FastCompany.com is a blended media website and community platform for people passionate about business ideas. Our core topics of concern are innovation, technology, leadership, management, social responsibility, design, careers and work/life balance. The site combines world-class journalism with expansive community tools for members to create their own content. Member content is prominently featured alongside staff work. Any content a member or staff member contributes to the site is saved on their personal profile. Members are encouraged to get to know one another and Fast Company journalists based on their accumulated writing and ideas. The site continues to include the full monthly content from Fast Company magazine, one of the most prominent print business publications in the world.
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Contribute
Write blogs, respond to questions, start or join groups, ask for advice, and have their ideas seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
Network
Create a profile and make connections with members of the business community.
Collaborate
Attend or organize live and online events about cutting edge business ideas.
Anyone can join FastCompany.com and membership is absolutely free! There is no cost associated with becoming a member of FastCompany.com.
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1. How do I sign up?
If you are a new visitor to FastCompany.com, every page you visit will display "Sign Up" and "Learn More" buttons. Click Sign up to start the registration process and fill out the required information to become an active member of the site. You can also start filling out your profile now, and we'll find the content, people, and groups that best match your interests. Or come back to the profile later after you've finished doing what you were doing before registering.
2. What happens if I forget my password to login?
If you supplied a verifiable e-mail address during registration, then head over to the "Forgot your password?
" form and type in your username or e-mail address. A temporary password will be e-mailed to you to allow you to access the site and change your password. If you've forgotten your username, or the e-mail address that you created your account with, send us an e-mail at info@fastcompany.com and we'll assist you.
1. What is a FastCompany.com public profile?
A FastCompany.com public profile is a summary of your bio and interests, professional history, and educational history. It's how people who search on FastCompany.com can get to know each other on the site. With a profile, users can display more than just a resume; their profiles will also show the content they've contributed to the site, as well as the feeds they've subscribed to, the articles and blogs that they list in their recommendations, and a summary of their contacts.
2. How do I fill out a public profile?
If you missed filling out your profile during the initial registration process, you can go back and edit it at any time. Just go to your personal home page and click on "Edit Profile." In "Contact Information," set your privacy and how you want people to contact you on FastCompany.com. On the left menu navigation, you will see "Vcard," "Bio and Interests," "Professional History," "Educational History," "Image," "Multimedia," and "Blog."
The more you fill out in each section, the more people will know about you, and the easier it will be for us to find people, groups, and content that matches your interests.
3. How do I set my profile image?
Click on "Edit Profile" from your home page, and then click on "Image" on the left hand navigation menu. Click "Browse" to find an image on your computer to upload to the site. Once you find the image, click "Upload." The image that appears will identify you as an icon in your public profile and in other areas throughout the site.
4. What is a dashboard?
A dashboard appears on your personal home page to serve as your user interface. When you visit your personal home page, you can see your "New messages," "Profile views," "New member connection requests," "New comments on your posts," and "New professional recommendations." Click on the corresponding number to act upon or view these updates.
The dashboard also enables you to "See Public Profile," as others see it, "Edit Profile," "Write A Blog Post," "Invite Contacts," or "Send A Message" to any one of your contacts.
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1. What is the blue toolbar that keeps following me around the site?
The profile toolbar is a personal navigation that follows you throughout the site once you are a registered member and you are logged in. From the profile toolbar, you can get to "My Home," "My Contacts," "My Groups," "My Multimedia," "My Bookmarks," "My Feeds," "My Newsletters," "My Blog," "My Events," "My Settings," "My Network," and "My Recommendations."
2. What is "My Home?"
Your home is where you go once you login to the site. This is your personal home page where your dashboard is available to you. It's also how you interface with the site and read the content you've subscribed to and see what your contacts are doing on the site, and also watch what's happening in your groups.
3. Who are "My Contacts?"
Use "My Contacts" to manage your contacts. See all contacts or an alphabetical list. Remove contacts by clicking on the "Remove" link next to the contact's information. Download an individual contact's "vCard" (digital business card) to add it to your address book on your computer.
Here you can also "Invite Contacts" by uploading a file export of your address book, or signing onto a Webmail account like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL, to import your address book. Once you have the address book contacts uploaded or synched, you'll be able to select which ones you invite to FastCompany.com.
This is also where you can "Find People." Search for people by name, by putting the name into the search box and clicking "Go." You can also search for people by their interests or tags (Profile Tags) that they set during registration to describe themselves. FastCompany.com members can also be searched by interest and region.
4. What are "My Groups?"
These are groups that you signed up to join. You can manage those groups by following recent activity in the group and in the discussion topics within your groups. Group management also enables you to delete or leave a group. Just click the "Remove" link next to a group's details.
5. What is "My Multimedia?"
In "My Multimedia" you can upload images, audio, video, and documents. Your uploaded content will be shared with other members and site visitors after you select topics and tags that will make it easy for them to find.
