1. Sign up or log in to your account: If you are new to Connect the Arctic, you will need to sign up for an account. If you already have an account, log in to get started.
2. Complete your profile: Make sure to complete your profile so that other members of the community can get to know you. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen and choose 'My profile' and then hit the 'Edit profile' button. You can upload a profile image, add a bio, and share your expertise, interests, and other details.
3. Explore the community: Take some time to explore the community and get to know other members. You can join groups, participate in discussions, and connect with other members.

Watch this short instructional video to learn how to set up a profile for ARCUS' Connect the Arctic community site.

Groups are a key feature of Connect the Arctic. They allow members to connect with others who share similar interests and participate in discussions on specific topics.

To join a group:

1. Click on the 'Explore' dropdown menu in the upper left and choose 'All groups'.
2. Browse the list of groups and click on the group you are interested in.
3. Click the 'Join Group' button to become a member.

Events are a great way to connect with other members virtually and in-person and participate in activities that interest you.

To find events:

1. Click on the 'Explore' dropdown menu in the upper left and choose 'All events'.
2. Browse the list of events (the filters on the right panel might help you sort through them) and click on the one you are interested in.

Topics are a great way to connect with other members and share and discuss your thoughts and ideas.

To participate in a topic:

1. Click on the 'Explore' dropdown menu in the upper left and choose 'All topics'.
2. Browse the list of topics and click on the one you are interested in. Use the 'Filter' box to refine the topics.
3. Add your comments and participate in the conversation.
4. If you'd like to start a new topic, click the + button (in the upper right menu) and choose 'New Topic'. See 'Creating Content' below for more information on creating a new topic.

To create an event:

If you'd like to create a new event, click the + button (in the upper right menu) and choose 'New Event'. A 'Create an event' window will open where you can:

1. Choose the 'Type' by choosing an event type that best matches your event.
2. Fill in the Title and Description. (Remember to include any information about how participants need to register for the event.)
3. You can add an image as well, which is recommended to make your event more appealing when people are searching for events. Once uploaded make sure to set the image crops the way you like them for two different displays of your image - Large, and Small.
4. In 'Date & time' fill in the start and end times for your event. If it is all day, click the 'All day' checkbox. Choose the time zone where your event is taking place.
5. You can fill in any Tags that you think are relevant to your event.
6. Select the event type, hybrid, in-person, or virtual.
7. If your event is an in-person or hybrid event you can fill in the Location information. You may want to do this for virtual events as well so people know where the event is being hosted from.
8. Select where this event will appear, either Public (visible to all visitors to the platform), Community (only visible to all logged-in users) or within a Group (only visible to logged-in group members).
9. Hit 'Create event' and your event will be created!

If you'd like to start a new topic, click the + button (in the upper right menu) and choose 'New Topic'. A 'Create a topic' window will open where you can:

1. Choose the topic type (choose what is most appropriate):

   Definitions/explanations:

• News - Announcements for events, opportunities, etc.

• Resource - Sharing a publication, website, article, dataset, etc.

• Discussion- Posting a question or topic to start a conversation with other group members

• Blog - A longer-form story, reflection, opinion, etc.

1. Fill in the Title and Description.

2. You can add an image as well, which is recommended to make your topic more appealing when people are searching for various topics. Once uploaded make sure to set the image crops the way you like them for two different displays of your image - Large, and Small.
3. Set the Access permissions to either Public (visible to all visitors to the platform), or just for a Group (only visible to logged-in group members) to view.
4. Fill in any Tags that you think are relevant for your topic.
5. If you have a file to attach, you can do so in 'Additional information'.
6. In 'Settings' you can turn comments on or off.
7. When finished hit the 'Create topic' button.

Connect the Arctic provides a Notification Center that keeps you up-to-date on activity in the community.

To manage your notifications:

1. Click on the bell icon (to the left of your profile picture icon) in the upper right menu to bring up the Notification Center.
2. In the Notification Center you can see the most recent notifications.
3. Select 'All notifications' to see a full listing of your notifications.

Managing Notification Intervals on Connect the Arctic

Notifications keep you informed about important activities and updates within the Connect the Arctic community. To avoid overwhelming your inbox, you can customize the frequency of these notifications. Follow the steps below to manage your notification intervals:

Step 1: Accessing Notification Settings

1. Log in to your Connect the Arctic account using your credentials.
2. Once logged in, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the screen.
3. From the dropdown menu, select "Settings."

Step 2: Navigating to Notification Preferences

On the "Settings" page, you'll find a tab labeled "Email notifications" with sub-sections for:

• Message to me
• What I manage
• What I follow
• System notifications

Step 3: Choosing Notification Intervals

1. Expanding one of the above sections you will see a list of various activities that trigger notifications, such as new messages, mentions, friend requests, and more.

2. For each notification type, you can choose from the following intervals:

• Instant: Receive notifications immediately when the activity occurs.
• Daily Digest: Receive a summary of all notifications once a day.
• Weekly Digest: Receive a summary of all notifications once a week.
• Never: Opt-out of receiving notifications for this activity.

Step 4: Saving Changes

After customizing your notification intervals, don't forget to click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page to apply your preferences.

Additional Tips

• Be Mindful: Consider the importance of each notification type before choosing an interval. Critical notifications might be best set to "Instant" to ensure you stay informed promptly.
• Experiment and Adjust: You can always revisit these settings and adjust them based on your needs and preferences. Feel free to experiment until you find the ideal balance.

Remember that managing your notification intervals ensures you receive timely updates without feeling overwhelmed. Stay engaged with your Connect the Arctic community at your pace!

If you have any questions or encounter any issues while managing your notification intervals, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team for assistance.
 

To see your private messages, click the envelope icon in the upper right menu. Here you can read any messages you have received or click 'New message' to send a private message to one or more members.

If you'd like to 'Search' for content on the site, there are several places to access the search function. 

• Top navigation bar - on the main navigation bar, there is a magnifying glass icon to the right of 'Explore'.  Click on the magnifier icon and you can type in any search terms.
• Within your group, click on 'Topics'. To the far left of the main content, there is a  'Search' box to enter search terms. Use drop down menus  to further refine your search to specific content types (e.g. resources).  Under 'Events', you can filter out the type of events you are searching for.

Connect the Arctic has several features that you will find throughout the site. This section will explain some of the more common ones. After creating a profile, there is a navigation bar that shows up to the right of your profile image with Stream, Events, Topics, Groups, and Information.

Stream: Activity 'Stream' allows users to keep track of the important activities of a user, a group and a community. Activity stream can be found at several areas in our community:

• Homepage when not logged in. Shows the important activities of the community that are visible to the users who has not logged in.
• Homepage when logged in. Shows the important activities that is relevant to each user.
• Explore page. Shows all the important activities of the whole community.
• In a user profile. Shows all the important activities of a user.
• In a group.  Shows all the important activities of a group.

Events: The 'Events' listed in the navigation bar shows events that have been posted to the community or to the group. This is not where you create an event.

Topics: In the navigation bar, all the topics in your group or the community are listed. Use the filters to narrow down topics or types of content. This is not where you create your own topic.

Groups: A listing of the groups that you have joined.

Information: This is your profile.

To the right of 'Information', there is a pull down menu for 'Following' and 'Followers'.  Members can follow the content of their choice to stay informed.

Likes: Members can express that they like, enjoy, or support certain content by using the ‘like’ button.