This FAQ answers frequently asked questions about the features and applications on Chowk. If you do not find an answer to your question you can send a message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sign-up

Why should I sign up?

To participate in discussions, post blogs, photos, videos, articles on Chowk you need to first create an account and sign in.

How do I sign up?

To sign up click on the “sign up” link and submit the form. You will receive an activation key in email along with a link and instructions to activate your account. When you complete the activation process you can sign-in and begin interacting on Chowk.

Sign-in

How do I log in to my Chowk account?

To access your account click “sign in” from Chowk pages and enter your username and password.

How do I change my password?

When you are signed in you can change your password from “My account” link.

I forgot my password. How do I reset my password?

Click on “Sign in” link and use the forgot password link in that window. You will asked for your email address and a verification token will be sent to that email address if it matched our records. You can then change your password.

How do I change my email address used for creating my Chowk account?

If you still have your username and password you can sign in and update your email address from “My account” l ink. If you have forgotten your username or password and do not have access to the email address you used for creat ing the account then you can send a request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your username, your old and new email address, your name and a phone number to contact and validate your identity.

My Account

How can I change my username?

Your username is a unique identifier of your account and can not be changed.

Can I change my password, name, email address?

Yes, when you are signed in you can update all the fields except the username.

I did not receive an account activation email, how do I activate my account?

Make sure emails for chowk.com are not going to your Junk folder.


The activation code is not working?

Please forward the activation email you received to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will activate your account.

Profile

How do I edit my profile?

• To edit your profile, first go to your profile page.
• Click on “edit profile” from the tool links on that page
• Update the information fields
• Select save

How do I upload an avatar picture?

• To edit your profile, first go to your profile page.
• Click on “change profile picture” from the tool links on that page
• Select browse to find a picture on your computer
• Select the picture to upload and click upload. If the picture is acceptable size and type it will get uploaded.

Privacy

How do I edit privacy settings?

• To set the privacy settings for your account, first go to your profile page.
• Click on “privacy setting” from the tool links on that page.
• Control who can see your profile info, friends list, and photos from this page.

How do I control who can see my Blogs?

• When you add a new blog, the form allows you to set access level for each new entry.
• You can set access level for each blog entry individually at the time of creation or by editing existing entries.

How do I control who can see my Photos?

• When you create a new album, the form allows you to set access level for each album.
• You can set access level for each album individually at the time you create it or by editing existing albums.

How do I control who can see my Videos?

• When you add a new video, the form allows you to control who can see the video.
• You can set access level for each video at the time you link it or by editing existing video entry.

How do I control who can see my Articles?

Articles do not have restricted access. All articles are viewable to members and non-members.


How do I control who can see my Comments?

Comments inherit the access settings of the item being commented. So comments to articles are viewable by all. Comments to blogs, photos, videos depend on the settings of that particular entry. For example if a blog is set to be only viewable by your friends then only your friends can see the comments to that blog.

Friends

How do I add new friends?

You can search for people on Chowk using the search on “People” page in top sub-menu. Then click on the “add as friend” link on their profile page. Once they confirm your request they will appear on your friend list.

You can also invite your friends to join Chowk using the link next to your profile picture.


How do I remove friends?

You can remove friends from your list by clicking on the X next to their name on the Friends page in the top sub-menu.


Where do I find Add Friend Requests sent by my friends?

When you sign-in you will see all new Requests in your inbox. You can then accept or reject the request.


What happens if I reject a request?

The request is removed from your inbox. The person is not notified. They may send you a new request in the future.


What happens if a remove a friend from my list?

They are removed from your list. The person is not notified of this change.

Groups

How do I create a new group?

• You can create a new group by clicking on “Create New Group” link on your profile page or on the Groups home page.
• You will be asked to add a group name, description, select private or public group, and other settings.
• Once you create a new group, you will be able to add a group profile/avatar photo, post bulletins, add members etc

How do I change settings of a group I created?

• Creator of the group is also the admin of that group, he/she can add new members, change settings, and remove the group.
• You can see the list of groups created by you by click on “my groups” link on Groups home page
  
  

How do I join a group?

• If it is a open/public group then any member of Chowk can request to join the group
• Depending on how the creator set permissions, you may have to wait for confirmation to become a member or you may become a member immediately

Can I post messages in a group?

