December 2016 - 31

home page's best-kept secret. If you aren't sure where
to find something on the website, this is a good place to
start.

he first step toward taking advantage of the resources
on the ACBL website is knowing where to look. With
about 90 clickable links on the home page alone, the
website can seem intricate and daunting. To understand
it better, let's break it down. The home page can be divided
into five horizontal strips.

Although everything in the bottom section can be
found somewhere else within the website, using the
links in this section is often the quickest, easiest way to
navigate the site. Many of the headers in this area match
the tabs in the green row, and the items listed below
each header give you an idea of the types of things that
can be found behind the tabs.

1 Across the top is a blue field containing the ACBL logo

and the buttons for MyACBL (which was covered last
month), Join and Search. This field is part of the frame
of every page within the website, so these buttons are
always available. You can also get back to the home page
from anywhere in the site by clicking on the ACBL logo.

2 The second strip is a green row of tabs representing

the main sections of the website: Clubs, Tournaments,
ACBL Live, etc. Aside from the things that can only
be accessed through MyACBL, most of the content is
behind one of these tabs. They'll be covered in greater
detail in later articles.
At the end of this row in a vertical gray box are four
buttons that link to ACBL social media: our Facebook
page, our Twitter account and YouTube channel; the
mail icon is a link to the Contact Us page.

Among the highlights:
⦁

Ethics/Player Memo (under About ACBL) - Links
to the Conduct and Ethics page, where players can
use the online player memo tool to report potential
problems and suspected unethical behavior.

⦁

Helpful Documents (under My ACBL) - This page
is a gem containing many of the most commonly
sought resources on the website. Among them are the
A to Z Member Guide; handbooks for club managers,
directors and tournament organizers; the 24-part
Conventional Wisdom series; 24 convention-specific
articles under Commonly Used Conventions; the
Alert Chart; and the ACBLscore manual. Because
there are more than 120 links on this page, you may
have to scroll to find what you're looking for.

⦁

STaCs (Tournaments) - The place for club managers to go to register your club to participate in a STaC
game.

⦁

Special Events (Clubs) - Club managers can register
for ACBL-wide special games here.

⦁

Resources for Teachers (Learn and Improve) - Find
the ACBL Bridge Series and a host of other teaching
materials, a teachers' handbook, links to other programs and more.

⦁

Masterpoints FAQ (Masterpoints) - Anything and
everything you ever wanted to know about masterpoints can be found here and in the other links in this
section.

⦁

Cooperative Advertising Program (Marketing) -
Guidelines and instructions on how to participate in
this program that supports advertising for newcomer
classes. Also under Marketing, the Resource Center
offers posters, downloadable clip art and free materials that can be ordered.

3 The third strip is called the slider. This is where the

large images that appear in the middle of the home page
rotate from one topic to another. These images link
directly to the content they announce - the Kansas City
NABC, News, etc. The images can be scrolled through
using the arrows on the left and right edges of the slider.

4 The fourth strip is a region with a gray background

containing several rectangular buttons. At the top of it is
Upcoming Events: a scrollable menu of items that link
to the content they are announcing. Information on the
next two NABCs can be found here.
In the middle of this region is a row of four buttons of
different colors:
Join or Renew - When it's time to renew your membership, you can do it here.
New to Duplicate Bridge? - The Learn landing page
offers a plethora of information for newcomers.
Play Bridge - Two robot bridge games are offered:
Just Play Bridge and Learn to Play Bridge.
Hand of the Week - Features a weekly play problem
and solution. New problems are posted each Monday.
The cards at the bottom of the gray field may look
like a decoration, but they're actually a link to Baron
Barclay's website, where members can buy discounted
books, software, etc., and clubs can order bridge supplies.

5 If you scroll down, you'll find the fifth and largest sec-

tion of the home page, an area with a dark background at
the bottom of the page. The bottom section may be the

If you can't find something in one of these 10 lists or
the Helpful Documents page, try to figure which category
sounds closest and explore from there. Sometimes you just
have to start clicking and look around. There's no penalty for
landing on the wrong page.
◾

December 2016 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2016