Using Sefton’s Dialogue website

Sefton’s Dialogue website is a place where you can share your views, ideas and comments on topics that matter to you and your community.

You can use the site to:

• read ideas and comments from other people
• share your own ideas
• comment on other people’s ideas
• rate ideas
• search for topics and ideas.

Creating an account

You can read ideas and comments without creating an account.

If you want to add an idea, leave a comment or rate an idea, you will need to register and create an account.

To create an account:

• Select Register at the top right of the page.
• Enter your details and choose a username and password.
• Make sure your email address is correct. You will need this if you forget your password.

You can update your profile or change your password at any time by selecting your username at the top of the page. You can also see the ideas and comments you have submitted.

Please note: Usernames, email addresses and passwords are case-sensitive. Usernames can only include letters, numbers and underscores, for example John_Smith12.

Sharing an idea

To share an idea:

• Go to the topic or challenge you are interested in.
• Select Add an Idea.
• Give your idea a short title.
• Tell us what your idea is.
• Explain why you think it is important.
• Check what you have written before submitting it.
• You can use the toolbar in the text box to format your writing and add links or images.

Adding a link

To add a link to another website:

• Highlight the words you want people to select.
• Select the link button on the toolbar. It looks like a chain link.
• Copy and paste the website address into the URL box.

Adding an image

Images cannot be uploaded directly from your computer. The image must already be available online.

To add an image:

• Select the image button on the toolbar.
• Copy and paste the web address of the image into the URL box.
• You can change the width and height of the image if needed.

• For the image to fit comfortably on the page, we recommend a maximum width of 500 pixels.
• Remember to only use images that you have permission to use.

Copying text from Microsoft Word

• If you have written your idea in Word first, use the Paste from Word option on the toolbar.
• This helps keep your text and formatting looking as you intended.

Before you submit

• Please check your idea or comment carefully before submitting it.
• Once you have submitted an idea or comment, you cannot edit it yourself.
• If you need an idea removed, use the Contact us option at the bottom of the website to contact the Sefton Dialogue team.

Some topics may be moderated. This means your idea or comment may be checked before it appears on the website, so it might not appear straight away.

Commenting on an idea

You can join the conversation by commenting on ideas shared by other people.

To leave a comment:

• Select the idea you are interested in.
• Type your comment in the comment box.
• Select Add comment.

Comments are being moderated, your comment will be checked before it appears on the website.

Please keep comments respectful and relevant to the topic being discussed.

Rating an idea

You can also show what you think about an idea by giving it a rating.

• Select the number of stars you want to give the idea.
• If you change your mind, select Remove my rating.

Finding ideas and topics

Use the Search and Filter button to find information that interests you.

You can search by:

• the topic of an idea
• words used within an idea.

This can help you find out whether someone has already shared a similar idea and see what other people in Sefton are saying.