Welcome, members of iDive Sharks.
I've been thinking for a while to put this together after having
been asked many of these questions repeatedly. There are also
guidelines as to how you can get the most out of your time here.
What is iDive Sharks? - I've been asked this a lot. iDive
Sharks was initially a concept to create an iPhone / iPod Touch
application, a way for me to share the incredible sport that is
shark diving with the World. I started out by contacting many dive
operations and managed to get
31 of the World's leading
and respected dive operators to agree to be promoted by the
product.
How much is and where can I buy the app? - The App is
available via the Apple iTunes App Stores. The leading stores are
linked by the buttons showing the flags of the respective countries
below. If your country flag is not listed then quite simply enter
iDive Sharks into the search box in the Apple iTunes store
that you belong to. The App is priced at $1.99.
Does the App support conservation issues? - Yes. I donate
20% of the profits from the sale of the App to shark conservation,
specifically the
Palau Shark Sanctuary. With an area the size of France
to patrol and only one boat to do it there is a big need for budget
aid. It's all well and good to declare such a sanctuary but if it
can't be patrolled then it may as well not exist. The shark
fishermen don't abide by the law!
What is the point of this website? - The iDive Sharks
website was intended to be a support site for the App. A place
folks could come to if they had questions or wanted to see the
Video Demo.
It has since become a meeting point for an ever growing number of
regular shark lovers of all ages as well as fans of shark diving
itself.
Sometimes I try logging on but the site is not available? -
We are currently using a Ning platform to host the site. This means
that we have no control over the maintenance of the framework and
neither are we told about possible down time. IF the sites go well
we may look into the potential to commission our own proprietary
framework but we will need to sell a lot of Apps in order for that
to happen. Hint, hint!
How about Manta Rays, they are a member of the shark family?
- Mantas are incredible animals, I lived on Yap Island for three
years and dived with them almost every day. This site however is
named iDive Sharks and not iDive Elasmobranchs.
Do you allow commercial posting on the site? - Yes. Please
refer to the
Guidelines and
Advertising information which can also be found by hovering
over the 'My Page' tab in the man navigation toolbar.
Who do the images on the site belong to? - The incredible
imagery that you see both in the App and here in the photo
galleries remain the copyright property of the respective
photographers. The images are posted here whether in agreement with
the conditions for their appearance in the App or by voluntary
submission by the copyright owner.
Can I download the imagery for my own projects? - Please
consult with the respective photographers of any images you want to
use.
The Activity Timeline:
How many 'Events' can be shown in recent activity? - This
site is currently built on a Ning platform. The maximum number, at
this time, for activity events is 20. There is a chance that in the
future IF this and the other iDive sites go well then I may be
looking into developing our own proprietary framework but this is
both expensive and extensive. Only time will tell if this is to be
undertaken.
Why do I sometimes see less activity events? - Three
reasons. Firstly if someone is posting reference to outside
commercial links. There are guidelines for commercial entities
should they wish to advertise through the site. These comments will
be struck from the timeline. Second. If it is deemed that someone
is flooding the board with non pertinent statements and comments
then these comments will also be struck from the activity timeline.
Thirdly, excessive imagery uploads for some reason have a negative
effect on the activity timeline. I ask that people only upload a
max of 20 images at a time.
I upload images but they don't immediately appear on the recent
activity? - All imagery submissions are moderated to ensure no
unsavory materials be diffused by the site. If these images are
submitted during a time when I may be otherwise occupied then this
is the reason. I do not, as yet, have Admins in various
geographical locations so as to allow full 24hr policing of the
site. This also goes for video submissions.
Can I submit a Blog Post? - Yes, by all means please do.
These are also moderated so as to ensure nothing too inflammatory
gets posted. people who attempt to post undesirable materials will
be warned and subsequently banned if they persist.
Can I post about conservation issues? - Again, please do.
There is a conservation Group here so please retain all
conservation issues to that Group. Please however refrain from
using this site as a soapbox for fanatical rampaging. I have had
three people attempt that thus far and they have been banned from
the site. There are hundreds of shark conservation sites that you
can visit on the web if you are after that kind of material. iDive
Sharks is intended to be a fun place where folks can just hang out
and enjoy stories, imagery and accounts from like minded shark
loving folk. We do our part for shark conservation and then get
down to the issue of enjoying sharks for the beautiful creatures
that they are.
The Wibiya Toolbar
At the base of the page you will see a grey colored toolbar. Along
that you will see options for Sharing the page of the site you are
on with other mainstream social networks such as Twitter, MySpace
and Facebook etc. Just click on whatever platform you want to share
on and it will do the rest. One really cool thing is that if
sharing with your Twitter account the toolbar will automatically
shrink down any long page addresses to their abbreviated version.
If folks could get into the habit of sharing and 'twittering' their
posts and imagery submissions that would be great.
Posting and Comments
Comments streams are too long? - Make your answers to a
discussion by clicking the discussion title and them commenting in
the appropriate comments location.
How do I start a Blog Post or Join a Discussion? - By
clicking the
'+ Add a Blog Post' link in the Blogs section.
However, the majority of the interaction takes place in the
Groups
that you see on the left column of the home page. All of the
events, interactions etc from these Groups will be highlighted on
the Recent Activity timeline shown in the central zone of the home
page. Should you wish to respond to any discussion points in any of
the Groups you will need to be a member of that particular Group to
do so. To join a Group simply click on the Group Icon on the left
of the main page and select the '
+Join (group title) link at
the top right of the group page. Once you submit or answer to a
discussion point all members of the Group are then notified and can
respond to your input if they so desire.
I saw a discussion point that made me really angry? - Walk
away, count to ten and understand that different folks have
different opinions. Please don't react aggressively to comments
made. I don't want to have to step in to break up arguments.
My Profile Page:
Can I customize the layout of my personal page? - Yes. Look
at the top right hand corner of any page on the site and you will
see a welcome box, the one with the faded background image of a
Great White Shark. The last link in that list is the 'Settings'
link. This will take you to a page where you can change your
personal preferences and profile page security levels. You can
also, by accessing the 'My Page' link on the settings page, change
the appearance and layout of your profile page.
How can I move elements around on my profile page? - By
hovering the mouse over the black squares that appear at each
element heading you will see the moving hand Icon appears. You can
then drag the page element to wherever you want it to be displayed
on your home page.
Should you have any more questions please feel free to fire away.
Thanks.
Mark.
P.S Here are some more links to iTunes Stores.
