my Jo-Ann

Joining the online community is fast and easy. Click on the "Join Now" link in the header and complete the registration form. After you submit your registration, you will receive an e-mail welcome/confirmation with a link to verify that you wish to join My Jo-Ann.

NOTE: Joining My Jo-Ann is separate from creating a shopper account on Joann.com or signing up as a Preferred Customer to receive direct or e-mail offers for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.

#4: I can't log in! What do I do?

Your login is your e-mail address. Make sure you are using the same email address that you used to sign up for the community. If this is your first visit to the site, the password was provided in your welcome e-mail. The password is case sensitive.

You can use the Forgot Password option to have a temporary password sent to your e-mail address. After you log in, you should change your password to something that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.

If you still cannot login, please use the Contact Us form and choose "Community Question" via the topic dropdown menu. Please include the following information: operating system, browser (name and version #), screen name, and any other info you may have that can help us troubleshoot. We will respond to your request as quickly as possible.

#5: I forgot my password. What do I do?

If you cannot remember your password, click on the Forgot Password underneath the login box. You will need to provide the e-mail address you used to join the community and a replacement password will be sent to you at that e-mail address.

After you log in, you should change your password to something that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.

#6: How can I change my password?

After you login, go to "My Profile > Account Settings > Change Password."

You should choose a password that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.

#7: Can I change my user ID?

Due to programming restraints, you cannot change your user ID once your account is created so choose carefully. Your user ID also will become the URL to your profile.

#8: Can I change my screen name?

Yes! Your screen name (the one displayed to visitors) can be changed at any time, as many times as you'd like. We do suggest choosing a screen name and sticking with it to make it easier for other members to remember and find you.

#9: What is a profile picture (avatar)?

It is an image added to your profile page and used throughout the community to give other community members a way to visually identify you. It can be a photograph or a graphic (cartoon/caricature, etc.) that represents you. Like your screen name, it can be changed at any time, as many times as you'd like.

#10: Why should I complete my profile?

Although there are a couple of required questions for setting up your membership, you don't have to respond to every item in a typical profile. However, completing the items in your profile is great way for other people in the community to get to know you and vice versa.

#11: What do you do with my personal info that I enter into my profile?

We respect your privacy and will not sell or share your information with other entities for solicitation purposes. That's a promise. See our privacy policy for more details.

#12: Can I prevent people from knowing I'm online? What are my privacy options?

Your privacy is important to us. We offer a variety of options for you to protect your privacy. You control what information you make available in your profile and may set your profile as public, friends only or private at any time. To control your privacy, visit the 'Edit Account Settings' section via the link on your home page.

Always remember to exercise caution when giving out your personal information.

#13: Can I see other people's profiles? Can they see mine?

Yes you can, and yes they can, based on your account settings. Once you login, you can update the default account settings from your home page and determine the parts of your profile that you want private, public or to be shared only with your connections.

#14: How do I upload photos?

You can upload a photo from the "Home" menu or in the Photos area. There are just two steps. Select the photo(s) you want to upload from your computer by clicking "Browse" and then click "Upload". Once uploaded, you can add titles, descriptions and tags to each of your photos and even organize them into sets you create yourself. Image file formats are jpeg, jpg, gif and png; file size limit is 500kb.

#15: How do I reply to a topic?

Simply click the "Reply" button. It will open a space for you to write your comment. You can preview your reply before you post it by clicking "Preview." When you are satisfied with your response, click "Submit Reply".

#16: How do I post a topic?

To create a new topic, click "create a new topic" in the discussions section. If you don't see this option, check to be sure that if you're logged in. From the dropdown menus, choose the topic category that is most appropriate. You also can add tags separated by commas. Tags are helpful words or phrases that make it easy to search topics. For instance, "fleece," "cotton fabric" and/or "sewing tips" might be helpful tags on a sewing post.

#17: How do I include pictures in my posts?

When creating your post, click on the "Insert/Edit Image" icon on the menu bar of the text editor. Select the desired image from your computer. Image file formats are jpeg, jpg, gif and png; file size limit is 500kb. It is always a good idea to preview your post to make sure the picture or any other formatting or HTML you've used works correctly!

#18: How do I edit a post?

There will be an 'Edit' link underneath any of your posts. Once you modify the text, click Post to update the contents.

#19: How do I delete a post?

Use the "Delete" link that appears underneath every post you make. You can only delete posts that you yourself have created.

NOTE: Deleting a post is not a guarantee that someone did not read it while it was available on the site. "Preview" (before publishing a post or comment) is your friend!

#20: Can I delete comments/replies I posted on someone's topic?

Yes. Use the "Delete" link that appears underneath every post you make. You can only delete posts that you yourself have created.

NOTE: Deleting a comment/reply is not a guarantee that someone did not read it while it was available on the site. "Preview" (before publishing a post or comment) is your friend!

#21: How do I delete comments posted on my profile wall?

Next to every comment on your wall, you will see an "X" icon. Simply click it to delete that message.

#22: What are E-mail Notifications? What is the difference between e-mail and private message?

E-mail will go to your outside e-mail address and a private message is only accessible in your Message Center in the online community. You can choose one or both options. The default is both.

