WELCOME NEW MOMS, PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME & LEARN TO USE THIS SITE.

[BunkerQB]

THE MENU BAR. The tabs on the menu bar just underneath the Navy For Moms masthead will take you to different areas of this site. 

1. My Page. This tab will take you to your personal page. You should check this periodically (daily is best) to see if anyone has left a message on your "Comment Wall". You'll find in your welcoming message a link to our Survival Guide for Newbies.
2. About Us. This section will contain Community Guidelines, OPSEC information, history of Navy For Moms.
3. Members. In this section, you find icon of all members starting with the most recent. There are now over 66,000+ members. Hard to believe sometimes considering just a fraction of this member participate in any of the forum discussions, blogs, groups or chat. If you are a habitual LURKERS, get out from behind the anonymity and say something. Post comments on your groups pages. Respond to forum discussions, blogs. If you don't this site will die - that simple.
4. Events. You can add an EVENT to the Navy 4 Moms calendar. Check out what is happening around the country.
5. Forum. In this section, you'll find a number of categories from "General" to "How to Find Stuff on N4M" to Bootcamp" etc. Before you start a discussion, put it in the right category.
6. Groups. In this section, you find all the groups that have been added from Day 1.  We have tabulated a list of certain groups (those associated with PIR dates, ships). The group creator can make the group private or public. She/He can assign co admins. Within the group, there are discussions and pages for organizing information. Please do not start a separate group for a division within a PIR date. Some one will start a general group for each PIR date. Separate divisions are listed under the "Discussion Sections" (within the group) Small groups get lost in the shuffle.  After you click on the GROUPS tab, you see "My Groups" in small print on upper left. Clicking on this will take you to a list of groups that you have joined. It's simple to join a group, just click on the +JOIN on the upper right.
7. Blogs. Just a running stream of consciousness - you can say anything you want. Keep in mind this is a public site.
8. Chat. Just like a blog but in short hand and in real time. More than one conversation may be going. People jump in and out. If you are not getting answers to questions immediately, doesn't necessarily mean no one is paying attention. SOME ONE has to look up a link or an explanation, input the information and hit return. In the meantime five to ten lines may appear. Be patient. In attempt to say the most with the least number of words, many responses may seem rude or abrupt. The responders are just regular moms - all here for the same reasons that you are - getting or giving support while their loved ones are fulfilling their military service. Think of this as a merry-go-round. It's fun when it spins fast. A real drag when it's slow. So run along side and hop on.

YOUR STATUS BOX. This is located on the upper right. INBOX, ALERTS, FRIENDS, SETTINGS. You should look at this every time you log on.

1. INBOX - will show you how many messages you have from another N4M member. Only members who are friends send private messages to each other (you can send to multiple recipients). Click on INBOX, then +Compose to write and send a message.
   
2. ALERTS -  Alerts are messages sent to you by Apps you or your friends have added. Personally, I don't have any apps on N4M. So I don't get any alerts.
3. FRIENDS - click on this and the page will show "My Friends", "Requests Received" and "Requests Sent" - if you have a friend request, you'll see the number in parenthesis on your status box.
4. SETTINGS - will take you to a section to alter the appearance of you personal page. Be sure you text and background are not the same color (for obvious reasons), don't mess w this until you feel comfortable. Here you can change your password or use name(screen name) . THIS IS WHERE YOU GO IF YOU HAVE INCLUDED YOU LAST NAME IN YOUR USER NAME. You set your email notification, your privacy setting (by making your page private only your N4M friends will be able to view it).

REMEMBER THESE TIPS, IT'LL SAVE YOU HOURS OF FRUSTRATION.

1. Check your personal page (MY PAGE on menu bar) regularly.
2. Check your status box (on upper right) daily.
3. If you are getting too many email notifications, you can stop that by simply clicking on "Stop Following" where ever you see it. You can go to the "Settings" section to specify your email notifications on everything. Just remember to check your page and inbox if you set it to eliminate all email notifications.
4. Email notifications are just that. When you receive a notification in your normal regular email address, you can NOT reply to the notification. You have to log on to Navy 4 Moms, click on "Inbox", click on the message then reply.
5. Do some research on your own. In Groups, Forum and in Blogs, use the SEARCH function. Just input the key words you in the topic you are interested in within the Search Box, then hit the little icon just to the right.
6. If some takes the time to writ a response, please take the time to read it.  Can't remember what you said in the past - go to your personal page, just underneath your photo on the left, you'll see a groups, discussions, blogs - click on this.
7. To add a friend, click on the personal icon, then click "Add as friend" - the recipient of your request will have to accept. After you are friends, you can communicate by private message if you like.

