• How do I join a group?
• How do I find a group?
• How many groups can I join?
• How do I leave a group?
• How do I create a group?
• What are the group privacy options?
• What is a group administrator and what can they do?
• What is a group editor and what can they do?
• What is a group member and what can they do?
• What does the Manage Content tab do?
• What does the Manage Members tab do?
• How can I send a message to the group members?
• What are some ways to enhance my group's content and membership?
• Can I upload documents to a group?

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How do I join a group?

When you visit any group page that you are not a member of, you are taken by default to the "About" page, where you can read up on the group and get a better sense of its purpose.  Depending on the type of group membership (Open/Open to Apply/Invitation Only/Member Referral), and the privacy setting (Public/Semi-Private/Private), you will see different ways to join a group.  For a group who has an open membership or to which you have been invited, just click on 'Join this Group' to join.

 

Open and Open to Apply groups will have a blue button, while Invitation Only and Member referral groups will only admit in members based on the administrators. 

 

For example, an Open group would look like this:

 

 

But a group that's invitation only would look like this:

How do I find a group?

Groups can be found using the search bar at the top of the page and selecting groups. You can search by keyword, name, area of focus, privacy settings, or membership settings. Alternatively, you can browse by selecting Groups under the Browse section of the left-hand sidebar. You can browse groups by Name or by Recency.

How many groups can I join?

There is no limit to the number of groups you can join.

How do I leave a group?

You can leave a group at any time by clicking Cancel Membership on the right-hand sidebar while looking at the group that you wish to leave.

If you are the last group administrator left in your group, you cannot cancel your membership unless you add another admin to the group first. 

How do I create a group?

The option to create a group can be found on the left-hand sidebar under the Contribute section. Click Create a Group to begin.

What are the group privacy options?

There are 3 options, as explained below:

Private

Only members of a group will be able view the information posted on the group home page.  Non-Members are restricted to only seeing the information on the group's "About" tab, but will have the opportunity to join based on the membership setting.

Semi-Private

Non-Members will be able to see all of the group's information, including discussions.  However, a non-member may not participate in the discussion or edit any content in the group.

Public

All information resides publicly and may be accessible to all WiserEarth users.

*As a special note, in a private group, all comments and discussion topics are closed off to just members of the group.  However, if a comment has been flagged for review due to inappropriateness, a WiserEarth administrator will have access to view just that comment and determine if it warrants removal.  Otherwise, all comments are sealed from view for any non-member of the group.


What is a group administrator and what can they do?

Group administrators create and manage their Group. They have controls to manage content, members, and general group structure. Members and editors do not have access to adjust these functions.  The following is a list of a group administrator's abilities:

Content View Content Comment Edit/Add Wiki Content Post to Bulletin Board Send Message to All Manage Content Order Content*

Membership Refer Users Invite Users Manage Members Edit Member Status

General Group Management Change Logo Custom Layout Privacy Remove Group*

*in development


What is a group moderator (editor) and what can they do?

Group editors (soon to be changed to moderator) help in managing a Group.  They have special controls to manage content that members do not have the opportunity to adjust.  The Editor privilege is intended to assist the administrator(s) of a group without giving up complete control of the group. The following list shows the actions accessible to a group editor:

Content View Content Comment Edit/Add Wiki Content Post to Bulletin Board Send Message to All Manage Content Order Content*

Membership Refer Users

*in development


What is a group member and what can they do?

Group members are registered with a Group and can create and edit entities (discussions, events, wikipages, resources, organizations and jobs) on the Group page. The following list shows the actions available to group members.

Content View Content Comment Edit/Add Wiki Content

Membership Refer Users

*in development


What does the Manage Content tab do?

The Manage Content tab is accessible to editors and administrators of a group. They are able to view all the content currently assigned to their group, content suggested (via the areas of focus association), content shared with your group from other groups (this applies for private and semi-private groups, mostly) and finally the content that has been rejected. The editor or admin can then remove or accept (in the suggested tab) content.

What does the Manage Members tab do?

The Manage Members tab is accessible to only administrators of a group. They are able to view all the members currently joined to their group, WE users who have been referred or applied to join the group. The administrator can accept/deny applications or referrals and remove existing members.

How can I send a message to the group members?

You can send a message to group members one-by-one. The ability to message multiple members is currently under development. (You may also create a discussion forum to make an announcement to group members.)

To manually send a message to group members, click the "Members" tab at the top of the Group page, then select a member profile and click "Send me a message" in the right column. To communicate with members via a discussion forum, click "Create a discussion topic" on the Group page. If it is a private group, your post will appear only on the Group page, but if it is a public Group, your post will appear on the Group page and in the main Discussion Forums.

What are some ways to enhance my group's content and membership?

Other than manually adding wikipages, discussions, resources, events and manually inviting members through the group's administration features, there are two features in WiserEarth that make it easy for you to expand your group. The first one can be seen on the right hand side of this page: the "Add to Groups" link.

As you browse the content and WiserEarth and discover something relevant to your group's activity, you can simply click that link and add it to your group. If you are affiliated with more than one group, after clicking the link, you will see a list of groups expand below the link for you to choose--meaning that you can add it to more than one group.

Another convenient feature to invite members can also be found in the right hand side of a member's profile page under the big avatar picture: a "Invite to Groups" link. After selecting a group you would like to invite that member to, you will be taken to the "send invitation message" page under the "Manage Members" tab in the group homepage, so you can write customized message to that particular member.

An example of how this feature will be practical in prospecting new members is by clicking the "(x people)" link beside the corresponding area of focus (AoF) link that is relevant to your group's activity. For example, if your group's AoF is "Access to Education", clicking the "(478 people)" link will display the list of members having that AoF. You can then briefly see member's profile in that list, go to ones that you think will be interested with your Group's activity, and click the "Invite to Groups" link under that member's avatar image. This is much more straightforward and meaningful than inviting through the "Manage Members" tab. Though the search feature of the "Manage Members" tab's "Invite members" would be particularly useful if you intend to find a particular person you already are aware of.

Can I upload documents to a group?

Yes you can. There's a "File Library" section in your group like the one above the "About" section of this page. If you don't see it, add it to the group's "Home" tab by following this tutorial.