GENERAL/PROFILE
Q: What is my username/password?
A: You will use the same username (your firm email address) and password that you use to log in to the main site. If you have forgotten your login credentials or need assistance with your login information, email.
Q: How do I update my contact information?
A: From your profile page, click the pencil icon to make edits. Be sure to save your changes.
Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?
A: Go to "My Profile” and click on the “My Account” tab. Choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down menu. This will let you control what information is visible to whom. After you’ve made changes, click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page. Please note profile information in TLC is only available to current TerraLex members and not accessible to the general public.
CONTACTS/CONNECTIONS
Q: How do I find other members?
A: Click the “Directory” link found in the main navigation bar. The Directory lets you search for other members based on:
- First and/or last name
- Company/Institution name
- Email address
- City
- State
- Country
- Community
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 a “Request Contact” button when you hover over the name of each person in your search results. If you click into an individual’s profile, you will see an “Add as Contact” button under their photo. Just click this button to send a contact request.
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 the community site to stay in touch, ask questions, and build your 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.
Q: Can I tag members directly in a post?
A: Yes. When typing your post, use the @ symbol and begin typing the individual’s name. For example, “@TLCAdmin.” The user must have a valid login to tag them.
COMMUNITIES/DISCUSSIONS
Q: What are communities?
A: Communities allow you to participate in discussions, ask questions, and share resources with other members.
Q: What communities do I already belong to?
A: Go to “Communities” in the main navigation bar. Select “My Communities” to view the communities you’re currently a part of.
Q: How do I join/subscribe to a community and the affiliated Discussion Group?
A: Hover over “Communities” and click on “All Communities” to see a list of available communities. Click on the community that you wish to join and simply click "Join," then choose a delivery option for posts (Real Time, Daily Digest, Daily Consolidated, Weekly Consolidated, or No Email).
Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?
A: Go to My Profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose “Community Notifications” from the drop-down menu.
For each discussion, you have the following 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 community site.
You can also choose to include any notifications in a single daily or weekly consolidated digest (which we recommend).
Q: How do I leave a community or unsubscribe from a discussion?
A: Go to My 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 “No Email” for the discussions you wish to leave and click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page. You will get a message confirming that your subscription options have been successfully updated. This can take several seconds if you change your settings for several groups at the same time.
Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
A: Click “Reply to Discussion” to send your message to the entire community or “Reply Privately” to only send your message back to the sender; both links are located to the right of the post. We recommend replying directly to the sender for simple comments like “me, too” that add little value to the overall discussion; and replying to the entire community when you are sharing knowledge, experience, or resources that others could benefit from.
Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
A: Go to the Community in which you’d like to post. Select the “Discussion” tab in the Community menu. Click “Post New Message” link in the right navigation bar.
Q: Do I have to post messages and reply through the website?
A: There are many features made possible because of the web interface:
- When you send an attachment through this system, it automatically places it in the Community’s library and sends a link to members.
- Because it sends a link, you can share files up to 1GB in size and just about any file type.
- All posts and associated resources are automatically archived and easily searchable.
Q: Can I search for posts across all the communities?
A: Yes. Enter a keyword in the search bar. From the results page, you can filter on content type, date range, user tags, etc. Private communities to which you are not a member will not be included in the search.
Q: How do I see a listing of all the posts to a specific Community?
A: Locate the community you are interested in viewing from the appropriate 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. “Show original message” at the bottom of all the posts in a thread will display the original message that started that discussion.
LIBRARIES
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 community on the appropriate 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. Library resources posted in private communities to which you are not a member will not be included in the search.
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 “Library Entries” on the left side menu. Under “More Filters,” select “File Types” to filter.
Q: How do the libraries get populated?
A: The libraries are populated in two ways: When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the library. You can also upload documents directly by using the "Create a new library entry" 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 "Create a new library entry" on any community's landing page. Please note that uploading a document is done in a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:
- Choose a title for your document, select the library to which you’d like to upload it, include a description (optional), select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional) and choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). You can choose to upload an image associated with your file, or let the system automatically generate one from the file itself.
- Then click “Next.”
- Browse and upload your file. Click “Next” if you want to add tags to your file or click “Finish” (you may have to scroll down to access these buttons).
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 videos.
Q: What are the “tags” for?
A: Tags are another way of organizing and searching for documents. You can help others find the file you uploaded by including tags when you upload it. There are many pre-loaded tag categories to choose from. To include a tag, type “#” plus the related word, followed by “Enter.” An example would be “#Technology” or “#GlobalMeeting.”