General
Contacts / Connections
Communities / Discussions
Library / Resources
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 AAPS website. If you have forgotten your login credentials or you need assistance with your login information,
contact us at [email protected].
Q: How do I update my contact information?
A: On your profile page, 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: Navigate to your profile page within the communities, 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.
Q: How is this different than existing social media?
A: The AAPS Community is not a social media platform; it is instead a password-secured collaboration site for members that is better compared to Basecamp or SharePoint. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter seek to have as many users as possible, have no particular topical focus, and value sharing information and opinions with the public. The AAPS Communities are not open to the public – members must be logged in to access any content – and encourages those members to discuss topics of concern to the pharmaceutical science community in an effort to support one another with knowledge-sharing. This is similar to the expectations AAPS has of any member’s behavior when attending a face-to-face meeting.
Contacts / Connections | Top
Q: How do I find other members?
A: Click the “Network" or "Directory” link found in the main navigation bar. The Directory lets you search for other users based on:
- First and/or last name
- Company/Institution name
- Email address
- Interests
Switch to the “Advanced Search” tab to refine your search results by:
- City
- State
- Country
- Community Type
Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?
A: There are two ways:
- Click the “Add as Contact” button to the right of each person listed in the results of a Directory search. A request will be sent to the individual.
- Click the contact request link to the right of an individual’s profile picture when viewing their profile. A request will be sent to the individual.
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 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: The AAPS Communities are an online platform that allow you to participate in and read discussions, as well as share resources with other pharmaceutical scientists around the world. The Communities will help you to forge new relationships while expanding your knowledge about a topic, and will give you a pulse on what topics are on others’ minds. AAPS has two types of Communities:
- The main AAPS Community is open to AAPS members and nonmembers who have an account with AAPS.
- AAPS also has members-only Group Communities that unite members with a common interest in a specific topic. Group Communities develop learning opportunities and encourage members in specialized areas to participate in open, dynamic communications with colleagues tackling similar challenges.
Join AAPS or update your profile to access the main AAPS Community or the Group Communities.
Q: Which 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 The AAPS Community?
A: AAPS members will automatically be placed into the AAPS Community as part of their membership. Nonmembers can participate in the AAPS Community by creating a new account at members.aaps.org and paying the membership dues.
Q: How do I join a science focused group community, located under the “Communities” and “Group Communities” tab?
A:
- AAPS has over 20 science communities that are members-only. Pharmaceutical scientists will need to become an active AAPS member first by signing up at members.aaps.org.
- Once a member, you will see an orange “Join” button next to the group community on the AAPS Communities site.
- Click “Join.” This will take you to members.aaps.org.
- Select the “Communities” tab at the top.
- Check the boxes of the communities you wish to join and hit “Save”
- You will then automatically be placed into these communities.
Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?
A: Navigate to your profile and click 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 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 "Leave Community” under the Actions column for the discussions you wish to leave.
Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
A: To respond to a discussion post, navigate to the discussion post and click “Reply to Discussion” to send your message to the entire community.
To send a message only to the author of the post, 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 discussion. Reply 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: Go to “Participate,” then select “Post a message.” From an email (HTML version) 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 is 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 the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Select the “Plain Text” format option for each of the discussions to which you are subscribed.
Q: Can I search for posts across all the communities?
A: Yes, enter a keyword in the search bar located in the main navigation. To refine your search results, 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 community’s page. Click through the community's landing page, then click 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.
Q: I’m not receiving the digest emails. How do I fix this?
A: There may be a few reasons you aren’t receiving the digest emails, including spam filters and junk email settings. To ensure our emails continue to reach your inbox, add
[email protected] to your Safe Senders List in your email client. For more step-by-step directions dependent on your email client, review the
Email Troubleshooting.
Q: How do I post anonymously?
A: When you are on the screen drafting your new post, you will see a small box right above the “Subject” line with the words “Post message anonymously.” Click the box next to this and your message will appear from an anonymous user.
Q: How do I save my message as a draft?
A: When you are posting a new message or reply, you will see the option to "Save as Draft" at the bottom of the dialogue box. To find your drafts, go to your profile, click the "Contributions" tab, click "List of Contributions", and look for contributions that have the "Draft" button assigned to it.
Q: Will I be notified if someone replies to a thread I started?
A: Yes! You will receive real-time participation emails as people reply to a thread/message you started. You can opt out of receiving these notifications by clicking on an "unsubscribe" link in the real-time participation email.
Q: How do I follow a thread so I get notifications when new replies are posted on it?
A: You will see the outline of a star next to each thread subject line. If you click on the star, it will become filled in, which means you are now following the thread and will receive real-time participation emails when replies are posted. If you decide to no longer follow the thread, you can click the star again to stop receiving real-time participation emails.
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 My Communities or Group Communities page. Click through the community's landing page, then click 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 a 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 “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 “Share a File” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "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 the “Share a File” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "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, click “Next.”
- Upload your file.
- Select “Next” if you want to further describe your files and/or add tags to your file. Otherwise, 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 a great way to organize and categorize content on your site. Tags can be used by inserting the “@” symbol before typing any name (a dropdown will then appear where you can click to select this name), and can be applied to posts, library entries, and events. Tagged items are prioritized in the search results.