This guide will explain everything on Pole Sabz in great details. We will divide the guide into three different parts. The first part will explain the site itself and the different sections of the site. This will assist both visitors and members on learning how to navigate the site and interact with different components. The second part will talk about the user registration and abilities and the third part will talk about the credit system and member roles.

First we are going to give you a little history of Pole Sabz to better understand the guide.

History

When Pole Sabz beta was launched we were playing around with an idea that would automatically collect posts and videos based on keywords and monitored how users interacted with systems we introduced. We pointed the keywords toward the events after Iranian Elections which seemed like the perfect event to test out the system. During this trial and error period we learned many things and refined the original idea that we had accordingly. It turned out that the automated system as interesting as it was it did not collect information that was relevant. During the beta period we slowly backed away from a fully automated system into a semi automated system. Idea evolved from a fully automated post/video collection and organization to a manual posts/topics/pictures/videos publishing and an automated organization. Pole Sabz Version 1 is completely different than the beta that we introduced. In version 1 we now allow users to get fully involved with the site and publish what they think is relevant themselves then allow the system to look at the behaviors on the site and organize material accordingly. Parts of this new idea was tested on the beta site and it looked very promising. We also converted Pole Sabz from only a repository to a fully capable blogging platform that includes a public repository. We are expecting the idea to evolve even further as the site grows and become more popular. We are looking forward to seeing what Pole Sabz will become in the future.

Part 1 the Website

In this section we are going to explain different parts of the website in full details.

Posts

The posts section is the public repository for all blog posts from every member. This section is divided into three parts.

Floodgate

The first part is our state of the art Floodgate system which is also the default view for the Posts section. The Floodgate system looks at the pattern of pageviews, comments and recommendation of every visitor/member and then based on its findings it creates a list of posts that it decides it is relevant to the majority of visitors. This list has three parts. The first part shows the most relevant blog post of the site. The second part shows the most relevant posts of each category and finally the third part shows all the other relevant posts. This list is fully dynamic which means that is being updated at all time. To allow both older and newer blog posts to have a chance to show up on this list Floodgate only looks at the most recent user activities. This allows newer posts to be able to compete with older popular posts which had a lot of activities in the past. At the same time older posts that are relevant and still have visitors and activities can make it to the list.

Recent

As the name implies it shows all of the blog posts in order of published date. The most recently publish blog post will show at the top of the list and the oldest blog post at the end of the list.

Topics

Topics are a great way to group related posts together. Members can create topics and add their blog posts to the topic. At the same time other members that feel like their blog posts could benefit from being part of the topic can add their blog posts to the topic as well. All posts that are part of a topic become linked together and will have a notification at the bottom of the post that show what topic they belong to making it easier for readers to find the material they are interested in and other related materials. The topics sidebar widget shows the topics that contain the most number of recent blog posts. This helps notifying visitors of relevant but at the same time popular topics. There is also a page dedicated to the topics that show a complete list of topics which when clicked on will show all of the blogs posts that are part of that topic.

Pictures

The pictures section is a nice public gallery section that all visitors and members can enjoy from. Pictures are grouped as Galleries and Galleries are grouped as Albums which act the same way as categories in the Posts section. Members can create Galleries and then upload their pictures into the Galleries and then add the Galleries to the related Albums. The main Pictures page shows and overview of all albums with recent uploaded Galleries as rows. Each Album row has a link to the Album page which will contain a complete list of all Galleries belonging to the Album. Galleries will load into a Flash slideshow. The slideshow can roll back to an HTML5 slideshow for devices that do not support Flash. All the Galleries on the site can be either used by members in their blog posts or can be bookmarked on other popular sites. Visitors also have an option of emailing the link to the Gallery page or simply copying the URL of the Gallery page.

Videos

The videos section is very similar to the pictures section. The main Video page contains a quick overview of all video Albums with each Album row linking to the Album page that has a complete list of all the videos in the Album. Similar to the Pictures section all videos can be used by other members, can be bookmarked and emailed. The only difference is that the videos can also be commented and embedded as well.

About

The about section is where you will find useful information about the site such as a quick introduction of the site and this guide. It also includes the site policies and a contact page.

Part 2 Member System

Now that you are familiar with the overall site design we are going to talk about the member related systems. We will also talk about the benefits of using Pole Sabz even if you decided not to become a member.

