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NetworX Non-Profits: User Guide

Introduction

Thank you for choosing NetworX Non-Profits Platform!

You have made a great choice by selecting one of the most powerful and versatile Open Source Social Networking Platforms for Non-Profit Organizations!

The NetworX package is designed to be relatively easy to install, even for nonprogrammers. Most people have no trouble getting our software up and running, and there is plenty of support available via the NetworX forum at forum

Once NetworX is installed and running, it is simple for even non-technical users to add or edit content, upload and add images, and to manage the critical data that makes your company or organization go. Anybody with basic word processing skills can easily learn to manage a NetworX web site.

Overview

Most non-profits already build relationships and network in the physical world, so it really isn’t a big stretch to take it digital.

The NetworX Non-Profits Software will provide your customers with the ability to easily share opinions and experiences with each other. It will allow your organization to explain why organization does what it does; share organizational information, promote your projects and connect with potential donors/partners/ fellow-travelers.

NetworX Users

This Chapter deals with:

Types of Users and Access Permissions

Users of Non-Profit NetworX web sites can be broken down into two basic categories:

Guests
Registered Users

Guests are simply visitors to NetworX web site. Depending on how the Super Administrator has configured the site, some content can only be viewed by Registered users while visitors can only browse a limited amount of it. Guests may not be able to make donations or events registration. Guests are only able to view public content of the web site.

Registered Users have registered with site to obtain a username and password. This username and password allows them to log into web site, receiving special privileges not available to guests. Registered Users are broken down into two groups:

Donors

Donors get additional rights over guests, which include the following abilities:

Ability to create and manage own groups
Manage own profile
Interact with other users:
- -find and friend other members (donors or administrators);
- -message other members (donors or administrators);
- -comment on member blogs, photos, videos, events;
- -invite other members to join the group;
- -Share photos/videos with other members.
Create/manage own photo and video albums
Create/manage own events
Upload/Share files
Download files shared by others
Register for group events
Make blog/forum posts
Getting notified of Organization News, Events, Programs
Make donations (for organization or within certain program/campaign)
Post/Manage Services and Resources
Analyze and monitor own donations

Donor may be an individual person as well as a company.

Administrators

Back-end users – Administrators / site Managers – are typically thought of as the site administrators, but they also have access to the Front-end interface. Administrators have unrestricted abilities to perform all administrative functions inside of NetworX to monitor and manage the site and services.

Only Super Administrators have the ability to create new users with Administrator permissions or to assign Administrator permissions to existing users.

NOTE: The only user that exists after a NetworX installation is the Super Administrator. This is the ‘admin’ account created during the installation process.

Administrators get additional rights over donors:

Manage Users (Donors and Administrators)
Manage Groups
Manage Events
Send Invitations
Manage Services and Resources
Send Notifications
Post Organization News
Moderate Forums and Blogs
Create Programs
Analyze and Monitor all donations

Registration

Other than the Super Administrator’s (admin) account that is created by default when NetworX is installed, there are two ways that guests have of becoming registered members on a NetworX Non-Profits web site.

First, they may register themselves using the register link in the login form. Second, the Super Administrator, or Administrator if there is one, may enter them directly using the Administrator panel (Back-end).

The process of opening a donor account is fairly simple and takes place almost instantly. Members who wish to join the non-profit community only have to provide some basic information and agree to the terms of service to be granted membership. The basic information which is required to request membership is a full name, a valid email address and a password containing alpha and numeric characters. After supplying this information the application process is complete.

Recovering a Lost Password

If you are like most people these days, you have too many passwords and it is inevitable that you are going to forget one eventually. NetworX, like most systems today, allows you to automatically reset your password should you forget it.

The Forgotten Password form appears when you click on the “Forgot your password” link in the Login Form. When you fill in your e-mail address, NetworX will e-mail you a new password that you can use to access the system.

The reason that NetworX cannot send your old password to you is that passwords are stored using an encryption format that is not reversible. This means that even Super Administrators cannot view your password! This is proper practice in web site design these days, so do not be upset that you cannot use your old password, be happy that passwords are protected!

Logging In and Out

Once you have registered with the web site and, you simply enter your username and password in the Login Form and click the Sign In button to login to the web site.

To end the current session, click on the Sign Out button on the top right corner of the screen.

To login to the back-end, you need to have administrator privileges.

Donor’s Account Details

To view your account details you can click on the My Profile link on the top right corner of the screen, which will present you with the following options screen:

My Account
My Profile
Server Usage

Into “My Account” you can change Your Name, e-mail address, User Name and Password.

