Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Basic Site Functions
Create A Template
Billing Issues
Still stuck? Contact Us!
Privacy Policy / Terms Of Service
What Is AboutMyBaby?
AboutMyBaby is the most popular baby scrapbooking site on the web. It's a super-easy, super-fast way to keep friends and
family connected with your baby or baby-to-be with photos, videos, journal entries and more. The site was designed and built by Internet veterans who have over 30 years combined experience in building easy-to-use, reliable websites.
We offer tons of easy-to-use tools, including:
- PHOTOS: upload, organize, share and edit all your
favorite baby photos. unlimited storage!
- VIDEOS: upload and watch your favorite digital videos of your child.
- JOURNAL: keep an ongoing journal of your baby's life, and highlight major milestones.
- MAILING LIST: Automatically update friends and family whenever you
upload new pictures, videos or stories.
- COOL TEMPLATES: Choose from over 20 different styles and color
templates to best fit your what your baby is all about. More styles arrive each month.
- GUESTBOOK: Allow guests to leave wishes and comments directly on
your child's site. Plus, you get notified whenever anyone posts a comment to your site!
- PRIVACY FEATURE: Put an optional access code on your site that
protects it from unwanted visitors.
- STATS: Use our live baby age counter to count down the days until
your due date, and then track your child's age. Also, add a page counter to your site to see how much traffic you get.
- NO ADS: There is no advertising, no popups and no spyware on About
My Baby. We don't sell your data. You'll like us!
- THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE: We get back to you promptly - almost always within 24 hours - with a real person with real solutions. No automated replies!
...and so much more!
So what are you waiting for? Get that kid online already!
What is Basic? What's Pro?
AboutMyBaby offers two options when creating your scrapbook.
AboutMyBaby Pro: AMB Pro membership is free for up to 12 weeks, with no credit card commitment and full use of all features. AMB Pro accounts are free of advertising, and have no activity limits. Membership costs $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year (a 40% discount). Subscriptions are handled by PayPal and are automatically renewed until you cancel.
At any time during your trial period, you can easily upgrade your
scrapbook to permanent status by clicking on the link which you'll find
on your scrapbook's home page. Subscriptions are $6.95 per month, or $49.95 per year to
continue to access your scrapbook. If you do not pay, at the end of your trial period your scrapbook will be downgraded to Basic.
AboutMyBaby Basic: AMB Basic membership is FREE. Members get all the same functionality as Pro, EXCEPT:
1. Your scrapbook will display advertising.
2. Your scrapbook must be updated at least once every 30 days. To update your scrapbook, you need to add at least one photo, video or journal entry. If you do not update within 30 days, your scrapbook is disabled and is only visible to the scrapbook owner. If you do not update within 60 days, your scrapbook and all of its contents will be deleted.
Are There Bandwidth or Space Limitations?
There are currently no limitations on the amount of content you can
upload or available bandwidth. We do kindly ask that our members use
some measure of restraint with our service, as enormous files can
adversely affect the experience for all of our users. While we don't
anticipate setting limits for our members, if abuse becomes a problem, we may
set generous limits that most of our members will never hit.
Are You Going to Delete My
Scrapbook? Wait! Don't!
AboutMyBaby Basic scrapbooks may be deleted if left inactive for 60 days. Read above for details.
I Need Help Installing/Using the Photo Uploading Tool.
AboutMyBaby offers a simple and very easy-to-use photo
uploading application to easily and quickly get your photos on our site. This safe, simple tool works on Windows or Macs using
Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari.
If you have Norton Personal Firewall or other anti-virus
software installed, you will need to enable ActiveX and Java applets so
that our photo uploader can load. In Norton, do the following:
- Open Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.
- Double-click Personal Firewall.
- Click Custom Level.
- In the "Customize Security Settings" window, look at both the Java applet and ActiveX boxes.
- If either or both are set to block, lower the security level.
- Click OK.
- Click OK.
- Try to connect to the Web page again.
