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You've come to the right place for everything you want to know about Backflip. We've got a couple feature-specific FAQs for you too:
Browser and Operating System Issues
What browsers will Backflip work with?
How do I open pages in a new window?
What is a "cookie"?
How do I enable JavaScript?
Finding Pages
How do I know where my pages are located?
Where does search look?
How are my pages sorted?
Folders, Sites, Pages... What's the difference?
How do I see pages that were not filed recently?
How do I look at all of the pages I've added from one site?
What is the "Everything Else" folder?
Pages and Folders: Adding, Deleting and Moving
How do I re-file a page?
How do I add pages on a computer without the Backflip It! toolbar button?
How do I add pages to folders?
How do I create a folder?
How do I use folders?
How do I edit a page (Title, Description, URL)?
How do I delete a page?
How do I edit or delete a folder (Title, Description, or Location)?
If I edit a page under one tab, does the change appear under other tabs?
What happens if I add the same page more than once?
What happens to pages when I delete a folder?
When adding a page location/URL do I have to use http://?
What if I don't enter a Title or Description?
What's the * next to my folder's name in the pull-down menu?
What are the folders listed below the dotted line in the pull-down menu?
The Backflip It! Button
What do I do if my Toolbar looks 'full'?
What is 'backflipping' and when should I do it?
Where is my Toolbar?
Can others use my Backflip It! button?
Do I need to be signed into Backflip, if I want to backflip?
Can I backflip pages that are on my local computer or behind a corporate firewall?
Adding Bookmarks and Favorites
Are pages that I filed during bookmark loading included on My New Pages?
Can I upload Bookmarks / Favorites from multiple computers?
What happens to my Bookmarks / Favorites after I add them to Backflip?
I saved more Bookmarks or Favorites in my browser. How do I update Backflip?
Membership and Sign In
Can I change my user name, password or email?
How do I sign in remotely?
How do I sign out?
How do I start or stop receiving mailings from Backflip?
How often do I need to sign in to Backflip?
What's the difference between a Name and a User Name?
How much does Backflip cost?
How do I cancel my Backflip account?
Security and Privacy
What is your Privacy policy?
Who sees the information in My Account?
Top Ten
What are my Top Ten pages?
What are my Top Ten sites?
What are the Top Ten pages for a folder?
Troubleshooting
I keep re-filing pages, but they stay in the same place. What gives?
Why doesn't the Top 10 show my top ten pages?
How can I easily get back to Backflip?
I leave the page description blank, but later I see one appears. Why?
I saved more Bookmarks or Favorites in my browser. How do I update Backflip?
Why doesn't anything happen when I click links in Help?
Backflip Partners
Where's the partner site (e.g., Red Herring, SF Gate, Upside) I backflipped?
What's the relationship between Backflip and its partners (e.g., Red Herring, SF Gate, Upside...)?
Browser/Internet Topics
What browsers will Backflip work with?
- Netscape Navigator or Communicator: 4.0 and higher
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE): 4.0 and higher
How do I open pages in a new window?
PC users can click the link with the right mouse button and select "Open in New Window" from the pop up menu.
What is a "cookie"?
Cookies make it easy and effortless for you to sign in to password protected Web sites from your computer. A cookie is information that a Web site puts on your hard disk so that it can remember something about you at alater time. Web users must agree to let cookies be saved for them, but, in general, it helps Web sites to serve users better. For more information on this and other internet terms try www.whatis.com.
How do I enable JavaScript?
If you're using an IE or Netscape browser version 4.0 or higher, you must ensure JavaScript is enabled. To determine your browser version, go to your browser's Help menu and select "About..."
Here's how you enable JavaScript:
Netscape Users
- From the [Edit] menu, select "Preferences."
- Select the Advanced category on the right side.
- Make sure "Enable JavaScript" is checked in this main Advanced view.
- Select OK and you're done!
Internet Explorer Users
- From the Tools menu, select "Internet Options."
- Select the Security tab.
- With the "Internet" globe highlighted, click Custom Level.
- Scroll down to Scripting. Beneath Active Scripting, select Enable.
- Select OK.
- If you're on a local network at work, we suggest going back to Step 3, highlight the "Local Intranet" icon and continuing with the same instructions.
