Once you have successfully logged in the first time, you should be directed to a page titled “ Update Your User Profile ” Here is where Glotsalot will record the public and private versions of your personal information to be used on the site. The form is fairly self explanatory. The pieces of personal information that will not show on your public profile are clearly listed.
Beginning at the top right of the page, Fill in your first, middle and last name. For your protection, your real name is only visible to Glotsalot Administrative Staff. Then pick a name you want others to see. You can use your name, or make up any other name you want visible to other users who might find your public profile on Glotsalot.
Next list your date of birth. This won’t be shared publicly, but Glotsalot does need to know that you are at least 13 in order to have your own profile. Next list your gender.
Next list your phone number. This also will not be displayed publicly, but may be used to send you text messages regarding upcoming classes, or other information pertaining to your Glotsalot profile.
Next, where it says “Your First Language” enter either your native language, or the language your most comfortable speaking every day.
Next, where it says “Your Second Language (if your bilingual already) enter your second language if you already speak a second language. Don’t worry if you don’t, most people don’t. That’s why the’re on Glotsalot, If you don’t already speak another language, just leave it blank and move on. If you do already speak a second language, list your level in that language. Just take an educated guess at where you are on a scale from 1 to 7, 1 being a beginner and 7 being able to speak like a native.
Next, where it says “What’s the next language you want to learn?” Choose the language you are on Glotsalot to learn from the drop down list. On the off chance the language you want to learn is not listed on the dropdown, contact Glotsalot through the “Contact Us” function to let them know that the language you want is not already listed. After picking the next language you want to learn, to the right of this you now need to take a guess at how far along you are presently on the language learning continuum. This is a self assessment, just list how fluent you think you are on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being a complete beginner, and 7 being as fluent as a native speaker. If you want to learn more than one language at the same time, contact Glotsalot Admin and they will add the additional languages for you.
Next, pick the country you are from originally from the drop down list. Again, the list is extensive, but if we might have missed one or there happened to have been a coup in your country recently and the name has changed, please let us know and we will update the name promptly.
Next, write down the city you are from. Whenever possible, use the romanized spelling so it matches the rest of the names on the list, and can be alphabetized properly. If you come from a small town, you can put the major city that was closest to you. This is so other users can get a better idea of where you come from, and maybe look up your city or region on a map to see where you are when you talk to them.
Next, choose the country you are living in now, then enter the city you are living in now. This gives other Glotsalot members the chance to see where in the world their teachers and/or students are. Below this, list the UTC Time Zone you are in. If you are unfamiliar with UTC, it stands for “Universal Coordinated Time” The list includes an expansive number of popular cities in the world. Just pick a city that’s in the same time zone that your city is in. By recording this information in your profile, Glotsalot can list all of your lessons in your time zone, while showing other members the same lessons in their particular time zone. For example, you currently live in New York and you have a class on Glotsalot at 8am, with a teacher from Beijing, China. When you review your calendar or schedule, the class will be listed at 8am. If your Chinese Teacher looks at the same class on their calendar, it will be displayed 8pm, which is the correct time in their time zone.
After this, where it says: Want to participate in the Free Language Exchange? Choose whether or not you want to participate in Glotsalot’s Free Language Exchange. If FLE is new to you, it’s like a meetup for language learning enthusiasts. Participants from different language backgrounds connect to exchange time on Skype practicing a foreign language with a native speaker, free of charge for both parties. The upside of this relationship is that it’s free. The downside is that you have to split your time, spending half of your time tutoring your partner, and the language level of the partners can be really hard to match properly. If parties are beginners or intermediate speakers, the experience can either be a fun way to practice speaking, or it can be a frustrating experience for one or both parties.
In order to show up as available for Free Language Exchange, you have to turn the green button to the right, or “on” If you are only on Glotsalot to teach or learn from tutors or teachers, leaving the button off will keep you from being listed on the free side of the site, and will dissuade users from requesting Free Language Exchange with you.
Next, it’s time to choose your profile picture. Get a good picture of yourself taken in good lighting, similar to a passport or driver’s license photo. Save the photo in a known location of your computer, and click anywhere in the block to browse through your devices photos for a good profile photo. One helpful hint is to write down where your photo is stored in your drive, so you can navigate to the photo you want easily when it comes time to add the picture. Keep in mind that this is the first time people from a different culture may be seeing you. This probably isn’t the best time to be silly or humorous, as people from other cultures might not have or appreciate your same sense of humor. Your best bet is a straight forward but pleasant looking, smile filled profile photo that you might use on any social networking site. Check the photo once it has loaded, especially to make sure that it didn’t load with your head facing sideways. If this is the case, first try using a different photo. If the other photo still doesn’t load properly, contact help@glotsalot.com for further assistance. When your photo has loaded, you should get a message at the top of the screen stating:
With your profile photo successfully loaded, all that is left to do to complete your basic profile is to click on the green Update Button at the bottom center of the page.
Once your profile has been completed, you can setup your finance account, find a teacher, and schedule your first class!
Next steps?