For other anti-virus programs, you will need to enable ActiveX and Java applets.
If you are using Internet Explorer with Windows, when you click to "ADD PHOTOS", on the following page you will be asked to install the Aurigma ActiveX control in the yellow bar at the top of the page. Select "YES" to install, and select "YES" or "INSTALL" to any additional prompts.
Here's an example of what you'll see before you install the ActiveX control:
And here's an example of a correctly installed photo uploader:
If you see a red "X", then something went wrong with
installation. Hold down the SHIFT key and hit the "RELOAD" button on
your web browser. You should see the same prompts again...this time say
YES.
If for any reason you need to uninstall the Photo
Uploader, click on the TOOLS menu in Internet Explorer, then select
INTERNET OPTIONS. Click on SETTINGS, then VIEW OBJECTS. Find the
"Aurigma" file, right-click and select "REMOVE".
If you are using Firefox or Safari, there is a small chance you'll need to install Java first, and then install the photo uploader.
If you need to install Java, you'll see a page like this:
Click on the white box to download the plugin. You will be prompted
to install the "Java Runtime Environment" - say YES or INSTALL to the
prompts. (Java is a powerful, safe tool that is used by many websites).
It may take a few minutes. You may then need to restart your browser
and go back to your scrapbook and continue with the directions below.
Most Firefox and Safari users will simply see a page that looks like this:
Aurigma is the company that makes our photo uploader; please say "YES" or "INSTALL" to any prompts.
Finally, here's an example of what a correctly installed photo uploader looks like.
I'm on a Mac. Can I use
AboutMyBaby?
Yes, you can! Our photo uploading tool works on both Macs and
PC's, and our engineers program on Macs. If you see any oddities, just
let us know and we'll fix 'em.
However, our photo uploading tool will not work with IE on Macs. If
you're using a Mac, please use either Safari or Firefox. If you'd like to
use IE, you'll need to use Windows.
I Forgot My Password!
Help!
Have no fear, my friend! If you are the owner of a scrapbook and you
have forgotten your password, simply click SIGN IN on your baby's
scrapbook page, then click "What's the Password?". Follow the steps to have
a new, temporary password sent to the email address you used when you
signed up with us. Note that sometimes AboutMyBaby mail is directed into the JUNK MAIL folder (especially on AOL), so be sure to check in that folder if you don't receive an email within a few minutes. If after all that you find yourself still stuck, just
contact us by clicking on the HELP icon at the top of our home page.
I Can't Find My Child's
Scrapbook!
Don't worry - we've got it! All AboutMyBaby scrapbooks have Web
addresses that look like this:
http://scrapbookname.aboutmybaby.com
"Scrapbookname" is the name that the creator of the scrabook has
chosen - usually the child's first name (i.e. http://kaya.aboutmybaby.com) or something similar.
If you can't remember the name of your scrapbook, you can simply send us a note from the email address you used when you set up the scrapbook and we'll dig it up for you.
You may also want to try browsing through our directory. Find the link at the top of the home page.
I Need To "Sign In" To View A Scrapbook
and I Don't Know the Access Code / It's Not Working!
You go to check out a scrapbook, and you see a page that says: "Sign
In to this scrapbook by entering the password below"
This means that the person who created the scrapbook put a special
code on the page so that only people with the code can view it. If you
don't know the code, simply click the "What's The Password?" link to
request the access code from the site's creator. We will send an email to
the creator, and he or she should email you back with the code.
Alternatively, you can just ask them yourself). IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are the
creator of the site, you should note that the visitor access code may
be DIFFERENT from your password you use to edit your scrapbook.
How Can I Protect My
Privacy?
AboutMyBaby values your privacy, and respects the trust you have placed in us. We don't sell information to others. As for your scrapbook and the content within it, if you don't want strangers to see pictures of your
child, simply put an Access Code on the site (be sure to tell your friends
and family so they can get in!). Your privacy and satisfaction is what drives us to make our nifty little site better.
