User Guide
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User Guide for Windows version 1.09 and Macintosh version 1.06:

Following is the index for online help for your PeopleLink application. This page is accessible from within the PeopleLink application under the Help menu. If you would like to keep the user guide on hand, you may print it out.


System Requirements

Installation

The People Menu
The Options Menu
Using PeopleLink

Getting Help


System Requirements

  • 486DX (or higher)
  • 8 MB RAM
  • Hard drive with at least 3 MB of free space
  • VGA/256 colors (or better)
  • Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Mac OS
  • Internet connection and Web browser


Installation

Installation of your PeopleLink software is easy! Go to the PeopleLink web site (www.peoplelink.com) and click on the Download button. You will be taken to a Registration page, then to a download site for the appropriate application for your computer (Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh Power PC or other Macintosh Operating System).

Registration

In order to use the PeopleLink software you need to fill out a brief registration form. This information will be used to verify your identity and to help us build a better service. Please be careful to enter your email address correctly because we send your password to this address.

Note: Individual information provided during registration will not be given or sold to any other party.

Note: If you obtained the PeopleLink software from a friend instead of downloading it from the web site, you still need to go through the registration process. To do this, in the PeopleLink application select Options and then Register. This will take you to www.peoplelink.com/v1/down. Once you register, you will be sent a password so that you can sign in to your PeopleLink application.

Download

After you complete the registration form, click the Continue... button at the bottom of the Registration information. You will see a successful registration page; from there click on the "download it now!" link at the bottom of this page.

You will be taken to our Download page where you can select the appropriate software to download, according to the type of computer you use -- Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh Power PC, or other Macintosh Operating System. The file you will be downloading is an installer and you will need to know where on your hard drive it can be found after the download process.

After you click on your software choice, the download process will begin. Most web browers open a Save As window for you to choose the location for the downloaded installer file. Select a location for your PeopleLink installer (usually you should try to save it to your desktop, as this is the most accessible location), then click the Save button.

When the download is complete you will need to access the downloaded file and double-click on it; this will setup and install the PeopleLink application. See the following information on Installing PeopleLink for the type of computer your use.

Note For Windows Users: If your web browser does not give you a "Save As" window when you click on the download, or if you have a difficult time finding the downloaded file, point your mouse at the download link and right-click the mouse button. This will open a menu screen with "Save As" or "Save Target As" item; select this and a window will open for you to select the location to download the file. You should try to save it to your desktop, as this is the most accessible loaction.

Installation

After the PeopleLink software installer has been downloaded to your computer, you will need to install it in your hard drive. See below for the appropriate information for your computer system:

  • Windows 95 - The file you downloaded is "pl32_109.exe" Locate this file on your desktop or in your hard drive and double-click on it. The Setup/Install process will begin automatically.

  • Windows 3.1 - The file you downloaded is "pl16_109.exe" Locate this file in your hard drive (in your File Manager, look in the folder where your web browser program is located) and double-click on it. The Setup/Install process will begin automatically.

  • Macintosh Power PC - The file you downloaded is PeopleLink_MacPPC_1.06.sea.hqx. This is an installer file which is "stuffed"--that is, it is compacted. The ".sea" extension indicates that this is a self-extracting archive; if the file doesn't open automatically after your download you need to double click on it and it will extract the installer file. The installer file name is "PeopleLink Installer PPC" and will be saved wherever you save it during the unstuffing process (you might put it on your desktop, as it is easy to see it there). Double-click on this file and the Setup/Install process will begin automatically.

  • Macintosh 68K - The file you downloaded is PeopleLink_Mac68k_1.06.sea.hqx. This is an installer file which is "stuffed"--that is, it is compacted. The ".sea" extension indicates that this is a self-extracting archive; if the file doesn't automatically open after your download you need to double click on it and it will extract the installer file. The installer file name is "PeopleLink Installer 68K" and will be saved wherever you save it during the unstuffing process (you might put it on your desktop, as it is easy to see it there). Double-click on this file and the Setup/Install process will begin automatically.

When the Setup/Install process begins, you will be presented with a series of questions:

  • "This program will install PeopleLink. Do you wish to continue?"

  • "PeopleLink is licensed software. Do you accept all the terms of the preceding license?"

  • "Setup will install PeopleLink to the following directory. To install in this directory click OK."

  • "Setup will add program icons to the Program Folder selected below. To install in this directory click OK."

  • "Setup of PeopleLink is complete. Click Yes if you want to start PeopleLink now."

Sign In

Once installation is complete and you choose "Start PeopleLink Now", a Sign In window will appear. This will ask for your email address and your password. You should enter the email address you gave during registration. Your password will have been emailed to you.

