Home - Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL

1. What is LoonLounge?
   LoonLounge is an online community based around immigration to Canada. Its membership is made up of current Canadian residents, soon-to-be Canadian immigrants, and others who are considering immigration to Canada in the future. The purpose is to help you interact and connect with people who can support as you go through the immigration process, as you establish yourself in Canada, as your build a better life in Canada.
   
   Through groups, forums and communities LoonLounge facilitates human connections as we build Canada together. The Loon is Canada's national bird, with a prominent place on our $1 coin (the Loonie). More importantly, Loons are experts at migration.
2. How do I join LoonLounge?
   Click Register or the 'Join Now' button on the Home page and you will be led through a simple registration process. Once you have completed registration, we'll send you an activation email to the email address that you registered with. You'll need to click on the activation link in that email to activate your account.
3. How do I activate my LoonLounge account?
   When you complete your registration, LoonLounge will send an activation email to the email address that you used to register with. In that email is an activation link that you need to click to activate your LoonLounge account. If you did not receive this email, check your junk/spam or contact LoonLounge administration.

CONNECT

1. What is a Community?
   LoonLounge Communities connect you with people who share your affiliations; your home country, your occupation, your location/destination in Canada, or your visa office. You can belong to up to five LoonLounge communities. You will find contacts with whom you already have something in common.
2. What are LoonLounge Contacts?
   The value of the LoonLounge community is found in the connections you make with those going through the same process as you or those who have advice to help you through. A Contact on LoonLounge is one of these connections you make, and the Contacts feature allows you to manage these relationships.
   
   Your Contacts can view your profile, leave comments for you, view your pictures, send you messages.
3. How do I meet people?
   Interact with people in your Communities who may be from the same home country, have the same occupation, the same location/destination in Canada, or be going through the same visa office as you. Meet them in the forums, in groups, in the chat rooms.
4. How do I make Contacts?
   You can search for specific LoonLounge members by clicking the Search link of the Members tab. You can also browse your current Contacts' profile pages and connect with their Contacts.
   
   Click on the member's Profile picture and then click 'Add as My Contact' on the member's Profile page.
   
   The more of your Profile you complete, the easier it is for other LoonLounge members to find you. And the more people you invite to join LoonLounge, the more your community of Contacts will grow.
5. How do I retrieve my messages?
   Your private messages will be sent to your inbox, which can be accessed by clicking Messages on your left sidebar.
6. What is a LoonLounge Group?
   LoonLounge Groups are based on communities of members who share common interests. Your Groups will be listed on your Profile page.
7. How do I join/create a LoonLounge Group?
   You can view a list of current LoonLounge groups by navigating from the Community home pages. Click on the Group you would like to join to view more information. To join, click the 'Join this Group' link.
   
   If you don't find the group you are looking for, then why not create a new one? Click on Create new Group from the Community Home pages.
   
   You can also join groups that your Contacts are members of. Browse their Profile pages to check out what LoonLounge groups they are involved in.
8. How do I start a Forum discussion?
   That depends on what you would like to discuss. If your post is about Canadian immigration, click on the Forums link of the Canada & Immigration tab, choose your category and click 'New topic'. If your discussion is related to a community, navigate to community forums from the Community home pages, choose your category and click 'New topic'.
9. How do I create an event?
   Community Experts and Community Advisory Boards can create online and offline events for the LoonLounge community. If you are not an Expert and are not a member of an Advisory Board, you can request that an event be created and the Advisory Board for your Community will establish the event. Go to the Events section in the Community Home Page and follow the instructions to suggest an event?
10. What's the difference between an online event and an offline event?
    You can have an online event through a LoonLounge chat room or you can organize a offline event in your area where you can meet LoonLounge members face-to-face.
11. How do I register for an event and invite others to join?
    Open the event that you wish to attend and click on the Register button. Then you'll be able to invite other LoonLounge members to join under 'Invite people to join this event'.
12. I'm looking for a job.
    Check out the Job Search Tool under the Resources section. You can apply online for jobs in Canada today!
13. I'm looking for settlement information.
    Check out the Settlement Plan document in the Canada & Immigration tab.
14. I'm looking for information about places in Canada.
    Join the Location/Destination in Canada community and interact with people who live in the part of Canada you're interested in learning about. Also, in the Canada & Immigration tab there is a Canada Facts section that outlines information for every province.
15. I'm looking for information about work in Canada.
    Join the Occupation community and interact with people who have or are also seeking information about working in a particular sector or about the Canadian labour market in general.
16. I'm looking for information about immigration.
    Well, you've come to the right place! Canadian immigration and settlement is what LoonLounge is all about! The Canada & Immigration tab contains lots of information through blogs and forums and in the Immigration Facts section.
17. I'm looking for information about a visa office.
    Join the Visa Office community and interact with people who are having their immigration applications reviewed at the same visa office as you.
18. How do I meet people from my home country?
    Join the Home Country community and search for members who are from the same home country as you.
19. How do I search?
    There is a main search bar at the top of the site. You can refine your search with the drop-down menu.
20. How do I invite my friends?
    Click on the Invite tab and insert their email addresses (separated by commas). We'll send them a LoonLounge invitation.

EDIT

1. How do I edit my Profile?
   Click on the Edit link in your left sidebar to add new or edit current information about yourself.
2. How do I change my username and/or password?
   Click 'Edit' from your left sidebar and go to the 'My Login info' section.
3. How do I upload my photos?
   Click 'Photos' on your left side bar and then 'Create new album'.
   
   If you are having problems uploading a picture, it may be because:
   
    The photo exceeds 200K. You can check the size in MS operating systems by clicking right and selecting properties from the drop down menu or Get Info on a Mac. Use a photo manipulation package (e.g. Paint) to reduce the file size.
    The photo is not a JPEG, JPG, GIF (non-animated), BMP or PNG format file. Use a photo manipulation package (e.g. Paint) to load the photograph and store it in a suitable format.
    The filename contains unacceptable characters (spaces or non alphanumeric symbols). Try changing the filename to a simpler one.
4. How do I upload my Profile photo?
   Click 'Edit' from your left sidebar and go to the 'Welcome' section where you can upload or change your Profile photo.

OTHER

1. How do I modify what email Notifications I receive from LoonLounge?
   Click 'Edit' on your left sidebar and then the 'email notifications' link to select the emails you wish to receive.
2. How can I block a LoonLounge member from contacting me?
   You may block a LoonLounge member from sending you a message by clicking the Block User link on that person's Profile page (under the Profile picture). Blocked users will still be able to view your Profile, but will not be able to send you a personal message.
3. How do I report inappropriate content?
   If you are offended by the content on a LoonLounge member's profile page, or you see content that your feel may be offensive to others, please report this member to LoonLounge administration through the Report Abuse link on the bottom of the screen.
   
   Please respect your fellow LoonLounge members.
   
   Note that Flaming and Spamming of any kind will not be tolerated.
4. How can I reduce the risk of receiving spam?
   Please note that this is a public website, and you should be careful about what information you put on the internet.
   
   Most importantly, never put your e-mail address in a publicly-visible area, such as a forum, your LoonLounge profile page, or on an event posting. Instead use the Private Messaging area to exchange e-mail addresses with people on a person-by-person basis. Remember to always use discretion when sharing your e-mail address.
   
   If you feel that someone is spamming you through LoonLounge's private messaging system, please report this to LoonLounge administration through the Report Abuse link at the bottom of your screen.
5. Does LoonLounge claim copyright on material I submit?
   No. By posting materials that you hold the copyright on, you grant LoonLounge certain nonexclusive rights to use your material, but you retain the copyright. [Please see the Terms of Service for complete details.]