Logging In To Your Scrapbook
There are two ways to log in to edit and upload new stuff to your
scrapbook:
- Go to http://www.aboutmybaby.com and type in
the Scrapbook name (as in http://scrapbookname.aboutmybaby.com) and
password and you'll be directed to your scrapbook.
- Go to your scrapbook (i.e. http://kaya.aboutmybaby.com) and click
the SIGN IN link in the top right corner.
If you have problems logging in, please see the instructions above.
If you get really frustrated, just contact us by clicking the HELP icon
at the top right of the home page.
Changing My Password
Purpose: Change your password if you don't like the one we assigned
you or for any other reason you'd like.
- Login
- Click on "EDIT SETTINGS" at the top right of your scrapbook.
- Click "CHANGE PASSWORD".
- Breathe out.
NOTE: There are 2 TYPES of passwords on AboutMyBaby - your password
you use to log in and EDIT the site, and the Scrapbook Password you can
(optionally) use to limit access to the scrapbook to people who have
it. You should write down your passwords, especially if you have two of
them!
Photos: Everything You Want To Know
There are two ways you can share photos on AboutMyBaby - either as
"cover" photos that appear on your scrapbook's home page, or as photo
albums (for example, "April 2006") that contain many images. Let's discuss
each:
Home Page Photo
PURPOSE: Put a photo (or more than one) on the 'cover' of your child's scrapbook to
make your scrapbook look cool and interesting. This is NOT a photo album -
see below to learn how to upload and manage photo albums. You can put
up as many top page photos as you like on the front page of your
scrapbook.
To ADD a Home Page photo:
- Log in to your baby's scrapbook.
- Near the top of the page in the drop-down menu, select Home Page Photo, then which side, and then click the "ADD" button.
- On the "Add Photo" page, click BROWSE to locate a photo on your
computer (either .jpg or .gif), write a brief description
and then click "SUBMIT". Your photo will upload (it may take a few
minutes) and automatically appear on your scrapbook's home page!
- If you'd like to move it to a different location, you can then
drag-and-drop it to another location by holding your mouse down on the
gray "drag" text and pulling the photo to another location.
To REMOVE a Top Page photo, simply log in, and click the REMOVE link
above the image.
To EDIT a Top Page photo, simply log in and click EDIT.
To MOVE a Top Page photo to a different place on the page, hold
your mouse down on the gray "drag" text and pulling the photo to
another location..
Photos: Albums, Adding, Managing, Editing,
Deleting
Photo albums are the most powerful part of AboutMyBaby, and probably
the area with the most questions. Here's some help.
First, A few important notes about photos:
- AboutMyBaby offers unlimited photo uploading. We do have limits of
100 photos per album, and no more than 50 photos per bulk upload.
- PLEASE INSTALL OUR BULK PHOTO UPLOADING TOOL (Trouble installing? Here's help). If you don't, uploading many photos becomes a tiresome process that can take a long, long time.
- We downsize large photos to approximately 1600x1200, which provides good quality for 4x6 and 5x7 prints.
- You should always keep the original photos you upload on your home computer.
To CREATE A PHOTO ALBUM, log in, and then click on "Add A Photo Album" at the
bottom of the Photo Album module on your scrapbook's page. Create a title
and description, click DONE, and then you will be sent to the ADD PHOTO
page.
To ADD PHOTOS TO AN ALBUM, follow these easy steps:
- To get to the ADD PHOTO page, log in and either click on an
existing photo album or create an album as instructed above.
- If this is your first time uploading, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU INSTALL OUR PHOTO UPLOADING TOOL (here's help).
- Once installed, our photo uploading tool works just like
Windows Explorer. Navigate to the photos that you would like to upload,
select them, edit the description if you like, and click SEND. Please contact us if you have problems.
- The FIRST image you upload will be the one that appears on the
'cover' of your album. You can always re-arrange photos later if you change
your mind.