“Log in | Register” Tab

To begin interacting with different activities on Pole Sabz you need to become a member and be logged in. Logging in or registering for an account on Pole Sabz is easy and the process is very intuitive.

First you need to click on the “Log in | Register” tab to open up the member related links. Once the tab opens you will notice it is divided into three sections. The first section gives you a quick overview of the Login and Registration process and the Connect Systems for Facebook/Twitter. The second section is for current members and It allows them to login or recover their password. The third section is for new account registration.

Registration

Before you can log into the site you need to register for an account. The registration process consists of two steps. The first step is to submit your information and the second step is to verify your information.

There are three pieces of information that are required for the registration process to complete.

“Username” also known as “Pen Name”. The username is a unique name that identifies you on the site as a writer. Later when you receive your public page the address to your public page will include the username. Choosing a good username is essential if you are planning on becoming a successful writer. A good username should be something that would be easily remembered. Your username is the only piece of information that cannot be changed. Usernames can include spaces but have to be written in Latin characters only do not use Unicode characters or you will not be able to login.

E-mail needs to be unique to prevent users from creating multiple accounts. E-mail is used for account verification and future communication. Your email will not be visible to other members or visitors unless you choose to do so. E-mail can be changed at any time by updating your profile information.

Password needs to be at least 6 characters. The more complex your password is the more secure your account becomes. Do not share passwords with any other member and remember that Pole Sabz staff will not ask for your password at any time.

There are two other options available at the time registration.

The first option is the “Admin Language” and it is automatically set to the language of the registration form. The admin language is not the same as the site language. The admin language only changes the the publishing interface language and only applies when you reach a role that allows you to publish posts, pictures and videos. Most users will not change the admin language as it is already set to the language of the registration page. If you decide you want to change your admin language after the registration you can do so by changing the option in user related links tab.

The second option is “Comment Translation” and it is unchecked by default. The system can machine translate comments on the site that are in other languages to the admin language that you have selected.

When you have all the the fields filled out you are ready to submit your registration. If all the fields are filled correctly you will receive a verification email that includes a link to complete your registration process. After clicking on the link in the verification email your account becomes active and you will then be able to login with your username and password.

About Facebook/Twitter Connect

Pole Sabz Facebook/Twitter Connect is a unique system and it allows a two way communication with full transparency and respect to members privacy. If you already have a Facebook or Twitter account you will be able to create a linked account on Pole Sabz. The connect system creates a link between your Pole Sabz account and your Facebook/Twitter account. This link allows the information to be shared between the sites. The purpose of creating a linked account is to create a single sign on across accounts and send status updates to Facebook wall/Twitter feed of your activities on Pole Sabz. The status updates notifies your friends and followers of your activities on Pole Sabz which in turn will bring more traffic to your page.

We respect your privacy and only pull the following information from Facebook/Twitter. All that information can be changed if you don’t wish to allow others to see them after you have completed your account linking process.

Avatar (used to show as a small image next to your activities such as posts and comments)
Username (This can only be changed at the time of registration)
First Name (Can be changed or removed after the registration process)
Last Name (Can be changed or removed after the registration process)
E-mail (Twitter members have to manually provide this information; Facebook members can change the email pulled from Facebook after the process is complete not during the registration)

You are also allowed to disconnect your Pole Sabz account from Facebook/Twitter at any time you wish to disconnect. If you have questions about privacy that is not answered in this guide please contact us for more information.

Facebook/Twitter Connect Registration | Log in

Registering an account on Pole Sabz using the Facebook/Twitter connect is simple. All you have to do is click on the appropriate connect button and follow the Facebook or Twitter page instructions for logging into their system. Once the link has been established your information gets pulled from Facebook/Twitter and you will see the registration form fields getting populated automatically. Facebook and Twitter automatically generate a USERNAME however since usernames are important on Pole Sabz, members are allowed to change the automatically generated username at the time of registration only. Twitter users have to provide an email address since Twitter does not provide an email during registration. The last required field is the password. This password field is NOT your Facebook/Twitter password. Once you submit the registration you will receive a verification email with a link. After clicking on the link within the verification email you will be sent back to the site which will complete the verification process and automatically log you in.

