Draft online help files

MMS Help Files Text

Foundation for Earth Science Member Management System Documentation

Users:

Login: To login, visit http://www.esipfed.org/news_center/user/ and enter your complete e-mail address and password. Click ‘Login’ to enter the User Admin Home.

You will be directed to the ‘User Admin Home’ page which serves as a dashboard of all of your upcoming meetings or activities as well as news.

Manage your profile and preferences: The first thing you need to do is ‘Manage your profile and preferences,’ which can be found at the top of the page underneath the horizontal blue navigation bar. Click ‘Manage your profile and preferences.’

Notice that there are two tabs, Contact Details and Profile. If you update any information on one tab, you must hit the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of that tab before switching to the other, or all updated information will be lost. When switching between the two tabs, a pop-up message will appear asking, “If you have not saved your changes they will be lost. Do you wish to continue?” If you would like to view the other tab click ‘OK’ or click ‘Cancel’ to remain on the current tab.

Contact Details: Enter your first, middle and last names into the appropriate fields, along with suffix or any credentials, if applicable. You will also need to enter your company name, address, phone numbers and e-mail address. The last item on the Contact Details page is your password, currently showing as asterisks (*) for security purposes. You will need to type your password into the ‘Re-enter Password’ field each time you make a change to your contact details. Should you wish to change your password, you will need to enter in a new password into the ‘Password’ field and re-type the same password in the ‘Re-enter Password’ field. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page to save your updated information.

If you have omitted a required field or the system finds an error with your data, a warning message will appear and indicate in red where the error occurred. Please review your data carefully and change any necessary information to be accurate. Click ‘Save’ to re-submit your information.

You can update your ‘Contact Details’ at any time by re-visiting this page. Remember to click ‘Save’ at the conclusion of your updates to avoid any lost data.

Profile: The other tab on the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ page is ‘Profile,’ where you can update your skills and interests as well as the committees and/or organizations to which you belong.

Interests: The first information field is ‘Interests’ which lists all of the current interests to which you are currently associated. If there are no current interests, a ‘No Records’ message will appear instead. To add or manage your interests, click ‘Add New Interests’ which is denoted by the green and white plus icon (herein referred to as the ‘add’ icon). You will then be directed to the ‘Modify Interests’ page, where you will see a list of available interest categories in the box on the left. A list of ‘Your Interests’ appears on the right, and will include the same interests, if any, that appeared on the previous page.

In the box on the left, a list of all possible interests appears. Browse down the list of interests until you find the particular interest you would like to add, and then click on the ‘add’ icon beside it. If the interest has been added successfully, you will notice an ‘Interest has been associated’ message at the top of the screen and the newly added item appears in the ‘Your Interests’ column on the right. You may repeat this process an unlimited number of times until all of your interests have been associated.

To delete an associated interest, click the red and white ‘x’ icon (herein referred to as the ‘delete’ icon) that appears beside the interest you would like to delete. You may delete interests in one of two places: from the ‘Your Interests’ list on this page, or from the Interests box on the main ‘Profile’ page.

To go back to the main ‘Profile’ page, follow the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page rather than using the ‘Go Back’ feature.

Skills: Below the ‘Interests’ box on the main ‘Profile’ page, you will see a box that contains the skills that you have associated with your account. If there are no current skills, a ‘No Records’ message will appear instead. To add or manage your skills, click the ‘Add New Skills/Expertise’ beside the ‘add’ icon. You will then be directed to the ‘Modify Skills’ page, where you will see a list of available skill categories in the box on the left. A list of ‘Your Skills’ appears on the right, and will include the same list of skills, if any, that appeared on the previous page.

In the box on the left, a list of all possible skills appears. Browse down the list of skills until you find the particular skill you would like to add, and then click on the ‘add’ icon beside it. If the skill has been added successfully, you will notice a ‘Skill has been associated’ message at the top of the screen and the newly added item appears in the ‘Your Skills’ column on the right.

