Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change widgets on the home page?

The “boxes” you find on your default home page i.e. Google World News, USAToday.com News – Top Stories are called "widgets". You can edit any widget by clicking the word "Edit” above right. Delete by clicking the "x" above right. Hide by clicking the upper left hand corner. Please take a look at the widgets on the home page and the other tabs above – News, Business, Sports and Catholic. If you don’t like the look or individual widgets you can delete any widget and add new widgets by clicking “Add Content above left. There you will find several categories of widgets that you can easily add. On "Add a Feed" you can create your own widget - just copy and paste the RSS feed from the website or blog you want to include. You can also click and drag widgets from one section to another or even alter the basic layout if you click “Edit” on the General tab above. You can also click on “My Status” to install the toolbar on a new machine, become a Catholic365 “Angel” or change your password.

How do I sign up for the Catholic365 home page and toolbar?

Click the "Sign Up" button on the Catholic365.com Landing Page. There is no obligation! Go to Catholic365.com and then go to the Sign Up section on the right, create a username (your valid email address) and password. Just click "Sign Up" and that it.  you will be taken to your Free personalized homepage. When you first go to your home page you will see default widgets on each of the General, News, Business, Sports and Catholic tabs. By clicking on "Add content" near the top left of the page you can easily browse and add new widgets to your home pages. You can delete widgets by clicking the x on the upper right hand corner of each widget. Once you get familiar with your homepage we ask that you click on "Make Homepage" so you will see it each time you open your browser. We also ask that you click on "Install Toolbar".

How do I know using the Catholics365 home page is safe for my computer?

The home page is powered by Netvibes and is proven software which has over 4 million users internationally.

What about the toolbar?

The Catholic365 toolbar resides on a Besttoolbars platform. Besttoolbars specializes in secure toolbars for companies and non-profits. Also there is NO spyware, adware, pop-ups and it is network secure.

How do I disable the home page?

Simply make a different page your default home page.

How do I uninstall the toolbar?

Simply click on the arrow to the right of the Catholic365 logo and select uninstall from the drop down menu and follow directions.

Can I use either the Catholic365 home page or the toolbar and not the other?

Yes you certainly can. If you just want the toolbar simply click Install Toolbar and change your default homepage. If you do not want the toolbar just click “uninstall” from the drop down menu next to the Catholic365.com logo. You can still support the wonderful Catholic TV messages by using the Google search box and the shop tab on either the toolbar or personalized home page. Or if you don't want either the homepage or the toolbar you can just bookmark http://catholic365.com/ and http//shop.catholic365.com/ for search and shop respectively.  

What is a widget?

Widgets are fun, engaging, and useful applications that allow users to turn personal content into dynamic web apps that can be shared on just about any website. For example, a "Weather Report Widget" could report today's weather by accessing data from the Weather Channel; it could even be sponsored by the Weather Channel.

Can I create new tabs as well?

Yes. It is completely customizable. Your default settings include a General tab (your home page) as well as News, Business, Sports and Catholic tabs. You can add tabs by placing your cursor to the right of the right-most tab which will show you a new tab button. To delete a tab click on edit next to the tab name and then click delete.

Can I access my homepage from other computers?

Yes you can access it from anywhere. You will have to sign in with your username and password. The toolbar however is installed on your computer and you must download it on all computers you use if you want to use it.

Why is it called Catholic365.com?

The name Catholic “365” reminds us that we are a Catholic family 365 days a year. Catholic365.com is creating the largest online Catholic family, helping advance the faith each and every day.

How does using Catholic365.com raise money to help inspire people to revisit their faith?

Each time you search the Internet using Catholic365.com, advertising income is generated, which we track and direct to the non-profits such as CatholicsComeHome.org. CCH uses this donation to run compelling, beautiful television messages throughout the country and eventually worldwide, all with the hope of inspiring fellow Catholics to think about their faith and perhaps to come home. Similarly, when you shop with retailers who have partnered with Catholic365.com (listed on the shop home page), additional income is generated that we donate in full to organizations like CatholicsComeHome.org.

