Check out the new LCNA Membership Page. You can pay your annual dues using PayPal or a credit card. You can also fill out an online membership form if you are a new resident of Lost Creek.
Directory Changes
In response to requests, we've added some new fields to the Directory. Now, you can list two phone numbers for each person, such as a land line and a cell phone, or home and work. Right now, these are just called Phone and Secondary Phone, but we're open to suggestions. If you think we should have any number of phones, drop us a note.
We have also added a field for an alternate mailing address for each family. You could use this to list a PO Box or something similar.
To add a second phone, select Update My Profile under the Residents tab, or click here. (Of course, you must be logged in to do this.)
To add an alternate mailing address, first select Update My Profile, then click on the Update Family Info button at the bottom of the form.
Web Site Gets a Makeover
We hope you like the new look. We've tried to simplify navigation to get to the information you want by showing more on the home page. This article describes some of the main changes. As always, your comment, especially for things that don't work, are welcome. Just click on the Send Feedback button and let us hear from you.
The web site will remember your login!
We've added a check box to the login dialog to remember you so you won't have to login every time you visit the site. This works the way it does on many other sites, by storing “cookies” on your computer. Cookies are enabled in most browsers by default, but if you have disabled them, you will have to turn them on to use this feature. The cookies will be stored for 90 days, so if you login at least once every 90 days, you'll be all set.
Announcements and Calendar of Events
Before, only announcements showed up on the home page. Now, the page will contain one or more articles, such as this one, commenting on something of interest to residents. Along the left side, you'll see announcements, which are split into several groups: Regular announcements, visible to everyone; Resident Only announcements, visible only to logged in residents; and Lost and Found announcements, visible to everyone, and a Calendar of Events. Hovering over the title of the announcement displays the beginning of the text of the announcement, to help you decide if it is one you want to read. Clicking on the title will display the entire announcement.
You can get this info to show up on your favorite portal, e.g., Yahoo, Google, MSN. See the bit about RSS below.
Simpler Navigation to Common Functions
You should find it easier to get to the functions you use most with the new navigation bar at the top of each page. Except for the Home and Send Feedback buttons, each button includes a menu of common functions. When you hover over the button, the menu will drop down, letting you select the function you want easily. When you visit for the first time, you'll see only the portions of the web site available to everyone. After logging in, though, you'll notice a Residents button has been added. Hovering over that button will display a menu showing the portions of the web site available only to residents. The first item in the menu is Search Directory, which will take you directly to the a page where you can fill out the search. By the way, the display of directory information has been spiffed up. We hope you like it.
Searching the Web Site
If you can't find what you're looking for, try using the Search box at the top left of the home page, right above the announcements. This uses Google to search pages within the LCNA web site. For example, putting in “Park Rules” will display three pages from the web site containing those words. The first item in the list is a PDF file that has the rules established by the MUD for using the parks.
Not every page will show up in the Google search results. Paged that are built “on the fly,” such as directory listings, won't be there. Try putting your name into the box and searching to see what this means.
This function uses Google, so you can't use wild cards for the searches as you can for directory searches.
Sending Email to Individual Board Members
If you have logged in, you can send email to individual board members by going to the About Us page, selecting the Board option, then selecting the individual board member to email. Here's a shortcut. This feature is only available if you are logged in.
Using an RSS feed to keep on top of things
Note: This is an advanced feature which requires some effort on your part. The same list of announcements available on the home page is also available as an RSS feed. If you have never heard of RSS, try reading this article first. You can add the list of announcements to your personal home page on Yahoo, Google, or MSN by following the directions on those sites. You should be able to add the feed to whatever RSS reader you are using.
The URL for the feed is www.lcna.com/LCNARSS.php.