Whether this is your first time online or you're a seasoned Internet user, we require respect and good manners from everyone when participating in the Oprah.com online community. Review our Oprah.com House Rules use common sense, and you'll feel right at home.

Technical Support:

Are you having technical problems using Oprah.com or a tool on our site? https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=67

Online Safety:

Your online safety is extremely important to us. Oprah has done several shows on this very topic. Please do not post personal information on the public message boards or blogs. Posting information such as your name, address, phone number or any other personal or identifying information is neither safe nor allowed. Additionally, we ask that members refrain from posting messages with outside links or URLs. Please read the Oprah.com House Rules and Terms and Conditions for further details.

Advertising:

If you wish to advertise with Oprah.com, please http://www.oprah.com/ord/plugform.jsp?plugId=510 for additional information. You can also get to this link by clicking the "Ad Sales" link located at the bottom of each Oprah.com webpage.

Solicitations for Charity:

Unfortunately, we are not able to verify the validity of each and every person or organization that solicits donations; therefore, in an effort to protect Oprah.com users from fraud, we must prohibit solicitations for charities.

Reporting Abuse:

If a member has made a comment somewhere on our site that you think we should know about or that violates the House Rules, click here or click on the "Report Abuse" link associated with the thread or reply. Once you fill out the form, one of our staff members will review it.

Profile and Tools:

Members who are registered and logged in to Oprah.com will be able to access their own "Your Stuff" section located at the top of the message board page. The section contains your member profile, preferences, discussions (Threads) and private messages. Members can also create a personal member blog. Member blogs can be public or private.

Members can click on other members' usernames at any time to see their profiles, discussions or member blogs and access a link to send that member a private message.

Getting Started:

Once you have created an Oprah.com account, you are ready to get going in the community! Browse the many topics located on the main message board page. Once you enter into a section of the boards, you will see a list of the message boards for that specific section. Once there, you can click the "Start a Discussion" link to create a new thread (post a message). New threads are added to the existing message board with newer threads moving to the top of the list. If you are logged in, the unread threads will be bolded. If you have previously read a thread but there have been new messages since your last visit, the thread subject will be bold again and also say "Updated" in the subject line. New, unread messages are indicated in this manner.

All your threads are added to the "Your Stuff" section. When you log in again, you can visit "Your Stuff" and see which of your threads members have replied to.

If you wish to reply to an existing thread, click the subject for the thread and then click the "Reply" button associated with that thread. Your reply will be added to that list. Replies are in date/time order with oldest first. Each reply has its own post ID number. Members can bookmark replies by right clicking the linked ID number and choosing "Bookmark This Link" (Firefox users) or "Add to Favorites" (IE users). By doing so, this will bookmark the replies to your browser's bookmarks or favorites.

History:

If you are logged in, the "History" link (next to "Your Stuff") will show you the message boards and threads that you've recently looked at within the Oprah.com community.

Private Messaging:

By selecting "Your Stuff," you will see your own private message center. Here, members can send and receive private messages from other members. If you receive a private message from another member or from an Oprah.com staff member, the "Your Stuff" link will turn red, notifying you of an incoming message.

Mac Users:

Firefox for Mac is the recommended browser for Mac users on Oprah.com. It allows Mac users to use the "Rich Text" tab when composing messages.

BLOGS:

Oprah.com members can create their own personal blogs. Blogs can be public (accessible to all) or private (only you can see it). Members can comment on public blogs. To start your own blog or blog posting click, the "New" link at the top of the page (next to "Your Stuff"), or you can access your blog through your profile.