Depending on the settings of the group, members can post photos, videos, start new discussions within the group


Group Wall

Any member can write on the group wall

Messages

Inbox

• You can check you messages by clicking on Inbox in the top sub-menu or you can go to it from your profile page
• If you have new unread messages you will see a notification on your profile page
• Depending on your settings you can also receive email notification of new messages on Chowk

Sent

• Sent messages are archived on this tab

Compose

• You can send a private message to any member of Chowk by clicking on “write a message” on their profile page
• You can also send a message by typing their username in the to field in the compose message page
• Your friends will be listed on the compose message page so you can just click their name to add them to the “To” field

Wall Application

• All members have the Wall application on their profile page
• Depending on your profile privacy settings, all members or only your friends can view and write on your wall
• You can turn off the wall feature from your profile settings

Recent Activities

• Your recent activites are listed on your profile page
• If your profile is public then your activities will be listed in the left column on Chowk pages

Articles

Submit articles for publishing on Chowk

To submit content for Chowk, you must sign-in. Once you sign in you can click on submit an article on the top of Articles home page. Submit new article link is also on your profile page.


Why can’t I see the article I just submitted?

Articles that are submitted by members are first reviewed by editors and if selected then you will receive an email notification when it is published.


When will my article be published?

Usually the time taken to publish an article is 1-2 weeks. The editors exercise their judgment to maintain quality. If your article is not published in 3-4 weeks you may want to post it as an iLog instead.


What is a writer page?

Chowk writers have a separate identity than their interactor identity and for this their bio and list of articles are linked on their writer page.


How do I find my published articles on Chowk?

All articles, columns, fiction first appears on the Chowk home page, but the home page has new content daily so your previous work is linked from Articles page and from your writer's page.


How do I update my writer bio?

Writer bio and picture are maintained by Chowk editors. If you have updates then email to editors at chowk.


I do not want my real name to appear on writer's page.

If you want to be published at Chowk then we require you to provide your full name and brief bio for reasons of credibility.

The only exceptions made are if you have a known penname other than your full name. Or if the material you are publishing is so controversial that you fear persecution if your identity is revealed. In such cases please use the note to editor field in the submission form to communicate the matter.


I want to submit an article written by someone else, what are your guidelines?

You need to obtain the original author's permission and email it to editors at chowk with full details.


I read a news story today and want to share it on Chowk.

You can add the news/story headline and URL with source in your iLogs/Blogs.

Or you can share it in Unplugged forums


Copyright of my articles?

By contributing on Chowk you are granting unlimited Internet rights and copyright to Chowk while retaining cop
yrights for publication elsewhere.

Chowk assumes that the content of your contribution is original. You are the lawful copyright holder and it do
es not infringe on someone else's copyright.

In case you have used previously published work of another writer please quote the sources fully.


Does Chowk pay writers from articles?

Chowk does not provide monetary compensation for work published on Chowk.


How can I remove an article which is already published?

Once an article is published, it can not be removed by the writers.


Privacy settings of articles?

All published articles are public, which means members and non-members can view the articles.


Interacts or Comments on articles?

All articles have comments feature.

iLogs/Blogs

What are iLogs?

iLogs are same as blogs, since Chowk started this feature way before blogs became popular, we maintain our ori
ginal name for this feature.


How do I write an iLog?

All members can write iLogs, you can add a new iLog using the link in your profile page or the iLogs page.


How do I edit an iLog I wrote previously?

You will see an edit link next to iLogs created by you.


How do I manage my iLogs?

You can edit remove, or change settings of iLogs using the edit link next to each iLog


Privacy settings for iLogs

You can set privacy for each iLog to be viewable by public, members only or friends only.

Photos

Albums

You have to first create an album and then upload photos into that album. You can click on create an album lin
k from Photos home page. You must give a name and description for the album select category and privacy settin
gs for the album.


Photos

You can add photos to a new empty album or an existing album. You must add a caption to each photo.

Uploading pictures

You can upload photos from your local computer.


Privacy settings of albums and photos

You can set privacy setting for each album, this setting applies to all the photos in that album.


Avatar of Profile Photos

You can change your profile picture using the link on the profile page


Photos in Groups

You can also contribute photos in a group if you are a member of that group

Videos

• In the Video section on Chowk, you can share links to videos from YouTube and other sources
• You must select a category and privacy setting for each video

Videos in Groups

You can also contribute videos in a group if you are a member of that group

Unplugged Forums

What is Unplugged?

Unplugged is the forums section on Chowk. This is a community feature and therefore open to all members for having spontaneous discussions.


Topics and Posts in Unplugged

Topics or threads can be started by any member. Just as all members are welcome to post/discuss in forums.


Are forums moderated?

Even though Unplugged is not strictly moderated, we expect all members to follow the Chowk Interact Guidelines in their posts and topics.

Privacy settings in unplugged

There is no privacy settings for topics and posts in Unplugged forums.

Events

Who can add events?

• Members can contribute postings of their local events in this section
• Click on Add an Event link on the Events page to add new event posting

Who can view events?

• Events are viewable by everyone (members and non-members)