GROUP LEADER GUIDE for the table project on

Transcription

1 for the table project on Overview 2 Engage your group 6 Create a Group 3 Manage> Admin drop down menu 7 Customize> Apps 4 Manage>Members list 7 Customize> Apps, part 2 5 Lost password 8 Invite members 6 For more help 8 Making Disciples Building Congregations For the Life of the World

2 Overview To facilitate or convene a group in the table at community.diocesemo.org, you: Have completed Safeguarding for Children training Have taken a short training in the Offices of the Bishop with the Canon to the Ordinary, Director of Communications, or other table project group trainer. How can the table help my group? What is a group for? Creating an intimate and authentic space to enhance and extend your group s face to face connections into the online realm. Only your group members will be able to access your group s page. Why would your group use the table? To connect your group wherever, whenever; your group s members can stay connected from work, school, home, on the road, at any time of the day or week. Why would your group use the table rather than a Facebook or Google group? Designed to facilitate the type of intimacy and authenticity that is difficult to foster in a global social networking platform. Functionality developed to meet the unique needs of church small groups. Connects your group with the other diocesan and church community members and groups. Some things to think about Who else might help facilitate your group? table project veterans recommend that groups 10 or more consider additional leaders. Multiple leaders that are committed to participating enhance the experience. What current communication forms do you use that might be facilitated on the Table? Think about how your group handles scheduling, prayer requests, events, and service opportunities. Are there things you could centralize on the table? Before setting up your group 1. Complete your own profile on the table (see User Guide). As a group convener you will be listed as an Admin, but this step does not affect your ability to create a group request. 2. Have the address where your group usually meets (if there is a physical location) 3. Have a digital image that represents your group (group icon) 4. Gather the list of addresses for each of your group members Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 2

3 Create a group Getting there 1. Log-in to your personal table account 2. Click on the Menu tab (top right corner) and then click Groups link 3. Click on the Create a Group button (bottom left) 4. Walk through the 2-step process as the table guides you Step 1 - Group Information Group name - keep it short (under 25 characters recommended), append a hyphen and either OP, PR, or HD to make easily visible the group's privacy setting for users. (Ex. Good Newsers-OP) Group description - this is the description that will appear in the group directory (for open and private groups, but not for hidden groups). When we meet - this will help others know your usual group meeting. Meeting place description - describe the place you usually meet at such as Starbucks on Main or "Advent parish hall". If you rotate meeting spots, say something like We meet at different restaurants around the city Choose your privacy setting - this setting will determine where your group is displayed in the group directory and how new members join. a. Open - this group will be visible in the group directory and any diocesan community member will be able to join it immediately. b. Private - this group will be visible in the group directory but new members must be approved or invited by you (or another group admin). c. Hidden - this group will not be visible in the group directory; only those you (or another group admin) invite can join. Step 2 - About Group Upload Picture - this will be your group s icon in the group directory Group Category - the four categories we are beginning with are: small, interest, parish, and mission groups. If you envision another category contact bfelice@diocesemo.org. Age range/ Gender target - (optional, if applicable. Users of the table should be 16 or older.) Add tags - (optional) a tag is a word or short phrase that describes your group. Adding these helps people find your group. Your group creation request is now queued for approval by a super-admin. You'll see this message: Thanks! Since Episcopal Diocese of Missouri has chosen to approve all new groups before they are created, we'll need to get approval before we can continue. When your group is approved, the table will notify you. This is a manual process, meaning a live person will need to be near a computer and know your request is queued to give your group the green light. While we are in the beginning stage of this network, please send a Quicknote in the table to Beth Felice, or an , or a phone call or SMS to bfelice@diocesemo.org, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 3

4 Customize: Apps After your group is approved Each and every group has its own unique DNA. There are Bible studies, service groups, mission trip groups, premarital groups, athletic groups, women s groups, young adult groups, seniors groups, governance groups, outreach groups, support groups, and on and on and on... Your group s focus, interests, communication style, sense of humor etc. is probably unique to you. The table is designed to give you the flexibility to customize functionality and content to resonate best with your group s pursuits and personality. Getting there (after your group is approved) 1. Log into your personal table account 2. Click on the Groups tab and then your group name 3. Identify the basic pre-populated apps on the left side of the screen 4. Notice the Add Apps link under the left column--that is where we are going next. If you don t see your group name, check to see if you have a more link after your other group names. Your group may be there.. First things first - What are apps? App is short for application program. In simple, it s a miniature (yet often times powerful) software program that sits within a window of a larger system (i.e. the table.) Maybe you ve seen examples of apps on a smartphone or an internet start page such as igoogle. Let s get familiar with apps on the Table Play around with the default apps you already have - open them and try posting the first piece of content. Rearrange the apps - click and hold the app name/icon and drag it up or down to rearrange it. Delete apps - you can remove any app you want by clicking the X on the top right of the app (NOTE: once you delete an app, like the serve app, the content you have added is lost. If your app is a RSS feed, that feed is not lost. RSS feed apps explained in next section). Add apps - you can add apps to your group page by either clicking the Admin tab (top right) and then clicking on the sub link Add Apps or by clicking on the Add Apps button (under the navigation on the left). NOTE: Not all apps are "turned on" for the whole table. With this training you'll receive an updated list of all available apps. If there is one you'd like made available which is not currently listed in the online directory, but on your app printout, bfelice@diocesemo.org. Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 4