Backflip utilizes this widely used programming language to provide cool features. In particular, we developed our service with the latest version of JavaScript, version 1.2. If you're using an old browser version, such as versions of Internet Explorer or Netscape before 4.0, you must upgrade to take full advantage of our features. Fortunately, free upgrades are commonly available from the Microsoft and Netscape web sites.
Finding Pages
How do I know where my pages are located?
When you're looking at a listing of a page, you'll see a little trail at the bottom. This trail begins with the folder or folders you've placed it in.
(Here's an example. Sports > Snowboarding > http://mountainzone.com/snowboarding/99/features/alpine-meadows) In this example, a member placed a snowboarding page in a Snowboarding folder. And the member created the Snowboarding folder as a subfolder of the Sports folder.
Where does search look?
Searching allows you to find specific Web pages by using words or phrases contained in your Backflip directory. You can search for words in the Title, Description, and Location fields of your pages. In addition, Backflip searches the actual words on the pages you've backflipped. This is a great reason to backflip any page you find useful.
How are my pages sorted?
Each folder of My Folders, by default, sorts pages alphabetically by page Title. At the top of each folder, you'll find an option to sort by Date Added. My Sites A-Z are sorts pages alphabetically by site name (URL). My New Pages displays pages chronologically -- the pages that you added most recently are shown at the top.
Folders, Sites, Pages... What's the difference?
Backflip provides several ways for you to find your information. My Folders presents your Web pages in logical groups. My Sites A-Z provides a good way to see information -- alphabetically -- when you use many pages on one site. My New Pages presents a chronological list of pages you've added. Don't forget about searching! That's where you quickly perform a keyword search on all of your Web pages in Backflip.
How do I see pages that were not filed recently?
In a folder within My Folders, sort by Date Added. Scroll to the bottom of the list. If you have more than ten pages in that folder, click the page numbers at the bottom of the screen to go back in time. If you're using My New Pages, the entries at the top are the most recent ones. As you scroll down the list, you'll view your pages chronologically.
How do I look at all of the pages I've added from one site?
Click the My Sites A-Z tab. That's where you'll see all of the sites you've backflipped. If you've backflipped more than one page on a site, you will see the number of pages in parentheses. Click the View link and you'll see all of your pages from that site.
What is the "Everything Else" folder?
If you don't Backflip where to file your page, Backflip will file it into "Everything Else." Additionally, you can manually file pages into "Everything Else" if you don't want to place them in a specific folder.
Pages and Folders: Adding, Deleting and Moving
How do I re-file a page?
Click the [Edit] link next to the listing of the page you wish to edit. When you're editing a page, at the bottom of the screen, select the new folder you want to place your page in. Click Save, and you just re-filed it!
How do I add pages on a computer without the Backflip It! toolbar button?
There are two additional ways to add pages: Uploading Bookmarks/Favorites or adding them manually by selecting the Add Pages tab.
How do I add pages to folders?
You can do this a few ways. When you add a new page by selecting the Add Pages tab, select which folder you want to file it in. Alternatively, when you click the Backflip It! button in your toolbar, you can select the folder where you wish to file your new page.
How do I create a folder?
There are two ways to create folders. 1) Near the top of the screen choose the Create Folders tab. This allows you to create a folder or even a subfolder within an existing folder. 2) When you use the Backflip It! button on your Toolbar there is an optional link in the pop up window. Click this link to create a new folder just when you need it.
How do I use folders?
Use them to organize and easily find your Web pages. Things like "Travel," "Sports," or "Investment Info" are examples of folder names. Within folders, you can create sub-folders such as "Europe" and "Asia" under a Travel folder. With Backflip you're free to create any folder you wish. When you backflip a new page you can place it in one of your folders.
How do I edit a page (Title, Description, URL)?
Click the [Edit] link next to the listing of the page you wish to edit. You can do this in My Sites A-Z, My New Pages, or in a folder within My Folders. Make changes to the title, description and/or URL. Even change the folder location. Then save your changes.
How do I delete a page?
Click the [Delete] link next to the page. Also, you can delete a page by clicking on [Edit] next to the page and selecting Delete Page.
