User Guide

User Guide

A. How do I Create a HelpPost?

To create a HelpPost, tap the ‘Post a HELP REQUEST or HELP OFFER’ button and follow the prompts to:

  1. Select PostType: HELP OFFER or HELP REQUEST, tap NEXT
  2. Describe the HelpPost
  3. Select a photo (optional
  4. Sselect the privacy of your HelpPost.
    1. Uuntil you have joined HelpGroups you will only be able to make public posts
    2. Once you have joined HelpGroups you can post to specific HelpGroups or specific Helpers within those HelpGroups OR you can choose to post to ‘ALL MY HELPGROUPS’.
    3. Posting to ‘ALL MY HELPGROUPS’ will make your post visible to all current members of the HelpGroups to which you belong.
  5. Select Help location
    1. Location will default based on the zipCode you have specified in your HelpProfile, but you can change it here
  6. Tap NEXT
  7. Select HelpGroups and Helpers (if applicable)
    1. Use the toggles at the top of the screen to apply the criteria to all HelpGroups
    2. Tap to the left of the HelpGroup name to toggle the selection for the individual HelpGroup
  8. Tap NEXT
  9. Choose HelpCategories that apply to your HelpPost
  10. Tap NEXT
  11. Review all Info and Edit as needed, CANCEL or POST

B. How do I Respond to a HelpPost (create an outgoing PostResponse)?

  1. To respond to a HelpPost tap the Inquire/Offer Help OR Inquire/ Request Help button in the lower right hand corner of the HelpPost to create/access your HelpResponse for the HelpPost. Use the Chat/Inquire button to communicate with the poster and work out all arrangements regarding timing, location, points to be exchanged, details of the help, etc. Once all is agreed, tap the “Submit Help Request” or “Submit Help Offer” button.
  2. When the poster communicates with you or accepts your HelpResponse, you will receive an alert in the upper right hand corner of the screen. You can follow the link to communicate and respond.
  3. You can cancel your HelpResponse (without the poster’s approval) up until the point that the poster has accepted your HelpResponse. Once they have accepted your HelpResponse, you can still request to cancel, but the poster will be required to approve your request to cancel. All actions available to you, will be described and available to tap on the Green button on the  HelpResponse/Chat.
  4. Once the HelpResponse has been accepted, the Help should be delivered as agreed. The receiver of the help will then follow the prompt to “Confirm Help Received”, they will then be prompted to ‘Transfer Points’, Leave a Review for the Poster (optional) and post a Help Story(optional). The Help Story is a way to share your Help Transaction experience with others and will be available for others to view along with the other HelpPosts on the HelpPosts tab.
  5. The deliverer of the Help will be prompted to ‘Confirm Points Transferred’
  6. If more points need to be transferred, this can be communicated via the chat and the receiver of the Help can transfer more points if necessary by clicking on the ‘…’ button and selecting ‘transfer more GoatPoints’.
  7. Once the deliverer of the Help confirms all points have been transferred, they will be prompted to review the Help receiver (optional) and to post a Help Story (optional) in order to share their HelpTransaction experience. The status of the HelpResponse will then indicate ‘Transaction Completed’.
  8. Once the transaction has been completed, the responder can submit a new response on the same post at another time (until the Poster marks the Post as Closed to new responses.

C. How do I View/Manage my HelpPosts and my Incoming PostResponses?

  1. You will receive an alert each time you receive an Inquiry, a Response or a status change on any of your HelpPosts
  2. To view all your HelpPosts and incoming PostResponses, you can go to the My Info tab and tap the ‘My HelpPosts/ Incoming Responses’ button.
  3. Scroll to the HelpPost and tap ‘Manage your HelpPost/Responses’
  4. All responses for the post will be listed in order of most recent activity.
  5. Tap the ‘Manage/ Chat’ button in order to update the status of a particular response or chat with the responder.
  6. To Delete a post, tap the ‘Delete Post’ button under the Post info section of the ‘Manage Post’ screen. Note: this is only allowed if no incoming responses exist yet for the post
  7. To Close a post to new responses, tap the ‘Close Post’ button
  8. To Re-open the post to new responses, tap the ‘Re-Open Post’ button
  9. To Edit the post, tap the ‘Edit Post’ button and follow the prompts

Note: You can not edit the description, location, postType or image of a post that already has incoming PostResponses. Therefore, in some cases you might want to mark a post closed and create a new post if changes are necessary.