Because there are varying levels of skills and expertise, you will need to select the appropriate level for each of the skills to which you are associated. Your choices include ‘Interest, but novice,’ ‘Experienced,’ ‘Expert,’ and ‘Expert for pay.’ Select the appropriate skill level and click ‘Update Skills.’ You may repeat adding a new skill and its corresponding skill level an unlimited number of times until all of your skills have been associated.

To delete an associated skill, click the ‘delete’ icon that appears beside the skill you would like to delete. You may delete skills in one of two places: from the ‘Your Skills’ list on this page, or from the Skills box on the main ‘Profile’ page.

To go back to the main ‘Profile’ page, follow the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page rather than using the ‘Go Back’ feature.

Notice on the main ‘Profile’ page that there is a box titled ‘Skills/Expertise Details.’ This field is open-ended, and is available for you to type in additional skills or expertise areas that you would either like to elaborate on or for a skill or expertise not listed in the ‘Modify Skills’ page. After you have entered information into this open-ended field, you will need to click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page immediately, or any entered information will be lost.

Organizations: From the main ‘Profile’ page, notice towards the bottom a section for ‘Organizations.’ This box will contain a list of organizations to which you belong. If there are no joined organizations, a ‘No Records’ message will appear instead. To join new or manage existing organizations, click the ‘Add New Organization’ beside the ‘add’ icon. You will then be directed to the ‘Manage Organizations’ page, where you have the ability to search all of the database’s organizations. You can also access the ‘Manage Organizations’ page by clicking on the ‘User Center’ button from the blue navigation bar at the top of the page and selecting ‘Search Organizations.’

You may view organizations by browsing the entire list or filtering the list by searching certain keywords or criteria to narrow down the results. To perform a search, enter a keyword from the organization name or Web site you would like to join in the ‘Name/Website’ field. You may choose to search through active organizations only by clicking in the box next to ‘Active.’ If this box is not checked, note that some returned results may be inactive. You can also search possible organizations by ‘Type’ based on public or restricted access. The ‘Active’ and ‘Type’ features are not required to perform a search. When you have configured the search data to your specific needs, select from the drop-down menu the number of records you’d like to see per page, then click the ‘Filter Results’ icon to receive your results. Organizations that meet your criteria will be listed below the search box.

To browse all the organizations, do not enter in any search criteria and the entire list appears below the search box.

Whether returned as a search result or viewed from the entire list, each organization listed will display the following information: Organization Name, Website, Phone Number and Type (public or restricted). These fields provide a glimpse of the organization, while clicking on the ‘Details’ link before each organization will display more information. To join an organization, you will need to click on ‘Details’ beside the appropriate organization.

Selecting ‘Details’ allows you to see the following information: ‘Short Name,’ to which it may commonly be referred, the ‘Organization Affiliation’ and address information. If after viewing the organization’s details you wish to join the particular organization, you will need to click the ‘Join Group’ at the bottom of the page. If you have successfully joined the group, a message that reads ‘You have been successfully added as a member’ will appear in the top of the Organization Details box on this same page.

To return to the main ‘Profile’ page or to join another Organization, follow the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page rather than using the ‘Go Back’ feature.

You may repeat these steps to join an organization an unlimited number of times until you have joined the desired organizations.

To remove yourself from an organization, click on the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page. Click on the ‘Profile’ tab and find the box that contains the Organizations to which you belong. Click on the ‘delete’ icon beside the organization you wish to remove.

Committees: From the main ‘Profile’ page, notice the section labeled ‘Committees.’ This box will contain a list of committees to which you belong. If there are no joined committees, a ‘No Records’ message will appear instead. To join new or manage existing committees, click the ‘Add New Committee’ beside the ‘add’ icon. You will then be directed to the ‘Manage Committees’ page, where you have the ability to search all of the database’s committees. You can also access the ‘Manage Committees’ page by clicking on the ‘User Center’ button from the blue navigation bar at the top of the page and selecting ‘Search Committees.’

You may view committees by browsing the entire list or filtering the list by searching certain keywords or criteria to narrow down the results. To perform a search, enter a keyword from the organization name you would like to join in the ‘Name’ field. You may choose to search through active organizations only by clicking in the box next to ‘Active.’ If this box is not checked, note that some returned results may be inactive. The ‘Active’ feature is not required to perform a search. When you have configured the search data to your specific needs, select from the drop-down menu the number of records you’d like to see per page, then click the ‘Filter Results’ icon to receive your results. Committees that meet your criteria will be listed below the search box.

