Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with ABRF Community
Welcome to ABRF Community! Make the most of your ABRF Community online experience by taking these steps to allow others to find and connect with you, engage in meaningful conversations about the topics that matter to you, and build your presence in the online community. For more information, see the Help/FAQs page.
LOGGING IN
Click the button at the top right where it says Sign In, and type in the username and password you use to log in to ABRF.org.
VIEW AND UPDATE PROFILE INFORMATION
To update your profile, click on the “upload a photo” icon in the top right of your screen and then select the Profile button. From here, you can update your bio, educational background, job history, add a picture, and update your email subscription preferences. Items in the left column will re-route you to your membership profile to ensure we have these items correct in all our systems. Updates on the right side are stored only in ABRF Collaborate.
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?
Communities are a group of people organized around a common subject or theme which is typically defined by the community name and description. Examples of a community include the Membership Committee, Genomics Research Group, and ABRF’s Open Member Forum. Some communities are open only to members of that group.
JOINING A COMMUNITY
To join a community, click on the down arrow next to Communities on the top navigation bar and select All Communities. Choose the community that you wish to join and then click Join. There are currently a limited number of open communities, but ABRF will add to this list over time.
Note: Some communities are limited to members of ABRF Committees, Research Groups, or Chapter Organizing Committees. You will not be able to join or see those communities unless you are a member. You will receive a welcome email when you have successfully joined a community.
In addition, when first joining the community, you will receive a notice about ABRF’s acceptable use policy (AUP). Please read the AUP and click Agree prior to joining the community. You will not be allowed to access ABRF Community without agreeing the terms of the AUP. You can find ABRF’s Acceptable Use Policy under Terms and Conditions at the top left and also in the footer of ABRF Collaborate.
CREATING A DISCUSSION POST
To start a discussion, click on the down arrow next to Participate on the top navigation bar and choose Post a Message. You can also post a message by clicking on Communities on the top navigation bar and selecting your desired community. From there, select the Discussions tab and click the button that says Post to This Discussion Group. Enter your subject, choose the community or communities you wish to post the message to, type your message, attach any necessary documents, and then hit send.
REPLYING TO A DISCUSSION POST
To reply to a post, click on the post and then on the Reply button to the right. You can also click on the down arrow to Reply Privately to Sender. Or you can simply reply through your email account (without logging in to ABRF Collaborate) via the email digest you will receive.
Note: If you feel a post is inappropriate for ABRF Collaborate, you can flag it by clicking Mark as Inappropriate when you click on the drop-down menu under the Reply button. This will send a note to ABRF staff to review the post and take it down if necessary.
VIEWING AND SHARING FILES IN THE COMMUNITY LIBRARY
To view resources in your community library, click on the library tab. You can view library contents in “list” or “folder” form by clicking the list or folder icon to the right. Then select the folder or subfolder to view.
There are two ways to upload a document to a community:
- The first option is to click on the down arrow next to Participate on the top navigation bar and click on Share a File.
- The second option is to go to the community where you would like to post the document and select the Library Then click the “Create a Library Entry” button.
Enter a title for your library document, select the community where you wish to enter the document, choose the document type, and click Next.
You can also upload a document when you write a discussion post. You will see an Attach button at the bottom of the page when you are making a post. Click the button and insert your document. The document will then be linked to your discussion post.
USING THE MEMBER DIRECTORY
To access the Community Member Directory, click on the Directory tab on the top navigation bar. Search by first or last name, company name, employer type, and job function.
To add a member as a contact, locate them using the search, then click the Add as a Contact button to the right of their name. Adding someone as a contact gives you quick access to their profile information and the ability to send private messages faster from your profile. Note: They will need to approve you as a contact before you can view their full profile.
COMMUNITY SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS
When you join a community, you are automatically subscribed to receive emails containing messages that other users post in that community. To review or edit your email subscriptions, click on Settings next to the community name and choose Email Notification preferences. You can select from the following options:
- Real Time: You will receive an email each time a new message is posted.
- Daily Digest: You will receive one email each day containing all the previous day’s messages.
- No Email: This means you will not receive any emails in your inbox. You will need to log in to ABRF Community to view and reply to discussion posts.
You can also adjust the preferences for each community by going to Profile, clicking on My Account, and selecting Community Notifications.
PRIVACY CONTROLS
To control the information that other members see on your profile, log in to ABRF Collaborate, go to My Profile, and click on My Account tab to select Privacy Settings. From there, you can choose what information others can see or not see. Be sure to click the Save button when finished. ABRF has already set your physical address and email address to be seen by only you.
MOBILE APP
Download the mobile app here.