Settings

Settings give you significant control over the look and functionality of the conferencing interface.

To examine or change your settings, select Settings on the Toolbar. The tabs on the top of the page that opens will give you access to the following features:

• Edit My List
• Profile
• Password
• Options
• Setting up filters
• Custom CSS

You'll find more description for the functions on these pages by moving your cursor over the small question mark (?) in a square at the left of the page.

Edit My List

Use this form to add, rearrange, and remove Conferences on your My List page.

Profile

View and edit your profile.

Password

The WELL requires a password for access to various services, such as conferencing, email, and a number of Web-based utilities. Your password authenticates your identity on The WELL, and prevents others from accessing your WELL account and your billing contact information. Since you are responsible for anything posted on The WELL under your username, you should never give anyone your password.

If you've forgotten your password, use the New Password Generator to send a password email to the off-site email address we have in our records for you. If you don't receive it within a few minutes, we may have an invalid off-site address for you. Give us a call at the helpdesk number at the bottom of this page.

If you know your password, but want to change it, use the Password Change Page at the Billing Information Center.

Your password must be:

• at least 8 characters in length. We recommend a minimum length of 10 characters for optimum security.
• a combination of letters and at least one character that is not alphabetic (numeric and punctuation characters). This requirement is waived (but still recommended) if your password is at least 13 characters long.
• must not be a dictionary word, even if you have substituted similar looking characters (e.g., 0 for o) or reversed the word.
• additional rules may apply to prevent easily guessed passwords.

Sample password: o,I81b4udID (pronounced "Oh, I ate one before you did.")

Note that your password is case-sensitive: Xy7@-a+BC is different from xy7@-a+bc.

Changing your options

Use the options on this page to customize the way you read Conferences on The WELL. Move your cursor over the question mark (?) in a square at the left of the page for help setting options.

Setting up filters

You can hide all posts authored by specific individuals from your view of the conversation. When you get to a response by one of your filtered authors, the post will be replaced with a clickable link stating that the response was filtered. You will always have the option of reading a filtered response if you click to view it. Authors you filter will not know you are filtering them. This filter is based on a historic tool called the Bozo Filter. Of course, you may filter a person's posts for any reason you choose.

• Filter all responses of a list of authors

  Type a list of authors into the My Filters box. For example:

  puffball

  button-pusher

• Limit filters to specific conferences

  Type a list of usernames in the My filters box to filter posters in specific Conferences.

  media: puffball

  pets: comfyshoes

• Limit filters to a specific topic

  To filter button-pusher in topic 1234 in the Media Conference:

  media 1234: button-pusher

• Disable filter for a poster within a Conference or topic

  If you have a poster in your WELL-wide Filter, and you want to read posts by that poster in a specific Conference, add a line to your Filter. For example, to exempt puffball from being filtered by you only in the Books Conference and in topic 2314 in the Words Conference, enter:

  books: !puffball

  words 2314: !puffball

Custom CSS

CSS provides a way for the advanced user to customize the way The WELL looks to you. The WELL's custom CSS page has a link to a CSS tutorial and to a fully annotated version of the WELL CSS.

INTRODUCTION
Getting started

THE BASICS
Your personal conference list
The Toolbar
Settings
Inside a conference
Reading and responding
Learning more about your fellow WELL members

ADVANCED TOOLS
Hypertext linking
Placemarks
Shortcuts

REFERENCE
Frequently asked questions
Glossary