To browse all the committees, do not enter in any search criteria and the entire list appears below the search box.

Whether returned as a search result or viewed from the entire list, each committee listed will display the Committee Name, and Notes about the committee. Clicking on the ‘Details’ link before each committee will display more information. To join a committee, you will need to click on ‘Details’ beside the appropriate committee.

If after viewing the committee’s details you wish to join the particular committee, you will need to click the ‘Join Group’ at the bottom of the page. If you have successfully joined the group, a message that reads ‘You have been successfully added as a member’ will appear in the top of the Committee Details box on this same page.

To return to the main ‘Profile’ page or to join another Committee, follow the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page rather than using the ‘Go Back’ feature.

You may repeat these steps to join a committee an unlimited number of times until you have joined all of your desired committees.

To remove yourself from a committee, click on the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page. Click on the ‘Profile’ tab and find the box that contains the list of Committees to which you belong. Click on the ‘delete’ icon beside the committee from which you wish to be removed.

Working Groups: From the main ‘Profile’ page, notice the section labeled ‘Working Groups.’ This box will contain a list of working groups to which you belong. If there are no joined working groups, a ‘No Records’ message will appear instead. To join new or manage existing working groups, click the ‘Add New Working Group’ beside the ‘add’ icon. You will then be directed to the ‘Manage Working Groups’ page, where you have the ability to search the entire database’s working groups. You can also access the ‘Manage Working Groups’ page by clicking on the ‘User Center’ button from the blue navigation bar at the top of the page and selecting ‘Search Working Groups.’

You may view working groups by browsing the entire list or filtering the list by searching certain keywords or criteria to narrow down the results. To perform a search, enter a keyword from the working group name you would like to join in the ‘Name’ field. You may choose to search through active working groups only by clicking in the box next to ‘Active.’ If this box is not checked, note that some returned results may be inactive. The ‘Active’ feature is not required to perform a search. When you have configured the search data to your specific needs, select from the drop-down menu the number of records you’d like to see per page, then click the ‘Filter Results’ icon to receive your results. Working Groups that meet your criteria will be listed below the search box.

To browse all the working groups, do not enter in any search criteria and the entire list appears below search box.

Whether returned as a search result or viewed from the entire list, each working group listed will display the Working Group Name, and Notes about the group. Clicking on the ‘Details’ link before each group will display more information. To join a working group, you will need to click on ‘Details’ beside the appropriate group.

If after viewing the group’s details you wish to join the particular group, you will need to click the ‘Join Group’ at the bottom of the page. If you have successfully joined the group, a message that reads ‘You have been successfully added as a member’ will appear in the top of the Working Group Details box on this same page.

To return to the main ‘Profile’ page or to join another Working Group, follow the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page rather than using the ‘Go Back’ feature.

You may repeat these steps to join a working group an unlimited number of times until you have joined all of your desired groups.

To remove yourself from a working group, click on the ‘Manage your profile and preferences’ link from the top of the page. Click on the ‘Profile’ tab and find the box that contains the list of Working Groups to which you belong. Click on the ‘delete’ icon beside the group from which you wish to be removed.

Admin

User Admin Home: The User Admin Home serves as a dashboard for all of your associated groups and communication channels.

Upcoming Meetings/Activities: If any of your associated groups have schedule any upcoming meetings or activities, the information would be displayed for you in this section of the ‘Admin Home’ page. If there are no meetings scheduled for your associated groups, a ‘No Meetings’ message appears instead. Notice that this section is informational only, and does not allow you to edit or manage any prospective meetings.

News: If any of your associated groups have news items to share with its members, the information would be displayed for you in this section of the ‘Admin Home’ page. If there are no news items for your associated groups, a ‘No News’ message appears instead. Notice that this section is informational only, and does not allow you to edit or manage any news items.

Committee Chairs: Administrative committee moderators have the ability to assign committee members to become a Committee Chair. If the Administrative moderator of a committee you belong to has assigned you as a chair, the name of that committee would appear in this section.

