Introduction
Welcome to CancerCare’s Online Support Groups. For your reference,
we’ve compiled a number of Frequently Asked Questions about CancerCare services
and how the online groups program operates. We’ve organized key information
into the following topic areas to assist you in navigating the online forums.
Click
here to download a full User Manual.
General:
Registration:
User Preferences and Settings:
Posting a Message or Topic:
CancerCare Staff behind the boards:
FAQs
General
- What is CancerCare?
- CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization that provides
free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer. Whatever
your individual cancer situation is, we have a service that can help.
- How can CancerCare help me?
- Because we know that cancer affects far more than your body, we help you
in those areas of your life beyond medical treatment. CancerCare is
like a professional cancer assistant, answering your questions, finding you
help, or just listening when you need an understanding ear. For more information
about CancerCare’s services, please visit our website at:
www.cancercare.org.
- What if I need to talk to someone immediately?
- CancerCare is not able to handle requests for immediate help in
crisis situations, such as if you are feeling suicidal or in need of immediate
assistance due to emotional crisis. If you are feeling like you are in crisis
and want immediate attention please call the following organizations, they
can help you.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255),
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/crisis.aspx
The National Hopeline Network: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433),
http://www.hopeline.com
Registration
- Why can’t I log in?
- Only registered members of CancerCare’s Online Community
can log in. Once you have registered, and activated your account, you will
have the ability to log in. All of our groups are private and subscription
based; you will not be able to access groups immediately after registration.
Before you are approved for a group you will only have the ability to browse
our public spaces. If you are a new member and would like to register,
click
here.
- If you have already registered but are having trouble logging in because
you need assistance with your username or password, you can write to
our Online Administrator at moderator@cancercare.org.
They will help determine the login issue, and/or retrieve your username
and password.
- For more information, please contact the Online Administrator at moderator@cancercare.org.
- Why do I need to register?
- CancerCare's Online Community is a private, “subscription
only” program; you will not be able to participate in a support group
until your registration has been reviewed and approved by a CancerCare Social
Worker.
- Why do you ask for such detailed information?
- In order for your Primary Social Worker to fully assess and understand
your needs, we need to collect thorough information about you and your current
situation. If an online support group is not the best option to suit your
current needs, we also offer
telephone
and
face-to-face
counseling.
This counseling can be done individually or in a support group.
- I've lost my username/password! Where can
I find it?
- It’s ok. While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset.
If you are having trouble logging in because you need assistance with
your username or password, you can write to our Online Administrators
at moderator@cancercare.org.
They will set a new password for you.
- As an alternative, you can create a new password yourself. Go to the
Log
In screen and click the link
Forgot Your Password?.
Fill in your username or email. An email will be sent to your account with
an activation/new password link. You will need to click the link within
the email. This link will bring you to a page where you can create and
verify a brand new password.
- I registered; why can’t I see the group
I requested?
- First, make sure that you are logged in to CancerCare's Online
Community. You can log in by clicking the
Log In link at
the top right of the screen and entering your username and password. If you
are logged in and cannot see the group you requested, then you may not have
been approved for the group yet. All CancerCare clients are assigned
a Primary Social Worker; this person must first review your registration
information and make sure that this is the best group to meet your needs.
- To maximize the experience of being in a support group, all groups require
at least a minimum number of approved participants to open. You may, therefore,
remain on the waiting list until there are enough approved participants to
open the group.
- If you have any questions about this process, or how far your application/registration
is in process, please feel free to write our Online Administrators at moderator@cancercare.org.
- How do I join a group?
- If you did not request a group during registration or you are requesting
a new group, click the
Support Groups link at the top of
the screen. In the Available Groups’ dropdown list it will show you
all the groups that you are not currently a member of. When you find one
that sounds appropriate for your needs, select it from the dropdown list
by clicking it once. With it showing in the box, click the View Information
button. Read the description of the group; if it still sounds appropriate
for your needs, click the Request to Join link.
