This is a living document - it will become fuller and deeper as Dyalogues grows. Don't see an answer here for your question? Contact us.
Q: What exactly are dyalogues? Is this a chat service?
A: Dyalogues are online conversations between exactly two people, but it's not a chat/IM service. It's not real-time, and the resulting conversations (what we call dyalogues) are publicly viewable. Dyalogues are the best way two people can have a rich, meaningful conversation on a topic -- whether it's a debate on a political topic, or a review of a movie you've just seen -- and share it with other people online.
Q: How do I start a dyalogue?
A: First, come up with a dyalogue topic - this should be phrased as a question in the case of debates (like, "Who deserved to win the Best Actor Oscar in 2008?" or "Should illegal immigrants be allowed to obtain a driver's license?"), or simply the name of what you're reviewing in the case of a review (like, "The Flight of the Red Balloon" or "Nokia N95").
Then, go to the Open Dyalogues page and begin an open dyalogue. You can either invite someone else (using a Dyalogues username or email address) to dyalogue with you, or leave it open for people in the community to contact you and ask to be your dyalogue partner.
Q: Who do I dyalogue with?
A: Anyone! You can dyalogue with someone you already know, or someone new.
If you already know someone and want to invite them to dyalogue with you, enter their email address (if they don't already have a Dyalogues account) or their Dyalogues username in the 2nd step of setting up a new dyalogue. If your counterpart doesn't have an account, s/he will get an email inviting them to create an account and then join you in dyalogue.
Want to meet someone new? Start an open dyalogue. An open dyalogue will be open to the Dyalogues community, and people who are interested will respond to you. You'll get an email every time you get a response. Once you identify which respondent you'd like to dyalogue with, return to your dyalogue's page and hit the "select" button to begin.
Q: What can I dyalogue on? Are there are any topics that are off-limits?
A: Well, we have to be careful here. Free speech is important, but we can't allow dyalogues that:
- encourage any illegal activity
- advocate violence or hatred towards any group
- violate libel laws
- are purely promotional in nature (what's commonly referred to as "spam")
Take a look at our Terms of Use for more specific information about restrictions.
Q: I want to share my dyalogue with people I know, on my blog, and on Facebook. How do I do that?
A: We're working on making sharing your dyalogues with people you know easier, but in the meantime, use these tricks:
Link sharing (via email, blog): When your dyalogue is complete and published, you can copy the URL (link) in your browser's address bar. You can then email this to friends, put it in your email or forum signature, or put it in your blog. The URL should start off with: http://www.dyalogues.com
Facebook: Go to your Posted Items page. Copy the dyalogue URL into the box Post a Link in the right column, and press the Post button. A link to your dyalogue will appear in your feed, and be visible to your friends.
Q: I'm not getting any emails from Dyalogues. How can I make sure I get emails from you guys?
A: Be sure to add us as a "Safe Sender" or "Trusted Sender". This can usually be done by adding us to your address book. For more detail instruction, please read Safelisting Dyalogues Emails.