What is Shop.Catholic365.com?

Shop.Catholic365.com is an online shopping mall with world class merchants. When you shop through our site, each purchase made via the Shop.Catholic365.com mall results in a small amount of revenue for Catholic365.com! This is the biggest funding source for Catholic365.com and we encourage all Catholics to use this whenever they shop online. 100% of the revenue generated goes to support non profits like CatholicsComeHome.org which run inspiring Catholic messages on TV.

How much money is generated each time I search or shop?

Each search earns a small amount of revenue and overall we expect the average user will generate over $1.00 per month in revenue for searches and shopping. What’s important to realize is that, while each person seemingly generates a small amount, when pooled together daily, we can raise a significant amount – even in the millions, but at no added cost to the Catholic365.com users.

What is the Catholic365.com toolbar?

The Catholic365.com toolbar combines the key elements of search and shop in one place that you can access no matter what internet page you are on. It is an easy way to access all the pieces of your on-line world in one place.  The tool bar includes tabs to access various social media such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. 

How much of the money earned by Catholic365.com goes to the cause of inspiring fellow Catholics to revisit their faith?

One hundred percent of all revenue generated is donated to organizations such as CatholicsComeHome.org. To our knowledge, this makes us the only web portal in history to donate ALL of its proceeds to charity. Better yet, when you shop through Catholic365.com, all the commissions generated from our retail partners are also donated in full.

What does it cost for me to use Catholic365.com?

Absolutely nothing!  Using our site is extremely convenient and totally free, not to mention it's safe and can be used by anyone, anywhere who has access to the internet. Each time a person sets their home page to Catholic365.com and uses it for their internet activities, they are helping us raise money without ever writing a check or making any monetary donation whatsoever.

How is it possible that you can donate all the money earned through Catholic365.com to non profits like CatholicsComeHome.org?

Catholic365.com pays no salaries and does not have an advertising budget. Therefore, we depend on members of the Catholic family to help spread the news of our new site and motivate others to use the Catholic365.com portal and toolbar, knowing they are supporting one of the largest family reunions in Catholic history. Expenses and overhead are donated by the founders.

How do you download the Catholic365.com toolbar?

Go to http://www.catholic365.com and sign up for the home page. Once this is complete, users will see a tab for “Install toolbar" on the top of the homepage.  Clicking on this message will guide the user to instructions for their browser and a quick installation wizard. 

Are the search results as good as the search engine I now use?

Our search engine and toolbar are both is powered by Google so you’ll get the same safe, high quality search results.

What can I search and how does it compare to Google?

Our search engine is powered by Google so you will find the same high quality search you normally expect from Google. You can find information in many different languages (and translate between them), check stock quotes and sports scores, find news headlines and look up the address of your local post office or grocery store. You can also find images, videos, maps, patents and much more. 

Will my searches be censored?

No. Just like using other popular search portals, users can decide for themselves what information and content controls they would like to put on their homepage. Even though we are dedicating our revenue to CatholicsComeHome.org, there will be no restrictions on searches or content, unless placed there by the user.

How much money does Catholic365.com expect to generate for CatholicsComeHome.org?

We believe this model has the potential to raise solid support for the important work of CatholicsComeHome.org. But really, there is no limit on the potential; the more people who use Catholic365.com for online search ans shop, the more money we can raise.

Does any of the money generated by Catholic365.com go directly to the Catholic Church?

No, 100 percent of revenue generated by people using Catholic365.com goes directly to the independent non-profits like CatholicsComeHome.org, which was conceived and developed by committed Catholics. Our sole mission is to generate revenue for independent charities.

Is Catholic365.com a religious site?

It can be overtly Catholic– or it doesn’t have to be. That’s what’s ideal for all users. Each person can decide what they want to see on their home page. It’s a news, information and search portal just like CNN.com or MSNBC.com. If you want, you’ll be able to have Catholic news included on your homepage, but the rest of the news and information provided will not be religiously influenced or religiously slanted. It’s a choice for each user.

