Get Started

Create your profile. Tell us about yourself and your life experiences. To get started create your profile page by clicking the "join now" link found on the upper right corner of the homepage. Tell us a little about yourself, upload a personal profile picture, or use one of ours (don't worry you can always update this page later).

The more active you are within the community the more complete your profile page will become. From your profile page you can view your most recent stories, the collections you've started, the hubs you have joined, all of the stories you've marked as "favorites", and view all of your fans and fan clubs.

You can also manage your account from your profile page,--set email notification preferences, change your password and email address, send an email to your fans, and manage you fan and fan club lists. To return to your profile page click on the my tokoni link that appears at the top of every page when you are signed in. You can also view your profile page (or the profile pages of other Tokos) by clicking on the username wherever it appears on the site.

Share a true story, life experience, knowledge, or passion. Click on the "add story" link on the upper right of the page, and start writing. From the inspirational to the helpful to the entertaining, all first-hand accounts are welcome. You can even use Tokoni to write your autobiography, one story at a time. Once you've finished, choose a category for your story and be sure to add tags (keywords) so your story can be easily found through search. You can also set the reader's mood with a genre tag. Remember, a picture is worth a 1,000 words! Try uploading your own photos or short video to supplement your story.

Be heard. Make sure your stories get the attention they deserve. The share feature, found on all story pages, allows you to reach a broader audience using sites like as Facebook, Digg and StumbleUpon to share your favorite stories. Once you've sign in you can also email stories to friends using the email tool in the participate box on the right hand side of the story page. We always welcome your feedback. If there is another way you'd like to share your story, please let us know by emailing us at help@tokoni.com.

Explore Tokoni. Tap into the collective experience of the community. Use the browsing tools on the homepage to find stories and real life experiences based on categories, keywords, or genres. You can browse by location using the explore the world map on the homepage, or simply follow the connections that appear in the bubble browser found under explore the universe. If you are looking for a specific story or Tokoni member, try using the search box located on the top of every page.

Become a part of the Tokoni Community

Connect with others. Tokoni gives you a way to connect real life stories with others who have similar experiences. Here's how:

• Connect stories. When you read a story that reminds you of one your own stories, you can connect the two stories using the "connect a story" tool found in the participate box on all story pages once you have signed in. We'll send the author an email and when he or she approves your request, we'll connect the stories. You will be able to see this connection in the explore the universe story map and it will also appear under the connections tab on your profile page.
• Start a collection. Collections are a way of creating your own personal "libraries" of stories, they can be public or private. To start a new collection, go to your profile page and click "create a new collection" found under the collections tab. From here you will be able to select stories from the entire Tokoni universe of stories to add to the collection. Use them to group the stories around your own life episodes, or the Tokoni stories you've marked as your favorites. You can add stories to collections directly from the story pages by clicking "add to collection" link in the participate box on the right-hand side of the page. From here you can add the story directly to an existing collection, or "mark" it as a story to be added to a collection later.
• Create a hub. A hub is a place for Tokoni members (Tokos) to collaborate, share and discuss stories around a topic. Hubs can be created from any number of places, like your profile page, a story page, and from the hubs link on the navigation bar on the top of every page. A link to "create a hub" will be found in the in the participate box on the right hand side of the page or in the My Tokoni section of the profile page. When creating a hub you will be able to name it, give it a description, add images or even video, and categories. You can search all hubs by click on "hubs" in the navigation area in the header. If you find a hub you would like to join membership is easy -- just click the"become a member" link in the participate box. You will see a yellow confirmation message at the top of the screen confirming your membership. If you find a story that you think belongs in the hub, you can connect it directly from that story page (using the tools on the right hand side of the page). All hub members can add helpful links and web resources to the hub. Once you become a member, we'll send you a daily email update of hub activity to keep you posted when new members join or stories and comments are added. (Email notification settings can be adjusted from your profile page.)

Request a story. Looking for a specific story but can't find it? Send a request to the community using the story requests tool on the homepage. We'll notify you when someone responds. If you're suffering from writer's block, you can also use this as a place to look for story starter ideas.

Join a discussion. Be part of the community and chime in! If you relate, are intrigued, or have something to say on an issue, be sure to leave a comment. Ask a question, post your views, or just give kudos to the author.

Give tokens. Reward the stories you like. If you're moved by the author's story leave a token! Tokens are our way to send a quick emotional response to an author.

Become a fan. Receive a Tokoni email notifying you when one of your favorite authors adds a new story. You can sign up to become a fan of an author from his/her profile page. You can also become a fan directly from the story page--simply click on the become a fan of link on the right hand side of the page to get started. To see all of the authors you are following, or to change your fan status, visit the fan / fan clubs tabs on your profile page.

Let us know what you think. We're always looking for feedback. You can ask your questions or leave suggestions on the Tokoni Corner, or you can email us directly at help@tokoni.com.