D. How do I Create a HelpGroup?

  1. To create a HelpGroup tap the ‘Create a HelpGroup’ button found on the ‘HelpGroups’ tab and elsewhere.
  2. Select a group photo (optional)
  3. Edit the group location if necessary (location will default based on the location assigned in your HelperProfile. (note: the location can not be changed after you create a HelpGroup, you will need to delete the group or mark Closed and create a new HelpGroup in the new location)
  4. Specify the GroupName (required)
  5. Enter the Group Description (optional)
  6. Choose the privacy of the HelpGroup (Public or Private)
  7. For Private HelpGroups, specify if all members can invite other members to the group or if only the group admin can invite members.
  8. Tap  the ‘CREATE HelpGroup’ button
  9. You will be prompted to ‘Invite Helpers’ (see Invite Helpers to a HelpGroup instructions OR choose to ‘Send Invites Later’

E. How do I Invite Helpers to a HelpGroup?

  1. You will be prompted to do this when you create a new HelpGroup, but you can invite Helpers to a HelpGroup at any time by tapping  the ‘manage HelpGroup & Members’ button (on your Admin HelpGroups) or tapping the ‘View HelpGroup Info & Members’ on your joined HelpGroups.
  2. Tap the ‘Invite’ button
  3. Type the name of the Helper you would like to invite in the ‘Search/ Select from all Helpers:’ searchBox and tap to the left of the Helper Name to select the Helper. OR tap the ‘Select Helpers from Your HelpGroups’ button and ‘Select Helpers’ from your HelpGroups and tap ‘Add Selected Helpers to Invite’
  4. All selected helpers will be shown in the ‘selected helpers:’ section
  5. Once all helpers you want to send invitations to have been selected, tap the ‘Send Invitations to Selected Helpers’
  6. Optional: Follow the link and instructions to ‘Invite People not yet on HelpGoat’ to send emails, text messages, etc. to encourage people to join HelpGoat.

F. How do I Join HelpGroups?

  1. If you receive an invite to a HelpGroup this will show up as an alert in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Click on the alert and follow the prompt to ‘Request to Join’ the HelpGroup. You can communicate any information with the HelpGoat admin by the chat and you will be alerted when your request has been accepted.
  2. You can also browse public HelpGroups in your area and request to join any that look like a good fit for you. Go to the ‘HelpGroups’ tab and browse or search by name for HelpGroups. The search location defaults to the location you have specified in your HelperProfile. You can change the search location by following the link and the prompts as needed. Follow the link and prompts to ‘Request to Join’ any HelpGroups you like. You will receive an alert when the HelpGroup admin has approved your request.

