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FAQ

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The Website

General

Activity Participation

Coordinating Activities

Edit Email Subscriptions/Privacy

Registration

Up I just paid my $35 and received confirmation from Paypal/Venmo. But my profile still comes up as "Guest Member". How long does it take for "Sustaining Membership" to kick in?

PayPal/Venmo will approve payment once your bank confirms that there is money in your account. This may take up to 24 hours. Once we get this approval, we will update your profile.  

Up Can I send you a check to become a Sustaining Member?

Absolutely! Make the $35 check payable to GO and mail it to 676 Upper Mad River Road, Thornton NH, 03285. Be sure to include your user name so we can upgrade your account.

Up I tried to sign up for a Sustaining Membership, but PayPal is forcing me to create an account. I don't want to. kept running into conflicts with Paypal.

We're sorry to hear you are having problems with PayPal. Your other option is to send us a check for $35 payable to GO and mailing it to 676 Upper Mad River Road, Thornton, NH 03285...make sure you tell us your user name. Thanks so much for your financial support by becoming a sustaining member. 

Up I'm just wondering if my Sustaining Membership is automatically renewed at expiration date using past payment information on Paypal/Venmo?

Thanks for your desire to renew your sustaining membership! We will send you a reminder to renew about 7 days prior to the expiration date. 

Up I didn't know I could get a free GO Tag when I signed up for a sustaining membership. But I just renewed and read it.

That's right, you get a free GO decal upon request when you sign up for a full membership. Contact us with your mailing address and we'll mail one to you. Thanks so much for your sustaining support!

Up When will my GO Sustaining Membership expire?

Thanks for asking! Login, click on MY PROFILE and scroll down to bottom to find out when your sustaining membership will expire.

The Website

Up Can I Change My User Name?

Due to issues we've had in the past with allowing members to change their User Name, this had been discontinued. Your only option is to delete your profile and create a new one. By doing this, you will have to recreate your buddies list and any record we've had of you attending & coordinating events will be gone. Please note that if you have a Full Membership, that status will be removed. 

Up How do I logout?

To logout, click on MY PROFILE and in the left column you'll see the link to logout. 

Up How do I change my password?

To change your password, click on MY PROFILE and in the left column you'll see the link to Edit Profile. 

Up Why can't I find a button labeled 'log in' on the home page on my mobile device? Your home page appears to assume everyone needs to sign up for membership. . . You lack a 'log-in' option, which should be given higher visibility.

If you are using a mobile device, the person icon in the green navigation bar at the top will give you the login page. This icon is the standard means to direct people to a login page using a mobile device.

Up I'm unable to edit my profile. Is it because I have a special character such as an apostrophe in my profile?

Yes, that is exactly why. Please change your user name to resolve the issue. 

Up I'm a guest member. Can I see my sent e-mails? Can I receive e-mails from other members?

We don't have a function that displays the emails you have sent. You can receive emails from other members. 

Up Can I contact other GOers?

Yes if you are a Sustaining Member! We have lots of ways: Member Profiles, Searches, Trip Listings, Trip Reports where you'll see a "Send Email" button, "Email All Your Buddies" button via Your Profile, "Send Email To All Participants" button for any trip you've signed up for. 

Up If I check that I want "Members Only" to view my profile, does that include Guest Members?

If you check members only to view your profile, that does include guest members.

 

Up Trip Ideas? What's that?

If you have an idea for an activity but don't have all the details worked out, a date chosen, or would like some input, you can post a trip idea. Once you have enough information you can turn it into a real activity by posting it in the Trips/Events Calendar. Hopefully you'll hear from some interested members who'll help you put things together so you can turn it into a 'real' activity, and off you GO! 
>>Post A Trip Idea

Up Is it frowned upon to give suggestions to improve the club and/or website?

We welcome suggestions at any time, Contact Us

General

Up What Does It Take To Get Involved With GO?

Guys join GayOutdoors to meet other outdoorzy guys. We're devoted to life-long friendships both during and after trips. Connect with other GOers ~ both before and after a trip ~ in a few fun ways.

Social Events ~ We host meetups in restaurants, gay bars and potlucks at member's homes all year long.

