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GENERAL |
 WishCentral is completely free, so enjoy!
You can support WishCentral by helping us spread the word and invite a friend or family member to join!
WishCentral greatly appreciates any donation to help pay for server and maintenance costs. Even the smallest amount will help! Find the PayPal donate link at the bottom left of the home page.
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 WishCentral.com is a free personal wish list service where you can add custom wishes from any store in a single place.
Here's how it works... - Over time you add all those wishes that cross your mind.
- Your family and friends view your wishes to find out what you want and where to buy them.
- Your family and friends reserve the wishes then go and buy them from your preferred store.
- You, your family and friends save time and money by getting the right gifts from the start.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A DIAGRAM
Take a look at some of our features: - easy one click links to family and friend's lists
- create your own wish categories of your favorite hobbies
- quick bookmark adds wishes from any web site
- email invitations for events
- use your wish registry for any event
- the whole family can join WishCentral for FREE!
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 On the member's WishCentral list they cannot see the wishes that are reserved for them. Only guests can see the wishes that are reserved for a member from the guest page.
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 From the home page you will see a MEMBER SEARCH form on the left. Submit either the firstname or the lastname of the member you would like to search. If you are not sure how to spell the name, you can submit a partial name (ex. chris instead of christopher). If you are a member add your family/friends to your contact list and create a one click link to their WishCentral list.
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 When you have selected a wish that you would like to purchase, first reserve the wish to indicate to other people that the wish is being purchased. If that member has a preferred store of where to buy the wish, continue to that store or a similar store to purchase the gift.
WishCentral only provides wish list services to coordinate wish requests with those granting the wishes. You cannot purchase wishes from WishCentral directly. Purchases can be made from the member's preferred website or physical store location.
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GETTING STARTED |
 There are a number of ways to do this... - Tell your family and friends to go to WishCentral.com and search for your first or last name in the SEARCH MEMBERS boxes on the left.
- After logging in submit an email address of a family or friend in the EMAIL THIS PAGE box to the left and then click the SEND button. This will send an email invitation linking directly back to your WishCentral wish list. Friends and family can send page links to each other from the guest page the same way.
- Finally, members can submit family and friend's email addresses into their CONTACTS list (find link at top) and send custom email invitations. In addition, those contacts will receive automated birthday email reminders prior to your birth date. You can use this section for event invitations, such as a birthday party.
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 There are a number of ways to add your personal wishes to your WishCentral list... - The most convenient way to add wishes is to drag the following link to your web browser's favorites/bookmarks toolbar
Drag to Toolbar --> [ I WANT THIS ]
(if this does not work, right click then select "Add to Favorites...", then place the new bookmark within your Links folder).
With the [ I WANT THIS ] bookmark you can browse anywhere on the web and simply click on it when you find an item you want. It will add the link and title of the item directly to the add wish form. Complete the form then submit your wish. Find additional information HERE.
- The easiest way is to click on the MY WISHCENTRAL link at the top. Click on ADD YOUR OWN CUSTOM WISH to take you to the add wish form. Complete the form and then submit your wish. Or CLICK HERE to take you directly to the add wish form.
- Another way is to browse other member's wishes. When you find a wish that you like, click on the I WANT THIS TOO button to copy the wish to your WishCentral list. Make any changes to customize it then submit your wish.
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 For your security, your WishCentral login session expires after 30 minutes.
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 After logging in... - Click on the CONTACTS link at the top then select "ADD CONTACT..." in the drop down menu and click "GO".
- Add the contacts name and email address.
In order for the contact to be added to your "FAMLY/FRIENDS" one click list (located under your wish categories on the left), they must be a WishCentral member and have registered with the same email address that you submit.
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 - Login to your WishCentral list.
- After logging in you will see an EMAIL THIS PAGE form in the navigation area on the left.
- Submit your own email address and click SEND.
A link directly to your guest page will be sent in the email. We encourage members not to look at their own guest page of their WishCentral list. Viewing your own guest page will expose the wishes reserved for you.
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 Wish priority is identified on the wish list by a red priority bar. The higher the priority of the wish, the longer the priority bar. By default the higher priority wishes are displayed at the top. In general, the decision of which wish to get depends on the cost (how much you want to spend) and the priority (how much the member wants the wish).
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 Although you can make your wish descriptions vague, guests will find it easier to purchase a gift if the brand and model number of the product you prefer are clearly defined. You can submit personal preferences or messages with your wish describing why you like the wish, or just to say thanks for looking. Keep in mind that wish descriptions should not rely on the Web Address links alone to describe your wish, as those web sites may change.
