleting Associates
To add someone to your Associates List, click on the button on their profile marked ‘+ friend’. They will then be sent an invitation to link your profile to theirs, which they can accept or decline. To manage your Associates List, click on the ‘Associates’ link on the Home page just below your profile photo towards the top left hand side of the page. You can view Associates awaiting approval, delete or view Associates using this.

This feature, and many others, are designed to make communicating with other members easier.

Edit profile
Use this section to create and edit your profile and gallery. You can view your own profile by clicking on the ‘view my profile’ option.

Create a profile
Go to "Edit Profile" and use the various sections to create your profile. Select options that best describe you and your character. Remember that the community serves many purposes, one of which is as a social tool. The more data you fill in, the more response you will receive from other members. None of these details will passed on to a third party - only Jake Staff and other members can see them. A Mentor will message you if your profile is inappropriate.

We encourage users to use their real names and normal photos. It helps us when we hold events to have your real name on the guest list and fosters a transparency that has become the most compelling quality of the website. Forum users feel more accountable and tend to think seriously about what they are writing before they post their comments.

Change your password
Select ‘edit profile’ on the top navigation bar, then click on ‘edit password’. Type the password you would like to use into the two text boxes displayed on the right hand side of the page, then click the ‘change password’ button. Next time you log into Jake, this will be your password. If you have any problems accessing Jake, email Those_Nice_People@jaketm.com

Create prods
Prods are another social networking tool exclusive to Jake. They help people with common interests communicate without having to compose elaborate messages.

Within "Edit Prods" you have the option to input four questions you would like other members to respond to. Use this as an opportunity to identify other people within the social network that share your interests or who would be valuable in some way to your experience. Examples may be "Click here if you are looking for a gym buddy.", "Click here if you also work in the finance industry" etc. Again, the more you change and update your prods, the more response you will get from other members.

Upload your photo
Our system allows you to upload two images of yourself or perhaps another image such as a company logo. Please read our Terms and Conditions fully before uploading and ensure you own the Intellectual and Real Property of anything you publish on our system. Whilst our community has a professional approach, the use of informalities such as photos adds the essential social elements to this network. Please do not upload pornographic images. There are great websites for people looking for a conspicuously sexual experience – Jake is trying to offer the gay community a different networking tool. We have no objection to you giving, say, a Gaydar profile link. We understand that many of our members have a place in their lives for both approaches. We are not elitist or prudes. Jake is just a different space fulfilling slightly different needs.

Remember that if you upload a huge pixel photo, when other members click on it for a larger version, they may only see your nose. Try and upload sensible size pictures so that it cab be viewed easily.

Create your Gallery and upload even more photos
Our system allows you to upload up to 15 images to each of your galleries. To create a gallery, go to the ‘edit profile’ page and click ‘edit gallery’. Click the ‘new gallery’ button, type the name of your gallery into the white box and press ‘save’. You will then be able to upload pictures by clicking the ‘edit’ button displayed next to the gallery you have created.

Click the ‘browse’ button and click on the image you wish to upload, then click the ‘add image’ button. You can add text descriptions by typing into the ‘image title’ and ‘image details’ text fields in ‘Add an image’. You may also view your gallery and delete images in this section.

Remember, Jake is all about networking and helping people communicate both socially and in business. Feel free to upload business logos, company data – anything that helps you to prosper.

Search
Use this facility to locate other members of the social network - look for people by services offered, company name or geographical location. To bring back a fuller list, select many options. There are tick boxes to select only members who are Online and/or have ‘Trusted’ profiles.

Trusted / Constructed profiles
Trusted profiles use real names, relevant content and photos. They are manually approved by Jake mentors. All other profiles are referred to as ‘Being Constructed.’ We do this because many new users have been conditioned by standard gay websites and need time to understand where they are going wrong. In the old days, we could only delete inappropriate profiles which made people very upset. This is a happy compromise. 

When you search for members, profiles are displayed as a list on the right hand side of the Search page. If you wish to view the members’ profile, click on their Username or ‘profile’ button and you will be able to view their full profile.

 
Events
Jake is both an online and offline community, and Jakers and members are welcome at any events we hold. Paying members have guest list priority and come for free, but all members of the site are welcome to attend events but may be required to pay.

Click the ‘attend’ button if you would like to attend any of our events in the ‘next event’ link to the right hand side of the JAKE logo on the top navigation bar. If you would like to suggest an event, contact our Mentoring helpers through Those_Nice_People@jaketm.com

You can also view Galleries from previous Jake events by clicking on the Gallery links. You can view past events on this page as well. Jake is a secure site. Only registered users can view the full range of galleries but please tell anyone taking pictures at events if you don’t want your picture on the site. We fully understand that some of you work in industries (such as the oil industry!) that are still culturally compromised.

Clubs & Societies
Jake Clubs are designed to bring together members of the community who share similar interests. You may join as many Clubs as you wish. By joining Clubs you will receive advance notification of forthcoming events. Club pages will be added to the site soon, with Galleries, a calendar of forthcoming events, Club Forums, and the ability to view the profiles of other Club members. To join a Jake Club, click on the ‘join club’ button. To leave the Club, click the ‘leave’ button.

Jake Societies are designed to bring together members of the community who share similar professional interests. The Directors’ Society is designed for everyone from business executives to entrepreneurs looking for start-up finance or networking advice. The Media Society is, unsurprisingly, designed for people involved in the Media industry, wanting to enter it or simply interested in the media.

