What you can do in a community
Keeping track of activity when you aren't connected
A community supports a group of people who share a common interest. You may be part of a community that includes everyone in your department. Or everyone working on that special budget project. Or your skiing buddies. Communities let you take part in discussions and share information within these groups. Communities and conferences serve many of the same purposes. Communities also support communally developed wikis.
You can create your own communities to suit your needs. And others can also create communities and invite you to join. In others' communities, the community owner determines what you can do in their community. For example, in a community designed simply to broadcast information, you may be able to read but not post.
You'll see all the communities to which you currently belong on your home page, intermixed with your other homepage containers. If you want to see who belongs to a community, open it, then choose Members from its menu.
Within a community, you can:
A community consists of three sections: Feed, Files, and Wiki. When you open the community, you see the feed. Tapping this section title gives you access to the other sections, just like a profile.
The feed is a list of all community activity, in chronological order. You can carry on discussions here. Posts to the feed that have been commented on are threaded, just like messages with replies in conferences.
A post that is especially long is partially displayed, followed by an ellipsis (...). To see the whole post, tap it. Tapping the expanded post collapses it back to the original view.
Whenever a file is uploaded or a wiki page is created or updated, FirstClass creates a post in the feed that acts as a link. Selecting one of these posts takes you to the files or wiki section of the community, and opens the file or wiki page.
You can do the following from a selected post's menu. The type of post dictates what actions you'll see.
| This action | Does this |
|---|---|
| Comment | Lets you respond to a post. Type and format your response, then tap Post. |
| Open | Opens an uploaded file. If the file format is supported by your browser, the file opens. Otherwise, you are asked how you want to handle it. |
| History | Shows previous activity for this post. |
| Prints this post using your device's standard print method. | |
| Properties | Shows additional details for this post. |
| Pin | Moves the object to the Pinned flyout. |
| Watch | Monitors this post for any new activity. The post is added to your watched items list. |
| Permalink | Copies the URL for this post to the clipboard. You can paste this URL elsewhere, to serve as a link to the post. |
| Delete | Deletes the post.
Warning When a file is uploaded or a wiki page is created or updated, FirstClass creates a post in the feed that is a link to the file or wiki page. If you delete that post, you are also deleting the actual file or wiki page. |
| Lock for Edit | Locks the file so that no one else can update it. A lock icon appears beside the file. Tapping this icon displays who has locked it and when. If you locked it yourself, you can use the displayed buttons to unlock or update it. |
| Unlock | Releases the file lock so others can update it. |
| Update | Lets you upload a new version of this file. |
| Share | Creates a new message with a link to the post in the body, so you can share this post with someone else. |
| Copy | Copies the content of the post so you can paste it elsewhere. |
| WebDAV URL | Provides support for updating a Microsoft Office file (such as a Word document) in its native application, then saving the updated file directly in FirstClass. Copy the link to this file, then use the "open file" command in the native application and paste the link as the file name. |
| Approve | Only applies if posts to the community require approval, and you have permission to approve. Approves the post. |
To create a post on a new topic, choose New Discussion from the New button's menu.
The form for posting a new discussion consists of a top pane (envelope) where you provide information such as the discussion subject, and a bottom pane where you enter and format your discussion content. You can insert a signature just as you can for a message.
Note
Your spelling is checked as you type, using your device's standard method.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Subject | The subject of the discussion. |
| To | The name of the community to which you are posting. This can't be updated. |
| Post | Posts the discussion and closes the new discussion form. |
| menu | Delete deletes the post, if you decide you don't want to post it after all. |
If a community is set up to allow you to "like" items, you'll see a like (thumb up) icon beside each item in the feed. To like an item, tap this icon.
If a community is set up to allow you to either like or dislike items, tap the like icon to like an item or the dislike (thumb down) icon to dislike it.
If a community is set up to allow you to rate items, you'll see five stars beside each item in the feed. To rate an item, tap the appropriate star. For example, to rate an item three stars, tap the third star from the left. Where multiple people have rated an item, you'll see the average rating.
Community permissions control whether you can change your mind after liking/disliking or rating an item. To reverse your like/dislike response, tap the icon again. To change your rating, tap the appropriate star.
The files section of a community contains a list in column view of the files that have been uploaded to this community.
The Ver column shows the number of versions that have been uploaded for a file. For files with multiple versions, you can tap the disclosure triangle to list the old versions.
The balloon (comments) column shows the number of comments that have been posted about a file. For files with comments, you can tap the disclosure triangle to see them.
You can use a file's menu to work with it just as you work with a post in the feed. Where your device supports the file's format, it will also be displayed when you tap it or choose Open from its menu.
To upload a file that is on your device, choose Upload File from the New button's menu, then browse for and select the file, or take a picture.
You update uploaded files in the applications that support them.
If your administrator has enabled a feature called WebDAV, you can open a Microsoft Office file (such as a Word document) in its native application, then choose "save" in that application to update the file directly in FirstClass GO. If this method is available, you'll see WebDAV URL in the file's FirstClass GO menu. Copy the displayed link to the file, then use the "open file" command in the native application and paste the link as the file name.
