Why would I want to use SS? SS is an easy and fun way to schedule interesting discussions with people
Why is it called 'Social Salons'? SS is based on 'Intellectual Salons' (which were famous in Paris in the 1800's) but the concept has been updated for the present, and takes
advantage of today's technology (such as a website for scheduling, and video meetings). Another difference is that rather than being
restricted to 'intellectual discussions' which often require special knowledge, Social Salons are for Social discussions, which
everyone can engage in.
How do I get started with SS? Go to the 'How It Works' page by clicking on the words 'Social Salons' at the top of any page.
This will give very detailed instructions on how to use all the features of Social Salons.
Why not have salons with dozens or hundreds of people? Practical discussions can only be among a handful of people, otherwise it turns into a lot of people
watching a few people talk. That's a panel discussion with an audience, not a conversation among salon guests.
Is SS available as an App for Android or iPhone? Not yet, but eventually.
How To Use SS: Checking it out, Registering, Using Daily
How Do I Check Out the Site Before Joining Start on the home page and check out the description and examples there. Then click on
to get an idea of the many
topics that can be discussed.
Click on to see what salons
are coming up and what the newest and most popular topics are.
Click on to get a
better idea of all salon activity, past, present, and future. Also, try using the
feature with keywords of interest
to you to find out if those topics have been or will be discussed.
Why is registration necessary? SS needs a small amount of info about you so you can interact with other SS users. Your email is necessary if you
want to join a salon because SS will use it to send you notifications about the upcoming salon. Also, the salon
host will need your email address to invite you when a video salon you have signed up for
is about to begin. Your email address will not be shown to anyone else (unless you have set your preferences
to make it visible to some or all other SS users). Your time zone is needed so that salon times can be converted
to you local time. The only other thing needed when you register is the screen name you have chosen to use and
the login password you have chosen.
How Do I Register? Click on the button on the top menu on every page.
How do I login? When you register you'll be automatically logged in. After that, whenever you return to
the site click on the button
located at the top of every page.
How do I see what salons are happening? Start on the home page, then click on to see what's
coming up. Click on to get a better idea of all salon activity
What should my daily routine be like? First login, then go to to see what salons are coming up where you will be the host or a guest
so that you don't miss any of your scheduled salons. After that, browse and the
to see if there are any new salons that might interest you.
How do I attend/join a salon? Browse and the to find a salon that appeals to you.
Click on the button for that salon,
and if it appeals to you click on the button at the bottom of the Salon Details popup.
Another approach is to use the to browse the many categories of topics, and when you find
one you like you can either in an existing salon,
or to host your own salon.
Yet another approach is to use the feature to look for keywords, or guests of YouTubes or podcasts
to be discussed in salons.
How do I schedule/create a new salon on a topic I want to discuss? Click on
below the top menu on every page. Then click on the
button to be walked through the process of scheduling a salon.
The person who schedules the salon is the salon's 'Host'.
Another approach is to use the to browse the many categories of topics,
and when you find one you like you can .
How do I invite people to a salon that I've scheduled? There are several ways to invite people to your salon:
When you schedule a salon you'll be sent a message about your salon
which will contain a link you can use to invite people to your salon.
You can then email or text the link to your salon topic
to the people you want to invite. When your friend(s) click on the
link they'll be taken to your topic where they will find:
If the friend is not yet registered with Social Salons they will be presented with an
invitation to join Social Salons when they click on the button to join your salon.
If the friend is already an SS User, they will be able to join the salon immediately.
If you want to invite specified people you have met in previous salons you
can invite them to join the salon
at the time that you schedule the salon. An invitation means SS will reserve space on your salon
for a time period you specify when you make the invitation so the people you have invited have time to
join the salon before it gets full. You can only invite a limted number of SS Users this way.
You can notify people on your favorite guests list when you schedule your salon if you check
Notify my Favorite Guests at the bottom
of the salon scheduling form.
If your favorites have their preferences set to allow this kind of notification they will
receive a message about your new salon, but because this notification might go out to many people, no
space will be reserved on your salon.
What are the responsibilities of the salon host? First, it is the host who schedules the salon, so the host choses the topic, sets the date, time,
and type of salon, sets restrictions (if any), adds comments, etc.
The host is also responsible for creating the salon on the specified video or chat service, and
for inviting the guests Although this is a crucial task, SS makes it easy to do:
The host will receive an email 15 minutes before the salon is scheduled to begin with detailed instructions
on how to create a meeting of the type specified (MSTeams, Zoom, Google Meet), a list of email addresses of
the SS Users who have joined the salon, and clear instructions on how to send invitations to those guests
so they can join the meeting. It's a quick and easy process that only takes a few minutes.