To see your fellow Committee Chairs, click on the committee name from this section and you will be directed to a directory that includes the name and contact information for each chair.

Click the ‘Home’ link from the top of the page to return to the User Admin Home.

Your Subscribed Communication Channels: When you join a committee, organization or working group that has a mailing list, your e-mail address will be subscribed to that list automatically. In the ‘Your Subscribed Communication Channels’ section, you will see a list of all the mailing lists to which you belong. To manage which lists you belong to, click on the ‘Update Channels’ link below the list. You will be directed to the ‘Manage Channels’ page in which you will see all of the committees, organizations and working groups to which you belong.

Beside each of the listed groups is a column for ‘Yes’ and a column for ‘No.’ The groups that have a solid, or selected, circle in the ‘Yes’ column will be groups that you will receive e-mails from. To opt-out of a group’s mailing list, click the circle under the respective ‘No’ column. Click ‘Save’ to make your selections final.

You can also view ‘Your Subscribed Communication Channels’ by clicking on the ‘Communicate’ link from the blue navigation bar at the top of the page.

Click the ‘Home’ link from the top of the page to return to the User Admin Home.

Search Options: This section contains links to search for Committees, Organizations and Working Groups. The instructions for searching each of these group types can be found above in Committees, Organizations, and Working Groups. These same links can be found by clicking ‘User Center’ from the blue navigation bar at the top and selecting the desired group you’d like to search.

Logout: At the end of your session, you should always remember to Logout from the system. Click the ‘Logout’ link underneath the blue navigation bar at the top to logout. Logging out after each session ensures that your information is protected.

Comments

My general impression is that the documentation is more akin to a design document than a step-by-step set of instructions on using the system.

User Side

Login: Login performed correctly.
Contact details performed correctly
Profile details seem to be okay
Interests could not be tested until populated with ontology
Skills could not be tested unitl the ontology is loaded
Organizations - tried to add an organization and only 1 member organization appears; must filter results to get list to appear.

when I use the 'go back' link, I get an "Web Page Has Expired" message

Committees - committees do not display when you click to 'add a committee". must filter results & then the committee list displays

when I use the 'go back' link from the Committees page, I get an "Web Page Has Expired" message

Working Groups - only 1 WG appears until you filter results.

tried to add an organization and only 1 member organization appears; must filter results to get list to appear.

this 'go back' link worked from the top level page

Other non-documentation testing comments

Strange section came up on the dashboard for "Committee Chairs" - should that be "Committees"?

When I switched to the Profile tab, the note about needing to save changes is not stretched across scrren in IE 7.0.xx

On the Profile tab under Working Groups, why is ESIPALL a Working Group?

On the Profile tab under Committees, we are missing the Finance & Appropriations Committee

User authority levels - should this be documented?

Working Groups - do all appear that are available or just those that a user is authorized to join?

Admin Side

Upcoming Meetings/Activities - I don' see a box with this language on my Admin Home page
News - this seems to work as written; it would be helpful to have a written description of the date fields you're required to input; is old news archived or is it simply deleted when the red x is hit?
Committee Chairs - I did not see any of the information related to committee chairs, including how to assign someone. Is this functionality there? I tried to make Tamara Ledley chair of the Education Committee - would I make her an Admin? or is there separate functionality for the chair.
Your Subscribed Channel Communications - 'go back' link has resulted in a "page expired" error
Search Options - on which screen is the search options? I cannot find on the admin panel, only on the admin home page.

Why is there an admin panel & an admin home page?

My User Home Page is called "Admin Home"

My Admin Home Page is called "Admin Home"

The search function is on the User side so this section should probably be reflected in the User Side documentaiton

The search function requires you to filter results to see any of the list, other than the first entry. Shouldn't all display as a default?

Logout - works swimmingly!

Non-Documentation issues:

when subscribing to a WG/Committee/Org, you have to control-click your name or else all others are overwritten (just happened in the WG section). We need to be able to add individuals without erasing the other subscribers as this has the potential (with the long lists) of creating a lot of errors.