6. What are "My Bookmarks?"
Did you see something on FastCompany.com that you'd like to save to read later, or read again?
On each FastCompany.com article and multimedia, written by Fast Company staff, you will find article tools. To save something to your bookmarks, look at the top of an article on the right hand side, and use the dropdown menu to "Send to" "My Bookmarks." In "My Bookmarks," you can manage content that you've sent there. To remove a saved bookmark, simply click on the "Remove" link next to the item.
7. What are "My Feeds?"
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, or podcasts. An RSS document is called a feed or Web feed. Feeds make it easy to keep up with dynamic content such as FastCompany.com content or blogs or other sites around the Web. "My Feeds" serves as a feed reader enabling you to read content that you've subscribed to through an "RSS Feed" on the site.
8. What are "My Newsletters?"
In "My Newsletters" you can manage the FastCompany.com newsletters that you are subscribed to and receive in your e-mail box outside of FastCompany.com. These newsletters are also available in RSS.
9. What is "My Blog?"
A blog is one of the ways that you can contribute to the conversation on FastCompany.com. If you did not create a blog during your registration process, you can do so now by clicking on "My Blog." Give your blog a title, description, at least one topic and any number of keyword tags. Member blog entries may be chosen for publication on the FastCompany.com home page or topic channel pages.
10. What are "My Events?"
"My Events" is a summary of events that you have RSVP'd for or created yourself in one of your groups. Here you can manage your events and search for other events by topic. You can remove events by clicking on the "Remove" link next to the item.
11. What are "My Settings?"
"My Settings" is where you go to manage your account details, such as changing your password, setting your privacy settings, or setting how you receive messages from FastCompany.com.
12. What is "My Network?"
"My Network" is a degree listing of your contacts, which enables you to see your "2nd degree" contacts and even your "3rd degree through your contacts, as well as your contacts. This is another method of finding like-minded individuals who share your interests.
13. What are "My Recommendations?"
"My Recommendations" is where you manage your professional recommendations. If you were visiting a contact's profile and clicked "Recommend Professionally" or if they did they same for you, all of that information ends up here. You can remove recommendations by clicking on the "Remove" link next to the person who recommended you, or the person whom you recommended.
1. What is a group?
Groups are a way for members who share a common interest to get together. Members make groups based on regions or topical interest area. You can search for groups by clicking on "Find Groups" next to the search box at the top right of every page on the site. You can search for groups by topic or region.
2. How do I join a group?
To join a group, simply click on "Join Now" next to the group's description on the "Groups Directory" or on the group's page. You will be asked to confirm if you want to join the group.
3. How do I start my own group?
To start a group, click on "Find Groups" next to the search box at the top right of every page on the site to visit the "Groups Directory." Once there, click on the link "Start your own," to visit the "Create a group" page. Decide if you want your group public or private, what its name will be, and give it a description. You must assign your group at least one of the site's core topics, but you can also add free form keyword tags to categorize your group. Once your group is started you can start inviting other members to it.
4. How do I send a message to a group?
First, visit the group's home page. Then look on the group's dashboard, here you will see actionable buttons. The second one from the top is "Send A Message To Group." Click on this button to fill out a message form to send an announcement to the entire group. You must be a member of that group in order to send its members a message.
5. How do I blog in a group?
Each group has its own blog. On the group's home page there is a dashboard with actionable buttons. The first from the top on the right "Post To Group Blog" takes you to a blog post form. Fill out the title and put your blog content into the "Post" section of the form, then give the entry at least one topic and as many free form keyword "tags" as you want. Upload an image to accompany your post if you wish and then preview your post before publishing. If you are happy with what you see in the preview then click pos. If you're not happy with what you see, go back and edit your post before publishing.
All members of a group can post to the group blog. The latest entries appear on the group's home page.
6. What are events?
Events are calendars within groups. Events usually relate to the group's offline activities, or any conference or event that may be of interest to a particular group based on its location and/or its topic relationship.
7. How do I create an event?
On the group's home page there is a dashboard with actionable buttons. The fourth blue button from the top on the right "Create An Event" takes you to an event form. Fill out the title and description, add at least one topic, and as many free form keyword tags as you want. Fill in the rest of the event details (RSVP status and Location required) and then preview the event. If everything is fine, click post to publish to the group. If it isn't, go back and edit before posting.
8. How do I invite someone to a group?
On the group's home page there is a dashboard with actionable buttons. The third blue button from the top on the right "Invite A Friend" takes you to an invite form. Enter your friend's email address, or select a friend from your FastCompany.com contacts to invite. Your friends will receive an e-mail notification inviting them to join the group.
9. What are discussion topics?
Discussion topics are like message boards or forums in that they are threaded discussions where one person starts a topic and other people respond. The responses to the topic appear in chronological order.
