Many people register for the Support Group but never make a post to it. People who "lurk" can still get a great deal out of using the Support Group. It is full of ideas for everyone. But the greatest benefit goes to those people who ask a question, share their feelings, help another caregiver in need, find a friend, or participate in the many fun topics. The mutual back and forth of sharing has a therapeutic effect on many people. So it's OK if you just want to stay on top of the posts of the regular participants. But I encourage you to join in and get the most out of the Support Group.

Believe it or not, even if you consider yourself a illiterate when it comes to using the computer, you will find that you learn very quickly. The Support Group software is very user friendly (with some occasional glitches, of course). We find that the trickiest part is to decide where to post your discussion topic.

The Support Group is broken down into categories, and each of those categories has several individual forums within them. The individual forums have numerous discussion topics, which are composed of the posts of our members. As a member, you are able to start a new topic, or reply to an existing topic. It is these posts that are the heart of the group and where all the action is. A few Support Groups have limited access, or the limited ability to post new topics.

Where should you place your first post? If you see a discussion thread or topic that is related to the item you want to add, just post it as a reply to the existing thread. Many people stay on top of specific threads and follow them over time. It helps to give the Support Group some structure. You may start a new topic if you like. We just ask that you try to post in the closest area to your topic.

Don't worry if you post to "the wrong" area or it doesn't look perfect. Nobody is going to judge you on your spelling, typos or imperfect paragraphs. Sometimes we are typing and it is more like a stream of consciousness than an essay. As a registered member, you may go back and edit your post if you want to. Sometimes the Moderators will move a post into a more appropriate Support Group. Rarely posts will be deleted (in the interest of space) or transferred into the archives. It is not a reflection on your post if this is done. We make every effort to preserve your comments and feedback. If an advertisement is posted to the Support Group, one of us will delete it almost immediately.