FAQ

This page includes a series of articles for new members about how to make the most of our Washington Parents Network.

2 How to Navigate Washington Parents Network

It is important to understand that Washington Parents Network is actually two different websites combined into one. Washington Parents Network dot com is actually a Content Management System (CMS) which allows us to easily post and organize articles, text, images and videos. Here is the URL to Washington Parents Network dot com: https://washingtonparentsnetwork.com/

Some of these articles are then copied to our other website called Washington Parents Network dot org – which is a Social Networking System (SNS). Here is the URL to Washington Parents Network dot org: https://washingtonparentsnetwork.org/

A Social Network System has a much different purpose than a Content Management System. It is designed to help people find and communicate with other people who share similar goals and interests. Facebook is the most well known example of a Social Network System. There are some tools that are available on Facebook that are not available on Washington Parents Network. But there are also many tools that are available on Washington Parents Network that are not available on Facebook. In particular, the Member Search function, Group Creation, Event Creation and Communication and Group Discussion tools (as well as your control over the privacy of your communication) are all much better on Washington Parents Network.

When you join our Parents Network, you are actually joining our Social Network System (Washington Parents Network dot org). When you are first getting started, you may spend some time reading articles on Washington Parents Network dot com explaining how to make the most out of our Social Network. However, eventually you and other parents in your community will spend most of your time communicating with each other on our Social Network, Washington Parents Network dot org.

The reason we are using both a Content Management System and a Social Network System is that social networks can take a lot of band width on our server. Separating the Content Management System from the Social Network System means that both websites will run a lot faster.

Navigating between Washington Parents Network dot com and dot org

The purpose of Washington Parents Network dot com is mainly to provide parents with news on our schools and other educational options as well as articles and tips for new members on how to use our Social Network. Therefore, while the top menus of both websites look about the same, there are several important differences.

1 How to Join Washington Parents Network

In the top menu, click on Join Now. This will take you to our Registration page. Read the instructions. Then fill out the following form:

For Display Name, enter your first and last name. For example, Jane Smith.

For email address, please use a personal email address – not a work related email address. For example, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Note that your email is used only by administrators to send you important updates. Other community members will not be able to see your email address unless you personally provide it to them.

The Username is the name you will use to log into your account. Please use lower case letters with no blank spaces for your username. For example, janesmith.

For your Password, please make the password at least 8 characters and include Upper and Lower case letters and numbers. The password should have no blank spaces. You can also include special characters in your password if you wish. For example, you can use a password like JS#2020abc.

For Profile type, we have six types of members. These are Parents, Grandparents, Other Caregivers, Teachers, Other Educational Providers and Other Community Members.

Use the drop down box to select which group you want to join. Then click the Register button at the bottom of the page.

You will be sent a confirmation email. If you do not see this email in your In Box, please check your Spam folder.

If you encounter any difficulties registering, send us and email with your first and last name and the user name you would like to use. We will help you get registered and email you back with a simple password which you can change later from your Profile Settings page.