General
Communities / Discussions
Learning Community
Contacts / Connections
Library / Resources
Workspace
General | Top
Q: What is my username/password?
A: Your login credentials are the same username 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, please click
here.
Q: How do I update my contact information?
A: On your profile page, please select the pencil icon next to "Contact Details" in the left column.
Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?
A: Please navigate to your profile page, then select the "My Account" tab and 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 Changes” button at the bottom of the page.
Contacts / Connections | Top
Q: How do I find other members?
A: Click the “Search Members” link found in the main navigation bar. This tool is only available to AIC members (
join here). This directory lets you search for other users based on:
- First and/or last name (or first characters in the name)
- Company/Institution name
- Email address
Switch to the “Advanced Search” tab to refine your search results by:
- City
- State
- Country
- Community
- Education
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 an “Add as contact” button to the right of each person in your search results. Just click this button to send a contact request. If you click through and view an individual’s profile, you can click the contact request link to the right of his or her profile picture.
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 demographics 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: What communities do I already belong to?
A: Go to “Communities” in the main navigation bar. Select “My Communities” to view the communities you currently belong to.
Q: How do I join/subscribe to a community and the affiliated discussion group?
A: Click on “Communities” in the main navigation and click on “All Communities” in order 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 or No Email). If you don't see the option to join, please write to us. The community may be set up for members or participants only.
Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?
A: Navigate to your profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. On that page, there are subscription options: Real Time, Daily Digest, No Email.
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.
Q: How do I leave a community or unsubscribe from a discussion?
A: Go to your 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” under the Community Email column for the discussions you wish to leave.
Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
A: To respond to a discussion post, please navigate to the discussion post and click “Reply to Discussion” to send your message to the entire community. To send a message to the only author of the post, please select “Reply to Sender” (located in the "Reply to Discussion" drop-down). We recommend replying 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: Visit the community home and click the "Add" button, next to Latest Discussion Posts. If you're on the discussion tab, click "Post New Message." From an email (HTML version) digest for a particular discussion forum, you can use the “Post Message” link located at the top of the discussion email.
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 text-based email, go to your profile page and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Select the “Plain Text” format option for each of the discussions you are subscribed to.
Q: Can I search for posts across all the communities?
A: Yes, please enter a keyword in the search bar located in the main navigation. To refine your search results, please select "Show Advanced Search".
Q: How do I see a listing of all of 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 “Discussions” 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 of the posts in a thread will display the original message that started that discussion.
Learning Community | Top
Q: How do I register for a course, webinar, or other event?
A: Browse the catalog and select the Register button on the course page. The course will be added to your cart. When you are ready to finalize your registration, navigate to your Cart in the menu bar and follow the instructions to check out. You can add multiple items to your cart before checking out. You must go through the check out process to register even if the event is free.
Q: Where can I find the events I've registered for?
A: All of your registered events can be found by selecting My Dashboard under the Learning menu option.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: Upon check out, you will be able to pay by credit card. FAIC accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
Q: Can I cancel my event registration?
A: You can cancel a registration before checking out by simply removing the item from your cart. Refunds are generally not available for paid events.
Libraries | Top
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 affiliated community via the All 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.
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 "Show Advanced Search." Then click on “Search for Specific File Types.” This gives you the option to specify file type: Document, Image, Spreadsheet, etc.
Q: How do the libraries get populated?
A: The libraries are populated in two ways:
1. When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the affiliated library.
2. You can also upload documents directly to a library by using the "Create New Library Entry" button 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 New Library Entry" on any community landing page. Please note that uploading a document is accomplished by completing a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:
- Choose a title for your document, and include a description (optional). Select the library to which you’d like to upload it, and select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional). Then, choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). Once you have completed these steps, please click “Next.”
- Upload your file.
- Select “Next” if you want to further describe your files and/or add tags to your file. Otherwise, please click “Finish” to post your library entry
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 YouTube videos.
Q: What are the “tags” for?
A: Tags are great way to organize and categorize content on your site. Tags can be applied to blogs, library entries, events, and glossary terms. Tagged items are prioritized in the search results.
Q: What is Workspace?
A: Workspace helps communities work together more efficiently by providing tools for document development, voting, and collaborative work. Workspace is available in some, but not all, online communities.
Q: How do I start a new collaborative document?
A: The jot tool allows users to type (or copy and paste) text which can then be edited by all community members. To create a Jot, go to the Workspace tab in your community. Under the Add button, select Start a Jot. Name the document, select a folder to save it to. Click on the name of the document from the document list, then click on the blue “Latest revision” link to be taken to the latest version of the draft. You can review, edit, and add to the existing text. When you’ve completed your edits, simply click Return to Documents. If you select the Save As button, you will export the draft to a Word document. This should be done only when edits are complete.
Q: How do I upload a document for comments?
A: In the Workspace tab in your community, select Quick Add Document under the Add button. Select the Add File button and select the file you wish to upload. Choose whether the file is a Draft or Final version, select the folder to which it should be saved, and select your email preference. Click the Upload button.
Q: How do I comment on a document in Workspace?
A: In the Workspace tab in your community, select Documents. Find the draft you wish to comment on, and select Download to begin reading the file. Use the arrow next to the Download button to select Add Comment. Complete the fields provided, and save your comments by selecting the button at the bottom of the screen.