#23: How does private messaging work? And who can I message?

Private messaging allows you to send a message to anyone in the community within the site's environment. The message is available in your Inbox and is not sent to your personal email accounts.

#24: What is the How To section? How do I contribute?

This is an area for you to share your ideas for the site, a product, service, or anything that comes to mind. Other members in the community can review your idea, comment and vote on it. We look at the ideas presented here as well as your specific responses to our questions.

#25: How do I create/join a group?

Creating a group is easy! Just go to "groups," click "create a new group," fill in the required fields and click the "create group" button. You can create a public group that is visible to everyone, a private group that only community members can view and must ask you to join or a secret group that is visible only to those you invite.

#26: How do I add friends?

You can add a member as a friend by clicking "Add as Friend" from their profile page. The "members" section in the navigation menu allows you to search for users and add them as a friend directly from the list/search results.

#27: What is chatter? How does it work?

You can visit anyone's profile page and post a message in their "chatter" module, located on the bottom right of the page. Whatever you write will be visible to everyone. This is a quick and easy way to leave them a message.

#28: How do I create/share an event?

Click "events" in the navigation menu and then click the link for "create an event." Fill out the required fields and click the "create event" button. Anyone can see and attend a public event. Private events will have a summary listed, but you have to request an invitation and wait for the host's approval to see the event details. Secret events can't be seen unless you are invited by the host.

#29: How do I write a blog? Who can see my blog?

Writing a blog is easy! Click "blogs" from the menu, then "create new a post." Add a title where indicate and type your post. When you're through with the post, you can select what profile picture will appear with it, add tags (that make it easier for people to search for your blog post), choose the type of visibility and decide whether or not to allow comments on your post. Then, you can preview your blog to be proofread it or check formatting, save it as a draft to be posted later or post it.

Visibility settings allow you to share your blogs with the public, making it visible to everyone or with "Friends Only." You also can maintain a private blog if you want to keep track of your thoughts without sharing them with any community members.

#30: How do I post updates to my Facebook/Twitter page from My Jo-Ann?

Keep your Facebook Friends current on your crafty postings with this new feature that allows you to choose to simultaneously post to Facebook. When you reply in a discussion or comment on someone's blog or photo, you'll see a "Connect with Facebook" button. Using this button, enables you to connect to your Facebook profile (logging in using your Facebook email and password). You'll be given the option to have anything you post added to your Facebook profile as well.

#31: What is "mark offensive"?

If you need to report posted content that you believe is inappropriate or offensive, this link will notify our staff. Someone will review the content to determine if it needs to be removed from the site.

#32: Can I search the community site?

Yes, there is a search box in the header of every page of the community. NOTE: This will only search pages of the community, not the Joann.com shopping site.

#33: My Jo-Ann Community and the Joann.com Website

My Jo-Ann is an online community, hosted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, for sewing, crafting and DIY enthusiasts to make creative connections with others who share their passion for handmade items, get and give advice and share or find inspiration. While connected to the Joann.com, at this time, it is separate from the shopping web site. Information, including names, e-mail addresses and other personal information are maintained separately. Signing into a Joann.com account or signing up as a Preferred Customer are separate from logging into the My Jo-Ann community site. If you have questions about this, please Contact Us choosing "Community Question" via the topic dropdown menu .

#34: The Help You Need

If you did not find an answer here that addresses your question about how to use some feature of the community, please check the Discussions section of the community under the category "About Jo-Ann" (subcategory "About this Community" or "Jo-Ann Store Information") to see if anyone else has submitted and/or answered it. If not, you may wish to start a topic yourself or you can use our Contact Us form to send an e-mail.

Due to the size of our community and message volume, inquiries posted to Discussion threads may not receive an immediate answer, so if your question is time-sensitive, please use the Contact Us form.

Help for the Joann.com shopping site-covering topics such as placing or tracking an order, shipping, returns, price adjustments, sales ads and coupons, etc.-can be found by visiting www.Joann.com and checking the Customer Service section in the footer of every page.

#35: Share It

Share community pages-including photos, blogs and member profiles--on your favorite social bookmarking sites by clicking the "Share it" link on these pages.

#36: Status Field

Tell your friends what you're up to in real time.

#37: Read Discussions via RSS

Each discussion has its own RSS feed! Click on a small orange icon next to the title of the topic to see and subscribe to the feed using your favorite RSS Reader.

#38: Recent Replies & Activity

See a summary of your most recent replies and community activities right on your profile.

#39: Post to Facebook/Twitter

#40: Photos replace Photo Album & Portfolios

Add Twitter activity to your profile on My Jo-Ann. Simply edit your profile, by clicking on "member settings" (or your personal dashboard) and then "edit my profile" to include your Twitter username and save your changes. Your Tweets will appear in your activity stream on your profile.

#41: Photos section Replaces Photo Albums & Portfolios

In the old community, you could upload photos into Photo Albums or Portfolios that would, so long as the privacy setting was set to public, be included in the community's Gallery. In the new community site you can simply upload photos for easy viewing and sharing or you can create unique sets to help you manage and organize your photos.