Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: Having trouble uploading content?
Q: How do I change my profile picture?
Q: How do I place myself on the map?
Q: How do I make content private?
Q: How do I start a group?
Q: How to i join a group?
Q: How do i upload content?
Q: What is Creative Commons licensing?
Q: What are tags?
Q: What are tag clouds?
Q: Why can't I find myself in the list next to the map?
Q: How do I edit uploaded content?
Q: Having trouble uploading content?
If you receive a message after trying to upload content saying ‘Hang on a sec. Having trouble saving your details..’ Try and upload the content again a bit later. Sometimes the server gets busy and as a result doesn’t work to its full capacity. Make sure also that the file type you are trying to upload is accepted. The different file types that are accepted are listed on the upload page.
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Q: How do I change my profile picture?
To change your profile picture click ‘edit your profile’ on your home page. Under ‘user info’ it says “Profile image” with a browse button next to it. Click on the Browse button to find the picture on you computer that you want to use. Don’t forget to click “Submit” at the bottom of the page when you’ve completed editing details.
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Q: How do I place myself on the map?
To place yourself on the map you have to click on ‘Edit Your Profile’, which is found on your home page. Scroll to the bottom to where it says “Would you like to place yourself within Ipswich?” Click on ‘Ok, I’ll plot my location’ and it will load up the map for you. Find your location by clicking and dragging on the map to move it, and by zooming in on the left hand side to get a more accurate location. When you have found where you want to mark, simply click on the map and the pointer will move there for you. Don’t forget to click “Submit” at the bottom of the page when you’ve completed editing details. Screenshots can be found on the Switch Help Sheet.
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Q: How do I make content private?
To make a piece of content private, when uploading it select “Private” when asked ‘who can see the content?’. If the content is already uploaded and you which to change its privacy setting, open the piece of content and click the ‘Edit’ icon (top right hand corner). Private content can only be seen by you, and the group members if you’ve added it to an ‘invite-only’ group.
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Q: How do I start a group?
1. To start your own group, open up your individual page by clicking “My Switch” in the blue tab at the top of the page, or “Home” in the grey toolbar.
2. Once at your individual page, under “Recent group activity”,click on “Create a Group.”
3. The “Create a New Group” page will open. Fill out the details for your group.
4. Click “Create My Group” and you’re done.
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Q: How do I join a group?
On every groups profile page there will be the option to “Join the Group”. By clicking this option which is found under the group’s name, a confirmation pop-up will appear. Click “Yes” to join. NB: For “invite-only” groups, when you click “Join the Group” you will receive a message saying: “You can contact the group administrator using the form below. Tell us why you want to join.” Fill in the field below and click “Send” which will send your request to the group administrator. They will then “Accept/Decline” you being a member of that group.
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Q: How do I upload content?
Click “Upload new” which can be found in your individual page toolbar coloured grey. Alternatively by clicking “Upload new content” next to your profile picture or “Add new Content” located under the “My Latest Content” section on your home page. The “Upload your content” screen will then open. Click “Browse” to find the file on your computer that you want to upload. Double click the file. Next, fill in the details describing your piece of content. These details can be edited/changed again once you’ve uploaded the file. Click “UPLOAD” in the bottom right hand corner. The time taken to upload will vary depending on your internet connection and the size of the file that is uploading.
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Q: What is Creative Commons licensing?
Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright — all rights reserved — and the public domain — no rights reserved. Our licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work — a “some rights reserved” copyright. Click the Creative Commons link at the very bottom of each page to learn more, or watch this Creative Commons video by clicking here.
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Q: What are tags?
Tags are words that describe your piece of content, to make it easier for you and other people to find later. For example, if I am uploading a picture of the beach, I might tag it with: water, beach, sand. Anyone who then searches on one of these words will find your beach photo and anyone else’s work that has been labelled with the same word. All tags are displayed in what is called a tag cloud.
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Q: What are tags clouds?
Tag clouds display all the words people have used to describe their content. It is similar to a library catalogue in the way it allows you to explore what’s on offer, except that it isn’t by alphabetic order and is completely user generated and updated. It displays the words people have used in different sizes, to indicate how many people have tagged their work with that word. The larger the text size, the more content is related to that word. For example, if fifteen people have used the word ‘ipswich’ as a tag, it will be displayed much larger than if only three people have used the word ‘flower’ to tag their work. To go to the Switch tag cloud click here.
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Q: Why can't I find myself in the list next to the map?
If you have just joined the Switch community but can’t find yourself in the list next to the People Map, chances are you didn’t ‘tag’ your location on the map. When you register, start a group, or upload content, you are given the option to tag it’s location. The list next to each map only shows the items which have been ‘tagged’. To see all items, regardless of whether they have been 'tagged' or not, click “View by: list” above the map. To place yourself on the map, simply edit your profile. To place content on the map, edit its details.
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Q: How do I edit uploaded content?
The details of uploaded content can be changed at any time. Whether you want to add/remove it from the map, change its license type, or description, simply open the relevant piece of content when you are logged in. In the top right hand corner of the content’s page will be an edit icon. Clicking this will allow you to change its details.
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