- When uploading is done, you will see all of your photos with boxes
next to them for you to add a title and/or description. Both boxes are
optional.
- Click DONE at the bottom of the page when you're done. THAT'S IT!
To EDIT A PHOTO, follow these steps:
- Make sure you're logged in. Find the photo you'd like to edit,
and click to view the large version of it.
- Click EDIT on the top right. You can:
- CHANGE TITLE / DESCRIPTION: Simply edit the text to the right of
the photo.
- ROTATE THE PHOTO: Rotate photos on the ALBUM page, not the individual image page.
- When you're done, click DONE. Pretty easy, huh?
To REORDER PHOTOS WITHIN AN ALBUM, follow these steps:
- Make sure you're logged in, and go to the album's page (the
page that shows all of the photos as small thumbnail images).
- Roll your mouse to the "DRAG" text at the top of the photo, then
hold your mouse button down and DRAG the photo to the place you'd like it to be.
- When you're done, be sure to click the SAVE CHANGES button at the
top right.
To DELETE ONE PHOTO, make sure you're logged in, find the photo
you'd like to edit, and click to view the large version of it. You'll see a
DELETE button at the top right.
To DELETE MANY PHOTOS, follow these steps:
- Make sure you're logged in, and go to the album's page (the
page that shows all of the photos as small thumbnail images).
- Click on REMOVE and the photo will turn red. When you are done
selecting all of the photos to DELETE, click the SAVE CHANGES button in the
top right corner.
To DELETE A PHOTO ALBUM, click on the PHOTO ALBUMS link from the top
page of your scrapbook, and then choose the albums you'd like to
delete.
To CHANGE THE ORDER OF YOUR PHOTO ALBUMS, simply drag-and-drop (see instructions on dragging above) to order the way you'd like.
PHOTO PRINTING: AboutMyBaby has partnered with QOOP, a high-quality photo provider, to offer prints, photobooks, calenders and other merchandise with your child's photos. For any printing-related concerns, contact QOOP.
News: Adding, Editing, Deleting
Adding, editing and deleting news stories is very simple and
straightforward. Simply log in and click LATEST NEWS at the top of your
scrapbook. From there you can ADD a story, or edit or delete your existing
stories by clicking the links next to the relevant story. Remember to be
logged in or you won't see the links!
When you create a news entry, you can also choose from our list of
MILESTONES to highlight a particular event. When you select a milestone,
we add a cute icon next to the story and highlight that entry with a
different color. Nifty, huh?
Videos: Adding, Managing, Editing, Watching
Got digital video? Great - put it up and share it with your
friends and family! We accept short videos in any format, but REMEMBER
that you and your family must have the appropriate player installed on
your PC to watch them. The most popular players include Microsoft's
Windows Media Player (get it), Quicktime (get it), or we've found a small player that seems to play pretty much everything - VLC (get it) .
We ask that you limit video sizes to under 5MB, as your upload
may time out if it's more than that. Videos are not put into albums,
and are simply listed in the order they are uploaded.
To ADD video:
- Before you add video, you need to ADD THE VIDEO MODULE to your
scrapbook. Log in to your baby's scrapbook and then click on EDIT
CONTENT/TEMPLATE on the top right of the page. Scroll down the following
page, click on the drop-down menu on the left or right side, select
"VIDEOS" and then click the "ADD" button. Then click "DONE".
- Return to your scrapbook's top page and locate the new video module
on the page. Click the link in the module to ADD VIDEO.
- Use the "browse" button to locate your video, give it a name
and/or description, and click UPLOAD. Then relax, because it's a big
file and it could take a little while.
- When the upload is complete, you'll be directed to a page where you
can fill out a title and description.
- When you're done, the video will appear on the top page of your
scrapbook. People can watch it by simply clicking the link on the page.
To DELETE or EDIT video, simply log in and click the EDIT or DELETE
links next to the relevant video.