Because the host has set up the salon, the guests should allow the host to guide the
discussion in the direction the host prefers. The host will also be the person who (hopefully with agreement
from all the guests) decides when to end the salon.
How do I choose between MSTeams, Zoom, or Google Meet for a video salon? Go to the SS Guide to Salon Types for a detailed comparison of the different video meeting services.
What if a salon I want to join is full? You can always schedule your own salon on the same topic and then wait for people to join.
What if we want to continue the discussion later? You can discuss this during the salon to find a schedule everyone can agree on. Then someone,
perhaps the orginal host, can schedule another salon on the same topic again.
What if I can't attend a salon? Go to the 'Your Salons' page and click on 'Cancelling Hosting or Attending a Salon'
Are all salons open to the public? Salons can only have a maximum of 9 participants. Once it's full no other people can join
that salon. Plus, salons are only open to people who have registred with SS.
What if I want to leave before a salon is over? No problem. The other guests can continue the discussion or agree to end the salon if they wish.
Can we have regularly scheduled salons with the same guests? It's easy for the host (or someone else attending the salon) to schedule
one or more follow-up salons. This is made even easier for the original host by clicking on the
button
at the bottom of the Salon details. This will automatically fill in a new salon scheduling dialog with the original
topic, any restrictions set, and the same guests pre-invited (Note: only the original host will
see this option when viewing the salon details after the salon has occurred). The host will only have to enter
a new time and date for the follow-up salon.
Do we have to stick to the topic? Once the salon starts the guests can decide this.
How do I add info to my SS profile and set my preferences? When you register as an SS User you only need to provide your real name, email address, and time zone.
But you can add much more info (and an image) to your SS profile by clicking on
at the top of any page. This will take you to
the Edit Profile page, where you can add more info about yourself and also
control how much of your profile is visible to other SS users. You will have the option of revealing more info
to SS Users you've met in salons and have designated as "Favorite Guests".
Your profile page is also the place you can set preferences, such as what profile details
can be visible to other SS users, selecting Favorite Guests and Guests to Avoid, favorite topics
and categories, what salons to display in lists, and other details.
What are 'Favorite Guests' and how to I designate a guest as one of my 'Favorite Guests'? As you attend salons you will have discussions with some people who you may want to
add to your "Favorite Guests" list. When someone is on this list that person will be
able to see more of your profile info than the typical SS User, such as your picture, your
email address, your social media links, etc. (you control what will be visible via
the preferences on your Profile Page).
To add someone you have met at a salon to your Favorite Guests list, click
on their nickname in the list of people who
attended the salon you attended and at the bottom of the details
you can click on the 'Add to Favs' button. Alternatively, you can do this via your
Profile Page in the section on
Favorite Guests. When you designate someone as a Fav they will be notified that you have done so.
Note: You can only add SS Users you have already met in a salon to your Favorite Guests list.
What if there is a guest I don't want to see again? You can put selected SS Users on your "SS Users to Avoid" list. Once on that list those SS Users
cannot see any info about you, and will not be shown any salons you are hosting or attending.
And you will not be shown any salons where that person is hosting or has already joined. Bascially,
neither of you will know anything about the other person and you won't accidentally 'bump into' each
other.
To add someone you have met at a salon to your Guests to Avoid list, click
on their nickname in the list of people who attended the salon you attended and at the bottom of the details
you can click on the 'Add to Avoid' button. Alternatively, you can do this via your
Profile Page in the section on
Guests to Avoid. When you designate someone as a Guest to Avoid they will NOT be notified that you have done so.
Note: You can only add SS Users you have already met in a salon to your Guests to Avoid list.
What if there's a guest I want to have another discussion with? Of course, you can discuss this while meeting that person in a salon. Also, if you open an SS User Details
popup for that person you'll see a 'Send Contact Info' button a the bottom of the popup. If you click
this the person will be sent your email address, and they can use that to contact you if they wish.
Plus, if you hosted the salon you can repeat the salon with the same guests. Finally, you can host
your own salon and at the time you are scheduling your salon you can invite that person to join.
Can I contact other SS Users? SS doesn't handle chatting and communication between SS Users, but you CAN send your
contact info to any SS User you have already met in a salon. To do this, open the salon you attended,
click on that person's nickname, and then click on 'Send my Contact Info' button at the bottom
of the SS User Details popup. SS will send an email to that person with your contact info, and the
two of you can then continue the conversation by email or some other means.
Subjects, Categories, Subcategories, Branches, and Topics:
Why are topics necessary? Topics provide a focus for the salon discussion. Of course, if the guests don't want to stick
to the topic they can discuss whatever they want. But the topic helps people decide if they
want to join the salon, and it also provides a starting off point for the discussion.
