IADC Communities: How To Guide
General
Get Connected
Communities/Discussions
Library/Resources
General | Top
Q: What is my username/password?
A: Your username and password for IADC Communities is the same as your login information for the IADC website. If you have forgotten your login credentials or need assistance with your login information, please email
info@iadclaw.org or call the IADC office at 1.312.368.1494.
Q: How do I update my profile?
A: Go to your profile by clicking on your image or avatar in the upper right-hand corner of the screen; select the profile button. You will be brought to your
profile page on the IADC Communities website, which contains the information you provide in your profile on
www.iadclaw.org. If you click the pencil icon to edit information, it will automatically redirect you to
www.iadclaw.org to make changes, ensuring that your information is consistent and accurate.
Q: How do I update my contact information?
A: On your
profile page, select the pencil icon next to "contact details" to edit your information. You will be automatically re-directed to your profile page on the IADC website where you can make any changes or updates. Those changes and updates will then be reflected in IADC Communities.
Q: How do I control what information is visible in my profile?
A: On your profile page, select the "My Account" tab and choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down menu. On the "Privacy Settings" page, you may adjust your settings - this will let you control what information is visible to whom. After you've made any changes, click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page. By default, IADC members are included in the member directory and community rosters, which we recommend. You may opt out of this, and may make any other preferred setting adjustments on this page.
Get Connected | Top
Q: How do I find other members?
A: If you are an IADC member, visit the
"Directory" page. The Directory allows you to search for fellow members based on a variety of fields including name, firm/company, location, practice area, etc.
Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?
A: There are several ways to add contacts. When you perform a search in the
Directory, you will see an “Add as Contact” button to the right of each person in your search results. Click this button to send a contact request. If you click through and view an individual’s profile, you can click the "Add as Contact" button to the right of his or her profile picture.
View your contacts from your profile by clicking on My Connections >
Manage Contacts.
Q: Why should I add contacts to my contact list?
A: Creating this virtual address book makes it easy to send your
contacts messages through IADC Communities to stay in touch, ask questions, or build a referral network. Additionally, when you view another member’s profile, you’ll be able to see any contacts you have in common. You can also choose to let your contacts view certain demographics in your profile that others can't. To control what information is displayed in your profile to whom, visit
"Privacy Settings" on your profile page.
Communities/Discussions | Top
Q: What are Communities?
A: IADC Communities allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with fellow members. You will be able to easily engage, interact, and collaborate with one another in a single space. The IADC Communities platform replaces individual IADC Committee pages and listservs.
Q: What Communities do I already belong to?
A: Go to "Communities" in the main navigation bar and select
“My Communities” to view the Communities you currently belong to.
IADC Communities is connected to our membership database. If you are a member of a Committee in the IADC, you will
automatically belong to that Community; if you no longer wish to be a member of an IADC Committee and we update that in our membership database, you will no longer belong to that Community. The systems are integrated in order for you to have the best member experience possible. To join or withdraw from IADC Committees/Communities, email Diana Leon, Communications and Professional Development Coordinator, at
dleon@iadclaw.org.
There are additional Communities we have created based on location, demographics, etc. You will also be able to see those Community subscriptions on the
"My Communities" page.
Q: How do I join a Community and the affiliated discussion group?
A: Click on “Communities” in the main navigation bar and click on
“All Communities” to see a list of available Communities. Available Communities you are not a member of will display as "View Only." If you would like to join a Community you are not a member of, email Diana Leon, Communications and Professional Development Coordinator, at
dleon@iadclaw.org and let her know what Committee you would like to join. (IADC Communities is connected to our membership database. Once you are a member of a Committee, you will
automatically belong to that Community.)
If a Community is specific to a particular member type (like corporate counsel) or location (members practicing in France), you may not see those Communities on the "All Communities" page if you do not match the requirements of that Community.
Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?
A: Navigate to your
profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. On that page, there are subscription options: real time, daily digest, and no email.
For each Community, you have the following discussion delivery options:
- Real time: Sends an email every time a new message is posted.
- Daily digest: Sends one email to you each day, consolidating all of the posts from the previous day.
- No Email: Allows you to be part of the group without having emails sent to you. You can still post and read others’ messages by logging into the individual Community page.