For other files, download the file, update it, then upload it.
In both cases, the file is saved as a new version.
Note
Only the latest version of a file is editable. If you want to promote an older version to be the latest version, choose Revert to this Version from the old version's menu.
A locked file can only be updated by the person who locked it. This prevents several people from updating the file at the same time, with the resultant confusion over which is the new version.
When you use WebDAV, the file is automatically locked, and the lock is released when you save the file. Don't manually lock the file first, or you won't be able to use WebDAV.
When you need to download a file to update it, you can first choose Lock for Edit from its menu to lock it while you are editing the downloaded copy. When you choose Update from the file's menu, or simply upload the new version, the lock on the file is automatically released. If you decide to release a lock without updating a downloaded file, choose Unlock from the file's menu.
A lock icon tells you that a file is locked. Tapping this icon shows you who locked it and when. If you locked this file, you'll also see buttons that let you unlock or update the file.
The wiki section of a community contains a list in column view of the wiki pages that have been created in this community. Everyone in the community can view and update these pages.
The Ver column shows the number of versions that have been created for a page. For pages with multiple versions, you can tap the disclosure triangle to list the old versions.
The balloon (comments) column shows the number of comments that have been posted about a page. For pages with comments, you can tap the disclosure triangle to see them.
You can use a page's menu to work it just as you work with a post in the feed.
To create a wiki page, choose New Wiki Page from the New button's menu, supply a name for your wiki page, then enter and format its content.
Tags are keywords that people can search on. Separate each keyword with a space.
You can attach a file that is on your device to the wiki page by choosing Attach from the page's menu. Browse for and select the file, or take a picture.
When you use the Done button, you are asked what you want to do with the wiki page. Publish saves the page and displays it for everyone in the community to see. Save as Draft saves the page as a draft, making it visible only to you. It is listed in blue.
To update a wiki page, open it, then tap the Edit button. The published version of the page is automatically locked so that no one else can edit it at the same time. A draft version of the page is created for you to update. Publishing the updated draft adds it as the most current version. Choosing to not save the updated draft deletes it and removes the lock from the published version.
Notes
Only the latest version of a wiki page is editable. If you want to promote an older version to be the latest version, choose Revert to this Version from the old version's menu.
The locked version displays a lock icon. People can tap that icon to see who has the page locked and when they locked it.
You can join a community by accepting an invitation to join, or by opening the community, then choosing Add to Home from its menu.
Limitation
You can't open private communities to access their menus. If you select a private community, you are prompted to send a request to join to the community.
You can invite people to join any public communities and communities that you created. You may also have been given permission to invite others by a community creator.
Depending on your permissions, you can even invite people who don't normally connect to your FirstClass server (they aren't in the FirstClass Directory). These people are classified as peer-registered users, and will have limited access to FirstClass objects, including not being able to open the profiles and blogs of other users. Often, they can only participate in communities to which they have been invited.
To invite someone to a community, open it, then choose Invite Someone from its menu. Type your invitation at Message to new members. At People to invite, enter the person's name or email address just as you would address a message to them. You can invite multiple people in the same invitation.
When you type a name that isn't in the FirstClass Directory, or an email address, you are prompted to provide registration information so that FirstClass can create a peer-registered account. You can also tailor the invitation message for this person. When you are done, tap Invite. You are returned to the main invitation. If you are also inviting people who are already in the Directory, tap Invite on the main invitation when you have finished entering everyone. If you are only inviting people who aren't in the Directory, tap Done on the main invitation when they have all been invited.
Note
When you tap Invite after supplying registration information, the invitation is processed right away. Tapping Cancel on the main invitation won't undo your invitations to people not in the Directory.
Everyone you invited will see your invitation in their invitations list. Peer-registered users will also be emailed their invitations.
If you are a community creator or moderator, and see a request to join your community posted to the feed, you can allow this person to join by choosing Accept Request from the request's menu. This sends an invitation to the requestor.
If you'd like to keep track of community activity when you aren't connected to your FirstClass server, you can subscribe to the community's feed. FirstClass will then email you copies of community activity based on your subscription choice.
To subscribe to a community, open it, choose Subscribe from its menu, then select what you want to receive on the subscription form. Email me everything will send you a copy of everything that is added to the community's feed. Email me a Daily Digest will send you a daily summary of the previous day's activity.
The community is added to your subscriptions list.
To stop receiving these emails, select None on the subscription form, or remove the community from Subscriptions.
You can create your own communities and invite others to join.
Note
When deciding what to name your community, keep in mind that your organization may not allow the use of standard email characters such as @ in community names. If in doubt, check with your administrator about any restrictions on characters.
To create a community on your homepage, choose New Container from your homepage's menu, then select the type of community you want. Follow the prompts to give your community an icon, name, and description, and invite others to join.
Tip
It's a good idea to invite others after you have set up the permissions that control what they can do in your community. If you want to do that, skip the invitation step in the creation process.
When you are done, tap Create. Your new community is added to the end of your homepage.
