Thank you for visiting TheArchaeologicalBox.com.  This page has all of the information that you need to get the most out of this website.

You can also visit our audio Help-Blog by clicking here.

General Use of The Website

What is TheArchaeologicalBox.com?

This is a reference and networking site for archaeologists, businesses of an archaeological nature and businesses that cater to archaeologists.  You can view blogs, photos, news, fieldschools, product reviews and more, and you can also become a member to post your own content.

How to Join TheArchaeologicalBox.com

Becoming a member is free and easy.  go to www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/user/register , complete and submit the form. There are two types of profiles that you can create: Personal and Business. These account types have slightly different access permissions; Personal accounts provide functions designed for archaeologists or anyone with an interest in archaeology to browse the site and contribute to it, Business accounts are designed to promote and inform about services that archaeologists may be interested in learning about.

Becoming a Business PLUS Member

Business members who want to get the most out of their subscription can upgrade their accounts to Business PLUS.  For only $40 / year this membership gives your account greater visibility and new features like an events manager, profile portfolio, product catalogue and more.  Please read www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/en/partnerships for more information.

If you would like to create your Business plus account, simply go to www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/user/register and create a Business account. Then use the upgrade button that appears in the right sidebar on your "My Account" page.  You may also contact us directly and our customer support team will set up the account for you.  Our contact info can be found at www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/contact .

Searching for Content

There are two tools on TheArchaeologicalBox.com that allow you to quickly and easily find what you are looking for.  The first is the general Search tool that appears in the top right of the website at all times.  You can type any keywords into it and it will return search results with any content on the website that matches them.  The second is the "Advanced Search" tool.  This tool appears in many sections of the website and provides a specialized search for each content type (news, events, fieldschools, etc).  On any page that has the + Advanced Search button in the top of the right sidebar, you can click on it to access the advanced search form.

Subscribing to or Unsubscribing From the Newsletter

The easiest way to subscribe to or unsubscribe from our newsletter is to edit your account preferences.  Click on "My Account" then click on the "Edit" tab and use the "Subscribe to our Newsletter" checkbox.  You can also unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" link that appears in teh bottom of each newsletter mailing.  If you have any difficulty managing your subscription please contact us.  Our contact information can be found at www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/contact .

Posting Content

There are many ways that you can share content on TheArchaeologicalBox.com.  Depending on your account type, some options may not be available.  Be advised that you must be logged in to your account before you can post content on the website.

Your Profile Page

Your profile page tells other members about who you are, what you have achieved in the field of Archaeology and provides links to all of the content that you have posted on the website.  To create yours, go to your "My Account" page at www.thearchaeologicalbox.com/user and click on the tab for "English Profile" or "French Profile".  If you only wish to maintain a profile in one language, then leave the other blank.  Other members will still be able to view your profile, regardless of what language they are browsing the site in.

Your Blog and Blog Entries

Your blog allows you to express opinions and inform members about your archaeological activities.  Blog entries include a written text, and you have the option to add photos, MP3 audio files, or any kind of document file (PDF, DOC, ZIP, etc).  You can create a blog entry at any time by clicking on "create content" from your main menu (the one that appear sin the right sidebar with your username) then selecting "Blog Entry".

To edit the title or introductory text that appears at the top of your blog, go to your blog page  (click on My Account, then "Read username's Blog") and click on the "Edit Title and Introduction" tab.

Podcasts

Podcasts are created using the Blog interface.  Simply create a blog entry as described above and attach an MP3 file to it.  The MP3 will be added to your blog's RSS feed so that other members can subscribe to it.  Podcast MP3 will also be grouped together and added to a player on your profile page.

Posting in the Forum

The Forum is an area for open discussion that all site members can use.  To create a new topic for discussion, you can use your "create content" link or go to the Forum main page and click on the "Post new forum topic" link at the top.

If you would like to participate in a forum discussion, simply reply to any comment.  Be advised that any comment can be replied to, so if you wish to reply to any forum post, us the "reply" link that appears within it, if you wish to reply to a specific comment that has already replied to the main topic post, then you must click on that comment's reply link.

To make the forums more helpful, there is a "Dig it" / "Toss it" rating tool that allows you to indicate whether you think a comment was helpful or not.  These results are tallied and the top answers are listed in a "Most Helpful" box that appears at the top of the forum post and allows you to quickly find the best answers to the question.

Events

TheAchaeologicalBox.com's team posts many events on the website, however Business PLUS members can also add their own events to this listing.  If you have a Business PLUS membership, you can do this by clicking on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then selecting Event.

Events are posted in chronological order (soonest first), however if your event spans several days, it will remain in the listing until it has passed, however it will periodically be bumped down in the results, so that other events can also receive a top listing.

Photos

This section allows members to share photo galleries.  There are several fun gallery types that you cna choose from including a dynamic gallery of polaroid style photos and a 3D "iPhone-type" flip gallery.  To create one, click on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then select Photo Gallery.

Product Reviews (Equipment Guide)

The Equipment Guide section is here to help archaeologists find the best tools and accessories.  Members can add a product to the guide, then other members can rate it (1-5 stars) and post comments about their experience using it.  If you are a business member, you can use this for advertising purposes and if you are a personal member, you can learn about a product's quality before purchasing it.  To add a product to the guide, click on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then select Product Review.

To evaluate products in the guide, navigate to the product's page by cliking on "Equipment Guide", then click n the product's photo.  You can then use the fivestar tool to give it a rating, or click on "Add new comment" to write about your experience using it.

*Business PLUS members who add products to the guide will automatically have these products added to a "Catalogue" that can be accessed from their profile page.

Fieldschools

Business and Business PLUS members can use this feature to advertise upcoming fieldschools.  You can add a lot of detailed information, photos and a Google map showing your fieldschool's location.  To create one, click on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then select Fieldschool.

Archaeological Sites

Business and Business PLUS members can create records of archaeological sites, be they active or inactive by adding them to this section.  To create one, click on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then select Archaeological Site.

Travel Packages

Business PLUS members can promote travel packages or archaeological trips in this section of the website.  To create one, click on "create content" in your navigation menu that appears in the right sidebar then select Travel Package.

News

News content can be posted by members of TheArchaeologicalBox.com.  If you have
a newsworthy article that should be included here, please click on
'post something' followed by 'News Article' - or please contact us at
info@thearchaeologicalbox.com .

Enhancing your Profile Page

Adding an MP3 Feed

If you use TheArchaeologicalBox.com to produce a podcast, an MP3 player with your latest audio files will automatically be added to your profile page.

Adding an MP3 Intro

If you would like to add an MP3 file that will be played automatically when members visit your profile, you can add this file in the account edit page.  Click on "My Account" then click on the "Edit" tab and upload your MP3 file using the MP3 Intro box.