Stats: Adding Information, Editing
The stats module is one of our coolest features - it tracks your
child's age, and allows you to post stats like your child's birthweight,
latest tricks, etc. It's automatically turned on when you first sign up
for a site, and you can edit it at any time.
To EDIT any information in the Stats module, log in and click the
EDIT link above the module. Once you're in edit mode, you can ADD
additional stats by clicking the "ADD ANOTHER FIELD" button.
Mailing List & Email Alerts
This is the most useful and easy-to-use features on the site. Our
email alert feature automatically sends a message to the people on your
mailing list whenever you add news stories, photos or videos to your scrapbook.
You can set alerts to happen daily (one email at the end of the day,
regardless of how many photos or stories you post) or weekly (one email
at the end of the week).
We STRONGLY encourage you to use this feature so friends and family
can stay in touch with their favorite baby!
Of course, anyone who doesn't want to be on the list can unsubscribe
themselves by following instructions contained in every email sent.
Lastly, AboutMyBaby doesn't do anything with the email addresses you
provide - we don't advertise to those people or sell lists - we simply send
them a note when you update your site.
Email addresses get on your mailing list in one of two ways - either
you put them on the list, or site visitors put their own email
addresses on the list.
To ADD AN EMAIL ADDRESS:
- Log in to your baby's scrapbook.
- Click on the "Settings" tab on the right side of the page.
- Click on the "Mailing List" tab on the left side of the page.
From here, you can quickly add new email addresses to your mailing list.
For your site visitors to put their own email addresses on that list, they can go to your scrapbook's home page, and simply enter an email address
(joe@joe.com, etc) into the Mailing List module provided and click OK.
To EDIT OR REMOVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS FROM YOUR LIST:
- Log in to your baby's scrapbook.
- Click on the "Settings" tab on the right side of the page.
- Click on the "Mailing List" tab on the left side of the page.
From here, you can quickly edit or remove email addresses from your mailing list.
Guestbook: Editing
A guestbook is a great way for visitors to your site to say "hi!"
and offer their best wishes, etc.
When you set up your scrapbook, a guestbook automatically appears on
the scrapbook's top page. If you want to REMOVE it, simply log in and
click the REMOVE link above the module. If you want to REMOVE A SPECIFIC
ENTRY, simply view the list of comments and click DELETE next to the
relevant comment.
Settings: Editing
There are a number of global settings that you can change,
including:
- Your email address (we use this to contact you and forward
communication from guests to your site)
- Time zone (we use this to auto-fill in the time when you post
stories, etc)
- Daylight savings time (check it if you have daylight savings where
you live)
- Admin password (this is where you can change your password)
- Visitor password (this is where you can turn on / turn off / change
the special code people will require to see your site. There is more
information about this feature elsewhere in this document.)
Turning On/Off A Scrapbook Password
(Limiting Access for Privacy)
Purpose: This feature allows you to prevent anyone who doesn't know
the code from viewing the contents of your scrapbook. WARNING - you may
end up with alot of frustrated family members if you don't tell them
the code in advance. It's up to you if you want to use this feature, but
it can be an inconvenience to visitors.
- Login
- Click on "EDIT SETTINGS" at the top right of your scrapbook.
- Check the "REQUIRE USERS TO USE A PASSWORD" box and create a
passcode.
- Hit "DONE". Duh.
- To turn this feature off, simply repeat steps 1-2, and uncheck the
"REQUIRE" box.
Changing The Look Of My
Scrapbook
Purpose: Show the world how cool your kid is by changing the color
and style of your scrapbook. Do it as often as you like!
- Login
- Click on "EDIT CONTENT/TEMPLATE"
- Choose from any of our super-cool templates.
- Click done. Scream with glee.
Turning On/Off or Moving Features
Of My Scrapbook
Purpose: There are lots of cool features in About My Baby, but
perhaps the coolest is the ability to turn on or off any features you want,
and to put them anywhere you want on the page.
- Login
- Each module will have a tiny little "drag" icon at the top of it.