Can non-Catholics use Catholic365.com?

Yes, definitely! We expect the overwhelming number of users to be fellow Catholics, but there is no reason why anyone can’t use our portal and tool bar. You can customize the Catholic365.com portal to receive all the world and national news, local news, weather, and sports you want all in one easy place. You can also receive Catholic news if you choose, and you can access all your online social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Our site really helps you organize your online life in an easy way. We think it’s a good product that will appeal to anyone, and many Christians will enjoy knowing they are helping a non profit effort to bring more good to our world.

Will you have any restrictions on the types of ads that appear on your site or the types of shopping people can do?

There will be no restriction on the content allowed for searching and each user can decide what information they want on their homepage. But there will be some restrictions on the types of ads we show in terms of sexual content. For example, you won’t be able to shop for pornography through our site. Additionally, we will avoid retailers whose advertising has been deemed to be inappropriate within the Christian family. Content and searches are up to each user, but with respect to advertisers, we will have some ethical limitations consistent with our Christian faith.

What will motivate people to switch from their current home page to using Catholic365.com as their home page?

Imagine being a part of the largest online Catholic family in the world. We believe people who are proud to be Catholic will be inspired by the compelling videos created by CatholicsComeHome.org and want to help family members and friends revisit their faith. Those who understand our mission will gladly do something as simple as changing their default home page to help build the momentum. We know from focus groups that people have an affinity to being Catholic. When they hear about a  site that is designed to bring the Catholic family together in a big way, they get excited and want to support that mission.

How do people make Catholic365.com their home page?

Making the switch is very easy. You just go to http://www.Catholic365.com. From there, you can make Catholic365.com your default home page by clicking “yes”, when prompted, and you’re done. The whole process takes about 30 seconds, is safe and free. Installing the toolbar takes just a bit longer, but it also is very simple, safe and free.

Will people be able to make a direct donation to CatholicsComeHome.org from the Catholic365.com portal?

No, our main focus will be encouraging members of the Catholic family to use Catholic365.com as their daily search engine. There will be no donations encouraged directly from our site. Users may visit CatholicsComeHome.org and learn about direct donations, if they choose.

What is your company’s relationship with CatholicsComeHome.org? Are you part of the same organization?

CatholicsComeHome.org is a separate 501(c)3 non-profit organization created by committed Catholics. Catholic365.com is a separate organization, with a new search engine and shopping site designed solely to generate revenue to fund the mission of CatholicsComeHome.org which is to inspire, educate and invite fallen away Catholics to take another look at their faith. We are separate entities that share the same mission – to create the largest family reunion in the Church’s history. Also we’re going to reach out to their fans to help us spread the word about Catholic365.com among fellow Catholics.

Who founded Catholic365.com?

Catholic365.com was founded by fellow committed Catholics who saw how effective the pilot programs of CatholicsComeHome.org were in not only encouraging people to revisit their faith, but to actually help bring fellow members back to the Church. We wanted to find a way to help fund their efforts and came upon the idea of having a homepage that could earn money through searches and shopping – things people do every day - and donate all of its revenue to this cause. Our dream is to see all the churches bursting at the seams!

Where did the money come from to start Catholic365.com?

All start-up costs have been financed by contributions from fellow Catholics who are proud to be Catholic and also believe in the mission of CatholicsComeHome.org.

What do you think the Pope would think of Catholic365.com? Would you anticipate his support?

Both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II encourage committed Catholics to use the media and related technologies to spread the good news of Jesus and His Church. Just this year, Pope Benedict XVI, in his 43rd message for World Communication Day, said that "these technologies" are truly a gift to humanity and we must endeavor to ensure that the benefits they offer are put at the service of all human individuals and communities.” We believe that Catholic365.com is such a gift.

What is the relationship between Catholic365.com and the Catholic Church?