Social Networks ~ You can search for other members who live near you. Ask them to be your buddy and appear on your buddies' list. Contact them to plan a GO group trip together or do your own adventure together.

Trips ~ Check out our Trips/Events Calendar and find an activity you'd like to do. Sign-up, show up and enjoy. Every trip has its own page that lists every member who is participating. Find a member to carpool with you. Carpooling is a great way to meet members. Post a trip report or upload the photos you took of the trip. Post your thoughts about the trip under What Member's Are Saying About This Activity. Send an email to other participants to meet up afterwards.

Post A Trip ~ GO is really nothing more or less than the sum of the energy and enthusiasm that all of our members contribute ~ the greater and broader that energy, the greater and broader will be the enjoyment that we derive from GO. By injecting your own involvement and enthusiasm, you will be contributing directly into that formula. In addition to seconding your personal goal of participating in a GO trip sometime soon, another thing to consider doing is to actually organize and post a GO trip yourself. Whether it's camping, biking, hiking, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking/canoeing, cookout, potluck, slide show, gay bar meet up or something else, there are many GO members in your area who might be interested in meeting and joining you. Once you post a trip, members nearby are sent an email providing them all the details and inviting them to join you. And it will appear on our website. After you post the trip, you'll be able to edit the details of the trip, contact all participants in one email, and manage the active/waiting lists.

As you would likely surmise on your own, the key to a rich Trips/Events Calendar lies with those first few people who are able to step out in front and get the ball rolling in their area. To get a further perspective on the in's and out's of organizing a trip, click here for some help or read the questions/answers in our FAQ next time you have moment.

If you are unsure about interest in a particular trip you are thinking of doing, then post a trip idea to gauge interest and obtain comments from members regarding dates/itinerary. Once you've filled in the details with the help of other members then post it as an official trip on the website.

Will you always have a full trip? Will lots of guys always sign-up? No, not always. However did you have a great time when you went? Did members have a wonderful experience? Quality is more important than quantity. Keep posting trips with consistency and eventually you'll begin to establish a core group. The more you lead trips, the more you'll begin to establish a solid core group!

 

 

Up How come you never run anything in my area?

Who's you? Why WE are you! GO relies on participation from all the we's, even you. The Trips/Events Calendar is here for you to post trips that get members out and about. If you're waiting for something to happen, you're probably not the only one. Soooooo...if the trips won't come to your town, start one. Click on Post A Trip. 'Nuf said :)

Up Do People Sign Up For A Trip Without Knowing Anyone Else?

This is the time of year when you're itching for an outdoor adventure, but maybe you haven't recruited a friend to join a GAY OUTDOORS trip with you. But should you just go ahead and come by yourself?

Yes!!! 

On every trip we host, outdoor enthusiasts arrive without knowing anyone else in the group. GAY OUTDOORS is designed specifically for folks in that situation, so trust us: there's nothing weird about showing up solo.

GOers join the club to make new outdoorzy buddies in a safe, comfortable atmosphere. From the first moment to the end, our trip leaders are on hand to coordinate group activities and help you connect with a fun-loving crew of outdoor enthusiasts. 

But are GOers actually friendly? Yes. Very. But don't take our word for it. Read our testimonials.

And, if you've never taken a trip with us, check out this cool explanation of how GAY OUTDOORS works.

Up Why don't you charge for all this stuff?

Gay Outdoors is here as a simple Internet Bulletin Board for all of us (Your President included!) to have the opportunity to get outdoors and Make New Buddies.  Nobody should be charged anything to do that! (The only "fees" you pay are the costs of the event ---gas, tolls, parking, hotel fees, camping fees, and so on.) I do have to pass along a ton of thanks to ALL the members who post and run events (without you where would we be?), the Board Members (for volunteering to help with approving trips, taking questions from the Help Desk, and outreach efforts), and others who have participated in making GO a fun, vibrant way to get out into the gay outdoors!  All of these people do it because they want to, and they volunteer their time to do it.  Thank them by taking them up on their offers----get out on events, hit up the Board Members for information, and bug me when you have a question.  It's our participation that keeps this thing goin'! 
 

We also owe a ton of thanks to ALL our Full Members who financially support us because without them, there would not even be a club to begin with. If you would like to support us, become a Full Member today. 