G. How do I Manage my Admin HelpGroups?

  1. You will receive an alert in the upper right hand corner of the screen anytime a helper requests to join your HelpGroup. You can follow the alert link to the ‘Manage/ Chat’ screen for that helper  to communicate with the helper and approve their requests to join or leave the group.You can also access this screen by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and tapping ‘My Admin HelpGroups’. From there scroll to the HelpGroup and tap the ‘Manage HelpGroup & Members’ button. From here you can see all members and tap the ‘Manage/ Chat’ button next to the member name you want to manage.
  2. You will also receive an alert anytime a member of your HelpGroup has been reported by another member. You can communicate with the members individually to try to resolve the issue. You can remove members from the group as needed by going to the ‘Manage/ Chat’ screen for that member.
  1. You can request to transfer Admin rights to another member of the group by tapping the ‘…’ button and selecting ‘Transfer Admin Rights’ on the ‘Manage HelpGroup & Members’ screen for the HelpGroup for which you want to transfer the Admin rights. The admin transfer can be done on a temporary basis and can be transferred back to you at a later time, but only one admin is allowed at a time. You will be prompted to select the member to which you want to transfer the Admin rights. An alert will be sent to that helper and they will be prompted to accept the transfer. Until they accept the transfer you will remain the Admin.
  2. You can Edit the HelpGroup info by tapping the ‘…’ button and selecting ‘Edit HelpGroup’ and following the prompts. Note: some information can not be changed once members for the HelpGroup exist.
  3. You can Delete the HelpGroup by tapping the ‘…’ button and selecting ‘Delete HelpGroup’. Note: you can not delete the HelpGroup once members exist (instead you can close the HelpGroup).
  4. You can Close the HelpGroup by tapping the ‘…’ button and selecting ‘Close HelpGroup’. When you close the HelpGroup this will close the HelpGroup to future activity. Current members will no longer be able to post to the HelpGroup and the HelpGroup will be closed to new members.
  5. You can invite helpers to join your HelpGroup by tapping the ‘INVITE’ button on the ‘Manage HelpGroup & Members’ screen and following the prompts.

H. How do I Block/Hide/Report Posts, Users and HelpGroups?

  1. If you see any objectionable HelpGroups while scrolling through HelpGroups on the HelpGroups tab, you can Report the HelpGroup, Hide the HelpGroup or both by tapping the ‘…’ button in the upper right hand corner of the HelpGroup entry.
  2. If you see any objectionable HelpPosts while scrolling through the HelpPosts on the HelpPosts tab, you can Report the Post, Hide the Post, Hide all the user’s Posts, or Block the User from the ‘…’ button in the upper right hand corner of the HelpPost. Blocking the User will hide your posts from the user and hide their posts from you. Reporting the user will send a message to the HelpGoat admin to review the reported user’s activity. A message will also be sent to the Admins of any HelpGroups you share with the reported users and any necessary action will be taken.
  3. You can review your Blocked, Hidden and Reported Users, Helpers and HelpGroups by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My Hidden/ Blocked Helpers/ HelpGroups’. You can unhide and unblock Helpers, HelpGroups and HelpPosts from here.’

H. How do I Manage my HelpGoat app subscription?

  1. When you create an account with HelpGoat you can use a trial membership for 1 month or until you have completed 3 HelpTransactions (this could potentially be longer than 1 month). 
  2. While you are using the trial membership, you will be prompted at sign in to subscribe or to continue using the trial membership.
  3. Once you have exceeded the 1 month or 3 transactions limit of the trial membership, you will also be prompted to subscribe when you go to submit or accept a new HelpOffer or HelpRequest. You will not be able to submit or accept anymore HelpOffers or HelpRequests until you subscribe.
  4. At any time, you can subscribe or manage your subscription by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘Manage my HelpGoat subscription’.
  5. Once you are subscribed, you will no longer be prompted to sign up at any point – until your subscription expires

I. How do I View Helper Reviews?

You can view other HelpersReviews by going to the ‘Helpers’ tab and tapping the star rating button next to the Helper.

J. How do I Leave a Helper Review?

You will be prompted to leave a review for a Helper during the HelpTransaction process. If you skip leaving a review at that point, you can leave a review at a later date by accessing the PostResponse for the HelpTransaction, tapping  the  “…” button, selecting ‘review Helper’ and following the prompts. The reviewed helper will receive an alert to let them know you have left them a review.

K. How do I Post a HelpStory?

You will be prompted to post a HelpStory during the HelpTransaction process. If you skip posting a HelpStory at that point, you can post a HelpStory at a later date by accessing the PostResponse for the HelpTransaction, tapping the “…” button, selecting ‘post this Help Story’ and following the prompts. The Helper you have transacted with will receive an alert to let them know you have shared a story about your HelpTransaction with them.