If you don't want to re-enter this information each time you use PeopleLink, you can select the Save Password option. Caution: If you select the Save Password option, anyone who has access to your computer will have the ability to send messages under your name.

Once you have entered your email address and password, click on Sign In. When you have added friends to your list, you will be ready to Peoplelink!

Note: If you did not register before installing the PeopleLink software, select the New User button. This will take you to our web site at www.peoplelink.com/v1/down. Once you have completed registration, your password will be emailed to you.


The People Menu

After you have signed in to PeopleLink for the first time, the Add Person/Group window will appear on most Windows machines. In order to use PeopleLink, you need to "add" the names and email address of your friends and family to the software.

Note: When you list friends in your PeopleLink software who do not currently have PeopleLink, they will be sent an email letting them know how to download and use PeopleLink.

Add...

Add Groups

Before you enter the names of your friends and colleagues, you should create some groups to organize these online friends.

The PeopleLink software comes with two pre-defined groups: "Friends" and "Work." If these groups are enough for you, skip down to the "Add People" directions. If you would like to add some additional groups, like "Family" or "Golf Buddies," follow the steps below:

  • Either click the Add button at the bottom of your online window or select Add from the People menu at the top of your online window. This will launch the Add Person/Group dialog box.

  • Select the Group tab.

  • Type the name of your first group in the Name box.

  • Click the Add Group button.

Repeat this to create as many groups as you want.

Add People

To add the names and email address of your friends and colleagues, follow the directions below:

  • Either click the Add button at the bottom of your online window or select Add from the People menu at the top of your online window. This will launch the Add Person/Group dialog box.

  • Select the Person tab.

  • Type the name and email address of your first friend in the Name and Email boxes.

  • Select the group under which you want to list this friend.

  • Click the Add Person button.

Repeat this to add as many friends as you want.

Removing People or Groups

To remove any people or groups from your list, follow the directions below:

  • Highlight the name of the individual or a group you want to remove and either select Remove from the People menu or touch the "Delete" key on your keyboard. A dialog box will open, asking you to confirm the deletion.

  • Select Yes to remove the name and email address from your list. Select Cancel to undo the removal.

Note: If you remove a group, the names and addresses of all members of that group will be deleted.

Editing People or Groups

To make any alterations in information you have recorded about people, or to change the name of any Group, follow these steps:

  • Highlight the name of the individual or a group you want to edit.

  • Select Edit name from the People menu. A dialog box will open.

  • Make the edits you want to make and click Done. Click Cancel if you change your mind.

If you put someone in the wrong group, or you want to move someone from one group to another, simply point your cursor at the person's name and drag the name into the correct group. You can also change the order of people in a group by dragging them up or down the list. Want to alphabetize? Drag the names into alphabetical order!

Sending Messages

You can send a message by selecting the Send message option under the People menu. Just highlight the name of the recipient first.

You can also click the Message button, or double-click the recipient's name to send a message.

Using a Directory to Find an Email Address

If you need to look up the email address of a friend or colleague, just click on the Directory option under the People menu. This will open your web browser and take you to an online white pages service that will allow you to search for an address by name, city, and company.

Export List

You can export your list of friends to a file that then can be shared with other people. This saves them the hassle of entering the same list of names and email addresses when you have a lot of friends in common.

    To export a list follow these steps:

  • Select Export List from the People menu. This will open a Save As window.

  • Select the directory or file folder to which you want to save your list. Then name the list and select Save. Your list will be saved as a ".dat" file.

To share this list, simply copy it to a disk or email it as an attachment to your friends. They can use the Import List command described below to access the file.

Import List

Important Note: When you import a list it OVERWRITES your existing list of names and email addresses. Use Merge List if you want to combine two lists.

To import a list follow these steps:

  • Select Import List from the People menu. This will open a dialog box that says:

    "Importing people list will cause the loss of current list. Would you like to continue?"

    If it is ok to overwrite your current list, select OK. Note: You will get this warning even if your current list is empty or contains only the group names preinstalled by PeopleLink.

  • Select the list you want to import by highlighting the list, or by typing the name of the list in the File window.

  • Click Open.

The new list will appear in your PeopleLink online window, replacing any list you had.

Merge List

The Merge List function allows you to import a list without deleting the current list of names and email addresses in your PeopleLink software. Instead, this function merges the two lists into one list.

To merge a list follow these steps:

  • Select Merge List from the People menu. This will open a window asking you to indicate the location of the list to be merged.

  • Select the list you want to import.

  • Click Open.

The list in your PeopleLink online window will be a combination of the two lists and include data from both lists.


The Options Menu

Register

If you want to register under an additional email address, or want to register another person with PeopleLink, select the Register option under the Options menu. This will launch your web browser and take you to the PeopleLink registration form.

