Letting other people know when you like something helps the best items bubble to the top in Pinpointer. Clicking on the Thumbs Up symbol to the right of an item is an easy way to do this.

Logging in

If you're not already signed in, Pinpointer will automatically bring up a login window. Click the window's "Login with Facebook" icon, and Facebook will handle it from there. (Don't worry if you get a message about re-sending a page. Just click Re-Send, and you'll be fine.)

Applying categories

The Thumbs Up feature lets you recommend an item under more categories than just the one you found it under. For example, you may have found a song under "Pop," but the categories "Male Vocals" and "Music You've Got to Move To" might also validly apply.

Checkboxes show all the other categories other people have recommended the item under.

You can also pick other categories to apply from the dynamic list on the right. It works exactly the same as the list on the screens where you specify what type of material you want to discover.

Adding a Facebook "Share"

When you've found something you especially like on Pinpointer, it helps to also let your Facebook friends know about it. You'll be asked if you want to add a Facebook "Share" as you finish giving an item a Pinpointer Thumbs Up.

If you click Yes, a small window will appear, where you'll need to click the Facebook "Share" icon.

It may take Facebook a moment to provide the area where you add the comments that will appear on Facebook.

After Facebook has accepted your "like," click the Close button on the small window.

Add New Material

One of the best contributions you can make is to let other people know about good material you've discovered outside of Pinpointer.

You'll find that things work easiest if you have one window of your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, or whatever) open to Pinpointer, and another browser window open to the item you want to add.

Choosing the function

Start by clicking on Update in the main menu bar along the top of the Pinpointer screen. If you're not already logged in, a login window will appear automatically. Click the "Login with Facebook" icon to let Facebook take care of getting you signed in.

What will appear next is the main Update menu page, which presents you with options for everything from providing more information about yourself to requesting that new content categories be added to Pinpointer. In the middle column of the page, under Recommendations & Categorizations, click on the specific type of content you want to add (for example, Music).

The Recommend screen

A new window will appear, which enables you to tell Pinpointer all about this item.

You'll start by copying and pasting or typing in the URL (Internet address) of the item you want to establish and pressing Enter.

Certain identifying information about the item will appear automatically, but you may have to make revisions in order for it to be accurate and useful. (For example, lots of web sites put lengthy standardized language about themselves in the description field, rather than anything that describes the specific item.)

You'll enter certain other information about the item yourself. Required information is marked with asterisks.

After you've provided the necessary identifying information about the item, click the Next button at the bottom of the screen.

You'll be taken to another screen where you pick the various categories you want to recommend the item under.

Once you've established the new item on Pinpointer, you'll be asked if you also want to create a Facebook "like." Answering Yes helps introduce more people to your newly-established item (and to Pinpointer as a whole).

NOTE: If you need more specific guidance once you're in a Recommend screen, just click its "About This Function" link.