FAQs

General

Contacts / Connections Communities / Discussions Resources Libraries

General | Top

Q: What is my username/password?
A: You will use the same username and password that you use to log in to the MyASTC site. If you have forgotten your login credentials, please use the "forgot username" and "forgot password" links on the login page. If you are still having problems, please contact us.

Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?
A: Click your profile image in the upper right corner of the page, then click the Profile button. On your profile page, click the My Account tab, then click Privacy Settings from the drop down menu. When you're finished changing your settings, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Q: How do I change my title/address/phone number?
A: To change this information in your community.astc.org profile, you'll first need to change it in the ASTC database. Please go to members.astc.org and login with the same username and password you use for the ASTC Community site. Next, click Profile in the top navigation bar. On this page, you can edit any of your information by clicking the pencil icon in the upper right corner of each box. When you've finished saving your changes, click Community in the top navigation bar to be directed back the community.astc.org. Click My Profile in the top navigation bar, then click Refresh Member Data beneath your contact information. Your profile should now be updated. (See a video  and PDF with these instructions here.)


Contacts / Connections | Top

Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?
A: There are several ways to add contacts. When you hover your cursor over someone's name, you will see a “Contact Request” button in box that appears. Just click this link to send a contact request. If you click through and view an individual’s profile, you can click the "Add as Contact" button above their profile information.

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, or even build a 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 information in your profile that others can't.


Communities / Discussions | Top

Q: What are communities?
A: Communities allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with other members.

Q: To what communities to I already belong?
A: Click Communities in the navigation bar, then click My Communities from the drop down menu to view the communities of which you are currently a member. 

Q: How do I join/subscribe to a community and the affiliated Discussion Group?
A: Click Communities in the navigation bar, then click All Communities from the drop down menu to see a list of available communities. Click the "Join" button next to the Community that you wish to join. You will then be asked to choose an email notification option for the community's discussion.

Q: How do I start a new Community of Practice?
A: ASTC welcomes and encourages proposals from the field for new Communities of Practice. If you are interested in forming a new Community of Practice (CoP), please take a moment to review ASTC's eligibility requirements below before submitting your proposal.

Eligibility:
  • Primary CoP contact must be an ASTC member or employed by an ASTC-member institution
  • Must have a specific issue or audience identified (e.g. Explainers and Facilitators, CEOs, Developing Content about Energy in Science Centers, Volunteer Management, etc.)
  • Should have a preliminary engagement plan developed (e.g., conference calls, in-person meetings, webinars, chat forum, etc.), including draft timeline for implementation
  • Must identify a legacy product for sharing CoP output with the field (e.g. white paper, presentation archives, annual conference session, ASTC Dimensions article, astc.org blog post, etc.)
For CoP consideration, please contact ASTC's Professional Development team. You can find the CoP proposal form here.

Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?
A: Click Communities in the navigation bar, then click 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
  • Plain Text: sends real-time, plain text versions of the posts. 
  • 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 see a video or PDF of this process here.

Q: How do I leave a community or unsubscribe from a discussion?
A: To leave a community, click Communities in the navigation bar then click Notifications from the drop down menu. Click the arrow next to the Edit Email button on the line of the community you wish to leave, then click Leave Community. Please note that you may not be able to unsubscribe from certain communities. In those (rare) cases, simple choose No Emails from the Notification drop down menu.

Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
A: To reply via the ASTC Community site, click the Reply to Discussion button to the right of the message to which you'd like to reply. To send a message to the poster of the message, click the arrow next to Reply to Discussion, then click Reply to Sender. To reply from an email notification, click Reply All Online to be directed to the website or Reply All Email to respond via your email client. (See a video and PDF about posting to a discussion here.)

Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
A: Go to the community in which you wish to start a discussion, click on the Discussion tab, then click the Post New Message button. From an email for a particular discussion forum, you can use the "Post New Message Online" or "Post New Message via Email" links at the top of the message. (See a video and PDF about posting to a discussion here.)

Q: I’m having trouble viewing the HTML email messages. How do I fix this?
A: If images are not appearing, it is likely that your email client is set to suppress images. This should be something you can change in your security or viewing options. If you would rather receive plain text emails, click Communities in the navigation bar, click Notifications from the drop down menu, then choose the Plain Text option in the Notification drop down menu for each community.

Q: How do I change the information showing up in my signature block?
A: If you would like to change the information that appears or the order in which it appears, click your profile image in the upper right corner of the page, then click the Profile button. Click the My Account tab, then Discussion Signature from the drop down menu. You can add, delete, or reorganize the fields that show in your signature by clicking the variables on the right-hand side of the screen. Please note that the content of these fields is pulled directly from your profile.

 


Resource Libraries | Top

Q: How are the resource libraries populated?
A: The resource libraries are populated in two ways: Community members can upload items directly by using the Create New Library Entry button found in each community's Resources tab. That is to say, resources are not required to be associated with a discussion. Alternately, when you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the resource library.

Q: How do I upload a file?
A: Navigate to the desired community and click the Resources tab, then click the Create New Library Entry" button above the list of resources. Follow the prompts to add information about the resource you are uploading. (See a video and PDF on how to use the resource libraries here.)

Q: What kind of files can I upload?
A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), images, and YouTube 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 selecting the appropriate tags when you upload it.