Tip: If your wish description has the word CD, DVD or BOOK in it, with an accurate title, we will do our best to locate an image of that product. Words in (parenthesis) are not included in the image search.
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 If possible the Web Address should link directly to the product, company or a descriptive web page of the wish. To read how to add a web site link CLICK HERE. There can only be one Web Address submitted for each wish, additional links may be submitted in the Store Info field. Web Addresses usually contain an http:// or a www. at the beginning. Either copy the address from your web browser and paste it into the Web Address field of the add wish form or use our bookmark, to learn how CLICK HERE. You can submit additional web sites or stores in the store field.
TIP: If you submit an Amazon.com product link (directly to that product) if available, an image of that product will be displayed for that wish. If a generic link to Amazon is included (such as www.amazon.com) we will do our best to try and locate the correct product image.
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 This is really where WishCentral is unique compared to most other wish lists. You don't have to be limited to a specific store or web site and you can submit more than one. The Store Info can either be multiple web addresses or physical stores (address or name).
TIP: The Store Info field is very similar to the Web Address field. It handles Amazon.com links much the same way. If you submit an Amazon.com product link (directly to that product), if available, an image of that product will be displayed for that wish. If a generic link to Amazon is included (such as www.amazon.com) we will do our best to try and locate the correct product image.
TIP: On many browsers you can drag and drop web page links directly to this form field (Store Info) from another window's address bar.
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 The Wish Cost is the estimated or actual cost of a wish. You can submit a cost range if you are not sure exactly how much it costs (optional). While viewing a wish list, you can click on the cost of a wish to sort in order of least expensive wish to most expensive wish.
- leave cost blank = "unspecified"
- set cost value to "0" (zero) = "free"
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 Select a category from the default categories menu. If you cannot find the right category for a wish, you can create your own custom category of your favorite interests and hobbies. Find the link to edit your custom categories on the add wish form next to the categories drop down menu.
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 Automatically add wishes from any web site! Drag the following link to your web browser's favorites / bookmarks Toolbar at the top of your browser (see image below) and just click on it whenever you see an item you like.
Drag to Toolbar --> [ I WANT THIS ]
For Internet Explorer and AOL users, if this does not work, right click on the [ I WANT THIS ] link then select "Add to Favorites...". Place the new bookmark within your "Links" folder to make it appear in your Toolbar.
If you cannot find the bookmarks / favorites toolbar, for most browsers you can select the "View" menu at the top and make sure the "Links" Toolbar is checked (see image below).
Browse anywhere on the web to locate the web page of the item that you want to add to your WishCentral list. Click on the [ I WANT THIS ] bookmark to automatically add the link and title to the add wish form. Submit your wish when you have finished completing the form.
Tested browsers include Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape, FireFox and other Mozilla browsers. Please use the CONTACT US form if you need assistance or if you have successfully tested on additional browsers.
Note: Please make sure you have Javascript Enabled in your preferences for the [ I WANT THIS ] to work.
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ACCOUNT SETTINGS |
 You can have a temporary password sent to the email account used to register which will allow you to access your account to change your password. If you have requested a temporary password and you have not received it, submit a message to us in the contact us form including all your account details (find link at bottom of page). If you have submitted a password reminder question, you can gain access to your account by answering the question, then submitting a new password. If you forgot your password CLICK HERE.
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 Simply submit a message in the Contact Us form stating that you want to be taken out of our database. In order to process your request, for verification purposes please submit the birthdate and the email address for the account.
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 In your ACCOUNT manager (link at top) click on the Change Primary Information link and then select your prefered currency and submit your changes.
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MANAGING MY WISHES |
 After logging in, click on ADD CUSTOM WISH. While you are in the add wish form there is a link to add wish categories next to the category drop down menu. Click on it to take you to the cateogory manager where you can add, edit and delete your custom categories.
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 First login then locate and click on the wish that you want to delete. You can do this by selecting the wish category to the left then clicking on the description portion of the wish to take you to the "Edit Wish Form". In the "Edit Wish Form", click on the "DELETE..." button at the bottom of the form. Before deleting, confirm whether you have received the wish or not.
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- Drag the following link to your web browser's favorites/bookmarks toolbar at the top of your browser
Drag to Toolbar --> [ I WANT THIS ]
(if this does not work, right click then select "Add to Favorites...", then place the new bookmark within your Links folder) - Browse anywhere on the web and locate the web page of the item that you want to add to your WishCentral list.
- Click on the [ I WANT THIS ] bookmark on your browser's bookmarks toolbar to automatically add the link and title to the add wish form.