The Catholic Church is aware and encourages our efforts, but there is no official relationship between Catholic365.com and the Church. The Advisory Board of CatholicsComeHome.org includes several bishops, but none of them have roles in Catholic365.com.

How many people do you hope will use Catholic365.com in the first year?

We know many people have strong faith and are proud to be Catholic. Once we spread the word of our new search engine, we believe many members or our Catholic family will be encouraged to join and help spread the word to their circles. In our first year, we hope to unite more than 1  Million people in our Catholic365.com family.

Who do you expect to be the biggest users of Catholic365.com? What will be their demographics?

Our hope is to attract any individual or organization that regularly uses the internet and are supportive of reuniting Catholics. This includes people as well as schools, libraries, churches and even religious partners. Early research shows that our biggest group of individual users will likely be younger Internet users as well as people ages 35 and up, with an expected 60 percent to be female. We anticipate most early users will be part of the 30 percent of American Catholics who go to Mass each week. 

How are you going to spread the word about Catholic365.com to family and friends?

As you’d expect from an online company, we’re going to spread the word through e-mail and social media. We will ask fellow Catholics to e-mail their friends and then their friends will e-mail their friends, and so on, in an attempt to spread virally. Also, we’ll be using outlets like Facebook and Twitter to help expand our message.

What about working directly with the Catholic Church? Will you be doing that?

While CatholicsComeHome.org works directly with the Church, Catholic365.com will work mostly through parishioners as our earliest advocates. Our belief is that if we can spread the word among the 19,000 parishes across the US and convince just 50 people in each church to use Catholic365.com that will get us very close to our 1 Million users goal fairly quickly.

Who is on your executive team?

There is no formal executive team. Our model lies within a small group of committed Catholics who decides what needs to be done and then outsources everything. This eliminates personnel costs and enables us to donate all proceeds to non profits like CatholicsComeHome.org.

Who is Bob Trussell?

Bob Trussell is president and principal founder of Catholic365.com. He is utilizing his business experience (former CEO of Tempur-Pedic International Inc.) and Catholic faith to devote himself to the mission of CatholicsComeHome.org, where he serves as Chairman of the Board.

How many employees do you have?

Technically, we don’t have any employees; operations are outsourced to a team of consultants under the direction of and funded by Bob Trussell, our president and founder, who takes no salary. Therefore, no money is going to salaries.

What is CatholicsComeHome.org?

CatholicsComeHome.org is an independent non-profit organization that creates inspiring media messages and broadcasts them nationally and internationally to educate and invite people to celebrate and, in some cases, revisit their faith.

Who founded CatholicsComeHome.org?

CatholicsComeHome.org was founded by Tom Peterson, an advertising executive and entrepreneur who experienced a profound reversion to his faith while on a Catholic retreat in 1997. Soon after, he founded CatholicsComeHome.org to use his God-given talents in creating award-winning advertising to support the mission of reuniting Catholics in the US and around the world.

Is advertising an effective way to get people to revisit their Catholic faith?

Based on the results of two pilot programs conducted by CatholicsComeHome.org in Phoenix and Corpus Christi, the answer is yes. Advertising is a powerful and highly effective way to reach fellow Catholics and others. After the CatholicsComeHome.org pilot campaign, parishes in Phoenix, Chicago, Corpus Christi etc  reported as many as 200,000 Catholics who returned to the Church in those cities alone.

Isn’t it the role of the Catholic Church to get Catholics to participate in the Church more? Why would committed people want to

take on this job?

Yes it is, and it’s every Catholics role to share the faith with others. TV advertising is expensive, and the Church itself doesn’t have funds available to support such an effort on its own. We believe our collective committed expertise in the business and technology industries can augment what local dioceses are doing and achieve our goal of encouraging fellow Catholics to revisit their faith.