The “My Profile” section is the one which allows members to add the bulk of the content to their profile. This section is broken down into subcategories such as interests & personality, name, basic info, background & lifestyle, schools, companies.

“Server Usage” provides statistics related to server usage.

Making Profiles Private

NetworX Non-Profits does have some features which can give members an increased amount of protection. The ability to make a profile private is one of these features. Most NetworX profiles are public and are viewable by both members of the community and non-members. However, those who wish to keep their website private can make it only available to those on their friends list. Members of NetworX also have the ability to remove members from their friends list or block other members from sending emails or instant messages.

Main Menu

Once you’ve logged in, you would be presented with NetworX main menu:

Home

The homepage for your NetworX account is the place where you can manage your connections, photo/video/file uploads, and preferences (select forms of communication you are accepting).

It features the following links:

Update your online status. You may enter a custom status into the text box provided.
Add your events.
Add/Edit Photos.
Add/Change Videos.
Add/Change Files.

“My Statistics” section shows the information on updates for friends, blog posts, files uploaded, discussion board posts, photos/videos uploads, and comments.

Uploading Files to NetworX…

One of the most important things to remember when uploading files to NetworX is that these files may be seen by many people. This is especially important for those who are uploading pictures of themselves to place on their NetworX website. Members are not required to place a photo of themselves on their profile but many users do include a photo so those who visit their website have a visual image of the member. Users may place an embarrassing photo of themselves thinking only their friends will see this photo but in reality many other members and non-members may view this photo as well. When posting a picture of an object or character care should be taken to ensure posting the photo is not a violation of copyrights associated with the photo.

Uploading Photos and Videos to NetworX

Uploading photos to your NetworX account is fairly simple. You must click on the links that says, “Add/edit photos”. You are also given the option of making photos public (visible to everyone) or private (visible to people from your connections). You can then browse through your hard drive to find the desired photo. Photos uploaded to NetworX must be .gif or .jpg format and must be smaller than 1.5 Mb. Once you find an appropriate photo, click upload and the photo will be added to your account. Once a photo is added you can create a caption for this photo.

You can also upload your own videos for use on the website and for others to share.

My World

This section allows you to manage entities you are connected to: send them a message, add to block list, or remove from your connections.

Calendar

Through NetworX Calendar, you can manage your events and register for the other’s events.

NetworX Calendar features the following view options:

Day by hour
Week by day and hour
Month by day

You may navigate to the Next or Previous calendar period using narrows or jump to a period using drop down control.

Basic Calendar functions:

Add member/group event (Event name, date/time, description, set reminder: XX min before and reminder type)
Edit event
Delete event
Send event invites to other individuals or groups from your Contacts

Entire member calendar may be visible to the public (all NetworX members), selected connections, or private.

Group Events

If you are group administrator, you may add/manage Group Events.

When adding group event, you need to follow the instructions as described below:

Create Event Profile including description, instructions (optional), location, start and end dates and times, and availability (public/invitation only).
Create (optional) reservation slots (Date/time/duration/location/owner (member)/# openings per slot, member names currently reserved). After that Event is placed on the group Calendar
Send event invites to the group (optional).

Members or authorized invitees can view event profile and calendar, and reserve open slots or cancel the reservations they have made at anytime.

News

News section provides a way for group administrators and members to update all of their contacts on the latest news and events and view news from other groups/members.

News creation tool features the following functions:

Save and submit
Save draft
Revert to previous version (last 10 versions available by version date/time)
Upload and remove photos (Insert photos within body of text or link to photo)
Upload and remove videos (Embed video within the document or link)
Tag news
Set keywords

You also may set privacy for viewing – make news Private (only group members may view) or Public (any NetworX user may view)

Mailbox

All NetworX entities are assigned a mailbox for incoming and outgoing NetworX messages. Functions are performed based on the message type. The basic types of NetworX Messages and functions are:

User Messaging: individual/group messages to other individuals and groups (reply, forward, orcreate a new message)
Invitations to join to groups (accept or reject)
Requests to join to groups (accept or reject)
Acceptances / rejections of Invitations and Requests
Invitations to Members for calendar events (accept, reject, reply/alternate request)
Requests for Events (accept or reject)
Event and Calendar Reminders
Promotions
NetworX message (official NetworX message from NetworX staff)

NetworX mailbox indicates number of unread messages by type, pending and un-read messages.

NetworX messaging accounts are not usable as normal email accounts; they are for use for NetworX purposes only – no external email is supported.

