FAQs
Last Updated (Thursday, 12 August 2010 22:56) Written by attn82 Saturday, 09 August 2008 08:33
About TIPcentral.org:
1. What is TIPcentral.org?
a. TIP= Transition In Perspective
b. TIPcentral.org=Transition In Perspective Central: An online social lab where volunteers
c. TIP Central.org = Volunteers-based web interface that provides anonymous supportive listening and motivational support to visitors.
2. What is the purpose of the website?
a. Provide supportive listening to visitors.
b. Provide an outlet for volunteers to improve communication skills and share their talents.
c. Provide a remote-volunteering opportunity.
d. For the visitors: As young people are getting online, there’s a growing need to reach them through a friendly website such as tipcentral.org, where they can talk about anything to a listening ear.
e. For the volunteers, the purpose is to nurture their desire to volunteer and contribute to their community. Secondary purpose is to improve their communication skills.
f. Our site mission is to PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE LISTENING, NOT DIRECT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES. So we do very minimum problem solve for them. We mainly ask questions to help them reflect on their experience to derive their own understanding and resolutions to their problems.
g. TIPcentral.org is currently not for intended for professional research of any kind. But everyone is welcome to his or her personal research project to gain perspective.
3. Capacity of the website for expansion?
a. Tipcentral Organization aim to become a nationwide organization, with a chapter in each university/school.
4. How can I interact on this site?
a. Click on the Live Support link to share perspective, express feelings and connect to a listening ear.
b. You may chat live with a volunteer online (Online icon will be displayed).
c. You may leave comments (click on comments after each post and follow prompts)
d. You may browse calendars, articles and link collections on the site
Volunteers:
(Who Are The volunteers? //General description of what volunteers do for/on Tipcentral/Tipcentral.org)
5. How can I become a volunteer?
a. Please send an email detailing your interest to volunteer with VOLUNTEER subject-line to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
b. Volunteer trainings are offered at selected times of the year.
6. Who can become a volunteer?
a. We currently select university students and graduates who are interested in volunteering from home. Volunteers might choose to become counselors online and volunteer remotely, or become a chapter’s officer to attend meetings and participate in selecting other volunteers.
b. Flexible distant volunteering. Any place any time!
7. Reasons to become a volunteers
a. Learn critical communication skills: listening and reflecting comprehension
b. Learn service skills: resolving conflict, gaining rapport,
c. Learn how to give effective empathy
d. Character building: slow to anger
e. Gain perspective: learn life lessons from another’s perspective
8. Qualifications and Training for the volunteers?
a. Training from former hotline center volunteers
b. Training process:
i. Briefing about TIPcentral Organization mission.
ii. Supportive Listening Training.
iii. Trial stage.
9. Scheduling the hours for volunteers?
a. Google documents for volunteers to sign up their time slots.
Live Chats:
10. How many people can chat with a volunteer?
a. Chats are one-on-one interactions, but multiple volunteers can be signed on at the same time. Chats may be transferred for further assistance. If a visitor has an issue which another volunteer can better assist, then the chat may be transferred.
11. What were the issues and problems visitors might experience on tipcentral.org?
a. We are committed to make tipcentral.org user friendly and helpful. In the case that the chat application becomes nonresponsive, please exit the site and retry.
Disclaimers & Liability:
12. Screen process for volunteer to prevent offenders and pedophilers?
a. Definitely. Volunteers selection is an in person process. Done locally by individual’s chapter volunteer coordinator.
b. During the training, the volunteer coordinator will get to know the prospective volunteer to ensure a genuine volunteering interest. Volunteer selection has to be done local.
13. Liability and Lawsuits?
a. We disclaim everything. Use the website as is. We are volunteer-based and do not seek any monetary obligations from the visitors.
14. Establishing a nonprofit standard?
a. We are currently working on this proposal.
15. Audience/age group to help?
a. We want to help everyone, but mainly want to target younger people as they’re more familiar with the internet chats etc.
16. Update of the website?
a. A team of web knowledge and capabilities will maintain and update the website
b. All materials to be published on the site will go through the communication managers & editors for accuracy.
17. How frequently did you update the website?
a. At least once every month.
b. If you would like to be notified about tipcentral.org’s updates, please send your request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
18. Monitoring the website?
a. Yes. Each chapter volunteer leaders will monitor the chat transcript for quality assurance. From the chat transcript, the leaders can read the conversation between the volunteer and the visitor to determine suggest how the volunteer’s listening skills can be improved. This can provide valuable communication insights for the volunteer. You can ctrl find key words foul language, etc. as a quick scan of the conversation.