By default, the delivery of discussion posts is daily digest. You can adjust the delivery settings for each individual Community you belong to.
Q: How do I leave a Community or unsubscribe from a discussion?
A: Go to your
profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Here, you will see a list of available Communities and those to which you’ve subscribed. Select "Leave Community” under the Actions column for the discussions you wish to leave.
Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
A: To respond to a discussion post, please navigate to the discussion post and click the “reply" button to send your message to the entire Community. To send a message to only the author of the post, please select “reply privately” (located in the "reply" button drop-down). We recommend replying to the sender for simple comments that add little value to the overall discussion or if you are providing specific information like recommending an expert; we recommend replying to the entire Community when you are sharing knowledge, experience, or resources that the larger group could benefit from.
Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
A: Go to Participate >
Post a Message. From this page, you can select what Community you want to receive the message, and you have the option to click an additional Community to cross post to if that makes sense. You will type in a subject name and write out the discussion post. If you have relevant attachments related to the post, you can add them after typing your discussion.
From an email (HTML version) for a particular discussion forum, you can use the “Post New Message” link located at the top of the discussion email to start a new discussion.
Q: Can I save a discussion post as a draft and return to publish it later?
A: Yes! At the bottom of the
"Post a Message" form, click "Save as Draft" if you want more time to finish your content in order to publish it later.
To find your draft messages so you can continue to edit and publish your post at your convenience, go to your
profile page and click My Contributions >
List of Contributions. There is a filter that allows you to sort by your draft posts. Click the "view draft items" to see your draft posts; when you find the draft post you want to continue editing, click the "edit draft" link.
If you no longer want to publish a draft post, select the "edit draft" link next to the post, scroll to the bottom of the draft post, and select "delete draft."
Q: Can I schedule a post?
A: Yes! At the bottom of the "Post a Message" form, click "schedule" and select the date and time you would like the post to go live. This is a great option if you want to schedule reminders about an upcoming Webinar or program or a CLE submission deadline.
To find your scheduled posts, go to your
profile page and click My Contributions >
List of Contributions. There is a filter that will allow you to sort by your scheduled posts.
Q: How do I follow a thread?
A: You can follow a thread by clicking on the star icon at the top of the thread so that it is filled in. You will then receive real time email notifications when other users comment on the post.
To find your followed threads, go to your profile page and My Connections >
Following.
Q: How do I see a listing of all of the posts to a specific Community?
A: Locate the Community you are interested in viewing from the
My Communities page. Click through the Community's landing page, then click on the “Discussion” tab. If you see a post you’re interested in, click the subject line which will take you to the entire thread. If you select the “original message” button at the bottom of any of the posts in a thread, it will display the original message that started that discussion and any previous replies.
Resources | Top
Q: How do I find resources that may have been uploaded by other members?
A: If you know which library the resource might be located in, find the specific Community via the
All Communities page. Click through the Community's landing page, then click on the “Library” tab.
If you do not know where the resource might be, enter search terms in the main search box the same way you might enter search terms into Google or another search engine.Q: Can I search for specific file types?
A: Yes. Enter your desired keyword in the main search box. From the search results page, click "Show Advanced Search." Then click on “Search for Specific File Types.” This gives you the option to specify file type: Document, Image, Spreadsheet, etc.
Q: How do the libraries get populated?
A: The libraries are populated in two ways:
1. When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the relevant library.
2. You can also upload documents directly to a library by using the “Share a Resource” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "Create New Library Entry" button on any Community's library page. Library resources are not required to be associated with a discussion thread.
Q: How do I upload a file?
A: Select the
“Share a Resource” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "Create New Library Entry" on any Community landing page. Please note that uploading a document is accomplished by completing a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:
- Choose a title for your document, and include a description (optional). Select the library to which you’d like to upload it, and select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional). Then, choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). Once you have completed these steps, please click “Next.”
- Upload your file.
- Select “Next” if you want to further describe your files and/or add tags to your file. Otherwise, please click “Finish” to post your resource.
Q: What kind of files can I upload?
A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), webinars, images, and YouTube videos.
Q: What are the “tags” for?
A: Tags are great way to organize and categorize content on your site. Tags can be applied to blogs, resources/files, events, and glossary terms. Tagged items are prioritized in the search results.