How do I edit or delete a folder (Title, Description, or Location)?
From within My Folders, click the folder you want to change. Below the folder name, click [Edit] to edit the page or [Delete] to delete it. Editing changes the folder information, yet the pages contained within that folder remain unaffected. Note: You cannot edit or delete the built-in "Everything Else" folder.
If I edit a page under one tab, does the change appear under other tabs?
Yes. The different tabs (My Folders, My Sites A-Z, My New Pages) provide views of the same page information. You may need to Refresh/Reload the browser to see changes.
What happens if I add the same page more than once?
No problem. In Backflip you can add the same page in order to file it under several folders. If you backflip a new page for a site you already have, Backflip sees this and groups the new page with other page(s) for that site under the site in My Sites A-Z. If you've added the same page to different folders, you'll be able to view its different locations in My Sites A-Z.
What happens to pages when I delete a folder?
The pages and sub-folders are totally removed from your Backflip. Of course the pages are still out there on the Web where you originally got them. Searching within Backflip will no longer find these pages.
When adding a page location/URL do I have to use "http://"?
If your browser allows you to type addresses without preceding with http:// then you can add them to Backflip without it. If you're not sure, try typing 'www.backflip.com' into the Location/Address line in your browser and see if it works. In fact, you shouldn't even need to enter "www." in front!
What if I don't enter a Title or Description?
Backflip saves you time and does the work for you. Backflip will automatically visit the page on the Web and create a title and description based on the pages content! This takes a few minutes, so you may need to Refresh/Reload your browser to see it. If you enter something for title or description Backflip will not change it. This applies for all pages, no matter how you add them to Backflip.
What's the * next to my folder's name in the pull-down menu?
That means it's a shared folder, and you're the owner.
What are the folders listed below the dotted line in the pull-down menu?
Those are shared folders that other friends own but you're permitted to contribute to. To learn more about sharing, click here.
The Backflip It! Button
What do I do if my Netscape Toolbar or Internet Explorer Links bar looks 'full'?
No problem. You can still add your Backflip It! button.
Netscape Users:: In your browser, click the Bookmarks menu, then select "Edit Bookmarks." In this list find an item named "Personal Toolbar Folder". Under it is a list of links on your Toolbar with leftmost links from the browser shown at the top. To remove a link, highlight it then select Edit... Delete from the menu. To move links, drag and drop them between other links.
Internet Explorer Users: To remove links, hold your cursor over the link button, right click, then select "Delete" and confirm the pop up box. To move links, click the item on the Links bar and, without un-clicking, drag it to the desired position and release.
What is 'backflipping' and when should I do it?
You're backflipping any time you add a page to Backflip. The easiest way is to use the Backflip It! button on your toolbar. If you haven't added the Backflip It! button, click here. You should backflip any page you find useful. That way you can quickly find in your Backflip directory or by using a simple search!
Where is my Toolbar?
The Toolbar is a location near the top of your browser window.
Netscape users:
If your "Personal Toolbar" is not visible, click the View menu. Select "Show" and then "Personal Toolbar."
Internet Explorer users:
If your "Links" Toolbar is not visible, select the View menu at the top of the browser. Then select "Toolbar", and make sure that "Links" has a checkmark next to it on the list. You should then see the "Links" toolbar.
If the "Links" selection is checked on the View/Toolbars menu, but the "Links" Toolbar still is not visible - look for the word "Links" on the address line of your browser toolbar, or click on the ">>" button to see if it is scrolled off the screen. If you find it here, drag the word "Links" below the address line to make it more prominent.
Can others use my Backflip It! button?
If you are currently signed in to Backflip on a computer, then the Backflip It! button on that computer only will backflip pages into your account. If you are signed out on that computer, another Backflip member may sign in and use the button. That way multiple users can share one button.
Do I need to be signed into Backflip, if I want to backflip?
No. As long as you have the Backflip It! button on your browser toolbar, click it and Backflip will prompt you if you are not already signed in.
Can I backflip pages that are on my local computer or behind a corporate firewall?
Yes. Backflip will treat these pages the same as others on the Web. However, since Backflip does not create actual copies of backflipped pages, you can only access local files from the computer they are on. Files behind a corporate firewall are only accessible within the firewall. If you attempt to access a backflipped page on another machine you will receive a simple error.