What are Subjects, Categories, Sub-categories, and Branches? There is a huge variety of topics to use in salons. They are organized in a system with four tiers:
Subjects - the top level, with the broadest subjects such as Entertainment, Science, History, etc.
Categories - the next level, where each subject is divided into categories, such as (for Entertainment): Comedy, Movies, Music, etc.
Sub-categories - each category is broken down into sub-categories. For example Movies are broken down by decade and genre
Branches - the lowest level, where each sub-category is divided into different areas. So movies of the 1990s will be divided into Action, Comedy, etc.
Every branch will contain at least one topic, labeled 'General'. Salons can use this topic for general discussion of that branch. But more specific
topics can also be added to any branch. For example, in the case of Action movies from the 1990's the General topic can be used for salons which will
discuss the overall quality, feel, and enjoyability of movies in the 1990s. But there may be other topics about specific action movies from the 1990s, such
as 'Fight Club', or 'Pulp Fiction', or 'Were action stars of the 1990s better than the ones today?'
Note:Every topic in SS can be reached with only four clicks, through the Subject, Category, Sub-Category, and Branch.
Can I just have a salon with no topic? When you schedule a salon you need to select or create a topic. After the salon begins the guests
can decide if they want to follow the topic or not. Most people who have joined the salon were
expecting a discussion on that topic though, so they may want to stick to the topic.
What topics are available? Click on to browse through the subjects, categories... and topics available.
To view a list of many Social Salon topics inspired by Media Sources such as YouTube and Podcasts, click on this link:
List of Sample Media Topics (Warning: this list is huge!)
How can I search the topics? Click on in the top menu to search the Subjects, Categories... and Topics, and even past and upcoming
salons for keywords you enter.
How can I know about Salons on topics I like? Browse the topics by clicking on , or click on to see if any upcoming
topics appeal to you. Once you've developed a liking for various categories ... topics
you can add them to your 'Favorites' list, and then you can be notified when salons
using one of those topics has been scheduled.
How do I create a topic? When you schedule a salon you'll either pick an existing topic or you can create a new one.
How do I delete a topic? That's not possible since other people may have scheduled salons on the topic you created, or they may have already added
it to their Favorite Topics list.
What's going on with the Topic Browser images?
Ideally, the image on each topic browser tile represents the tile's topic. For example:
But in many cases there isn't yet an ideal image. In these cases generic images representing a converstation are used:
In Media Sources most sub-categories have many episodes. In some cases each episode has its own image:
But in most cases an image of the host or the program's icon is used:
Once in a while there might be a 'missing image' icon:
How much info does SS need about me? The minimum is your real name, your email, and your time zone. But the experience will
be better for everyone if you add a bit more info (a picture, a short bio, etc. by going to
Edit Preferences, and setting who can see the info.
Is SS secure? SS takes no financial info, so nothing like that can be at risk. Your email address will not
be sold, loaned, or donated to any company or cause. And you can keep it completley hidden, or show it
only to you Favorite Guests. Other info can also be hidden as much as you want.
Is my info safe? You set preferences to control the exposure of your email address, which is the main piece
of information that is risky to expose.
Can everyone see my real name, photo, or other personal info? You can edit your preferences to control the visibility of all info about you except for your
nickname.
What if someone tries to follow me at the salons I attend? You can put selected SS Users on your "SS Users to Avoid" list. Once on that list those SS Users
cannot see any info about you, and will not be shown any salons you are hosting or attending.
Why does SS use the term 'audiocast' instead of 'podcast'? The term 'podcast' was never appropriate for mp3 recordings of conversations because they could be
played back on many kinds of devices, not just iPods. It should be phased out for numerous reasons:
it was never necessary to use an Apple 'iPod' to listen to mp3 files
the term 'podcast' is free advertising for an Apple product. Apple is worth
more than $1 trillion. They don't need people to give them free advertising.
it's inaccurate. It's like calling all beer "Bud Light", or implying "you can
only drink beer in a Budweiser glass".
'videocast', or 'YouTube video' indicates video content. 'audiocast' indicates audio
only content. 'podcast' is ambiguous
audiocast is more precise in meaning: a conversation recorded and played back
in audio form (not necessarily video)
iPods aren't even made anymore! The term is obsolete. We should all stop using it!
Login to Social Salons
Registration or Login Needed
You need to be registered and logged in with Social Salons before you can:
Schedule a new salon, Join a salon,
Save preferences and favorites, edit your profile,
or view any kind of information about other SS Users.
Registration is free, easy, and requires minimal information. No cost, no ads,
no tracking. Once you're registered you can fully participate
in Social Salons.
