Private Online Communities

Frequently Asked Questions




How secure is our information?
We have taken numerous precautions to protect the information in our databases. However, we cannot prevent errors contained in the technology itself (e.g. server software, database software, etc.). We update our systems as soon as updates are available and we monitor news feeds and websites related to security and will make changes as needed. All credit card information is kept solely on the PayPal system and is not available in any way through our system.

Why do you use PayPal for credit card processing?
We have evaluated and implemented numerous credit card processing systems, and believe that PayPal is the best option. As identity theft increases from compromised databases, we believe that the fewer places where you input your credit card number online, the better.

Do I need a PayPal account to sign up for this service?
No. PayPal no longer requires you to sign up for a PayPal account for credit card processing for the annual subscriptions. They will offer you an account at the end of the process, but you do have the option of declining. However, as we stated in the previous section, we do believe that PayPal provides a service that minimizes your security risk while shopping online. You will, however, need a PayPal account for the monthly subscription plans.

Does this service replace my informational website?
At the moment, no. This service is strictly to provide private online communities. We may in the future create a "public pages" feature that will allow you to advertise your church, association, or whatever else you may want the general public to see.

How quickly will my server space fill up?
Each account begins with a limit of 200 MB of server space. Every text posting (e.g. news, calendar, blog, etc.) will use very little space in the database. Photo uploads are the primary user of server space. However, because of our "smart" algorithm that resizes and optimizes photos, every photo is usually reduced to well below 100 KB. So even if every photo is reduced to about 100 KB, that would be roughly 10 photos for every 1 MB! A lot of similar services do not offer this feature because they want you to pay additional fees for extra space.

Do you sell the information collected from our members?
Absolutely not. However, we cannot prevent users from within your communities from gathering your data. For this reason, we recommend on the registration pages signing up for a new email account. In addition, minimal other information is required as users are registering for your communities.

Do you allow "hate groups" to use this service?
We are committed to preventing hate groups from using this service. We will cooperate fully with all levels of law enforcement and provide them with any information that they require.

Can people link directly to images that I post?
As many users have discovered, this service cannot be used as a photo repository. In other words, users cannot link directly to the images on these sites for their own sites or message board postings. This was intentional. In most cases, people want to create such links to preserve their own server space or bandwith usage. Doing so also violates the site's Terms of Service and will result in the closing of your group's WebOhana.