Answers to frequently asked questions

Emailing Photos
Simply attach the image to an email to us. Create an email address to the recipient, then look for a button that says "Attach File" or similar. Click on that button and select your image from the resulting dialog box. Preferred format is JPEG; however, we can read most formats. Please see Adding a Photo to your Listing (below) and our dedicated webpage Photo images -- specifications.

Townhouse Designation
The term "townhouse" is unknown in Europe. Our system is hard-coded with general descriptions that are universally understood. A home is either a single family home standing on its own piece of property or it is contained within a building shared by similar homes standing on shared property. If a single family home stands on its own land and has 1 floor, it is "A". If it has more than one floor it is "B". We also do not make a distinction between types of ownership -- freehold, leasehold, condominium, rental etc. Otherwise it is C.

Editing Your Listing
To edit your on-line listing, click on "Special Searches" If you have not logged in yet, the system will ask for your password. Finally click on "Edit my Listing." If you wish to make changes in your listing for the DIRECTORY, please email ONLY the changes to this email address. Please include your ID Number to properly identify the listing. We must receive changes before the next PRESS deadline.

HomeLink email address "alias"
After several years of extensive experimentation with our unique Email-Alias system, we have now abandoned it. Examples were <can12345@homelink.org> and <aus3456@homelink.org>. Early in 2004 we stopped assigning email-alias addresses and removed email addresses from display in online listings. Now emails are concealed and represented by hotlinks-buttons that protect the privacy of members. All email-aliases that were assigned from June 2003 to February 2004 will be duly processed by our mailservers until the associated memberships expire.

Email etiquette and hints
a) Enter the email address exactly as it appears in the member's listing, online or in the directory.
b) We recommend that you send messages individually and personalized : using the members' names.
c) We urge you to reply to all emails, particularly those addressed specifically to you. Even a brief comment will be appreciated. For example: "Thank you for your offer, but exchanging to your (country/city/region) is not in our plans for this year."
d) Members who receive numerous offers have confessed that they reply only to the personalized emails, ignoring those with salutations like "Dear HomeLinker" or "Dear member".
e) If you wish to email the same message to several people, it is relatively easy to paste your offer *text* into any number of personalized individually addressed emails.
f) To encourage confirmation responses, use the "Request Read Receipts" option in your email application.

Finding a Member by name or ID Number
To find a HomeLink member, click on "Special Searches..." in the yellow banner. Next click on "Find a Member." Enter the member's name or ID Number as appropriate. Note that the system will accept last and/or first names and parts of a name if you are unsure.
To find a listing under "William Smith," the system will accept:
Smith
smith
SMITH
William Smith
W Smith
Wil Smi
Etc.
We recommend entering ONLY the last name when searching for a member. Example: enter ONLY "smith" and look through the results. If a name has two parts, try with, and without, a space: "Mc Duff" on the first search and "McDuff" on a second. The system is not case-sensitive.

Automobile Insurance
Insurance practices vary from company to company & province to province. My personal policies have always covered incidental guest drivers. Members are invited to utilize our Auto Exchange Agreement Forms. If your company flatly states that you are not covered, or if you do not wish to assume a risk, all I can suggest is renting a car for the other exchange party. Car rentals in Canada may be far less expensive than in Europe which makes this a more attractive option than forgoing the car exchange and renting a car in Europe for yourself. HomeLink Canada also offers Exchange Cancellation Insurance. Some European offices offer home exchange insurance to members.

Key Word Search
Select "Find a Member" to search for a member by name or HomeLink ID Number. "Key Word" search offers expanded ways to find members or listings. You may enter data in as many or few fields as you wish. Entering the first few letters of a name, etc. can help if spelling is unclear. You may also search by Postal Code if you know the codes (find a listing in the location in the conventional search to learn this). The same page allows you to find your listing under "EDIT YOUR ON-LINE LISTING" and "VIEW YOUR ON-LINE LISTING" You may now store information on listings you have visited by clicking on "Note Listing" link to create a "Personal File". These listings may be reviewed later and you may attach notes to them.

Password Does Not Work
Three likely possibilities:
1. Operator error. Be sure you are entering the ID Number & Password *SET* exactly as shown. Pasting in a password or ID Number will often add a space which will make the password unacceptable. The first two characters are letters, the last five are digits.
2. You are using MS Internet Explorer and have checked the "Remember Password" box. It is possible that you entered an incorrect ID Number or Password when you originally did this. MSIE also has a bug with the "Remember Password" feature which corrupts the form when sent to the server. Un-check the box, enter the ID Number & Password with care for each session.
3.Browser problem. Some relatively early versions of MS Explorer 5.0 (includes the AOL version) have a known bug with password encryption. If you are certain that you are entering the password set exactly as shown, download a new version of Explorer or AOL or use Netscape. Links for MSIE & Netscape may be found on our site at the bottom of the page.

Password not Received
In an effort to combat spam, many ISP's, particularly the free ones such as "hotmail" falsely identify emails as spam. In reality, they may as well not bother as the spammers are generally two steps ahead of them. Hotmail & others: Check your email reader settings. It may be automatically deleting messages it identifies as spam which erroneously includes email from the homelink.org server. Look for a directory where deleted or trash mail is kept. The cure is to specifically enable the homelink.org domain. AOL users: be sure that you are not blocking email from the Internet. The absolute cure is to enable mail from the domain "homelink.org."

Adding a Photo to your Listing
Most members mail in a conventional color photo. Maximum size is 8.5 by 11 inches. If you prefer, you can email an image. We can process images in most formats; however, the preferred format is JPEG. Our finished size is 2.4 inches wide with 150 DPI resolution (360 pixels wide). It's a good idea to make the image a little large, perhaps 3 inches wide. Simply attach the image to email containing your name & means to identify you and send to this email address. Please see our dedicated webpage Photo images -- specifications. For photo charges please see our FEES schedule

Listings in directories vs. on the website
All listings in all countries are published in both media: the directories and the website. As listings are received at the various HomeLink offices, they are, first, posted on the website, then printed in the subsequent directory ("January" or "May"). Listings in the directories are shorter due to space limitations, and they contain abbreviation codes. Note that there is a constraint of 200 characters in the description fields (text and codes) for the directories. Listings online permit members significantly more space to add information, and the codes are translated into ten languages.

Renewing your Membership
If you wish, you may renew your membership on line. You will find information and instructions on the page. Also you will see a RENEW On-line Form link which will take you to our secure server. All data, including credit card numbers, are encrypted before being sent across the Internet. If you prefer, you may submit your credit card number by phone or fax.

Supplements to the main "January" directory
Our standard procedure is to automatically mail books up through the book a listing appears in. Later books are available free-of-charge, on-request, to members who need them. The reason for this policy is cost. If we mailed all books to all members, it would double the cost of membership to you. This system holds down the membership cost while making all listings available to those who need them. When you have received Book 1, you may request Book 2.

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