We promised you an in-depth introduction to the new SocialVibe features and here we have it! A breakdown of what each feature does and how to use it to your advantage.

First up, friending! So you have probably figured out by now that you can friend other members. This is great because not only can you connect with people you have already recruited to SocialVibe, but you can also search for members that endorse the same sponsors as you and support the same causes as you. Or - find fellow SocialVibers in your area, or even that go to the same school you go to! You don't get points for having more friends, but you do get points for recruiting more friends to join SocialVibe. We specifically do not show the number of friends each SVer has, because it's not about being popular, it's about rallying together and joining forces to support the causes.

How your friends will appear to YOU on your dashboard.

How your friends will appear to everyone else on your profile.

Now let's talk about commenting. You're all familiar with the concept of commenting, right? I'm sure you are, you are a smart bunch. Basically, now you have the ability to leave your fellow SocialVibers comments on their profiles. Just one more way of communicating with one another and sharing your thoughts about why you support the causes and brands you do. Should you need to, you also have the ability to message other members you are friends with. These messages are private and will not be seen by any other members.

We are all huge fans of the status update around here. You can update your status which will be broadcast to your entire friends list via their friend feed, unless of course you don't want it to, in which case you just go to 'Account Settings, 'Preferences' and opt out of this function. Simple as pie. But for those of you who do want to take advantage of it, it's a helpful way to keep up with what your friends are doing. You'll also receive updates in your friend feed when your friends add other members, comment other members, upload photos, answer the Question of the Day, or join a new Cause/Brand. Pretty cool huh?

Where you can update your status.

How your status appears to others.

Your public feed on your profile, viewable by all.

Your own personal friend feed on your dashboard, viewable just by you.

Adjust your Preferences under Account Settings.

There are also a few other ways to personalize your SocialVibe profile. You may have noticed the Likes/Dislikes/Personality/Brands module on the left hand side of your profile. Most of these are pulled directly from the survey you take to jump up to the Platinum Level. If you want to change it, no problem! Just retake the Platinum Survey, which can be found by clicking 'Edit Profile' and then 'Interests.' This is also the place where you can update your favorite brands and Why I'm Here section of your profile. What a great opportunity to share with other members why you support the cause you do. By the way, filling in both of these fields earn more points for your cause.

Likes/Dislikes/Personalities/Brands.

Edit your Interests under 'Edit Profile.'

"Why I'm Here" as viewed by other members.

Another way to show a bit more about yourself on SocialVibe is by answering the Question of the Day. Each day you will find a new question up. These aren't only about causes and brands, because we also want to know about YOU! Each time you answer the Q of the Day, you earn more points for your cause. You'll also see on your profile a history of your previous Q of the Days that have been answered.

Another exciting feature that we want to tell you about are the Cause Goals! This is definitely one of our favorite new features. Several charities in the system now have specific goals they are working towards with the help of SocialVibe members like you. Each Cause has a homepage where you'll find an explanation of the goal as well as a meter which tracks our progress in working towards these goals. It's a helpful way to show that what we are doing DOES make a real difference.

Here are some examples of specific Cause goals:

charity: water has a goal of $5,000 to build a well to provide clean water for people in developing nations.

spcaLA has a goal of $1,000 to purchase much needed supplies including beds, food, milk replacement for orphaned/abandoned puppies and kittens.

By utilizing these new features, you are not only giving yourself the opportunity to network with other members who have the same enthusiasm for brands and interest in helping specific causes as you do, but you are also earning more points towards the cause you choose. You'll find a handy checklist on the Points Center of your dashboard which lists all the ways in which you can earn points each day, as well as the amount points earned each day and in total. In addition to the features we talked about in this post, you can also earn points for uploading photos, visiting the forums, adding networks, schools, and of course - inviting your friends to join SocialVibe! And let's not forget, the best way to earn points is by being active on the social networks where you have placed your SocialVibe badge.

Points Center!

We hope you enjoy the new features. It's been a long time coming but we are thrilled to be able to give back to the members that work so hard to give back to the charities on SocialVibe. You definitely deserve it! Keep giving us your feedback at feedback@socialvibe.com or by posting in the forums. We read every single bit of it!

*Remember, if you don't want to participate in social networking features on SocialVibe, you can opt out of it by visiting 'Account Settings' and 'Preferences' and selecting the option to not allow members to request you. You can also adjust your settings on which e-mails notifications you receive.

-SocialVibe