How do I... join a community?

To join a community you must visit the community's Welcome Page and click the Join button as shown below.

Click the "Join" button to get started

Important: If a community is hidden, only invited users will be able to join the community.

You may be presented with two options. It is possible that only a log-in screen will be available if the site does not permit new registration by end users.

• If you do not see the above two options, click here.

• If you do not already have a user name and password, enter your e-mail address and press Continue.  See help on OPTION A.

• If you already have a user name and password, enter it now and press Login. Select the "Remember Me" checkbox if you wish to be automatically logged in upon your next visit.  See help on OPTION B.
   

Note: Once you become a member of one community, you essentially become a registered user of the larger community system. This therefore allows you to use the same user name and password for all of your communities.  Using the same account keeps things simple as all your memberships will show up together in your "My Communities" area.

OPTION A: Enter E-mail Address

If your e-mail address matches an existing registered user account, the following screen will appear.  

If the screen above does not appear, proceed to the help section for New Account Registration.  

Using the same account for multiple communities can save you time and simplify administration.  If you do not see this screen, skip to the next paragraph.

If you can successfully log-in, see the section titled "Option B".  If you need a reminder of your password, click the red text to the right of the password input area.  This will help you find your forgotten password.  

To create a new account associated with this e-mail address, click the "new account" link as shown in the screen above and proceed to the help section for New Account Registration.

New Account Registration

Note: You are about to create a new account and join this account to the community currently being accessed.  This account can be used to join other communities in the future.

At the top of the registration form, the security level of the current community will appear. Depending on the security settings set by the founder, you may or may not be granted membership immediately. There are three basic security levels:

If you have been invited to the community, see the help section on Responding to an Invitation. If you have been provided a password for the community in question, see Using a Community Password for details.

The registration form includes some required fields, which are marked with a red star (*). You must complete the required fields before submitting the form using the push button at the bottom of the page.  All fields are described below:

Invitation Key or Community Password (optional)

This field is only necessary if you have been provided an invitation key or a community password.

First Name / Last name

Enter your first and last name. This will appear in your community profile but can be hidden from the community to protect your privacy.

Email Address

Enter a valid email address.

Time Zone

Select the time zone in which you live.  If you live in North America, you can also choose "My area uses Daylight Saving Time" if it is applicable.

Preferred Language

If multilingual support has been enabled for the site, a preferred language drop down menu will exist. From this menu, select which language the site will be presented to you in.

User Name

Select an alias for your account.  This name will be used to identify the content you create in the community.  Your user name should be a name that clearly distinguishes you from other members in the community.

Password / Confirm Password

Enter a password that will serve to protect your account from unauthorized use.  Keep this password confidential at all times. Follow the instructions to the right of the password field as there is generally a minimum length for a password.

Additional Fields

If additional profile fields have been created, a section labeled "Additional Fields" will be presented.

Additional fields appear in the format of select lists and text boxes. Required fields will be marked by a red star.

Account Groups

A section labeled "Account Groups" will be presented if any account groups have been made user-selectable. For further information see account groups.

Available Window

Account groups that have been made user selectable, which you are currently not a member of, will appear in this window. To become a member of an account group, highlight it and press the right arrow button. It will then appear in the "Selected" window.

Selected Window

Account groups which you are a member of appear in this window. To remove yourself from an account group, highlight it and press the left arrow button. It will then appear in the "Available" window.

Accessibility

When accessibility is enabled at the site level you will be provided with the option to enable the accessibility features for your profile. These features allow users with low-vision or low-mobility to make use of assistive technologies, such as a screen reader, to facilitate the user’s ability to effectively navigate throughout the community.  Furthermore, the accessibility features provide alternative formats to JavaScript for all key community features that require JavaScript to function properly. Therefore, if your browser does not support JavaScript, you will still have access to all functionality within your community.

Activity Updates

 Note: The "Send daily IF there is activity" option will only appear if enabled by administration at the site level.

Community activity can be monitored through regular updates delivered directly to your e-mail inbox.  You may select whether you would like to receive these updates. If you do, you can select daily, weekly or monthly updates. Note that if there is no activity, you will not be sent an e-mail.

Optional Message to Community Administrators

Any message entered here will be shown to the community Founder or administrator that approves your membership application (assuming your are not automatically approved).

How much information would you like to share within this community?

You can choose to show or hide your first name, last name, e-mail address and all other profile fields. Once you have created your account you can modify your privacy settings at both the site and community level. For further information see editing your profile, and community preferences.

Terms of Service

Before joining the site, you must agree to the Terms of Service.

Once all required fields are completed, press the "Apply to Join" button.

Note: It is possible that the user name you select will already be taken. All user names must be unique, so you may be asked to select a different user name. A user name can contain letters and numbers, however, spaces and special characters are not permitted.

After your registration form is submitted, you will see one of two messages: "You are now a member" if you have been granted membership instantly, or "Application Received" if you must wait for approval.

If you receive the "Application Received" message, you must wait for the community administrators to process your application. Once processed, you will receive an e-mail notification indicating that you have been granted or declined membership.

During registration, you will be sent two e-mails. One will provide general information about the online community system and your user name and password. The second is from the specific community you applied to join. Keep these e-mails for future reference.

Your My Communities area will list all communities you have applied to join.  If you have not yet been approved, the community listing will indicated "Waiting for Approval".  If it is approved, it will indicate your status as "Member".

OPTION B: Log-in

After logging-in, you will be taken to an abbreviated registration form that will capture your preferences pertaining to the new community. You will notice at the top of the registration form an indication of the community's security setting. There are three possible security settings:

If you have been invited to the community, be sure to read the help section on how to respond to an invitation. If you have been provided a password for the community in question, see the help section on how to use a community password.

The abbreviated form will contain the following fields:

Invitation Key or Community Password (optional)

This field is only necessary if you have been provided an invitation key or a community password.

Activity Updates

Community activity can be monitored through regular updates delivered directly to your e-mail inbox.  Select if you would like to receive these updates. If you do, you can select daily, weekly or monthly updates. Note that if there is no activity, you will not be sent an e-mail.

Optional Message to Community Administrators

Any message entered here will be shown to the community Founder or administrator that approves your membership application (assuming you are not automatically approved).

How much information would you like to share within this community?

You can choose to show or hide your first name, last name, e-mail address and all other profile fields. Once you have created your account you can modify your privacy settings at both the site and community level. For further information see editing your profile, and community preferences.

Once all required fields have been completed, select the "Apply to Join" button.

After your registration form is submitted, you will see one of two messages: "You are now a member" if you've been granted membership instantly, or "Application Received" if you must wait for approval.

If you receive the "Application Received" message, you must wait for the community administrators to process your application. Once processed, you will receive an e-mail notification indicating that you have been granted or declined membership.

Your My Communities area will list all communities you have applied to join.  If you have not yet been approved, the community listing will display "Waiting for Approval".  If it is approved, it will indicate your status as "Member".