Membership of Jake Societies is currently for paying members only. By joining Jake’s Societies you will receive advance notification of forthcoming events as well as occasional news updates. Society pages will be added to the site soon, with Galleries, a calendar of forthcoming events, Society Forums, and the ability to view the profiles of other Society members. To join a Jake Society, click on the ‘join club’ button. To leave the Society, click the ‘leave’ button.

Rotary
Jake Rotary is the Jake marketplace, where members who want to take that extra step, can advertise their businesses to other members formally. To create an advert, you must be a paying member. Click on the ‘create listing’ button to create an advert. Instructions are included in the link. Email or call the Jake team if you experience difficulties creating a profile.

To view profiles, the default page shows Listings at random. Click on the six lifestyle sections; Home, Grooming, Services, Style, Leisure and Miscellaneous, to view these sections. Click on the ‘view listing’ button to view listings, or click the ‘visit website’ button to view the company website. When you view any listing you can also click through to view the profile belonging to the member who has posted the listing. You can then communicate with the Jake member by sending them a message using Jake Mail, or leave them a voice message using Jake Voicebox.  

Forums
Our forums differ from most because they link directly to your profile and as such, members consider their postings more than contributors to more anonymous sites may do. These are public forums where you can share your experiences, observations, and chat about topical news or events. Topics are grouped into various sections: Entertainment, Travel, and so on, so add a post, or just review what’s already there. Check the Terms and Conditions to ensure you don’t offend or disrupt the positive direction of the community.

In the past, we have had members who have posted forums that some consider offensive. One member, for example, wrote prolifically in defense of Robert Mugabe and his view of HIV. We try not to sensor members – but there are occasions where, following member requests, we have been forced to delete not just the forum, but the member’s profile. Please report any misuse of the forum and if possible try to consider the feelings of others who may read it.

Click on any Forum that you wish to and you will see a number of topics that you can view or add to. If you would like to create your own discussion topic, click on the ‘create topic’ icon at the top right hand side of the page. If you would like to contribute to an existing discussion, click the ‘new post’ link at the top right hand side of the page and enter the title and text into the text boxes, then click the ‘add reply’ button.

Jake Voicebox
Jake has given every member their very own Voicebox number and you may collect messages for free. Members can even give this number to non-Jake members in situations where they are reluctant to give out their real mobile number. You will be informed immediately (by email) when you have a message. This may be useful when you’re out clubbing. It is also a useful business tool.

To view your Jake Voicebox, click on the ‘Voicebox’ icon at the top right hand side of the navigation bar. You can personalize your settings by recording a voice greeting, choosing to not display your Voicebox number on your profile and select a new Voicebox number on this page. You also have your In Box, where you can listen to your Voicebox messages (as MP3 files). Full instructions are available on the Voicebox page of the site.

To call other Jake members, simply dial the number displayed on their profile from your own phone or Skype and you can leave them a Voicebox message. We will be adding new features to Jake Voicebox shortly, including ‘divert to mobile or phone line’ and lo-cost international calls. Calls to Jake Voicebox are 17p per minute from a BT line, call charges from mobile phones may vary. Be warned if you use one of the smaller ‘trendy’ mobile networks – they often take the piss!

Black Book
If you wish to ‘bookmark’ members you see so that you can visit them at another time, you can click on the ‘Black Book’ icon when viewing their profile. You will then be able to view their profile whenever you wish to, delete it from your Black Book, or add notes. Your Black Book is completely private – only you can view your own Black Book.

To add notes, click on the ‘add/edit notes’ button, type your notes into the text book, click the ‘update Black Book’ button, then press the ‘back’ hyperlink (top left of the pop-up) to view your Black Book. The most recent entry will appear at the top.

Blog
To view other members’ Blogs, click on the ‘Blog’ icon when you view their profile. Most recent Blogs appear at the top. To read the Blog, click the title. To return to the list of titles, clack the top left ‘back’ hyperlink.

To create your own Blog, go to the ‘edit profile’ page, select ‘view profile’, then click on the ‘Blog’ button on your own profile. To add a new Blog topic, click on the ‘add Blog’ hyper-link at the top left hand side of the pop-up. Add the title and type your Blog into the text boxes, and press the ‘save’ button. The Blog will then appear at the top of your Blog pop-up.

Viewing Galleries
To view other members’ galleries, click on the gallery title and you will link through to their personal Gallery.

Online
The Online icon will show you how many users are online at any moment. Click the icon to see profiles of other members online. Unlike many gay websites, our user base is at its highest during the working day. Many people keep their Jake page minimized on their work screen. Because of the lack of sexual content, most company internet filters allow Jake to be used at work. If your company’s system prevents you from using Jake at work, let us know and we will contact your HR department and see if this can be changed without ‘outing’ you.

Paying membership
To view membership benefits or to upgrade to paying membership, click the ‘Why should I upgrade?’ link at the bottom of the site. Click ‘upgrade’ and follow the instructions to set up a monthly standing order using a credit or debit card. In order to view your new status, you will need to log out of the website by clicking the ‘LOG OUT’ icon at the top right hand side of the top navigation bar, then log back in again. The site will then change your member status icon from Jaker to Member. If at any time you wish to cancel your membership, contact the Jake team and they will be able to facilitate this.

Contact and help
Click on the Contact & Help page (using the text hyper-link on the top navigation bar) to view Jake contact details and team members, with links through to their profiles. You may also click ‘recommend a friend’ on this page. Please invite friends and associates to join Jake. Jake has grown virally, entirely through word of mouth.


The Jake Team, 2007