- Your request will be reviewed by your Primary Social Worker and the Group
Moderator before you are admitted to the group.
- How many groups can I join?
- Currently, we only allow members to belong to one Patient, Caregiver, or
Bereaved group at a time.
- At certain times, we will offer “Group Tutorials” or workshops
that are centered on a specific theme or topic. If you are already a member
of a Patient, Caregiver, or Bereaved group you may be granted admission to
a “topic-based” group as well.
- When do the groups “meet”?
- Due to the nature of a bulletin board, you can think of the groups as meeting
all day everyday (24/7). This means you can sign in to your group to read
and reply to messages at *any* time that is convenient for you.
*Please keep in mind* this also means that there may or may not be anyone
else signed in to your group at a given time; this includes the moderators
who cannot be active in the groups 24 hrs a day.
User Preferences and Settings
- How do I change my information or my settings?
- All your settings are stored in our database. To alter them, log in to
CancerCare’s Online Community and then click the
Your
Profile link shown at the top left of all pages. You can then click on
the buttons in the Modify Profile box on the left side of the screen to change
all your settings. When you are done, click Change Profile to save them.
- Can I turn off the default setting which automatically
alerts me via email of new posts?
- In order to protect your information and maintain strict confidentiality,
we cannot allow posts and messages to be sent to external email accounts.
The program, however, as a default, will automatically send you emails alerting
when there are new posts in topics you started or in topics you have posted
in. To read the new post, you can click the link within the message and log
in to the program.
- To turn off the default setting of automatic alert of new posts, click
the Your Profile link at the top of the screen and the Notifications and
Email button in the Modify Profile box. When you are done, click Save Settings
to save the change. You can change this setting at any time from within the
Your
Profile screen or, on a topic-by-topic basis by clicking the Notify button
at the top of a topic, or on a case-by-case basis at the bottom of any post.
Posting a Message or Topic
- How do I post a new topic in a forum?
- Easy – from inside the group, click the New Topic button. This button
will be to the left of the screen and will appear above and below the list
of topics/folders in your group. Be sure to enter a subject for the topic,
then type the text of you message. Once you are satisfied with its content,
press Post.
- How do I reply to a message?
- After reading a post you want to reply to, look at the very top and very
bottom of the list of messages. The Reply button will be to the left of the
screen and will appear above and below the list of topics/folders in your
group. Click the Reply button. Be sure to enter a subject for the topic,
then type the text of your message. Once you are satisfied with its content,
press Post.
- How do I edit or delete my post or topic?
- After you have submitted your post or topic you cannot reopen it to edit
its contents. Only your group moderator or an Online Administrator can edit
or delete posts or topics from a group space. If you would like to edit or
remove a message, please feel free to write our Online Administrators at
moderator@cancercare.org.
- Is there a Spell Check?
- Yes! There is a spell checking option in our system. If you want to check
your spelling after composing your message directly in the forum's text input
box, you can do so by clicking the Spell Check button below the text box.
- What are Smileys?
- Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images (like a smiley face)
which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :-) means
happy, :-( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen when you are
writing a post (they are listed at the top of the message box – click
once on an emoticon to insert it into your message). Try not to overuse smileys,
though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable.
- What are Locked topics?
- Locked topics are set this way by either the group moderator or board administrator.
You cannot reply to locked topics. Topics may be locked for a variety of
reasons, if you have any questions as to why a particular topic has been
locked, please contact your group moderator.
CancerCare Staff behind the boards
- What are Online Administrators?
- What are Online Administrators?
Online Administrators are members of the CancerCare staff who have
the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can regulate
all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, creating
and removing groups, and banning users.
- What are Moderators?
- Moderators are professional oncology Social Workers here at CancerCare who
manage online support groups. They guide group dialogue, offer topics for
focused discussion, provide educational and resource materials, and remove
postings of abusive or offensive material.