The purpose of filling out an actual registration form that contains Username, E-mail and Password is to create a redundant account. Facebook/Twitter Connect systems can go down therefore those users that are signing up using Facebook/Twitter Connect have the option of logging in using the local username and password at any time without the need to use the Facebook/Twitter Connect for logging in. Therefore those who have linked accounts can log into Pole Sabz by either using the Facebook/Twitter Connect buttons or with the local username and password chosen at the time of registration.

Connecting to Facebook/Twitter After Registration

If you already have an account on Pole Sabz and now wish to link that account with your Facebook/Twitter account you can do so in the “My Links” tab. Open up “My Links” tab and you will see the Facebook/Twitter Connect buttons on the left column. Clicking on those buttons will prompt you to log into your Facebook/Twitter account which will then preps the linking process. Once the system is ready the connect button will change to “Link Your Profile”. Click on the button once again to link your Pole Sabz account with your Facebook/Twitter account.

Connecting to Both Facebook and Twitter

If you wish to be connected to both Facebook and Twitter you can do so by choosing one to finish your registration process and then connecting to the other after you have finished your account registration. If you are already a member you can also connect to both Facebook and Twitter by going through the linking process one at a time.

Facebook/Twitter Auto Publish

The Auto Publish system sends status updates to your Facebook/Twitter account. By default the auto publish system is selected however Twitter members have to authorize the auto publish before it can work properly. At this point the auto publish only works with the posts section and sends status updates when members write posts or comments. To respect members privacy the auto publish can be turned off at any time by deselecting the option in the “My Links” tab. Remember sending status updates is a great way of bringing traffic to your activities on Pole Sabz.

Recommendation

The recommendation system is our multi purpose system. Its primary role is to allow users to quickly provide their insight about an activity. The recommendation system is not the same as “Like” system that is used on Facebook. As the name implies it is way for members to tell other members if they recommend the activity (post, comments and etc…) or not. You can dislike something but still recommend others to read it because you feel it is important for others to find out about it as well. At the same time you may like something but don’t feel it is important enough for you to recommend others to read it as well. Recommendation system also gauges activities on Pole Sabz. Based on the user recommendation the system will decide if the activity is considered positive or negative and depending on the level it will either reward credit or subtract credit. Since recommendation is essential in producing better content we reward members 1 credit point for offering their insight about activities on Pole Sabz. Members can also give negative recommendation to activities that violate Pole Sabz policies. Activities that have a certain overall negative recommendation will automatically be removed from Pole Sabz and the published of those activities will have credit points subtracted from him/her.

Writing Comments

Writing comments is a great way of gaining credit points. Writing comments that gain positive recommendation will earn you more credit points and writing comments that gain negative recommendation can cause loss of credit points. Be careful not to disrespect other members or violate site policies. Writing comments not only will gain you credit points but it will also help you establish a presence on Pole Sabz. The more active you are the more other members will notice you which in turn will bring more traffic to your page and materials. You can comment on blog posts and videos. You can also subscribe to the blog posts to receive email notification when a new comment is published on that blog post. You will also have a subscription management page to manage all the blog posts you are subscribed to and unsubscribe from them at any time you wish.

Writing Posts

Publishing blog post is a great way to provide your materials online. For instance if you are a teacher you can talk about the subject you teach or post materials that help better understand the subject. If you are a researcher you can publish your research log online for others to read and comment on. If you are a writer you can talk about the book you are writing. If you are a business owner you can talk about your business and provide details of your service. Once you reach the contributor role you will be allowed to publish posts. Up to this point you have been working hard to establish your online presence and create bridges with other members now it’s time to take full advantage of your online presence and provide more than just your insights. Now that you have reached a contributor role you will notice that “New Post” and “Edit Posts” links are now available to you. To publish a new post click on “New Post” button and begin entering your material. Write a title that best explains your material and then type up your material in the content box. Choose the language of the blog post and the category it belongs to. Choosing more than one category is allowed however it will not increase your chances of getting recognized by the Floodgate system. Try including your post in a topic even if the topic wasn’t published by you. Blog posts that are part of a topic will receive more traffic because they can be found easier by visitors. Writing an excerpt will better explains what your blog post is about. Writing short and meaningful excerpt is the best way to attract readers. The system automatically cuts off your excerpt after 100 words so try to make it shorter than 100 words. If you don’t write an excerpt the system will display the first 100 words of your blog post. Refrain from including pictures and videos in your excerpts. Including pictures and videos in excerpts is a violation of Pole Sabz policy. Including pictures and videos not only slows down the page load for members it causes clutter which makes finding material much more difficult.

