Help Documents

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ASA Central Help Documents

Use the documents listed here to learn how to post messages, search the member directory, or find documents in the extensive industry-wide and sector-specific document libraries on ASA Central. If you have additional questions, use the contact button to email the ASA Central community manager, or call 703-253-2020.

These screenshot guides will help ASA members navigate the various aspects of ASA Central and maintain their ASA credentials.

Screenshot Guide - How to Engage on ASA Central

Screenshot Guide - How to Maintain your ASA Credential 

FAQs

General | Top

Q: What is my username/password?

A: Your login credentials are the same username and password that you have used until now. If you have forgotten your login credentials or need assistance with your login information, click here.

Q: How do I update my contact information?

A: On your profile page, select the pencil icon next to the information you're looking to update in the left column.

Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?

A: 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.


Q: I'm having trouble receiving emails from ASA Central. How do I fix this?

A: Community emails will come from mail@connectedcommunity.org and donotreply@connectedcommunity.org. If you use an employer- or organization-based email address, ask your IT department or vendor to add the @connectedcommunity.org domain to your organization's allowlist. For detailed instructions and instructions for specific email providers, our community platform can provide further instructions here. 



Contacts / Connections | Top

Q: How do I find other members?

A: Check out the “Directories" tab to connect with other members. You can search for other users based on:
  • First and/or last name
  • Email address
  • Location
  • Other industry and demographic information

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 their 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:  From the “My Communities” page, click on “Communities I Can Join” from the second drop-down menu. You will 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).

We recommend starting with our Section Communities & Interest Groups if you're looking to join another community.

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, you can view and control your subscription options.  

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.
  • Consolidated Digest: Allows you to combine multiple communities into one notification email. 

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 "Leave Community” under the Actions column for the discussions you wish to leave, and update the ones you wish to unsubscribe from to "no email."

Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?

A: To respond to a discussion post, navigate to the discussion post and click “Reply" to send your message to the entire community.  To send a message to the only author of the post, select “Reply Privately” (located in the "Reply" drop-down).  We recommend replying privately for simple comments like “me, too” that add little value to the overall discussion. We recommend 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: From the homepage, you can click the "Post a Message" quick link. In community pages, look for "Add" or "Post New Message" buttons.  From an email for a particular discussion group, you can use the “Post Message” link located at the top of the discussion email. Each community also has a unique email address. Save that to your address book, and easily start a new post like you would a regular email.

Q: I’m having trouble viewing the HTML email messages. How do I fix this?

A: If images are not appearing, and you're unable to enable their appearance, 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, enter a keyword in the search bar located in the main navigation. To refine your search results, select one or more facets from the menu on the left side.

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. From an individual discussion thread, you can also click "Back to discussions." If you see a post you’re interested in, click the subject line which will take you to the entire thread.