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New to Sedaa GBT? Trying to figure out how to do something? Did you just discover how to do something? This is the spot for you.
Any questions or comments? Please post a comment.
Everybody’s Talking: Using the My Dialogue Function
What’s Going On: Calendar and Events
Discussion Forum
Making Your Profile Appealing to Other Members
Ways to Invite Members to Join Your Network (updated 21 July, 2009)
EVERYBODY'S TALKING: USING THE DIALOGUE FUNCTION
Sedaa's GBT offers a multi-level Dialogue function that allows you to create a "My Dialogue" list of members of Sedaa's GBT with whom you want to have live dialogues - regardless of whether they are part of your personal network.
Not only can you can start an individual chat with another member from your "My Dialogue" list when you see that they are logged in, but you can create a Group Dialogue and have real-time conversations with members of that group - conversations in which multiple members can participate at the same time. Examples of Dialogue Groups include members from a particular country, members working on a project, members of a sub-community, or members with a similar interest (Change Management, Leadership Development, etc.).
Want to chat? Check it out!
WHAT'S GOING ON: CALENDAR AND EVENTS
Organizational Development professionals are some of the most inquisitive, knowledge-hungry people on the planet. That means we are always planning and attending events, writing and reading articles and white papers, and comparing notes with others. The Calendar tab is a doorway to a schedule of events sponsored for and by professionals like you!
1) Who is it for?
* Any member can view and register for events.
* VIP members can create and post events.
2) How do I view events?
* Place your mouse over the Calendar tab and click on Events, or click on the Calendar tab. This will bring up a calendar page for the current month with several options available.
* Place your mouse over a blue-highlighted date to view a list of events on that date and click on an event to view its description and register.
* Search Event By: You can select from the pull-down menu, or you can type a keyword (Maximizing, Thought, etc.) or month (Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.,) in the Search box.
* Clicking on the View All Events link is the quickest way to bring up all future events, but the default sort for the list is the events’ creation date.
TIP #1: When you click on a specific event, you can register for it by clicking the Register For The Event button. Note: The My Calendar function shows events that you have created, not events for which you have registered. Once you have registered, you can add the event to your Outlook calendar by clicking the button that appears.
TIP #2: To view events for a specific country, use the Global Connect tab to select a country, click on Events in the box on the left of your screen, and then select View All Events. Only the events for the country you selected will show. To view global events and teleconferences, be sure to use the Calendar tab.
New and exciting events are being scheduled all the time, so check them out!
DISCUSSION FORUM: Do you have a topic about which you want to share information and solicit comments from others? Discussions are a great option.
1) To access GBT Discussions, place your mouse over the Member’s Wall tab and select Discussion Forum. This will bring up a list of all public discussions.
2) Scroll through the list of discussions; to open and read a discussion and its comments, you can either click on the title or on the Read More link.
3) Any member can post a comment or question in response to a discussion by clicking on the Post Comment box.
4) VIP members can launch discussions by clicking on the Create Discussion box when the Discussion Forum page is open. Once created, you can maintain your discussion simply by clicking on the Edit link below your discussion summary.
5) Reading another member’s discussion or comment may make you curious about them. You can pull up their profile simply by clicking on their name. From there, you can invite them to join your network (see below).
6) Maybe you want to contact the author of a discussion or comment and respond privately. Click on his or her name to pull up their profile, and click on “Send Private Message.” This will generate an email to their personal email account. (This message will not be anonymous.)
TIP #1: I find it helpful to write my discussions in my word processing program and then paste them into the discussion forum. This helps with spell checking and formatting.
TIP #2: The Discussion program does not recognize fancy formatting, such as tabs, boldface text or underlines, so they will disappear when you paste your entry into the discussion.
TIP #3: You can add "tags" to your discussion that not only make it easier for other members to search for and find discussions on topics of interest, but external search engines can see them as well. Be sure to add "tags" or keywords, including your name or username, to the Tags box.
TIP #4: You can also control the frequency with which you receive alerts about new discussions and comments by mousing over the Member's Wall tab and selecting "Public Setting."
For more information, search for “Discussion” in the Search FAQ section of the Learning Center.
MAKING YOUR PROFILE APPEALING TO OTHER MEMBERS will help them want to connect with you. If you have viewed the profiles of other members, you may have wished for more information about them. Similarly, other members may be wishing for more information about you. Here are some things to consider:
1) Expand the Interest section of your profile. This is your introduction to the rest of the community.
* Your Interests should reflect the areas of expertise you would like to share. This may take some thought, as we all tend to take certain assets for granted. You may not think it impressive that you are a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or a certified MBTI trainer, but someone who wishes to learn more about those areas will.
* Your Interests should also reflect areas about which you would like to learn more. Perhaps, like me, you want to find other OD professionals who are integrating a special skill such as photography with their OD work. This is your chance to make that known.
2) Attach at least one picture to your profile.
* Few of us like to see pictures of ourselves, but attaching a picture will make you seem more real, more accessible.
* You can upload as many as five pictures. This offers you the opportunity to include photos of you enjoying special interests, and to promote your business by attaching your company’s logo. You can change, at your convenience, the default photo that appears with your profile.
TIP #1: There is a 200 character limit to the Interest section, and
TIP #2: Uploading photos and logos will be easiest if you first save them with a small file size or web-optimize them.
If you want to be more than a casual observer, this is an excellent place to start.
INVITE MEMBERS TO JOIN YOUR NETWORK
There are several ways to invite members to join your network. "But wait," you ask, "how do I know who I want to invite?" Excellent question.
1) You can target members in a particular country by clicking on the Global Connect tab, selecting a country, and clicking on Member's List. Click on a member’s Username or picture, and you can then view the profiles of members in that country, especially their Professions and Interests.
2) If you want to find OD practitioners with similar interests, irrespective of their location, simply type in a keyword, such as “change” in the Search Members box on your member's wall and click "Go". This will bring up a list of all members that include that word in either their Interest box or their Profession. Here too, you can click on a member to bring up his or her profile, review and review their interests.
In either case, if you want to invite them to join your network, simply click "Add as a Colleague." This will generate an invitation, including an email with a link to view the invitation, and an alert on their Member’s Wall.
"But wait," you ask, "what if I already know who I want to invite?" Good question. In that case, click on Join My Network on your Member's Wall and type the person's name in the search box. When they come up, check the box next to their picture and click “Invite Colleagues”. (You may include a message with the invitation.)
TIP #1: Make sure YOUR interests accurately reflect your experience and areas about which you would like to learn more, because other members will be looking at your profile, too! And remember, there is a 200 character limit to the Interest box.
TIP #2: Can't remember if you have invited another member to join your network? There are three ways to tell:
-> From your Member’s Wall, click on the My Colleagues link. When the list of your colleagues appears, click on the “View Pending Request” link at the top of the list. This will show all of your pending invitations.
-> If you have invited someone and you search for them from the Join My Network box on your Member's Wall, you will receive this message: “Member not found. You have either already invited this member or this member is not yet a member of Sedaa GBT’s on line community.”
-> If you pull up the profile of someone you have invited, the "Add as a Colleague" box will not appear beneath his or her photo. (Remember, click on their picture or Username to see their full profile and “Add as a Colleague” option.)
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