Frequently Asked Questions

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About SoulPancake
What is SoulPancake? top of page

SoulPancake is more of a mission than a Web site. It's a MOVEMENT to wrestle with and chew on LIFE'S BIG QUESTIONS. It's a way to EXPLORE why we believe the things that we believe. It's a place for you to TALK about your soul and the existence of God. It's a space to ENGAGE in art, philosophy, creativity, truth, and beauty. And ultimately, SoulPancake is a community of people who are digging DEEPER to figure out what it means to be human and to experience this rich, strange, difficult, and awesome journey called life.

Who is SoulPancake? top of page

SoulPancake is whipped up by a supremely talented, devastatingly good-looking, team of writers, editors, software engineers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and all sorts of other creative geniuses from all over the world—including Los Angeles; New York; Chicago; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Dallas; Nashville; Portland; Boston; London; Tokyo; Toronto; Seoul; Brisbane, Australia; and more.

What does Rainn Wilson have to do with SoulPancake? top of page

Actor Rainn Wilson co-created this site with two of his friends, Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry. SoulPancake sprang out of their desire to create a space where people from all walks of life could discuss and question what it means to be human—a place to wrestle with the spiritual, philosophical, and creative journey that is life. They sat around one night trying to figure out what to call the site, and eliminated Spirit Waffle (too square) and Soul Casserole (because, let's be honest, casserole is a bitch to spell) before settling on the tasty SoulPancake.

What are Life’s Big Questions? top of page

Life's Big Questions tackle those topics that we all think about but rarely talk about—you know, the ones that gnaw at your innards but by bringing them up you're risking conversation suicide. We are going to go there (and wherever 'there' is may not always be pretty) so dive in and speak your mind.

What are Creative Challenges? top of page

These interactive, hands-on posts are where you can bust out your sketchbook, camera, stapler, even your macrame kit. The individual expression of art is a powerful tool for exploring Life's Big Themes, so rock your smock and get your crafty on.

What are Life's Little Lists? top of page

This is where you get to dig deep, figure out what's important to you, and trim off the excess—all in a neatly numbered format. Perfect for the obsessive-compulsives amongst us.

What is the Question Collective? top of page

Are there some questions on your mind that you just HAVE to discuss? The Question Collective is the ultimate chopping block for your own Life's Big Questions. Write up your question, tell us where you are, and (if you want) pair it with an image or video. Upload and let the conversation begin. You can even write a few words describing your thinking behind the question, but remember: Be civil! No one likes a bully.

What else will I find on SoulPancake? top of page

SoulPancake is also home to a bunch of interesting, opinionated, thoughtful, and skeptical voices. Our regular columns include Birds + Bees (love, sex, and relationships); Eye to I (fine arts); and The Spiritual Atheist (take a guess), among many others. The site also offers See. Think. Talk. and See. Think. Act. featurettes, which offer a quick take on topics that make us go hmm... Once a month, we also feature The Morning After, which spotlights news and views about all aspects of the human condition. Meanwhile, content contributed directly by Rainn Wilson is housed in the Metaphysical Milkshake section.

Note: Apologies to those who arrived here accidentally thanks to Google search—unfortunately, we provide no pancake recipes or naked pictures of Rainn Wilson (yet).

Are there any rules on SoulPancake? top of page

Our official rules are in the Terms of Use. But in short, we don't believe in censoring ideas or conversation. We just want to make sure that SoulPancake is a safe space for everyone to wrestle with Life's Big Questions. So if you're thinking about being a racist, pornography-peddler, or general jackass, we may hire some muscle to escort you from the building.

How do I contact SoulPancake? top of page

You can send us a message via this fancy little form, or you can email us directly at the following addresses:

Technical Support: support (at) soulpancake (dot) com
General Questions: info (at) soulpancake (dot) com
Advertising Inquiries: advertising (at) soulpancake (dot) com
Media/Press: press (at) soulpancake (dot) com
Contribute: Click Here

Account, Login, and Password
How do I create an account? top of page

Go here. Start typing. Signing up for an account should take you less than 30 seconds. (The world record is 7 seconds, in case you were wondering.)

How do I log in? top of page

To log into your account, simply click on the Login link at the top of any page on SoulPancake, or click here.

Oops, I forgot my password. Help! top of page

Don't worry, there's auto-computer stuff for that. If you can't remember your password, simply visit this Password Reset page and follow the instructions. For security reasons, and auto-generated password will be sent to your email. Login to SoulPancake with that auto-generated password and change it to whatever you want.

