REGISTRATION PROCESS



Our registration process is a bit stringent. The 3 steps shown below are designed to ensure that our community is a welcoming and engaging place. They are also designed to help you find a role that you are most comfortable with. Roles have been described here. If you are unsure and do not want to commit to being an Author/Researcher/Developer, it's absolutely OK to pick Subscriber or Contributor to begin with. In fact, most people choose to begin in one of these two roles. You can always move to a different role later, through a similar dialogue with the admins.
You can read this page at any time, during or after the registration process; the link to it is in the Miscellaneous section of the website pages.



Step 1: Create an Account

We hope that you have read carefully through the Welcome page, especially the Community Guidelines. If not, you may want to do so now and return here afterwards.

When you click on Register, a simple registration form with a few fields pops up. That simplicity is meant to allow anyone to quickly come on board. However, account creation does not mean account approval. While awaiting for approval, the account is in a sandbox state, allowing no interactions with the community. The only thing that a sandboxed account allows is access to the member's Profile and Extended Profile.

At the bottom of the registration form is a Conversation area, where you and the admins ask questions. When you register, you may start the conversation any which way you please.

Step 2: Fill in Your Profile Data

After you log in, use the Publish item on the personal menu to navigate to the publishing area. On top of the publish dashboard (=left sidebar) you'll see the Profile item. If you open it you will see 2 profile tabs: Profile (also referred to as the core profile) and Extended Profile. The Extended Profile is what you filled on the registration form; only the first name and last name are visible within the community, not the Conversation. All of the data in the core Profile can be seen only by you and the admins.

Please fill in as many fields on the Profile tab as possible. That information helps the admins approve your account. In particular, you must upload a true picture of yourself, enter your date of birth, and fill in your bio. Links to websites and social media sites that have additional information about you will be helpful, especially for finding the most suitable role in the community.

Step 3: Receive account approval

After you log into your newly created account, the Conversation text box which you started on the registration form gets carried through to the Extended Profile tab. This way you and the admins can continue the conversation during the sandbox/discovery period. Please check that Conversation box periodically for updates or requests for further clarifications.

When a decision is being made, you will be notified by email if your account was approved or denied. Your account is either promoted to a full membership account, whereby you can start interacting with the community, or be completely deleted from our records if your account is denied. If denied, you are welcome to try again at a later date. If approved, see you in the coffee lounge or in the library! (The bar is under construction 😂 !)