Up Who's in the group?

We're all over the place for demographics.  The average age is probably 46-55 but there are sooooo many people younger and sooooo many people older that it's really hard to draw a line anywhere.  We all just have fun regardless.  It's a mix of gay, bisexual and straight men. 

Up Whom do I contact for answers to questions about GayOutdoors itself or if I have a concern I'd like to share?

You can send us an e-mail. We'll do our best to answer your question or concern.

Up How Can I Participate In GO?

Plenty of ways!

-  Become a Sustaining Member so you can reading our newsletter, Trail Mail!

-   Attend the activities we've got running.

-  Bring a friend along on the next activity.

-  Find members who live near you by becoming a Sustaining Member.

-  Become a GO Champion by telling your friends about our awesome club!

-  Run an Activity.

- Join Gaydoors New England Facebook Group.

However you’d like to get involved, you’re always welcome.

Up I saw a nude photo of a member. His profile also includes his email address. I thought this was not allowed? Should we be reporting things like this to you?

Absolutely. There are plenty of websites out there if members which to expose nude pictures of themselves. We make it clear when creating/editing a profile that nude pictures and inserting an email address/website is not allowed in the profile descriptions themselves. We have a zero tolerance for noncompliance and the profile is immediately deleted without contacting the member. If you ever see a nude picture or an email address in a member's profile, please CONTACT US and let us know their user name. 

Up I just joined up, but have no outdoors experience. I'm nervous about signing up for an event because I don't know what to expect. What should I do?

First, congrats on signing up! Second, go ahead and sign up for an event that you want to attend. You can e-mail the trip leader and ask any questions and/or express any of your concerns. Everyone wants to be sure you have a good time and the trip leader is there to help you out.

Activity Participation

Up We live [name your location] and were wondering if you ever have "Any Activities Ever" here?

GO really is nothing more or less than the sum of the energy and enthusiasm that all of our individual members contribute - the greater and broader that energy, the greater and broader will be the enjoyment that we derive from GO. By injecting your own involvement and enthusiasm, you will be contributing directly in that formula.

In addition to seconding your personal goal of participating in a GO event sometime soon, another thing to consider doing is to actually organize and post a GO event yourself, in your area.

Whether it's camping, biking, hiking, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking/canoeing, social event [cookout, potluck, slide show, gay bar meetup] or something else, there are many GO members in your area who might be interested in meeting and joining you. Once you post a trip members nearby are sent an email providing them all the details and inviting them to join you. And it will appear on our website. After you post the trip, you'll be able to edit the details of the trip, contact all participants in one email, and manage the active/waiting lists.

As you likely would surmise on your own, the key to a rich event calendar lies with those first few people who are able to step out in front and get the ball rolling.

If you are unsure about interest in a particular trip you are thinking of doing, then post a trip idea to gauge interest and obtain comments from members regarding dates/itinerary. Once you've filled in the details with the help of other members then post it as an official trip on the website.

Will you always have a full trip? Will lots of guys always sign up? No, not always. However did you have a great time when you went? Did members have wonderful experiences? Quality is more important than quantity. Keep posting trips with consistency and eventually you'll begin to establish a core group. The more you lead trips, the more you'll begin to establish a solid core group in your area!

To get a further perspective on the in's and out's of organizing an event, click here for some help or read the questions/answers in our FAQ next time you have a moment.

Up What outdoor activities are members most interested in?

Activities most members enjoy in order of most to least interest are as follows:

  • Camping
  • Road Biking
  • Hiking
  • Skiing [alpine/downhill skiing]
  • Canoeing
  • Backpacking
  • Snowboarding
  • Mountain Biking
  • Kayaking [recreational]
  • Rafting
  • Skiing [cross-country skiing]
  • Snowshoeing
  • Paintball
  • Climbing [rock/ice/mountaineering]
  • Kayaking [sea]
  • Kayaking [whitewater]
Up Uhhh...trips are free right?

Yeah. :-) Well most of them. You'll have to pay associated costs like gas/tolls, hotel, campsite, gear, entrance fees, food, and so on. If you'd like to get involved with GO, just donate a few hours of your time to coordinate and run and activity for the others out here. That'd be awesome! For information on doing so, click on Trip Leading Tips.