I think my account was suspended. Who do I contact? top of page

If you think your account was suspended by accident, please email support (at) soulpancake (dot) com.

How do I change my account information? top of page

Your account information can be accessed by visiting your Settings. Then click My Account from the left navigation section.

How do I delete my account? top of page

We are still working this into the site in the most non-destructive way. For now, get in touch with us and we will help you out.

Homebase, Profile, and Settings
What is My Homebase? top of page

When you are logged into your SoulPancake account, your homebase is where you'll spend most of your time. This landing page is custom tailored for you, to help you quickly and easily access the data and information that flows through SoulPancake—everything from fresh content to community submissions, new threads, and your friends' activities. And remember: Your homebase is precisely that... your homebase, which means no one else can see it.

How do I view my profile? top of page

To view your profile, simply click the blue "hi,username" text at the top of any page, or click on Public Profile from the Homebase nav. When not logged in, simply type soulpancake.com/people/username into the browser.

What activity does my profile display? top of page

Your profile displays your and your friends' activities across SoulPancake. This includes: Responses; submissions to the Question Collective; participation in Challenges; Favorites; and new Followers.

How do I change my profile picture? top of page

Go to your Settings, click on the My Picture tab, and upload a new profile picture.

Can I hide my full name? top of page

You sure can! Go to Settings, click on the Privacy tab, and you can opt in or out of displaying your full (first or last) name.

How do I manage notifications? top of page

In your Settings, click on the Notifications tab. There, you will see what every individual notification is triggered to do, and can select which ones you want to receive.

Facebook and twitter
How does Facebook interact with SoulPancake? top of page

By integrating Facebook with SoulPancake, you can share all of your activity from around SoulPancake to your Facebook wall. You can also import any Facebook friends that are on SoulPancake and start auto-following them.

Does my private information get shared? top of page

No way Jose! We never share any of your private information. Period.

Can I manage what gets published to my wall? top of page

Absolutely! You can manage what gets published to your Facebook wall by selecting which activity you would like to share from within your Facebook settings on SoulPancake. (view screenshot)

Nothing I do seems to be posting to Facebook, what gives? top of page

Please make sure that the content you wish to share is properly selected (view screenshot) from within your Facebook settings on SoulPancake.

Can I import my SoulPancake friends from Facebook? top of page

You most certainly can! After successfully connecting your Facebook account to SoulPancake, simply click the "Import Friends" (view screenshot) button from within your Facebook settings, and SoulPancake will attempt to import all of your Facebook friends.

Can I invite my Facebook friends to join SoulPancake? top of page

At this time, you can only import your Facebook friends. We are working on some great new features that will allow you to invite your friends from all across the web to join SoulPancake.

What is the little "F" next to my name? top of page

The little Facebook "F" icon (view screenshot) represents that you are logged in to SoulPancake through your Facebook account.

Can I disable Facebook from interacting with SoulPancake? top of page

You can disable Facebook interaction at any time from the link at the bottom of your Facebook settings on SoulPancake. Additionally, you can disallow privileges for SoulPancake on Facebook itself.

How does twitter interact with SoulPancake? top of page

By integrating SoulPancake with twitter, you can share all of your activity from around SoulPancake with your twitter followers. Also, people can find and follow you on twitter from viewing your SP profile.

Can I manage what gets tweeted to my followers? top of page

Of course you can! Simply select which content you wish to share from within your twitter settings on SoulPancake. You can select to auto-tweet your questions, responses and favorites (view screenshot). You can always go back and uncheck the boxes to stop tweeting at any time.

Nothing I do is getting tweeted, what gives? top of page

Please make sure that you've selected the checkboxes (activity you wish to share) from within your twitter settings on SoulPancake (view screenshot).

Can I disable twitter from interacting with SoulPancake? top of page

To disable your tweets, simply uncheck the tweet activity boxes and save your twitter settings. If you would like to completely unsynch your twitter account from SoulPancake, simply click the link at the bottom of your twitter settings. You can also remove SoulPancake tweeting permission over on Twitter itself.

Interacting with SoulPancake
How do I comment on a post? top of page

Easy. First, make sure you're logged in. Then, simply select the post you want to comment on, and add your thoughts!

How do I respond to another user's comment? top of page

First, make sure you're logged in. Then, simply click the Reply button next to the user's comment, and start typing!

