HOW TO JOIN

We invite you to participate in the Shambhala Times coverage of congress with social media - whether you are already plugged in to the platforms or not. Here are some general instructions for creating accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and for finding the Shambhala Times profiles.

Joining Twitter

You can create a free Twitter account by going to their homepage: www.twitter.com

Click on "Join Us" and enter the required information. Choose a short "handle," or name that you will tweet under. When you create your profile, you will be able to enter your real-life name, bio, and location.

Cruise through the options that Twitter provides, including using your email address book to help you find people you know who are on Twitter.

When you get to your homepage, go to "Settings" and create your profile. This is important so that during the congress discussion forum, everyone can know a bit about you.

Click on "Find People" and search for "Shambhala Times." Click "Follow," and you're all set!

To participate in the congress discussion forum, use the #shambhalacongress hashtag in your tweets. This is a link to a page where you will be able to see all of the tweets surrounding this event - from the Shambhala Times, participants in Halifax, and community members around the globe.

Creating a Facebook Profile

You can create a free Facebook presence by going to their homepage: www.facebook.com

Enter your name and email address to create an account. Facebook will ask you a few more questions that are required to get started.

Facebook has several automatic ways it will search for friends, including by your location, schools attended, and jobs held. This information is not mandatory - but it is a great way to find old friends.

Once you get to your profile, you can fill out information on your "Profile," if you'd like.

Go to the "Search" box in the upper right hand corner. Search for "Shambhala Times," and click on "Add as Friend."

A little box will pop up, and once you make your friend request, Facebook will ask you to type some words. Click "Submit," and we will get a message with your request, and we will confirm our friendship.

Click on our photo to see our profile and our wall, where everything we post - and that our mutual friends post - can be seen. Here we will stream our Twitter account, with our reports LIVE from congress.

While you will be able to see our tweets on Facebook, to participate in the forum, you will need to create a Twitter account and use the hashtag #shambhalacongress in your tweets.