Up I'm unable to upload photos in a trip report. What am I doing wrong?

If you've taken a photo with a high-resolution camera most likely the reason is because the picture is too large. We have photo size limitations. Reduce the photo resolution to 72 dpi.

Up Where is the link to upload photos and post a trip report?

After you login, go to the trip page under GO Trip Reports/Photos. You'll see a link called ADD YOUR TRIP REPORT/UPLOAD PHOTOS above the list of members who attended. 

Up Where is the link to email all participants?

After you login, go to the trip page and you'll see a link SEND EMAIL TO ALL PARTICIPANTS above the list of members who attended.   

Up It was my responsibility to post pics for recent hikes. I noticed the featured photos are not displaying. Am I doing something wrong?

I've enjoyed viewing the pictures and reading the trip reports. For the featured picture, in the trip report segment, at the very top you'll see the button to upload the featured picture. If it does not work after you've uploaded the picture, then the size of the picture is too large and you must reduce it for our system to accept.

Up I don't know how to break the ice, so I haven't attended anything yet. Do you have any suggestions?

GayOutdoors is full of fun and interesting people who enjoy GO-ing Outdoors and Making New Friends. Everyone just kinda fits in---it's weird that way, but I don't question it. Pick an activity you'd like to do, buzz the person running it with any questions you have, sign up, then show up! Social activities (which people post from time to time) are good ice-breakers, but so are lighter hikes and other "light" activities. Although most people don't believe me, Your Ol' President here has always been somewhat shy, and doing all this GayOutdoors stuff is completely out of character. But I've been doing this up for almost THIRTY YEARS and all its brought me is chance after chance to meet and talk with great people as we're doing some snowshoeing, hiking, backpacking, camping, kayaking, skiing, chillin' or ...well, you get the idea! Perhaps I'm not so shy anymore because I don't want to miss out. :-)

Up What is my responsibility as an activity participant?

Be on time and prepared. An afternoon walk on the beach obviously requires less preparation than a week long backpacking/camping trip. Plan accordingly. 

Email the activity coordinator if you have any questions.

Up Do you usually go out to eat after the event?

It's up to those attending. Sometimes everyone goes out for some chow, sometimes a few guys head back home instead, sometimes everyone just heads home. No pressure, just let guys know what you'd like to do.

Coordinating Activities

Up Do you have a liability release form that you use for GO trip participants?

The liability release is added to any trip posting automatically and is in effect by signing up for the trip.

Up I belong to a club that does outdoor activities, and I run trips there. I'm also a member of GO. Can I post the same activity for both?

Generally yes, as long as it's OK with your other club and it's being run in the same spirit that GO activities are run. We do a number of trips "in conjunction with" other clubs and that should be noted in the description. If you allow women and children to attend, that should also be disclosed since we are an all men's club. You can post a trip in our Trips/Events Calendar as long as you don't post a link to your club's website for more information or to register. Our fantastic registration is all you need. GO members should not be required to pay your club's membership fee to attend. 

Up I never had a waiting list before on my trip! I asked guys to email me separately to confirm they will be coming. What if some of the guys on the Active List don't respond? How do I delete them? How do I invite the guys on the Waiting List?

What I do is use the Send Email to all Participants button before the list of members attending and I ask all participants to take themselves off the trip if they are undecided, can't make it, or have not secured a ride. I let the list take care of itself with the hope that guys will take themselves off the list if they cannot make it. Sending separate emails to all participants asking them to reply separately to you defeats the whole purpose of our system. It's designed to make it easier for you to run an outing. 

If from past experience, you've had issues with certain guys who have signed up on a trip such as a 'no show'; you can either delete them or move them to the bottom of the waiting list. Go to the trip details page and near the top below Sign Up To This Event who will see "Coordinator can click here to edit or delete this activity." Click on that link. You will see icons beside each member that allow you to either remove member or move to waiting list. 

For a member who actually is a 'no show', go to the trip report page after the trip and at the bottom click on the "Trip Leader Edit Activity/Attendance Report" button. Here you denote each member who attended versus was a 'no show'. 

Up I'm trying to enter a date when posting an event and an error keeps appearing that I must have a valid starting and ending date no matter how I enter the dates. Is there some sort of format for posting dates that I don't know about?