10. How do I start a discussion topic?
Discussion topics are only found in groups. You have to be a member of a group in order to start a discussion topic. Visit one of your groups, and scroll down its home page past the events calendar. Click on the "Start A Discussion" button
11. What are most recommended?
Most recommended in a group refers to content that has been recommended by group members. If a lot of people in a group liked a particular article or blog entry, they would have clicked on "Recommend This" while reading the content item, and that item would appear in "Most Recommended" within that group.
12. How do I add multimedia to a group?
You can add multimedia to a group when you visit that group's home page and locate the "Post Multimedia" button on the group home dashboard. It is the fifth blue button located on the right hand side near the top of the group page. Browse your computer for the multimedia file, give it a title, a description, add at least one topic, and any number of keyword tags to identify it. The multimedia item will become available to all group members and listed in directories on the site for other members and anyone who uses the site to view.
1. What is a feed reader?
"My Feeds" aggregates content from FastCompany.com and from around the Web into a single location for easy viewing. Some of the feeds that you've subscribed to appear on your personal home page, but the bulk of the content appears in "My Feeds." Feeds appear in chronological order according to what was most recently posted. So you're always seeing fresh, new content.
2. How do I add content to my feed reader?
There are a few ways to add content to your reader. One way is to click on the "My Feeds" link on your profile toolbar and click on the "Add Content" button found on the left side navigation. You will see a listing of FastCompany.com feeds, as well as editor selected feeds from around the Web. Just click on the "Add To My Page" button to begin receiving updates of that feed.
Another way to add feeds to your page and your reader is to click on the RSS Feed link on any type of content on the site. Clicking on that link will offer you the option to save the RSS Feed to your page. You can also visit the RSS Feeds page to add FastCompany.com content to your page or to a reader outside of the site, such as Google or Bloglines.
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1. Who are my contacts?
Your contacts are the people you connected to through your web address book, or uploaded from a contact file, or accepted connection requests from. Here you can take a quick glance at your contacts to learn more about them and what they are doing on the site. Just click on their names to go to their profiles.
Contacts who the member has recommended professionally appear with a blue check next to their names.
2. How do I add contacts from my address book?
You can invite your contacts in your address book by uploading your contact file from Outlook, Act! Lotus, Apple Address Book, and other address book applications. Just export your entire address book to a text, comma delimited, or virtual contact file and save it to your desktop. Browse for the file and then upload it here. You will be asked to select the contacts from your address book that you want to add as you FastCompany.com connections.
3. How do I add contacts from my Webmail account?
If you use online e-mail from a service like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL, you can enter your username and password here, select your webmail service from the dropdown and click submit to add connections from your webmail address book. You can even add connections from your Linkedin account in this manner. Once you've submitted, you'll be taken to another page and asked which contacts you'd like to ask as connection on FastCompany.com.
1. What are blogs?
A blog is a way to join the FastCompany.com conversation and get published on FastCompany.com near award-winning content. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. Blogs can combine words, images, and links, and other media, such as audio or video, related to its topic.
On FastCompany.com there are two ways to blog. You can create your own blog through your profile and manage it with your profile toolbar. Or you can contribute to a group blog.
2. How do I start a blog?
Look at your blue profile toolbar and click on "My Blog." Give your blog a title, description, at least one topic and any number of keyword tags. After you set up your blog you can write your first post.
If you want to post a blog entry in a group, visit the group's home page where you'll find a dashboard with actionable buttons. The first from the top on the right "Post To Group Blog" takes you to a blog post form. Fill out the title and put your blog content into the "Post" section of the form, then give the entry at least one topic and as many free form keyword "tags" as you want. Upload an image to accompany your post if you wish and then preview your post before publishing. If you are happy with what you see in the preview then click post, if you're not happy with what you see, go back and edit your post before publishing.
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What is multimedia?
Multimedia consists of images, audio, video, and sometimes even documents. You can add some multimedia items to your profile and it will be searchable on the site for members and anyone who uses the site to view. Multimedia can also be added to blog entries using the image uploader. In either case, simply browse your computer for the file you want, and once you see it appear in the browse box, click upload and give it a topic and any number of free form keyword tags so that it will be easily located according to its topic.
1. What are comments?
Comments are reactions to content on the FastCompany.com site. Some comments, like article comments and Fast Talk answers, even get published on the home page and topic home pages.
2. How do I make a comment?
To make a comment, just click on the comment link on the item you wish to comment on. Your comment will become part of the conversation, listed in chronological order, with the most recent comment made appearing at the top.
What is the save to dropdown I see on articles and blogs, and other content on the site?
Save to is a tool that works like a bookmarking or share tool. You can use the dropdown to select where you want to save the content item, either your bookmarks on FastCompany.com or on an external social media service like Digg or StumbleUpon.