5 Customize Apps part two How to use the App Directory Searching Apps- using the search bar on the left while featured apps / search results show up on the right. Preview Apps - read more about any one app by clicking on its icon or name. Adding Apps - to add an app click on the green plus sign that appears when scrolling over it in the directory. (If you are in the app detail screen you can also click on the add application button in the lower right.) Check it out! - Once you have added an app the link for it automatically appears at the top of the left hand navigation under your group. New apps. Group leaders will be notified when the app printout is updated. Create and add an RSS App to your group s page What is an RSS feed? An RSS feed allows you to feed content from around the web into an RSS App on the table. Most websites use RSS to distribute their content on numerous sites across the web. Using an app, it's easy to bring this content right into the table and your group. Adding an RSS feed Whatever your group s focus or interest, RSS feeds are available on millions of blogs and websites from around the world. Just look for the little RSS symbol on any web page to find a feed. 1. Look for this symbol on the site you are bringing in. Click on the symbol and then highlight and copy the entire (URL) web link (top of browser). 2. In the App Directory click on the Add an RSS Feed link. 3. Paste the copied (URL) link into the feed field and click the check button. 4. If the feed is confirmed, the feed s title will appear in the Title field. Make any changes to the feed name you wish (the shorter the better) and then click on the save button. 5. The RSS Feed will be added in a RSS APP at the top of the app navigation below your group tab. Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 5

6 Invite members Getting there 1. Click on the Groups tab and then your group name 2. Click on the Admin tab (upper right corner) and then click on the sub link Invite People. Sending an invitation to your group Invite People from your Community (left field) - Start typing the person s first or last name and click on the person s picture/name as it appears in the live search drop down. Invite People by (middle field) Simply enter individual addresses of invitees separated by commas or click on the add from address book button to import from Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail or others. Enter a personal message to include with your invitation. Engage Engaging your group When you first get started, your group may need a little help engaging on the table. As is true with all things new, repetition will help improve group members comfort level with the table's usefulness and functionality. Here are a few suggestions for building momentum with your group on the table: Post content regularly. Take time to start discussions, share prayer requests, post group photo/videos, and interact on a regular basis. Keep your events and calendar up to date. If your group members can count on your table group as a reliable calendar resource, they will look to it when they have a question. Point people toward it. When group members have questions they can find the answers to on the table refer them to it. Timely Response. When someone posts a discussion question, shares a prayer request, or posts a picture try to respond or post a in a timely fashion. Use Quicknotes to send messages. If you need to send your whole group or an individual member a short message, use Quicknotes. Not only does the note forward to each member s preferred communication method ( , text, etc.), but it also includes a link that can connect the recipient back to the table. Encourage people to contribute, not just browse. Take time to ask your group members to intentionally contribute to your group on the table. Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 6

7 Manage Less Administration, More ministry The Admin drop-down Since day one, the table developers have attempted to avoid administrator type language. However, group leaders are charged with certain responsibilities, so there are some administrative tools to help out. The tools are accessible via the quick drop-down menu. Getting there 1. Click on the Groups tab and then your group name 2. Click on the Admin tab (upper right corner) Editing your group info Profile - allows you to edit your group profile information Meeting Info - allows you to edit your group meeting time and place Preferences - allows you to edit your group teen access and content approval settings. Note, in the diocesan table members must be 16 to participate. Privacy - link allows you to edit your group privacy setting Member List Members are displayed in columns below - Click on the previous and next buttons to scroll through pages of members When scrolling over each individual member s row you can: 1. Click on their name to see their profile. 2. Change their role from member to owner or admin by toggling the role drop down. 3. Send them a quick note by clicking on the note link (when in the quick notes compose screen you can also enter your group s name to send to the entire group). 4. Send them an by clicking on the link. 5. Remove them from the group by clicking on the remove link. Invite People (see Invite section above) Content Approval this page allows you to view and approve content for your group. Add Apps (see Customize section above) Click on the active link to see the members that are currently active in your group and the pending link to view people yet to be approved (private groups only). If you have Content Approval on, this is where you approve content before it gets posted. Items that are flagged by the group are also here for you to re-post or remove. Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 7

8 Lost password There is a link just below the login fields that says "Help, I can't get in!". Click the link to access a very straight-forward password reset process. Basically, the user is sent an that links to password reset screen where they enter a new password. For more help Admin help group When you are made an administrator, you'll be sent an invitation to a hidden group for table group leaders. It's a place to discuss things that do and do not work, or share engagement strategies. Also feel free to contact Beth. We've found that the table development team is quite responsive, and is working on adding functionality that users suggest, and helpful in identifying work arounds for problems met in customizing the software to individual needs. Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Guidelines for using the Table project at community.diocesemo.org, 1/2013 pg 8