How to create a board?

There are several buttons around the site that invite you to Create Message Board. They can always be found top right or within the footer links.

Once you have clicked create, you will be asked for the recipients name, email address, occasion, occasion date and board title. Note that once you click next, you will not be able to amend the recipients name or email address without contacting From Us. Note that the occasion date is simply a reminder to you and those contributing to the board when the event is taking place. This is not the date the board is automatically delivered. The Guardian triggers the delivery of the board manually.

Next you will be asked the recipients location. Depending on the region selected, you may or may not be asked additional questions related to the From Us E-Boutique. Note, this is the recipients region, and not yours as guardian.

Once completed, your board will now be created. Congratulations! Its now time to personalise.

Make sure the board title and message are correct, or update accordingly and click save. Next, choose a background photo and save this too.

Before selecting the layout, we recommend you add your personal contribution first. This will allow you to see where contribution posts are displayed in the various layouts.

To contribute, simply click Your Contribution at the top of the page. Here you will be able to select a photo or Gif, adjust the position, and write your message. With paid subscriptions, you will be able to add up to 5 photos or a video. Note that as Guardian, you can add as many contributions as your subscription allows. This is ideal if you are admin support, uploading multiple individuals contributions on their behalf.

Now would be a good time to click on Settings to review more options. The board is by default set to private. This means that each individual contributor has an invite link specific to them, can be used only once and cannot be shared. You may wish people to share the link for anyone to contribute, in which case move the slider to public. This will enable links to be shared on email, social media or whatsapp.

Now its time to invite others to add their contributions. Click Add Contributors, here you can add the email addresses of those you wish to invite to contribute. You can write them individually, or copy and paste a list. Once the invite has been sent, it will appear in the invited list. When someone has contributed, they will move from the invited to the contributed list. This is a great way to keep track of who still hasn't responded. You can sent them a reminder, or delete their invite from this list.

It is a good idea to monitor everyones contributions as they come in, to ensure they are appropriate and kind. Should any contribution posts come in that are inappropriate, you can delete them within the settings Manage Contributors and re-invite that contributor to post something more appropriate.

When its time to complete and deliver the message board, simply click Deliver. Here you will have the option to close the board to any more contributions, and deliver to the recipient immediately, or just close the board and deliver later. You may wish to deliver later to coordinate the delivery of a gift with the board delivery, or to organise an in-person event where the board will be displayed for the recipient before recieving it by email after.