DesertUSA has just launched a new Online Community. The DUSA Community offers
FREE profile pages for Members who sign up. Members receive their own profile
page where they can share photos, videos and blog about their experiences in
the desert and American Southwest. It is a fun way to see what other people are
doing in the desert regions and to learn more about fun places to visit, in addition
to things to do once you are there.
The purpose of the DUSA Community is to create a community of individuals
who want to share information about the desert areas, parks and points of interest,
and the many outdoor activities that are supported by the desert environment.
What is an online or virtual community? An online community is a group of
people who interact and communicate through the Internet using e-mail, instant
messaging, forums and profile pages. Many of you have heard about MySpace, FaceBook,
YouTube and other Internet-based social networks. The DesertUSA Online Community
has some of the same tools and uses the same concept as these other popular networks.
What Makes The DesertUSA Online Community Different? The Members of the DesertUSA
Community all share a common interest in the desert and related outdoor activities.
This gives Members an opportunity to interact and share photos, videos and desert-related
information with other individuals who have similar interests.
How Can I Join The DesertUSA Online Community? Simply click
on this link and fill out the sign-up form. It
is FREE, there is no charge to join. Once you complete the sign-up form
you can start building your profile page.
How Can Members Use Their Profile Pages? Community Members
can post photos from their recent desert trips to share with other Community
Members, family and friends. A couple of members are using their blogs as travel
journals to document their desert adventures. Members can also broadcast their
videos, tell people about their favorite desert destinations
and share information. You can use the profiles to communicate with other
Members: ask questions, comment on photos or locations you have in common. It
is a great way to meet other people with similar interests.
Community Features . . .
Photos and Video Galleries are a great way to share your desert adventures.
Members can set their photos or video clips for public viewing and members can
view your images. Members can post comments on your profile page about the photos
or video clips, rate them or send them to another friend. These tools can be
found on the bottom right hand corner of each photo or video clip.
If a Member sees any photo or video that is inappropriate, they can Flag the
content by clicking on the Triangle icon in the rating box at the bottom right
corner of each photo. We rely on the Community to police itself, so please let
us know if you see any content that is inappropriate and that you feel should
be Flagged or removed. You can alert us by clicking on the Triangle Icon under
the content. This will Flag the image or video and put it on a list for review
by the DUSA Staff. You can also email us directly: dusa_feedback@desertusa.com.
Please do not change the subject of the email, or we may not receive it.
Blog, Blog, Blog . . . Every profile in the DUSA Community has its own blog.
A blog is a web page where entries are posted by the blog owner. The blog entries
may be news, commentary, a personal journal or travel journal. Blogs are easy
to use and they are also a great way to communicate information to your friends,
family and to the general public. On the DesertUSA Community blogs are a great
way to post news about your recent trips, log your travel journal entries or
to share information about your favorite places to visit, tips on where to go
and things to do in the desert regions.
Friends . . . The DUSA Online Community is a great way to
meet new friends. The Friend Feature allows you to add other Members to your
profile as a “Friend.” Once
you have identified a user you want to befriend, you can invite them to be a
part of your friend list.
Groups . . . We are still in the process of getting our Group feature set
up within the Community. Once it is established Members of the Community can
start their own groups based on a common interest or other commonality. Members
who share that interest can join the Group and participate in the forum and share
information and interact with the Group.
You Are Invited To Become A Member . . .
We invite you to visit the DesertUSA Community. If you like what you see,
we hope you stay and become a Member! Membership is FREE. The DesertUSA Online
Community would like to make the desert of part of your everyday life. So take
a few minutes and wander through the profiles of our virtual Community. I think
you will find the DesertUSA Online Community is a fun adventure. A place where
you can escape for a little bit of time everyday to view the beautiful desert
landscapes, admire the fresh blooms on the wildflowers and meet some interesting
denizens who have taken up residence in our online world. The DesertUSA Community
welcomes you! Click here to visit our
Community.