When writing out your content try to save your material from time to time to prevent accidental loss of data. The blog posts that you write will automatically be published in the public repository and there is a chance for the blog post to be chosen by the Floodgate system depending on its popularity among other members and visitors. Blog posts that receive a high overall positive recommendation can earn you good credit points at the same time blog posts that receive an overall negative recommendation can cause not only a loss to your credit points but also your online reputation. Posts that receive an overall of -5 recommendation will automatically get trashed by the system. By this point however you should be familiar enough with the system that your blog posts will most likely be recommended by other members.

Creating Topics

Topics are a great way to organize your blog posts. If you are dividing your material in different parts you can create a topic that includes all the parts for the material this way readers that are reading the part 1 of your material can easily find part 2, part 3 and so on. You can also create a topic about a certain subject and over time add blog posts to that topic this way the new material can easily reference the old material without having to search for it and paste a link to the old material in the body of your new one. Remember other members can join your topics by including their related materials and vice versa. You can create topic by clicking on “Add or Edit topics” button in “My Links” tab or “Topics” button in the admin pages. All fields except for “slug” is required. Make sure you choose a title that is easy to understand and relates to the material that you are about to include. The slug field will automatically get filled. Write a description of the topic that will help other members and visitors understand what the topic is about. You must choose an image for the topic. The image visually assists readers to find the topic they are looking for quicker. You can either upload a new image or you can simply use on of the images in the library.

Part 3 Credits and Roles

As breifly mentioned Pole Sabz uses credit system to determine a member’s credibility. The credit level will then assign a role to the member.

Credits

Your credit point is a measure of your value on Pole Sabz. Think of the credit point as your credit score in real life. The more active and responsible you are the higher your credit point goes. All new members will begin with 50 credit points that gives them enough room to make mistakes and get acquainted with the system. As mentioned before the best way to earn credit points is offer your recommendation on different activities and placing comments. Each recommendation that you offer you gain 1 credit point. Recommendation can gain you more credit point but also requires more responsibility. Each comment you publish will gain you 2 credit points. You can receive an additional 5 credit points for writing a comment that receive +10 recommendation however you need to be careful with the content of your comments. If your comments get a -3 recommendation you will lose the 2 credit points that you gained from writing a comment and if it goes down to -5 recommendation not only your comment gets deleted you will lose 3 credit points which means the comment that you wrote actually costed you a credit point.

Credit points are far more rewarding with blog posts however they work a bit different. You don’t gain credit points for writing a blog post. You gain credit points when your material is recognized and recommended by other members. Posts that receive +10 recommendation will receive 5 credit points. Posts that receive +20 recommendation will receive 10 points and posts that receive +50 and more recommendation will receive 20 credit points. You have to remember that if your posts receive negative recommendation you will lose points. Posts that have a negative overall recommendation level will lose 5 points and if the recommendation level goes down to -9 or less the post gets automatically deleted from the system. If your post is receiving negative recommendation don’t be discouraged. You can always modify your content and fix it so other members will begin giving you positive recommendations.

We will be monitoring the credit system and modify our policies as the site becomes more mature. We will also be adding other parts of the site to the credit system so members would have more ways of gaining credibility.

Roles

Each role has its own unique features. There are 4 roles available at the moment. The first role is known as subscriber. It acts as a trial period for new members. It gives them limited ability such as offering recommendation and publishing comments. This limited ability lets them gain points as they familiars themselves with the system. Once the member reaches 200 points they will become contributors which allows them to be a fully active member. Contributors not only can offer recommendation and publish comments but they can also publish posts and topics. Contributors can easily gain credit points by writing materials that others find useful. Once a contributor reaches 1500 credit point level he/she becomes a publisher. A publisher is a well established member of the site and gains access to two other two sections (pictures and videos). A publisher can collect and post videos in the public repository of the videos and can also add pictures to the existing galleries. Once a publisher reaches 4000 points they will become an Editor. Editor is the highest role level and will have all of the Pole Sabz features unlocked to them. They will now be able to create galleries in the pictures section.

There are other systems that are under construction which will give more abilities to each role. We may change the required credit level for each role if we feel it is necessary to encourage more activity on the site.

This guide will be updated from time to time to include the changes to the site. If you have questions about the guide or if you feel like we have missed something in our guide please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we are able to.

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