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Please remember we are all just moms, wives, dads, girlfriends - just human being - none of us (with a few exceptions) are paid to be on this site.  You may or may not get the responses you want to hear. Depends on who is here and has time to writ out a reply.  Take each response as a merely a personal opinion from that individual. You should take responsibility and do your due diligence and research the topic within Navy 4 Moms and in other site. Google the topic - you'll be surprise at what turns up.

The are a number of official Navy site that you should go to on a regular basis. In particular the Recruit Training Command site and the information in the "A Family's Guide To Recruit Training"  (This is a PDF file. Print it out. Refer to it often. This is your primary source of info.)

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For your convenience (and as an example) - here is a list of groups for upcoming PIR dates. Just click on the links below to go to the groups directly. Good luck to all.

                  PIR: 08/15/2014       TG 40 - ? Divisions (247 - ? & 940) more updates coming

                  PIR: 08/08/2014       TG 39 - ? Divisions (239 - 247, 817 & 939) updates coming

                  PIR: 08/01/2014       TG 38 - 9 Divisions (231-238 & 938) 4 guests 

                  PIR: 07/25/2014       TG 37 - 7 Divisioins (225-230 & 937) 4 guests

                  PIR: 07/18/2014       TG 36 - 7 Divisions (219-224 & 936) 4 guests

                  PIR: 07/11/2014       TG 35 - 7 Divisions (215-218, 815, 816 & 935) 4 guests

                  PIR: 07/03/2014       TG 34 - 5 Divisions (211-214 & 934) 4 guests

                  PIR: 06/27/2014       TG 33 - 5 Divisions (207-210 & 933) 4 guests

LINKS that pertain to PIR.

Things to Do in the Last Month Before Your Future Sailor Leaves For...

GROUPS: Listed By PIR Date   (PIR groups have been formed to May 24, 2013. It's current as of the date of the revision of this BLOG. We keep a listed of all the groups and this listed is updated as soon as a PIR group has been formed)

Your recruit would benefit by joining the site - NavyDEP.com created and run by Craig, a site exclusively made for recruits ONLY. Your recruit could ask questions and meet other recruits going thru the same process.

    Cry but don't cry endlessly because it prevents you from savoring this special time. Watch your recruit grow up right before your eyes. It's an amazing journey. Then give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. And by all means come back here and let us all know how he/she is doing. We all just love sailor news. And lastly, if this site has helped you in your journey, please please come back and contribute. Just a comment here and there will make all the difference.

 BunkerQB

[DramaSoul]

BQB....YOU ARE AWESOME!  This is great information not just for newbies.  It's now been 14 months since I found N4M and I learn stuff EVERY DAY!  Thanks for all the information. 

[DramaSoul]

And...it is sooo true what you stated about watching your recruit grow up before your eyes.  It is AMAZING.  My son's PIR was 2 March 2012 and I still get all choked up when I watch the video of the doors rolling open and his division march in.  Can't even talk about it now without tearing up. I have found that no one else knows this experience except another Navy family member. It's unlike any other experience. Savor it for sure.  It has not only life-changing for my Sailor, but for me as well.  It has given me a different perspective that I would never have had if he hadn't enlisted in the Navy. So...stay connected with your Navy family! Hooyah!

[Hello2u]

And for all 800 Div's Moms ,, please becareful what you write,, it will be read by RDC's at BC!

[BunkerQB]

Feel free to add stuff. It has been awhile since I was a newbie. Thank you.

[Hello2u]

and please read OPSEC, boy I learned alot from that! :) lol

[abbyblue]

they have read all mail staff now? with 7000 to 10000 recruits most of time on base. they would need a full time staff just to read all the mail that goes to boot camp and goes out. Boot Camp is not a prison.

[Anti M]

What is more likely to happen is someone makes a comment here, then someone else mentions it in a letter to their recruit, and if the recruits gossip about anything, the RDCs are likely to hear it.   Not malicious or anything, it just happens.  

Also, this site is very hard to navigate on a mobile device unless you use the "desktop" view.