If you installed the toolbar but never saw it:

Please note that the toolbar is only enabled in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla Firefox. Go to the 'View' menu at the top of your IE browser and select 'Toolbars.' The Catholic365.com toolbar you installed should be listed there. If so, simply select it so there is a check mark next to it (You can un-check or uninstall via 'Add or Remove Programs' control panel, any toolbars that you don’t want to view). If you are unable to see the toolbar in your IE browser window, please check to make sure it was installed properly. If you click on the Windows "Start" menu and then choose "Settings" > "Control Panel" > "Add or Remove Programs," "The Catholic365.com toolbar should be listed along with other programs

If you are using Microsoft Vista and you cannot download the toolbar:

You must add the Catholic365.com toolbar website to your Trusted Sites list. In Internet Explorer, Go to Tools -> Internet Options - > Security and uncheck "Enable Protected Mode". If it's not listed, please follow these steps to download the toolbar: Visit your homepage, click on the link and re-download. The installation instructions will guide you through the download. If it is listed, please try the steps outlined below to make the toolbar visible:

1. Re-enable Catholic365.com toolbar via Internet Explorer. Click on the "View" tab located in the top left-hand corner of your browser window, place your cursor over the category "toolbars," and click the Catholic365.com toolbar.
2. If you are using IE 6.0, verify that third-party browser extensions have been enabled. To check this setting, select "Tools" > "Internet Options" > "Advanced" > "Enable third party browser extensions."
3. Unlock your Internet Explorer toolbars and move them to different positions. The Catholic365.com toolbar may have been pushed to the edge of the screen by another toolbar. Click on the "View" tab; select the category "toolbars" and then un-check the option "Lock the toolbars." To move each toolbar around, place your cursor on the left edge of the bar and drag it to a new location.
4. Look for two black arrows (the arrows appear like this: >>) on the far right-hand side of your browser's address bar or toolbar area. If you do see the arrows, click on them to make the toolbar appear. To move the toolbar into full view, please see the instructions above in step 3.
5. Uninstall and reinstall the Catholic365.com toolbar. To uninstall the toolbar, click on the Windows "Start" menu in the lower left-hand corner of your screen. Then select "Settings," "Control Panel" and "Add or Remove Programs." Find Catholic365.com toolbar and click the "Remove" button. Finally, reboot your computer and reinstall the toolbar by visiting the organizations homepage.

If your Catholic365.com toolbar appears at the right-hand side of the Internet browser window:

Click and hold the vertical, dotted dividing bar and drag it down to the next line. If the Catholic365.com toolbar re-appears at the right-hand side, you can solve this problem by hiding the Links toolbar or dragging it onto its own line. You can hide the Links toolbar by right-clicking on it and unchecking 'Links'.

If you saw the toolbar at some point, but now it's gone:

This problem may be caused by malicious software that may be installed on your computer (has nothing to do with Catholic365.com toolbar software). Once this software is installed on your computer, it can hide or disable your toolbar. Once you clean your system, you may have to re-install your toolbar.

Why do I get a "File Download" warning that asks if I want to install and run the Catholic365.com toolbar:

Your security settings are set so that you are prompted before any programs are installed on your machine. This prompt will appear every time you try to download an executable file, no matter where it is from. The dialog box you see is asking you to confirm that you do want to install the the Catholic365.com toolbar Click "yes" to proceed.

Which operating system do I need to use the Toolbar for Internet Explorer (32 bit)?

The latest version of the Catholic365.com toolbar designed to run on Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. We realize that a lot of our users use other operating systems, and we appreciate your interest

How can I move the Catholic365.com toolbar to a different location?

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer 6.0+, you must unlock the toolbars before you can move them. Right click on the toolbar and deselect the Lock the Toolbars option. You can change the location of the Catholic365.com toolbar on your browser by clicking and dragging the vertical separator bar to the left of the Catholic365.com toolbar con by placing the Catholic365.com toolbar in the desired location. This functionality enables you to place two (or more) toolbars on the same line if you want to conserve space in your browser. Please note that, as with all of Internet Explorer's toolbars, you can only move the Catholic365.com toolbar to locations on the top of your browser window. Toolbars can not be placed on the side or bottom of the browser window.

How do I uninstall the Catholic365.com toolbar?