Be absolutely sure that the ending date is older than your starting date [a common mistake]. What I do is use the small calendar icons beside each field. A small pop-up calendar will appear where you can select the start date and end date. If you don't want to use the calendar icon, the format requires you to enter, for example, a start date of 08/07/2010 and an end date of 08/08/2010. 

Up Tried to change the meeting time of my event from 6:00 pm to 5:00 pm, but the form puts the colon in the wrong place.

You need to backspace starting from the last character and working your way to the first character. This deletes the entire field. Then you enter the numbers with colon all over again in the same format: 05:00.

Up One of my trip participants is not responding to my emails. How do I refuse to allow this person on the trip should he show up?

Unfortunately, these sort of situations sometimes occur, Based on what you've told me, I would remove him from the trip and put the ball on his court...have him contact you. :-)

To remove someone, go to the trip page and under SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT/TRIP you'll see a link in the box, "Trip Leaders can click here to edit or delete this activity." At the very bottom you'll see a list of participants and click on the corresponding X to remove. 

Up I just posted a camping trip that will be shared expenses. I didn't list them because not sure how many people will show up. How do we handle that?

For shared expenses, you can state something I saw posted on another trip.“Shared costs for the campsite of ??? will be split up between the number of people attending. Maximum allowed on the campsite is 4 so the lowest it could be is $$$. Details for the payment will follow by email.”

Up I posted a trip that is cross-posted with another club but it was denied. What am I doing wrong?

We're sorry about this but this happens when members don't read our posting rules carefully. Especially if its being cross-posted with another club. The usual reasons is that either the trip description indicated a website address to register thru [our registration system is top notch to facilitate trip coordination/communication and should be used so don't post a website address ~ indicate you'll email each person who signs up to make payment arrangements], or the trip description did not indicate the costs associated with the event and the club running it, or the trip description did not indicate that women will be attending [we are a men's only group]. You can certainly post your trip you just have to abide by our rules that is posted on the Post A Trip page. Thanks for your understanding and I hope you can follow our rules to post your fantastic trip! 

Up I'm having trouble figuring out the next step after I want the Trip Idea I posted to become an official trip with dates?

To make a trip idea an official trip, you have to repost as a trip, setting dates, provide additional details and include driving directions to trailhead and/or lodging.

Up Can I run something for the folks out there?

You bet! Go to Post A Trip. Got questions? Ask the Board! 

Edit Email Subscriptions/Privacy

Up I would like to discontinue getting emails for events via this site. I will check in regularly... but I just get too many emails to my address. How can I change this?

In Profile box under your thumbnail picture, click on the Edit Email/Privacy link. This page gives you options on receiving our email event notifications and newsletter.  

Up Is there any way to just get trip invites that are within say 150 miles of my zip code, I'm getting tons of info on trips that are clear across the country. Only want ones in my state.

You decide how you want trip notification emails sent to you via your profile settings. We send you trip notifications/reminders and trip ideas via email for any posted within 150 miles of the zip code you entered by default. You can expand this notification or not have any email notification sent at all by editing your profile information.

Go to the My Profile tab on the green navigation bar and click on Edit Email/Privacy link. Under Email Notifications you can choose the range of miles within your zip code to receive the event email notifications:

*150 miles

*300 miles

*All

*None

Up I changed my email address. How do I update it on the website?

To update your email address, after you login, in the green navigation bar at the top, click on MY PROFILE tab on the far right. Then in the left column, click on 'Edit Profile'. Enter your new email address in the E-Mail field and click on the Save Profile button at the bottom.

Up I do not wish to receive any mail to my address which may indicate my online registration to your organization nor do I wish to receive any mail from any of your partners. I do not wish to be mailed the GO Tag.

We do not send any mail to your home address. We'll only send the GO Tag if you request it. GayOutdoors does not send SPAM or sell email/home addresses! You can sign up for our e-newsletter but this something separate from our website.

Up I thought last names would not appear on the website. I selected to not have it appear but when I review my profile, I can see it.

Your last name is not appearing for others to see. You will see your last name posted when you view your own profile because that is what is in our database. If you want to double check, logout and view your profile.