Quick Start Guide

GETTING STARTED IN THE LOFT
Make the most of your experience in THE LOFT 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 our online community.

LOG IN
Your log in credentials should be the same as the username and password you've created for logging into our website. Your username is your email for your AGO member account.

SET UP YOUR PROFILE
Click on the circle with your initials in the upper right area of the screen to access your profile and you will be taken to your profile within THE LOFT. This profile will look a little different from your iMIS profile on the website and offers an opportunity to share more information about your education, professional history, and accomplishments.

Tell us about yourself: Is this what you really look like? Upload a profile picture and add some information to your profile, so it is easier to find and connect with like-minded peers.

Emily Christman

Customize your profile settings: While on your profile page, click on the tab for My Account. Here you can set up how you prefer to receive emails from your communities, how much of your profile you want visible to other members, design the signature area that appears under your discussion posts, and more.

If you have any questions about what a certain setting means, please email a Community Manager at members@agohq.org.

Member Directory:  ONLY AGO MEMBERS CAN ACCESS THE MEMBER DIRECTORY. YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IS NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.

Privacy settings: Some members may wish to opt out of the searchable member directory OR limit the types of information that is available, such as address, phone number, or email address. It is very easy to change these settings. Within the My Account tab, select Privacy Settings. (Fig. 1) 

Fig. 1

After that page loads, you can switch the blue button to NO to remove yourself completely, or change the settings for individual options. (Fig. 2) NOTE: All minors have automatically been Opted OUT of the membership directory. 

Fig. 2



Email Delivery Options: You can control the frequency of notifications you receive from THE LOFT:

  • Instant Alerts - Real time messages as members engage in conversations. 
  • Daily Digest - A single email each day with the latest posts in your community.
  • Weekly Digest - A single email delivered each Saturday morning with all the posts from your community.
  • No Emails - Log in to THE LOFT each time to see the latest posts and respond.

Build your contact list: Select Directory from the top navigation bar to find friends and colleagues in the AGO. Creating a contact list helps identify relationships and build searchable networks. The Advanced Search option offers further parameters for making connections.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Posting a Message:

1. Select “Add” next to the Latest Discussions or “Post New Message” if on the Discussions page. 
2. You can upload attachments (attachments will automatically be added to the specified community library).
3. You can @mention specific members in THE LOFT. 
Start a New Thread:
Post to a community - This will show you the communities that you have joined.  Select the community for your post.
Discussion Subject:

*You can save a draft of the post. The system will also automatically start saving your message once you start adding content. You can schedule a post to go live at a certain time. To access your scheduled posts and drafts, go to Profile > My Contributions tab > List of Contributions.

Reply to a Sample Discussion:

  • Reply: Reply to the entire thread. 
  • Reply Privately: Sends a private response to the member’s community inbox.
  • Mark As Inappropriate: If a member's post clearly violates the community Code of Conduct, you can flag it to be reviewed by community management team.

Share a Resource: If you are on the community homepage, you can access the library by clicking on the Library tab.

*You will notice that there are two different ways to view the community library content (list or folder). The default view is the folder view. 


To add a new library item select "Create New Library Entry". Complete the required fields on the library entry form: Title, Library, Description, Entry Type. Based on the Entry type you select you will need to take additional steps after you select next.

WHAT NOW?

  • Let us know you're here: Say hello and share what you are hoping to gain by participating.
  • Ask questions: What would you like to know more about? Have a question about anything from professional development to everyday problems? There's someone out there with the answer.
  • Share ideas: Is there a hot topic you want to discuss? How about a lesson you've learned that might help your fellow members? Start a discussion thread to give others a peek inside your world or to demonstrate your expertise on a topic.
  • Give feedback: Use your knowledge and experience to answer other members' questions. Just click Reply to the right of any discussion post, or comment underneath a library entry. 
  • Spread knowledge: Check out our useful Resources, such as the Resource Library, to see what others have uploaded and keep the sharing going.