- Simply hold down your mouse on the 'drag' icon and pull it to
where you want it to go. You may have to do it a couple of times to
move it from the top of the page to the bottom, or visa versa.
To ADD a module, choose a module from the drop-down at the top of the page, choose a side of the page, and click ADD.
To REMOVE a module, simply click REMOVE at the top right of the
module you don't want, then click "SAVE CHANGES". Please note that you
will lose any content in that module if you delete it, so use it
wisely!
Create A Template Help
What Is Create A Template?
Create A Template is, well, the coolest thing we've done in a long time. Create A Template allows you, the scrapbook owner, to choose your own backgrounds, colors and fonts for your scrapbook so that you can totally personalize your scrapbook for your child. You can change more than 9 different elements of your scrapbook into countless different templates! You'll be able to control all of the following:
- Site Background Color - Change the entire background color for your entire site. Make it pink, or blue, or anything else you prefer.
- Title Bar Color, Image and Fonts - Put a color in your title bar. Or upload a photo with your child in it. Then, change the color and font of the text so that it best matches the image or color.
- Sections Colors, Images and Fonts - Your scrapbook has many 'sections' on the home page - Photos, Videos, etc. - and you can change the look of the sections on the home page and other pages in your site. You can upload a photo, choose colors and change the font and color of the text.
Create A Template FAQ's
- Creating, Copying, Or Editing A Template
- To create a template, log in, click on the SETTINGS tab, and click the CREATE A TEMPLATE link. Our wizard will walk you through the 4-step process.
- To copy someone else's template, go to their scrapbook, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Get This Template" link. You'll need to log in, and then you'll see that template added to your list of templates. **Note that once a template is copied, all future changes to the original template will NOT change the copy.**
- To copy one of your templates, log in, go SETTINGS -> TEMPLATES, and click the COPY link on the template you'd like to copy. **Note that once a template is copied, all future changes to the original template will NOT change the copy.**
- When you create a template, we ask you for your name (optional), your scrapbook URL (optional), and if you'd like to share your template with others (yes or no). If you agree, then we will post a link at the bottom of your site where others can "copy" it. **Note that once a template is copied, all future changes to the original template will NOT change the copy.**
- Do NOT upload any copyrighted content.
- Image Uploading Tips:
- For best quality, title bar images should be 820 x 125 pixels; section title images should be 388 x 50 pixels..
- To make your photo or graphic meet those dimensions, use any image editing program you like. We're big fans of a FREE program called IRFANVIEW - find it at www.irfanview.com.
- We do not "stretch" images - rather, we "tile" (aka repeat) any image that doesn't take up the full required dimensions.
- Any uploaded image will appear OVER any chosen background color. (If you know how to use transparent images, you can create some beautiful effects).
- Obviously, you'll want to choose a font that is readable on top of any image or color you choose. (White-on-white isn't a good idea). If you can't see the text, that's the likely problem.
- Color Picking Tips:
- Click the 'brush' icon, which should pop up a rainbow-colored palette of colors; click on any color to select.
- If you know Web hex colors, you can simply enter a color into the box as well.
Account & Billing Issues
Please contact us if you have any concerns re: your account or billing.
Cancelling Your Account
We're bummed to see you go, and we hope you've enjoyed your
experience with AboutMyBaby.
To cancel your subscription, log in and click on EDIT SETTINGS. Then
chose the CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION link. You will be notified by email when
your subscription has been cancelled. All payments are final once made
and there is no credit for partially-used months. Please note that your
content will not be available after you cancel, so you may want to
download any photos or other material before cancelling your account.
Please contact us with any other questions.
Let Us Know If You Have Other
Questions
We understand that we can't cover everything in our Help section, so
we invite you to drop us a note with any further questions, problems,
diaper-changing tips or whatever. We're happy to have you as a customer,
and we'll do our best to get back to you promptly (usually the same
day). To contact us, send us a
note.
Important Legalese About You And Us
Here are links to our Terms Of
Service and our Privacy
Policy.