Simply click on the arrow to the right of the Catholic365 logo and select uninstall from the drop down menu and follow directions.

How do I make sure the Local News and Weather widgets are specific to my location?

For the Local Weather widget just click "Edit" and enter your city and state in the Town space i.e. Dallas, Tx. For the Local News click on "Edit", then go to your favorite local paper and copy the RSS Feed (see below question "What is an RSS Feed?") and paste it into the “Feed” space.

What is "My Status"?

"My Status" is located on the upper-right portion if the home page header. It basically serves 2 functions: 1) Change Password 2) Be a Catholic365 Angel. The Catholic365 angels are individuals in each parish that volunteer to help spread the word in their own parish through emails, word of mouth and discussions with the pastor or rector. The goal is to get 50-100 people signed up in each parish. This is the format to volunteer.

What is "Widget View" and "Reader View"?

The standard and default view of your homepage is the "Widget View". Alternatively you can click the "Reader View" which arranges the items and articles in your tabs in list format.

What are "Dashboards"?

Your personalized homepage is a “Dashboard”. You can create other dashboards by clicking “Dashboard” and then “New”. You will find a wizard which can guide you to creating other theme based dashboards which are created automatically. You can then personalize each new dashboard you have created.

What is a Public Page?

Your Public Page is an option some users may want to explore. Catholic365 resides on a Netvibes platform and the Public Page is a Netvibes function. A Public Page is viewable to the world at large. Once you have click on "confirm my email address", you will land on your Private Page. At the top left is the Dashboards menu and "Activate my Public Page" link. Create your Public Page for:

• Online Profiles
• Instant Messaging badges
• Photos and videos
• Cool Public Widgets
• Showcase your widgets in a branded environment on Netvibes with a Netvibes Premium Universe
• Control the design experience: arrange your public page using drag & drop
• Easily add widgets and other content from the ecosystem
• Users can subscribe to your updates
• Users can browse your selection and pick the widgets they want for their page

How do I add feeds?

There are 4 main methods of adding a feed:

1. Using a Blog/Website’s Address (Automatic Feed Detection)

Add content > Add a feed/Blog/Website’s Address > enter a feed address or website URL/ Address for autodetection > Add feed.

2. Using an RSS or Atom Feed Address (Manual)

Click ‘Add Content’ (top left of your screen). Then, in the Topbar, click ‘Add a Feed’. Simply enter in an RSS or Atom feed address (URL) and netvibes will add it as a new module on your netvibes page. To find the RSS or Atom feed address on a website, check the header or footer of the page, or your browser’s address bar for an RSS/Atom/XML logo: Then, simply right-click it and copy the link address and paste it into the ‘Add a Feed’ tool discussed above.

3. Netvibes widget

Catholic365 resides on a Netvibes platform. Most popular websites and blogs already have a Netvibes button on it. If you see the button, click it and the RSS Feed or the module will automatically add to your page. You will see a box which has catholic365.com and when you clcik on it

4. Using your Web Browser

- Firefox Feed Aggregator Preferences:

In Firefox 2.0, you have an option to choose a default RSS Aggregator. Select Tools > Options into the Feed tab where you can choose an aggregator. If netvibes is not on the list, refer to http://eco.netvibes.com/tools/ to quickly install netvibes feed reader button into your Firefox browser.

- Firefox Extension:

netvibes created an extension for Firefox that enables it to automatically detect if there is feed in a page and to add it directly into your netvibes page. The Firefox extension is available at http://eco.netvibes.com/tools/

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS is a format for syndicating news and the content of news-like sites. RSS belongs to family of web feed formats, used for web syndication by weblogs, podcasts, videocasts, websites and much more. It permits you to have the latest news and generally provides web content (title, link, description, pictures…) or summaries of web content with links to the full versions of the content. Once added into your home pages, the feed will automatically be updated as new content comes out and will be available for you to read and enjoy from your homepage. You will be able to find more information about RSS feeds here:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28file_format%29
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_syndication