What is the dashboard?

The dashboard is the spot where you can see everything going on that relates to you. The easiest way to understand how it works is to check out the "Welcome to your dashboard" information block near the top of your dashboard. Below is the detailed explanation of what you'll find on the dashboard.

There are four primary things you should be aware of on the dashboard: your user card, the activity stream, filtering the activity stream and access to stats. Let's dive in!

Your Card: At the top of the dashboard, just below the navigation, is a basic overview of numbers you should be aware of. Each of these numbers are clickable, taking you to your photo organizer, photos you have loved, users who follow you and any awards you may have received. These numbers are not comprehensive stats you may be looking for (more on stats below). This is just a simple overview of your user. You also can jump off to your public profile (how other users see you) or you can grab some code to embed a similar user card on another site, like a blog, forum, etc.

Activity Stream: Below your card you'll see listings of activity. As you follow other users, upload photos and your photos accumulate votes, comments and loves, these lists will populate in your activity stream in the order they occur. For example, if your friend, George, votes for your flower photo, then your friend, Nancy, comments on your flower photo, you'll see George's vote, then Nancy's comment in your activity stream. The activity stream is the spot where you can see everything that happens on your photos and activity by other users you follow.

Stream Filters: To the left of the activity stream, you'll find filters, which is a way to drill down into activity by grouping or by type, as well as numbers next to each filter. These numbers are not counts of the totals for each type of activity, but rather a count of how many new/unseen items fall within each filter category. As you read each new/unseen item, you will see numbers decrease, disappear altogether once you've seen everything, and re-appear as new activity occurs. It's a cycle which ensures you don't miss any activity you may be interested in. You may also mark all as seen using the link at the bottom of the filter list, assuming you have unseen items.

There are two sets of activity filters, one by grouping and one by type. These intentionally overlap each other. The groupings have colors which relate to the color in the stream itself and contain multiple types. This color is used to associate back to if the activity is for you, by someone you follow, or site-related. The types will single out one type of activity, but across all groupings. Here's how it's grouped:

• For: votes, comments and loves on your own photos, as well as any users who started following you.
• Following: new uploads and loves by users you follow.
• Elsewhere: all site-based news such as news, challenges, showcases, feature updates, etc.

Stats: While we provide very basic stats on your user card at the top of your dashboard, diving a bit deeper can be really fun if you're curious what type of user you are and how your photos are doing. Click the stats link in the bottom right of your card and you'll be taken to a page split into two sections, stats for activity by you as a user, and stats on activity for your photos if you're a photographer. If you are a photographer, you will also note the ranked view of your top 100 photos.

Can anyone else see my dashboard?

No. Only you - unless you have someone looking over your shoulder.

What are my loves?

Loves are photos you've marked along the way. The listing from your dashboard gives you easy access to photos you love.

Where do I find my stats?

We show you two kinds of stats: stats about the type of voter you are (user stats) and stats about your photos (photo stats). You can find the button to access your stats in your user card on your dashboard page. Or, simply go to www.capturemychicago.com/stats.

What is my top 100?

We show you exactly how your photos are doing. On your dashboard, click the stats button. Once there, under the photos tab, you'll see a table detailing your top photos. Here are the details of each column in the top photos table:

• #: Your photos ranked by score. This is as much detail as we can show you to help you see how your photos are doing in relation to each other. It's not exactly the way the algorithm works, but it's pretty close.

• Votes: Total votes for your photos. We don't break your votes out by dig it vs. nix it because there's a lot more to a photo's score than dig it and nix it votes. Plus, how a user votes needs to remain private. If we showed you a breakdown of dig it vs. nix it votes, you'd know how each user is voting for your photos, which could turn Capture My Chicago into a vindictive affair.

• Loves: The number of loves for your photos. Folks love your photos when they want to show appreciation for your work. It's a good thing!

• Comments: The number of comments on your photos. Comments are great way to see how people feel about your photo. Sometimes comments are positive but sometimes they are constructive criticism. Use comments to hone your skills as a photographer.

• Badges: The number of badges for your photos. Badges are awarded when photos reach certain plateaus, like 100 votes, or when a photo receives a price, like the editors' pick for a challenge.

You can sort the top photos table any way you'd like so get in there and play around with it.

Be sure to share your photos on Facebook or Twitter, email your friends to ask for their support and submit photos to challenges, which is where our editors spend a lot of time. The more people see your photos, the more likely you'll receive votes, so share like crazy!