Change Password

If you want to change the password you were given when you registered, follow the directions below:

  • Select the Change Password option under the Options menu. Your browser will open to the Change Password web page.

  • Enter your email address, your original PeopleLink password, and then a new password of your own choosing. Please remember that your password must be at least five characters in length, either letters or numbers.

  • Click the Submit button. PeopleLink will confirm your new password.

  • Use this new password the next time you sign in to PeopleLink.

Change Profile

If you want to change or update the information you entered during registration, follow the steps below. Please note that if you change your email address, you must reregister at our web site and get a new password sent to you. PeopleLink will not "forward" messages sent to your old email address, so you will want to let your friends know about your new email account and address.

  • Select Change Profile under the Options menu. Your browser will be opened to the PeopleLink Change Profile web page.

  • Enter your email address and PeopleLink password (these must be the ones you use to Sign In -- if you want to change your email address, you must re-register at our web site).

  • Make any changes by typing in new data in the fields provided.

  • Click on the Submit button to update your profile with the new information.

Set Answering Machine (Active/Away)

Active

To let people know that you are available, select Active from the Options menu. This is the default setting, but remember that you need to reset it each time you use the Away option.

Away To let people know that you are away from your computer, select Away from the Options menu. This will generate a "Edit Away Message" dialog box. If the existing message is acceptable to you, click OK. If you want to change the message, delete the current text and type in your own message before clicking OK.

When this is done, friends and colleagues who PeopleLink you will receive your "Away Message" and will be given the option to send their message to you as an email. To specify the email address that these messages are sent to, select Away under the Preferences option.

Who Can See Me

This option controls who can see that you are online with PeopleLink. So, for example, you can let your mother know that you are online, but not your boss.

To configure this option, select Who can see me from the Options menu. This will generate a dialogue box that will offer you the following three options:

  • Everyone can see me is the default setting, and allows everyone to see that you are online with PeopleLink.

  • ONLY list below allows you to limit the people who can see you to a specific list. To use this feature, just select this option and then drag the names of the people you want to be able to see you into the text box.

  • Everybody BUT list below allows you to "hide" yourself from specific people. To use this feature, check this option and then drag the names of the people you don't want to see you into the text box.

Show all People/Show online people only

Show online people only is the default setting and displays only the names of those people who are currently online. If you prefer to see the names of everyone you have listed in your PeopleLink software, select Show all people.

Always on Top

You can configure your PeopleLink window so that it always appears on top of any other open windows by selecting or de-selecting Always on Top in the Options menu.

Note: When the Always on Top choice is made, the PeopleLink online window can still be minimized. However, any incoming messages will generate a widow that appears in front of all other open applications.

Note: This option is not available on the Macintosh applications.

Launch at Startup

If you have a Local Area Network (LAN) connection to the Internet you can configure PeopleLink to launch each time you start up your computer. To do this, click on Launch at Startup in the Option menu.

Preferences

Under Preferences in the Options menu you have the ability to configure your alerts, your away message, and to specify your type of connectivity.

  • Alerts allows you to specify how you want to be alerted about new messages and about people coming online.

  • Away allows you to choose an "Away message" and allows you to specify the email address where you want messages sent when you are away from your computer.

  • Connectivity allows you to configure PeopleLink if your company is using the SOCKS proxy server.


Using PeopleLink

Using the PeopleLink application is as easy as pointing at an online friend's name and typing a message. Your online friend will receive your message instantaneously!

Sending Messages

Sending a message with PeopleLink is easy! Just follow these simple steps:

  • Select one of your online friends by clicking on the name in the online window.
  • Click on the Message button on the bottom of the online window or use the pulldown menu under People and click on Send. A message screen will appear with your online friend's name at the top.
  • Insert your cursor in the white space and begin typing your message.
  • Click on Send or hit the Enter key on your keyboard when you are finished typing your message.

Your message is sent instantly to your friend!

Receiving Messages

When a message is received by your PeopleLink application, you need only to click on it to read it. Incoming messages automatically appear on the desktop.

Responding to Messages

When a message is received on your desktop, you may read it and respond to it immediately.

  • Click anywhere in the message window to read it (it may appear in the background on your desktop, or on top of other windows, depending on how you have your Always on Top option set).
  • Click on the Respond button at the bottom of the message screen. This opens a white space at the bottom of the message window.
  • Insert your cursor in the white space and type a return message. When you are finished with your message, click on Send or hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

Your response is sent instantly to your friend!

If you exit from the message window without replying, the message will disappear.


Getting Help

If you need additional help, please send email to helpdesk@peoplelink.com. We will respond as quickly as possible.

© 1997 PeopleLink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PeopleLink™ is a trademark of PeopleLink, Inc. Patent Pending.