When we designed Phase Two of FSP.com, we wanted to provide something for almost everyone. This large number of features presented a bit of a challenge in terms of organizing and presenting them all in an orderly fashion. It might be helpful to you, the Pal, if we go over a few points about this site's layout and navigation:

We use the TAB system (see above), with each tab selected from the upper row controlling a variety of related tabs in the lower "sub-navigation" row. So, if you click a tab in the upper row, it will present several related, but subordinate, tabs in the lower row. If you ever get "lost" just look up to see which of the upper tabs is highlighted in "Funspot blue" and then see which of the lower tabs is selected in aqua (turquoise? You tell me what that color is!) You can always return to The Hub or your own My Spot page.

The observant Pal will notice a lot of talk about "hubs" on this site. That's because 170 activities and an unlimited number of Funspots and Events means you have to group things right. The hub system allows Pals to congregate around the particular "Funspot Activity" they're drawn to and not waste time on stuff they don't care about.

* The central spot on FSP.com is The Hub (as in THE Hub since there are many other mini-hubs in the three tabs in the upper right. But this is the central Hub). While there are many far-flung reaches of FSP.com, this is the main hang-out you should check on every day. It's the place where snow-boarders can rub elbows with spelunkers after they're done browsing their own activity or Funspot hubs. Note that The Hub also has a main Blog called FSP Blog and The Board, which is the central bulletin board of FSP.com (BTW, to subscribe to FSP Blog, just click "subscribe" in the upper right of this page and you'll get each post sent to your regular e-mail!)

* We put the Map first in the sub-nav because that gives you a nice overview of what's happening where. Just zoom in and out and drag the map around to check out the color-coded "stick pins" to view Pals, activities, Funspots and event hubs. The Calendar is next in line and it gives you the when. Just click on a date to get the details for that day in a pop-up.

* Talk Spot is where you get to communicate with everyone on the site. You also have a link here on your My Spot page. Click "Search" on The Hub and you're on our Fun Spotter page. There's also Search link on the specialized Hub pages for Activities, Funspots and Events. Be sure to use the tagged search to look for something really specific.

* Further over on The Hub you'll see the "Post Activities" tab -- your link to Fun Plotter. Here's where the action is: you post your upcoming local activities, trips, special events and Funspot parties. A lot of work went into this section so you can post ALL the details you want for happenings big and small, home or away. Finally, The Hub's Page Builder tab is just an instructional page, since only the Web Manager can edit The Hub (sorry Pal!)

* The Hub is also the place where you get to see what videos, photos, Groups and activities are highest ranked by other Pals. To see this stuff, you just click on the large blue circle in the middle of The Hub and then click on one of rays that shoot out from the circle to select a Buzz category. Same procedure for the Blog and the Board.

* The second key location on this site is each Pal's My Spot page. Every Pal has one of these. This is where you get to show us your stuff! Update your profile, upload pictures (don't be bashful), favorite videos, write your blog, make posts on your board, list your activities and events, and set your activity alerts; let us know who your favorite Pals are (only you get to view your Pal Potential list), and more.

* Next over is the Pals tab. Click on this in the upper tab row and you'll see the latest Pals who've signed up with FSP.com. If you click on one of them, the upper Pals tab will still be selected but now you'll see a new set of sub-navigation items that belong to that particular Pal (i.e. her Buzz, her Blog, her Board, etc.). Click on any of them and you get a glimpse at that Pal's Fun world! If you want to contact her, just click on the email or IM in the center of the page. if she's "online now" you'll see that in red letters in the upper right corner of her page.

* Step to the right one more in the upper tab row and we have Groups. Like the My Spot pages, each group has its own Group Spot page. To form a Group, just click on the Pal Grouper in the sub-nav tab on the far left. This is where we all get to create, join and grow our Groups. The other tabs let you view/search for groups according to their relation to activities, Funspots or events, trips and parties.

* Jog to the right one more and we see the Activities tab which opens a window onto over 170 activities hub pages. You can scroll thru our super-fast scroll box or simply type in the activity you're interested in. Your own favorite activities will appear at the top of the page for quick access. (Note: to add more activities to your favorites, just go to your My Spot page and click Page Builder to edit them). On individual Hubs (e.g. The Kayaking Hub), the lower tab row will have all the Buzz, Blog, Board and other items related to Kayaking. For example, if you want to sell your kayak, you might want to put an ad on the Kayaking Board.

* The next upper tab over is Funspots. Here again, we have an opening directory page which shows your favorite Funspots at the top and then lets you search for the Funspot hub page you're looking for. Click on it and you're looking at a specific Funspot hub page for say, "Red Rock Park" with all its Buzz, Blog, Board and related activies, Pals and events in the lower tab row.

* Finally, at the far right of the upper tab row we have Events/trips/parties with the same basic structure as the Activites and Funspots tabs we just covered. Here, you can find hub pages dedicated to a recurring event, trip or Funspot Party. Again, each hub page will have the familiar line-up of Buzz, Blog, Board, Pals, Groups and activities related to this particular event.

Local Activity - small, usually one-time outing posted on Fun Plotter (see the Post Activities tab on The Hub).

Special Event - a BIG or important, generally one-time event posted on Fun Plotter.

Activity hub - dedicated main page created by any Pal for a general recreational activity (e.g. The Kayaking Hub).

Event hub - dedicated main page created by any Pal for a recurring, popular, big event, annual trip or Funspot Party

Funspot Hub - dedicated main page created by any Pal marking a favorite Funspot anywhere on the planet.

Any registered Pal can edit the hub pages and their own My Spot page. They cannot edit THE Hub's opening page, although they can click on the blue circles and use the sub-navs to do things like make comments on FSP Blog, rate photos, videos, etc. on The Buzz and post activities on Fun Plotter. So we can all add content to this site. But to become the Editor of a hub page such as "The Rock Climbing Hub", just click Activities in the upper tab row and find and go to that hub. There, you can see if there's already an editor. If not, just click on the link and in about 7 seconds you'll be the new editor.

If you change your mind ("Too much PRESSURE!") then just click on the "Resign" link which started apearing under the tabs as soon as you became the editor. If you get your courage up two minutes later you can become editor again. As editor, you get to write the blog and upload the main photo of that page. You can also edit out photos and certain other items you don't want on your hub.

If someone is already the editor and you think you can do a better job, just e-mail or IM him. If he doesn't respond and he hasn't done anything to upgrade the hub page for quite a while, just contact us and we'll look into possibly installing YOU as the new editor!

Well, I hope that's helpful. We'll put the above list into the Help/FAQ section shortly. In the meantime, please tell your friends to join the newest web frontier -- sports networking at FSP.com, where active Pals from every corner of the globe can live together in peace and harmony....well, okay, maybe not yet, but they can still spot pals and have fun!

That's our vision and we're sticking to it.

Diver Dave