“My Connections” for each user represents the address book for the NetworX Messaging function. Contacts are automatically added to the address book based on the My Connections list.

Files

The section allows individuals and groups to upload and share files with their connections.

You may view/download files the other users have shared as well as add, tag, or remove your own files.

The following file types are supported: Microsoft Office and general Mac file types, MP3, Wav, Jpeg, GIF, Adobe related file types, PDF, major video related file types.

Blog

Blog is the place where you can manage your own blogs and view/subscribe to blogs of other NetworX members.

NetworX allows its members to subscribe to individual blogs on their homepage.

You may subscribe to a blog using “Subscribe to blog” link or unsubscribe via “Unsubscribe from blog” link.

NetworX Blog publishing tool features the following functions:

Save and submit;
WYSIWYG text editor;
Upload and remove photos;
Insert photos within body of text or link to photo;
Upload and remove videos;
Embed video within the document or link;
Tag blog;
Support hyperlinks;
Blog keywords.

You can make your blog private (only selected connections may view your posts) or public (anyone can view your blog).

Albums

The section allows individuals and groups to upload and share photos and videos with their connections.

NOTE:Photos may be submitted or added by a member to a group photo album but the administrator of that group must approve the photo before it is published to the album.

Add photo album management feature to individual, group, and organization account types (like facebook):

Manage albums
- Add/edit/delete albums
Manage Photos
- Multiple photo uploads from PC
- Remove photos
- Set photo as album cover (one photo per album)
- Write captions for more than one photo at a time (like facebook)
- System automatically resize the photo to fit within main view frame and thumbnail view frame
When viewing album:
- Click photo to go to next photo feature
- Next, previous, and page number (1,2,4, …) selections

User Menu

Regardless of your specific role, i.e. Regular User, Group Creator, or Group Member, you will see the same User Menu. However, the functions available from the menu will vary depending on the access permissions you have. Once you have logged in to the web site you will notice that a User Menu appears in the right navigation pane. This menu may contain more or less options depending on the individual permissions.

The following are common user menu items:

Directory – takes you to the directory of all NetworX entities: Individuals, Groups
World View – map overlay of your connections, groups, media, blog posts, forum topics, and wiki documents.
Forums – to view topics you are interested in and post your comment
Wiki – to manage wiki articles. Wiki documents can be created by and collaborated on by groups.

Networking on NetworX…

NetworX Non-Profits is an online community where members can meet to share photos, journals and interests with an extensive network of volunteers.

Making New Connections – Matching Tool

You can browse through the directory of NetworX groups and individuals (Directory link on the left pane) and send them email or instant message. You may request a user to get connected to you, or request a group administrator for group membership.

NetworX can also be used to make business connections. The search feature can be used to find others who share your business interests, dreams and goals. Once you find these individuals you can engage them in conversation by sending an email or instant message or by leaving a comment on their homepage. These connections may lead to potential business relationships but they may also simply be networking opportunities which allow those interested in certain business aspects to converse with others who share this interest.

NetworX Search Tool

NetworX provides a search function so you can search for the following elements:

Wiki articles
Tags (includes everything tagged)
Keyword

Discussion Boards

Group News
Blogs
Location (everything related to a given location)

Making a Donation

“Donate Now” button available throughout the web site (on the left sidebar).

It’s easy and safe to make a donation via NetworX Non-Profits – just click on the “Donate Now” button, select a program from the list of non-expired programs, and click on “Donate now”.

NOTE: If no program is selected, the money would be donated to the organization.

You can make your secure donation with credit, debit card, or via ACH online.

On the Donation form, specify your billing and donation information (charge amount, if the donation is recurrent or not)

Once clicking on “Donate” button, the system starts processing the donation. Since the donation is processed in real-time, the donor is notified immediately if the transaction fails due to an incorrect credit card number, insufficient funds, etc. The donor can then correct the problem and try again.

After a successful donation, the donor is provided with an on-screen receipt and customized <Thank You> message (created by administrator).

After that the system generates instant email to the donor that serves as the official receipt for tax purposes (assuming the organization is a 501(c)(3) organization and the donation is technically made toit). This email also thanks the donor for their contribution and includes <thank you> message.

After completing donation the donor may view his donation history via “My Donation History” link on user menu. When clicking on “My Donation History”, it loads a page that provides a donor with a detailed breakdown of his donation and grant history.

Anytime someone makes a donation, the system generates a donation notification email, complete with the details of the donor’s gift, and sends it to administrators.

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