What are @Replies? top of page

@Replies track when other members respond directly to something you've said on SoulPancake. You can view your direct replies in a number of places. For quick access, they'll be tracked in the utility bar at the top of any page on SoulPancake. You can also view them by going to the Replies page from your Homebase or by visiting your public profile and clicking on the @Replies tab. You can also view any other SoulPancake member's @Replies by visiting their profile page. Lastly, you can choose to be notified of new @Replies via email. To manage those notifications, go to your Settings, then click on the Notifications tab.

We are still working on our Search function. It's a super important feature for the site and to the SoulPancake community, so we don't want to half-ass it. It will be released as soon as it's ready, which we hope will be very soon.

How do I share interesting stuff I find on SoulPancake? top of page

On every page, you will see a unit of links allowing you to share content, whether it's a submission to the Question Collective, a Thread, or an article page. There is also a unit of sharing/social media links above the comment box. Simply click any of those links to share that piece of media across any of the provided Web sites or services (view screenshot).

The Question Collective
How do I submit a question to the Question Collective? top of page

Go here. Or, use the site's navigation to get there. Remember, you must first be logged into your SoulPancake account to submit a question to the Question Collective.

How many questions can I submit? top of page

You can submit as many questions as you'd like, as often as you want. Whatever question you're chewing on, get the community in on it, and let the discussion begin.

Can I edit or delete my submissions? top of page

You can edit your Question Collective submissions for up to 30 minutes. However, you cannot delete them. If, for some reason, you need to revise one of your previous submissions, please email support (at) soulpancake (dot) com with the details, and we'll respond as soon as possible.

How do I share a Question Collective submission? top of page

To share a submission internally with your two-way friends on SoulPancake, simply select those you want to notify when you submit the question (view screenshot). To send your submission to sites such as Twitter and Facebook or via email, simply find the unit of links for sharing/social media (view screenshot) at the bottom of each submission and share away!

Following and Two-Way Friends
How do I follow another user? top of page

To follow another user, go to that member's profile page and click the Follow button next to their username. You will immediately begin to follow their SoulPancake activities, and updates will begin appearing in your Friends' Activity Stream in your Homebase.

Can I block a user from following me? top of page

Yes. If you would like to block a user from following your activities in their streams, go to your Followers list, locate that member, and click Options. From the flyout menu, select Block This User.

What are two-way friends? top of page

Two-way friends are people who follow each other's activities.

Groups
How do I create a group? top of page

First, you need to begin following other user's activity in order to organize those members into groups. Once completed, go to your Groups Overview page. You can navigate to your Groups Overview page from the main dropdown menu (view screenshot), or from your overall Connections page (view screenshot). For quick managing, you can also create groups directly from the right sidebar (view screenshot). Once your groups are established, you can share your content with them.

How many groups can I make? top of page

As many as you like.

Will my friends be notified if I add them to a group? top of page

Groups allow each user to categorize the people he or she follows in the style of their own choosing, so others will not be notified if you add them to one of your groups. And you won't be notified if you are added to one of your friend's groups.

Can I delete or rename a group? top of page

Yes. If you wish to delete or rename a group that you have created, go to your Manage Groups overview, and you will have all the control you need. Click edit to rename or delete each individual group (view screenshot). Remember that if you delete a group, only the group will be deleted; the friends you had in that group will still be your friends.

Who will see my groups? top of page

Your groups will be visible to all users. This gives all SoulPancake members the opportunity to discover new and interesting people. For instance, if you come across a group called Apple Lovers, you'll be able to view this group's members in order to friend new people with whom you have things in common.

Contribute to SoulPancake
How can I get my artwork featured on the site? top of page

We love to interview and feature distinct, thought-provoking, odd, and quirky artists on SoulPancake. Whether you write haikus on grains of rice or create collaborative paintings with baby elephants, you might be a perfect fit for SoulPancake. Here's how to find out: Email a sample of your work to artists (at) soulpancake (dot) com and tell us what Life's Big Questions you explore through your art.

How can I contribute content to SoulPancake? top of page

We're always looking for creative geniuses to contribute to our content team. Send in a sample of your work, and we'll get back to you if we think you may be a good fit!

Writers: contribute_writers (at) soulpancake (dot) com
Photographers/illustrators/etc: contribute_visual (at) soulpancake (dot) com
Filmmakers: contribute_video (at) soulpancake (dot) com

How can I create background art for SoulPancake? top of page

We use seamless, repeating artwork for our backgrounds. If you'd like to submit your artwork for consideration, send it to: backgrounds (at) soulpancake (dot) com, along with a link to your SoulPancake profile. The image should be in GIF format and no larger than 75KB.