What is report content?
The report content feature enables members to serve as site ambassadors and moderators. When a member sees questionable content, clicking the report content tool will alert our community moderators, who then decide whether the content is appropriate for our site or not.
What is the Big Idea?
The Big Idea is a daily updated quote or insight into common business issues. The Big Idea may come right out of today's news or an age-old quote that still holds relevance today. It's the idea machine to get you started on each day. You can agree or disagree with the statement, and even leave a comment explaining why you agreed or disagreed. Feel free to suggest big ideas to the editors by sending an email to info@fastcompany.com.
What is Fast Talk?
To join the FastCompany.com conversation quickly, you can respond to the editors' daily thought-provoking questions related to one of our core eight content topics: Innovation, Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, Design, Social Responsibility, or Work/Life. Your responses may be selected for promotion on the home page or on one of the topic home pages. Also feel free to suggest Fast Talk questions for editor review.
What are Fast Answers?
Fast Answers are reader-to-reader questions seeking practical advice or reference. Just click "Get Answers Now," then type your question in the box and wait for the answers to start pouring in from the community. Need a lawyer to help incorporate your business?
Need software for accounting purposes or payroll?
Here's the best place to find those answers.
What are tags?
A tag is a keyword or term used to identify a piece of information. Tags are used on FastCompany.com to group content into specific topic areas. All content contributed to the site must be associated with at least one of the site's eight core topics: Innovation, Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, Design, Social Responsibility, or Work/Life. Members can also add any number of keyword (tag) terms to any content they create on the site.
What are topics?
Topics refer to eight core content areas on FastCompany.com. They include Innovation, Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, Design, Social Responsibility, and Work/Life. Topics are designated into channels to provide another form of navigation for accessing the site's content according to your interests. Each topic channel has its own home page that is updated regularly. Topics must also be used as associations for profiles and content items on the site.
1. What is search?
Search is used to locate content on the site that you're otherwise unable to easily locate. The search box can be found out the top right of each page throughout the site. Just type a keyword or term into the search box and your results will include groups, blogs, features, Fast Talk, Fast Answer, as well as results by topic, or even results according to a timeframe, such as the last 7 days.
2. What is advanced search?
Advanced search is used to perform a more granular search, either according to story type, or topic, or date range, and more. Advanced search is helpful when you know exactly what you're looking for. Click on the advanced search link and enter your requirements, and you'll see your results.
3. How do I find people?
Just click on the "Find People" button next to the search entry box to be taken to the "Members Directory" page. Search for members by name, browse by topic or interest that they've selected for their profiles, or browse by region or tag. You can find a specific person, or a person who shares your similar interests.
4. How do I find groups?
Just click on the "Find Groups" button next to the search entry box to be taken to the "Groups Directory" page. Two featured groups appear, but you can also browse groups by a topic, region, or tag that it is associated with.
5. How do I find blogs?
Just click on the "Find Blogs" button next to the search entry box to be taken to the "Blogs Directory" page. Two featured blogs appear, but you can also browse blogs by topic, by type (Staff, Expert, or Member), or by tag.
1. What are recommendations?
There are two types of recommendations on FastCompany.com. There are content recommendations and there are professional recommendations of contacts. When you recommend content that means you like what you read and you think others should read it. When you recommend a contact professionally that means you've worked with them or have a professional relationship with them and would recommend them as a professional in their field.
2. How do I recommend a contact?
When you are on any of your contact's profiles, you will see a blue button that says "Recommend Professionally." Just click on that button and that contact will be added to your list of contacts that you recommend professionally and appear in your contacts list on your public profile with a blue check next to their name.
3. How do I recommend an article?
To recommend an article, just click on the thumb up icon next to the words "Recommend This" on any article, and your recommendation will be added to your public profile, and it will increment the number on the recommendations counter on the article. It will also be added to a count within your groups, so when others in your group recommend the article it becomes an item in "Most Recommended."
4. How do I recommend a blog post?
To recommend a blog post, just click on the thumb up icon next to the words "Recommend This" on any blog post, and your recommendation will be added to your public profile, and it will increment the number on the recommendations counter on the article. It will also be added to a count within your groups, so when others in your group recommend the article it becomes an item in "Most Recommended."
1. What are notifications?
Notifications are system alerts that you receive from FastCompany.com that tell you when someone has acted on any of the content you created, invited you to join a group or become a contact, and sent you a message, among other things.
2. How do I adjust my settings for the notifications that I receive?
You can go to your profile toolbar and click on "My Settings" to adjust how you receive personal messages and group messages and fast answer responses in your personal e-mail inbox.
Read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to learn more about your responsibility as a member of this site and to find out how your privacy is protected. If your questions weren't answered here, feel free to e-mail info@fastcompany.com for more information.