- Submit your wish when you have finished completing the form.
TIP: Links to Amazon.com products will add an image to your wish!
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 There are a number of ways to add images to your wishes and make your list more colorful... - If you submit a link directly to an Amazon.com product page in the "Web Address" or "Store Info" fields, an image (if available) is automatically included with your wish. Keep in mind, you can add multiple stores to the Store Info field if Amazon is not your only preferred store. If you are having problems getting this to work CLICK HERE FOR FORMAT ISSUES.
- If your wish description is fairly short (such as a DVD, Music or Book title) we will do our best to locate the correct image based on the title of that item. Just be sure to put it in the correct category and place the words DVD, CD, BOOK, etc., into your description so we know what kind of image to look for.
- You can also add images that are already on the web! After creating a wish (create your wish first, then...), click on it to edit it and you will find a link to ADD WEB IMAGE towards the bottom (this option is only for advanced web users). Keep in mind that this feature is still in a testing period and may be removed if we encounter too many problems with it. For Internet Explorer users, right click on the image and select properties to find the image source url (starting with "http://" and USUALLY ending with ".jpg", ".png" or ".gif").
- WishCentral wish suggestions also have images. If you would like to see one of your favorite products or services in our wish suggestions, contact us with your suggestion and we will try and include it, along with an image.
Unfortunately due to security risks, it is not possible to add your own personal images from your own computer at the moment.
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 If you submit the title of a CD, DVD or BOOK, WishCentral will do it's best to locate the correct image for your wish. However sometimes the image may not match your product exactly. In the Edit Wish form you can check the "do not display image" checkbox to prevent the automatically generated image from being displayed.
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PROBLEMS / TROUBLESHOOTING |
 If your browser is inactive for too long, the security features of WishCentral automatically logs you out. Simply login again and continue.
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 When you reserve a wish and click on the confirmation link in your email it will register an encrypted cookie in your computer's browser. It will only set the cookie to remember you for that browser. Use the link found in the email again for a different internet browser. If you have additional problems please contact us.
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 Password reminder emails should only take a few minutes to arrive in your email inbox. However, if your email program has spam protection, emails from WishCentral may be returned (including your new password). Please see our spam filtering notice for more information. If you continue to have problems please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
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 Search members by using their firstname (first search box) or lastname (second search box). If you are unsure of the exact spelling of the name you are searching, try these tips... - Search only the last name or only the first name
- Search only the partial name (for example: Chris instead of Christopher)
- To limit you search submit both the first initial of the firstname and the full lastname (or vice-versa)
If you are doing this and are still having problems, make sure your browser is set to allow cookies. Usually you can do this in your browsers preferences.
Cookies are little pieces of information (such as your search criteria, firstname and lastname) that are stored in your computer's browser. We use cookies to process your member search and allow members to login automatically.
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 Make sure that your amazon link is in the following format.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/[PRODUCT ASIN (ID) GOES HERE]
If that still does not work, the image may be associated with a third-party vendor, which at the moment we cannot always retrieve images for.
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 We use your email only to send registration and wish confirmations and periodically for the benefit of your family and friends, we will send you a link back to your WishCentral list to remind you to keep wishes updated for events such as your birthday. - add "support@wishcentral.com" to your list of acceptable emails or if that is not available, you can accept all emails from "wishcentral.com".
- add "support@wishcentral.com" to your address book.
- contact your email administrator and request to add "wishcentral.com" to the list of allowed emails.
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 Currently a number of people with AT&T's Internet Service are reporting that they are not receiving emails from WishCentral. This is because the ISP, AT&T has begun blindly blacklisting certain IP addresses regardless if they are non spammers. If this is the case with your account, you can either contact AT&T to complain to them or simply cancel your AT&T internet service and find a more responsible ISP.
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 When the network gets overloaded, accessing images to include in your wish list can take a relatively long time. In order to prevent frustrating delays in loading the wish list, we block all images after the wish list has been loading for an uncomfortable delay. If you would like to see all the images that are availble and the network has a relatively slow connection, try reducing the number of wishes per page.
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EMAIL / CONTACTS |
 Contact lists are built into WishCentral so you can send custom email messages or link directly to family and friend's wish lists. Contacts are also sent automated birthday reminders just before your birthday.
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 Use the EMAIL THIS PAGE form from the navigation area (on the left) of your wish list, or you can select multiple (one or more) contacts in your contacts list to email custom messages. A link to your WishCentral list is automatically included in all of your emails if sent from WishCentral while logged in.
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