L. How do I Dispute a Helper Review?

If at any point you receive an objectionable review that you would like to dispute, you can contact your HelpGroup admin (if it was a post within a particular HelpGroup) or contact the HelpGoat admin (if it was a public post).

M. How do I Edit my HelpProfile?

To edit your HelpProfile, you can go to the  ‘MyInfo’ tab and select ‘My HelpProfile’ and tap the appropriate ‘Edit’ buttons.

N. How do I access the HelpGoat Terms of Use/ Privacy Agreements?

To access Terms of Use and Privacy Agreements, you can go to the ‘MyInfo’ tab and select ‘Terms of Use/ Privacy Agreements’.

O. How do I view other Helper’s HelpProfiles?

To view other helper’s HelpProfiles, you can go to the ‘Helpers’ tab and select the Helper Name of the Helper. You can also follow the Helper Name links provided on HelpPosts and other screens throughout the HelpGoat app.

P. How do I view Reviews others have left about me?

You will be alerted whenever someone leaves a review for you, but you can also view your reviews by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My Reviews’.

Q. How do I view my Liked Posts?

You can like a post by selecting the green heart button in the lower left hand corner of the post. You can view all your liked posts by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My Likes’

R. How do I browse HelpGroups?

You can browse HelpGroups to join by going to the ‘HelpGroups’ tab and scrolling. The default will be to list HelpGroups in your surrounding area based on the location in your Helper Profile. You can change the search location by tapping the ‘change search location’ button and following the prompts. You can also use the ‘search for a HelpGroup’ feature by typing in a HelpGroup name into the search box. Searching by name will search across all locations. Keep in mind the search by name feature is case sensitive and requires an exact match.

S. How do I view my Joined HelpGroups?

You can view your joined HelpGroups by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My Joined HelpGroups’

T. How do I view my Admin HelpGroups? 

You can view your Admin HelpGroups by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My Admin HelpGroups’.

U. How do I view my GoatPoint Balance and Transaction History?

You can view your GoatPoint balance and Transaction History by going to the ‘My Info’ tab and selecting ‘My GoatPoints’. The system will default to display the current balance and the transactions for the current  Open Month and Open Year. Keep in mind the Open Month and Open Year may be different from the calendar month as this has to do with when the HelpGoat Admin runs the month close process. Only transactions within the selected accounting month/ year will be shown. You can change the accounting month/ year to see the transactions for previous accounting periods. To see the associated PostResponse for a transaction, you can select the transaction.

V. How do I view my HelpPosts and Incoming HelpResponses? 

To see all of your HelpPosts you have posted and the associated Incoming HelpResponses, you can go to the ‘My Info’ tab and select ‘My HelpPosts/ Incoming Responses’.

W. How do I view my Outgoing HelpResponses? 

To see all of the responses you have made to other people’s HelpPosts, you can go to the ‘My Info’ tab and select ‘My Outgoing HelpResponses’.

X. How do I Contact the HelpGoat Admin?

To contact the HelpGoat Admin you can go to ‘MyInfo’ and select ‘Contact HelpGoat admin’.

Y. How do I contact HelpGroup Admins?

To contact HelpGroup Admins you can go to the ‘My Info’ tab, select ‘My Joined HelpGroups’, scroll to a particular HelpGroup, select the HelpGroup, tap the ‘chat with Admin’ button in the upper right hand corner of the ‘view HelpGroup Info & Members’ page.

Z. How do I view all of my conversations with a particular Helper? 

To view all your communications with a particular Helper, follow the HelperName link to the Helper’s profile (or go to the ‘Helpers’ tab and select the Helper. Select the ‘view your conversations with this Helper’ button. 

AA. How do I Request to Delete my account and all my data?

To request that your account be deleted and all your data removed, you can go to the ‘My Info’ tab and select ‘Request to delete my account and all my data’ and follow the prompts to send a message to the HelpGoat admin.

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