Adding Bookmarks and Favorites
Are pages that I filed during bookmark loading included on My New Pages?
Yes. All pages that are added to Backflip can be viewed in any of the Home views.
Can I upload Bookmarks / Favorites from multiple computers?
Yes! This is another benefit of using Backflip. For example, you can upload Bookmarks from your home computer in Netscape then upload Favorites from Internet Explorer from work. Now you have one place to keep this information.
What happens to my Bookmarks / Favorites after I add them to Backflip?
Nothing. Your Bookmarks or Favorites are unchanged.
I saved more Bookmarks or Favorites in my browser. How do I update Backflip?
If you've saved pages to your Bookmarks or Favorites file, and did not backflip these pages to your Backflip directory, you can easily add these additional pages to your directory using the Add Favorites or Bookmarks feature. At the top of Backflip, click Get Tools. Click the Add Bookmarks or Add Favorites tab. Follow the instructions to add your Bookmarks or Favorites to Backflip.
Note the following about adding your Bookmarks or Favorites:
- The Bookmarks or Favorites that you previously added to your Backflip directory may have included folders. If you save more Bookmarks or Favorites in those folders and then add them to Backflip, the Bookmarks or Favorites will be added to the same folders in Backflip.
- If you have moved a page to another folder on your Backflip directory, but left it in its original folder in your Bookmarks or Favorites, when you add it again it will be added to the original folder in Backflip.
Any pages in your Bookmarks or Favorites that are un-filed will be filed into your "Everything Else" directory.
Membership and Sign In
Can I change my username, password or email?
For security purposes, we don't permit Backflip members to change their user names.
To change your password, go to My Account. You must first enter you existing password. Then you must enter the new password twice and click Make Changes.
To change your email, go to My Account and enter your new email address. Important: When you change your email address, we will send a confirmation email to the new address only. This confirmation message contains a link that you should click in order to verify the address. Verification is essential in the future if you should forget your username or password.
How do I sign in remotely?
Since Backflip is a Web site, you can sign in from any computer. Connect to the Internet and go to http://www.backflip.com/. Enter your user name and password and click Sign In.
How do I sign out?
Click the Home tab. Click the Sign Out link at the upper-left corner just beneath your name.
If you selected the Sign in automatically option, signing out effectively removes this option. If you choose to sign out, you'll have to re-select the Sign in automatically option the next time you sign in.
How do I start or stop receiving mailings from Backflip?
There is a checkbox under My Account that allows you to change your preference for receiving mailings from Backflip. We encourage users to 'stay tuned' in order to inform them of new features. However, at any time you are free to 'opt out' by un-checking this option in My Account. If you would like more information about your privacy, please click here or contact us at Customer Services.
How often do I need to sign in to Backflip?
Only once per session! If you're surfing around the Web and you click your Backflip It! button to add a new page, Backflip will prompt you to sign in. After that instance of signing in, you won't need to for the rest of your session.
What's the difference between a Name and a User Name?
Most people like to be addressed by their real name. That's what Name is for. The User Name is a name used to sign in to computer systems.
How much does Backflip cost?
It's free! There is no cost to join and absolutely no usage fees. There's no catch!
How do I cancel my Backflip account?
If you wish to completely delete your account and all information contained in it, please send an email to cancel@backflip.com. Please be sure to clearly indicate your User Name in the body of the message. When you send this email it must be sent from the email address indicated in your Backflip account. If you are unsure which email address you have on file with us, please sign-in to Backflip, www.backflip.com, and go to My Account.
Security and Privacy
What is your Privacy policy?
Click here to see our full privacy statement.
Who sees the information in My Account?
Any information held in your Profile is held in the strictest confidence. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more details.
Top Ten
What are my Top Ten pages?
You'll find these in the My Folders section. They're the individual Web pages you visit the most. After adding a page to Backflip, if you use it often by clicking it through Backflip, it will become part of your Top Ten. This lets you quickly view and directly access your most important pages.
What are my Top Ten sites?
This is visible from My Sites A-Z. They're the sites (often called "domains") you visit the most. For instance, if you often visit many different pages within Amazon, the site, amazon.com, will appear in your Top Ten Sites.
