{FAQ}

What is Four Winds Forum?
Four Winds Forum is a networking community that serves all New College alumnae/i. Four Winds Forum offers all the basic functions of an online directory (the ability to search for friends and colleagues), plus the ability to create your own personal network.
Alumnae/i invite their friends and colleagues to join their network (or "become their friend"). Once you create your network, you are also linked to the networks of all the people you know, exponentially increasing the power of the New College network. You'll be surprised at how many people you have a connection to!

Who can access Four Winds Forum?
Four Winds Forum is a free service for all New College alumnae/i.

I didn't graduate from New College. Can I still access Four Winds Forum?
Of course! A New College alumnus/a is an individual who has attended New College for at least one semester and who is not currently enrolled as a student.
If you haven't received your e-mail invitation already, just contact us at NCAlum@ncf.edu with your name, birth date, and entering year, and we will register you.


After I've logged in, how do I get started?

• Click on My Profile
• Update your Personal, Business, School and Social profiles by clicking on the appropriate links. You can choose to share as much or as little information as possible about yourself.
• Once you create your profile, click on Home and start inviting friends to join your network!
  • To find friends, type their names in the Search box.
  • Once you find your friends, click on Add ______ as friend. You will then see the e-mail message that will be sent to your friend. You are encouraged to add a personal message in the text field, especially if it's someone you haven't spoken with in a while!
  • As your friends receive your invitation e-mails, they will start responding and your network will start to grow.
• After you've invited friends, you can use Four Winds Forum to send messages to your network, make professional connections like finding a contact at a specific company, sell a car, find tickets to an event - almost anything!

How can I use Four Winds Forum to find a job?
There are several ways!

• If you are targeting a specific company or industry, you can do a search for that company name or industry. Then, search the results to see if anyone in your network matches your search. If someone in your network matches your search, then simply contact him or her directly. If an individual who is not in your network fits the bill, you can still contact that person, introduce yourself as a fellow New College alum and ask for advice or insight on the company or industry. You'd be surprised at how many NCF alums are willing to help each other out!
• Not sure which company you want to work for? Send a message out to your network with information about the type of job you're looking for.
• Post your resume in your business profile.
• Look for alumnae/i who have indicated they would be willing to talk to others about career information, and use them as a resource.

How can I use Four Winds Forum to find a friend from college?
Simply look them up in the Search box. Keep in mind that some people change their names or go by a nickname. If you don't have luck using the keyword search, try the advanced search function. With advanced search, you can look for someone by a number of criteria, including class year, major, city, etc.



What if I can't find my friend?
Don't give up! First, consider whether your friend goes by a nickname. Try searching by the full name or first or last name only (most effective if the person has a less common name). Still can't find him or her? Use the advanced search function and use criteria like class year, major, etc. If the person you're looking for is a very recent graduate (within the past several months), it's possible the registrar hasn't updated his or her record yet. If you still can't find a person, e-mail the Alumnae/i Association at ncalum@ncf.edu or call (941) 487-4900.


How can I use Four Winds Forum to sell a car, find a roommate, or get a date?
You can do all of this and more in the New College  "Community" section. Search postings that other alumnae/i  have made, or post something of your own.


What does "my network" mean?
This measures how many people are in your complete network and counts friends, friends-of-friends and friends-of-friends-of-friends.


What does the New College network number mean?
This is the total number of New College alumnae/i in Four Winds Forum.



What are the waving people icons that appear next to a person's name?
These indicate how you know someone. One icon means it's your friend (someone you know directly). Two waving people means it's a friend-of-friend, and three people means it's a friend-of-friend-of-friend.


Can I choose how much personal information I share?
Absolutely! This is one of the best features of Four Winds Forum. Just click on My Profile, then Privacy, and you will be able to choose who you want to see your information. You can share as much or as little as you want.

I want to block a particular person from contacting me. Is that possible?
Yes. Search for the person and click on his/her name. Underneath their name, you will see Block User. Click on that, and he/she will not be able to contact you.


I only want certain people to contact me. How can I choose my privacy settings?
Click on My Profile, then Privacy, and you will be able to choose who you want to see your information. You can share as much or as little as you want.
 

I invited a friend and she didn't respond to my invitation. Can I re-invite her?
Yes. In order to re-invite someone, click on My Friends, then on Manage. Next to the person's name, you'll either see Pending, which means an invitation has been sent but not responded to yet, or Expired, meaning it's been more than 30 days since you invited her without a response. Before you can re-invite your friend, you must delete that invitation. Once the invitation has been deleted, you can invite them again using the process to add a friend.


I think I am already registered, but what is the deal with the NC email address? What is the purpose, as I already have an email address I use.
The "@alum.ncf.edu" email address is a permanent address you can use to forward mail to your regular email account . You can set your alum address to forward your mail to any of your e-mail accounts at any time. To set up your forwarding address, just sign on to the Four Winds Forum and go to ‘My Account' settings.  There you will note a new tab named "Lifelong Email". Choose this tab and you will be able to set up your new address and forward to address. Once you do so, an email will be sent to you requesting that you verify the forwarding process.

 

My question isn't answered here. Who can I contact?
Please contact the NCAA office at (941) 487-4900 or through e-mail at NCAlum@ncf.edu.