Items filtered by date: Sunday, 13 September 2009

The Community page is now closed.

Historical information is below.  

The Community page is a feature-packed social networking site that is open to registered users.   If you are not registered, you are missing out on a whole wide range of new capabilities.  There is no cost to register, but you MUST click the confirmation email to activate the account.  Please, also review the privacy policy and terms of service.  We will not sell or distribute your email to any third third party.   

A complete description of the features of this section would be exhaustive.  To make things simple, here is a quick reference guide to some of the highlights.  Throughout the site, there are "tooltips" to provide helpful hints.  Simply position your cursor above a label, and a "tooltip" may appear with a few words of help.

Completing Your Profile

• Required Fields:  There are only a few required fields in the profile.  However, you are encouraged to fill out the gymnastics-specific fields!  Some location information is recorded but kept private.  This contact information will only be used if there is an issue with the site.
• Privacy Settings:  You can adjust your profile settings to make the profile available to different audiences.  However, this is not as robust as Facebook, so profile security is not as flexible.
• Profile Picture:  You can use any picture, subject to the file size and the copyright restrictions.
• Facebook Connect:  As an option, you can use Facebook Connect to pull your profile information and profile photo from Facebook.  Updates can be sent from Facebook, but updates on the CollegeGymFans.com community will not be shared back with Facebook.

Key Features

• Chat Status:  Your friends will appear in the Chat Status window.  Click on the name to initiate a private 1:1 session.
• Messages:  Private messages can be exchanged, without emails being shared.
• Friends:  You can invite other users to be your Friend.  You can also Invite Friends via your profile, using their email address.
• Karma:  Karma points are earned by becoming more active in the Community.  Posting pictures, videos, etc all earn you points.  Earn more points and earn a higher ranking among the Top Users.
• Wall:  You can write messages on each other's walls.
• Groups:  You can create groups and share a common wall.  The creation of Group creation is moderated, so it may take some time for us to validate your group.  If you are an official representative of a school or booster club, you can reserve special groups for your team.
• Status:  You can broadcast your current state of mind on gym-related activities here.
• Videos:  Videos from YouTube can be posted and shared.  You may comment on videos as well.  Video uploading is currently not supported.
• Photos:  You can upload your own photos.  Photos are subject to copyright and size limitations.  Commenting is allowed on photos.  Currently, each user is limited to 50 photos.

Applications

Standard applications are provided under My Applications.  These are provided by default.  Additional applications can be loaded through the Browse menu choice in the Applications tab.  These currently include:

• Twitter Updates:  Link your Twitter account to your profile and post updates
• Where are my Friends Located?:  Display your friends on a Google Map
• My RSS Feeds:  You can link any RSS feed to your account to get news updates delivered directly.
• Latest Photo:  Show the latest photos added by users.

Stay tuned for other applications.

CollegeGymFans 1:1 Chat

A dynamic chat application allows you to chat with your friends 1:1 and continue to surf the site.

CollegeGymFans Chat Room

A chat room provides the ability for any registered user to chat with one another.  Regular chat events will be set up for the room.  Private chats within the group area is also supported.

Also, please read and accept the Terms of Service and usage rules for the site.

The recruitables database was taken off line.

Here is a brief overview of using the Home Page of the site. 

Home: You can use the Home button to return to the front page at any time.

Top Bar Menu: The Top Bar menu has drop down locations to navigate to links and to places within the site as quickly as possible. This menu stays the same on each and every page, while the side menus will change.

Modules: Each of the modules on the front page can be repositioned to other locations. You can customize the look and feel of the page to suit your needs. Use the "Restore Default Settings" to get back the look.

Latest Releases: These are select releases from NCAA teams that are published via an RSS feed and published here in semi-real time. Only teams that provide an RSS feed are listed. Media relations personnel, please contact the site if you wish to be added. The feeds are updated hourly.

News from the Web: These are articles collected from various web sites and republished here. Click the "read more" link to read older articles. Articles on the web do expire, so you may find that the link becomes broken. These articles all must relate to college gymnastics or potential recruits. You can currently submit a link for consideration by using the Submit Web/News Link using the link on the User Menu. This will take you to a form. Select the appropriate "Category" ("News from the Web") to submit a link. Put the title of the article under "Name", the link under "URL", and the source name and date of publication under "Description".

Today's News: These are original content items from the site. By clicking on each title, you get the full article, links and embedded photos/video. Using the links in the left bar menu, you can sort and view articles by category. Also, by going to the Latest News section under the News section of the top bar menu, you can have additional search and sort options.

Featured News: These are lengthier articles, illustrated with photos, that will hold a featured position on the site for some time.

Search: The Search box in the top right will search on both articles from the site, and the news feeds from the various schools. The system defaults to search on ALL keywords you enter. So, if you want a broad search, just enter one word, as the next screen will allow you to narrow down your search further.

Registration: Registered users can access functions that are not enabled for Guests. Registration is simple if you have a Facebook account. It will import a limited set of information and your profile picture. Otherwise, the form to register is quite simple. Check your email, however, for a registration confirmation email. You must click on the link in that email to verify your registration.

Poll of the Week: From time to time, we'll add user polls.

CollegeGymFans Chat: CGF Chat is a 1:1 chat system for Registered Members who have added Friends. There is also a group Chat Room for regularly scheduled chat events.

My CollegeGymFans: This section (for Registered Users) gives an overview of key activity in your profile. These shortcuts will help you keep up to date and message with other users.

Have you ever found yourself scratching your head during an introspective moment, in an attempt to figure out how someone or some team grabbed the brass ring before you did? I have! It can be a low and frustrating inner debate, but in most cases the difference between success and failure can be a very fine line and the game changer was simply that… The other guy “found it” and you didn’t. This is a very simple statement to make and the probable solution to a challenge that haunts a lot of us in many areas of our lives, but by making a dedicated effort to “awaken the wizard” inside of us could be the first step in moving to new and exciting personal levels, including the college search.

The US squad for the upcoming World Championships includes several present and past NCAA stars.  Previously named to the team were former Cal star Tim McNeill and OU grad Jonathan Horton, as well as current Sooner Steven Legendre.  The OU pair will be joined by incoming frosh Jake Dalton and former Illinois star Wes Haagensen.  Current Illini Daniel Ribeiro is the alternate.

USA Gymnastics Release
Illinois Release
OU Release