What are the Top Ten pages for a folder?
This list is shown when you are looking in a particular folder in My Folders. They're the most-visited page by other members who share your interests. They often turn out to be excellent suggestions of other pages you might like. And they're always relevant to the folder you're looking at.
Troubleshooting
I keep re-filing pages, but they stay in the same place. What gives?
When you re-file pages in My New Pages, before going to the next screen you need to click Save Changes for your changes to stick.
Why doesn't the Top 10 show my top ten pages?
The Web pages in My Top Ten get ranked as you click on them from your Backflip directory -- not by clicking them from outside of Backflip or by manually typing their URLs in your browser. Here's how the Top 10 works.
The Top 10 on your My Folders home page includes the specific Web pages that you visit the most from Backflip.
The Top 10 within a specific folder (in My Folders) includes the sites that all Backflip members visit the most within that specific topic.
The Top 10 in My Sites A-Z includes the Web sites, or domains, that you use the most. You may have saved multiple pages from one site. And if you use them a lot, it's likely that you'll see their common domain in the Top 10 of My Sites A-Z.
How can I easily get back to Backflip?
Quickly get to your personal directory through a few different ways. Check out these four suggestions.
#1: Click a Button.
Place a new button on your browser's toolbar, next to your Backflip It! button.
Follow the same basic instructions you used when you added the Backflip It! button to your browser. Click here to see the instructions called "Adding Backflip to Your Browser."
However, drag this Backflip Home link rather than the link on the page.
#2: Click the Backflip Logo.
Right after you click the Backflip It! button on your browser, click the Backflip logo in the upper left corner of the pop-up window. That brings you straight to your personal directory.
#3: Type.
Type "backflip.com" in your browser. Most browsers remember your URLs; so after the first time you type it, you'll only need to type the first few letters in the future.
I leave the page description blank, but later I see one appears. Why?
If you want your description field to stay blank, we recommend typing a single character in the field as a placeholder, such as a period (.).
Here's how it works otherwise. After you backflip a Web page, Backflip scans that page for important information (such as its description and keywords). If you leave the description blank when you backflip a page, Backflip will include the description it finds when it scans the page later.
Note: if you write your own description, Backflip will not overwrite it with the description from the Web page. This is your Web. We only help you manage it.
I saved more Bookmarks or Favorites in my browser. How do I update Backflip?
If you've saved pages to your Bookmarks or Favorites file, and did not backflip these pages to your Backflip directory, you can easily add these additional pages to your directory using the Add Favorites or Bookmarks feature.
At the top of Backflip, click Get Tools. Click the Add Bookmarks or Add Favorites tab near the top of the screen. Follow the instructions to add your Bookmarks or Favorites to Backflip.
Note the following about adding your Bookmarks or Favorites:
- The Bookmarks or Favorites that you previously added to your Backflip directory may have included folders. If you save more Bookmarks or Favorites in those folders and then add them to Backflip, the Bookmarks or Favorites will be added to the same folders in Backflip.
- If you have moved a page to another folder on your Backflip directory, but left it in its original folder in your Bookmarks or Favorites, when you add it again it will be added to the original folder in Backflip.
- Any pages in your Bookmarks or Favorites that are un-filed will be filed by Backflip into your "Everything Else" folder.
Why doesn't anything happen when I click links in Help?
This happens if you're using Netscape, but have chosen Internet Explorer as your default browser. If you wish to make Netscape your default browser, rather than Internet Explorer, click here for instructions.
Backflip Partners
Where's the partner site (e.g., Red Herring, Upside, SF Gate) I backflipped?
After you backflipped a page from a partner site, we filed it in "Everything Else."
What's the relationship between Backflip and its partners (e.g., Red Herring, SF Gate, Upside...)?
Backflip provides a free, simple way for you to quickly save pages everywhere around the Web -- including partner sites. By backflipping a Web page, you can keep it in your personal directory and instantly find it again. You'll only need to register at Backflip one time! You may continue to click the Backflip link on a partner site when you want to save pages from that partner site. Additionally, you'll be able to use the Backflip It! button -- which you put on your browser in the joining process -- from anyplace on the Web.
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