To protect your community from being deleted by accident, open it, choose Properties from its menu, then tick the Protected checkbox. If you really want to delete this community in the future, you must first clear this checkbox.
You use community permissions to control how your community behaves (for example, when posts expire and what others can do in the community).
To set community permissions, open the community, choose Permissions from its menu, then fill in the permissions form:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| View | To see this and other fields in this section, tap the disclosure triangle at View, Message options, Approval, Size limit, Expiry. To make your community layout always reset to your original layout, tick the Use view from server checkbox. If you don't tick this, everyone with access to your community can change their own view of the community layout permanently. Don't turn this on if you want to enable liking or rating. To prevent others from customizing their view of your community completely, tick the Use template view only checkbox. If this will be a moderated community, you can hide unapproved objects from all but moderators by ticking the Hide unapproved items checkbox. |
| Message options | Form to use and Reply preference don't apply to communities. Allow liking or rating lets people like/dislike or rate an item in your community: None means no liking/disliking or rating is allowed. Like means people can like something, then change their minds. Like (Locked) means people can like something, but they can't later change their minds. Like Dislike means people can either like or dislike something, then change their minds. Like Dislike (Locked) means people can either like or dislike something, but they can't later change their minds. Rate means people can rate something from one to five stars, then change their rating. Rate (Locked) means people can rate something, but they can't later change their rating. |
| Approval | To make all posts sent to your community require approval by a moderator, tick the Messages require approval checkbox. To make only posts with files attached, or files uploaded directly to your community, require approval, tick the Attachments require approval checkbox. |
| Size limit | You can specify a maximum size for posts (post content plus attachments) posted to your community at Limit messages above. Posts above this limit will be handled the way you specify in the next field. If you impose a size limit on posts, choose how you want oversize posts handled at Handling: Reject with NDN rejects the post and returns a nondelivery notice to the sender. This is probably the best option for most communities, except communities replicated to a non-FirstClass system such as the Internet. If a community was an Internet newsgroup, NDNs would be sent back out to the Internet and from there to hundreds of thousands of sites. Reject and Report rejects the post without informing the sender, and reports the incident in a server log available to your administrator. Requires Approval accepts the post, but makes it unapproved. This is useful if your community will be gatewayed and you are concerned about users posting with large attachments. Reject Quietly rejects the post and takes no further action. This is the best option if your community will be gatewayed from a non-FirstClass system such as the Internet. |
| Expiry | You can specify a maximum number of objects allowed in your community at Item limit. After this limit is exceeded, FirstClass begins to delete the objects with the oldest expiry dates. You can also specify the number of days a post can stay in your community before expiring at Message expiry. Once a post has expired, FirstClass deletes it automatically as part of routine maintenance. |
| Belongs to | Unless you are familiar with community groups and how they affect behavior, we recommend you leave this field as is. All communities belong by default to community groups. Your administrator sets up community groups to control community behavior for groups as a whole. You'll see the groups that your community belongs to here. You can add or remove community groups. To add a community group, type its name just as you would address a message to a conference. |
| Who | This is the area where you set permissions that control what others can do in your community. It's described in the next section. |
Communities are intended as collaborative areas, so you probably want to give some other people access to your community. If you didn't invite people as part of the community creation process, you can first set permissions that control what they can do in your community, then invite them to join.
Note
An alternative way to invite members to your community is to choose Members from its menu or tap the Members button on the permissions form. Enter a person's name just as you would address a message to them.
To specify what you want someone to be able to do in your community, update the Who section of the permissions form. You must do this for every person and group with access to your community.
First, enter the person or group's name under Who just as you would address a message to them. The order in which you list people matters, because when someone opens your community, FirstClass checks the Who list from the top down. When it finds the first occurrence of this person, or the first group to which they belong, it uses the permissions it finds there. This means that if the first thing you list is the All Users group, and make the access for that group Disallowed, no one will be able to access your community.
Second, choose the access level for the person in the field to the right of their name. Access levels are predefined sets of permissions. You can assign an access level as is, or customize it by selecting and clearing the individual permissions which follow.
| This level | Gives these permissions |
|---|---|
| Disallowed | Prevents the person from accessing your community. We recommend that you add the All Users group at the end of your list with this access level, to prevent anyone from inadvertently being able to access your community. |
| Summary | Doesn't apply to communities. |
| Browser | The person can open your community. |
| Reader | The person has the permissions of Browser plus can download files and view item histories. |
| Contributor | The person has the permissions of Reader plus can post to your community, delete any objects they added, and view this permissions form. |
| Approver | The person has the permissions of Contributor plus can read and approve unapproved posts. |
| Moderator | The person has the permissions of Approver plus can delete any items and send posts that exceed the size limit. |
| Creator | Doesn't apply to communities. |
| Controller | The person has the permissions of Moderator plus can edit this permissions form, the community's description, and posts sent by others. |
| Custom | Access is defined by the individual permissions that are selected. If you add or remove individual permissions for someone with another access level, their access level automatically becomes Custom. |
The icons to the right of the access level field represent the individual permissions that make up the levels. To toggle a permission on and off, tap its icon.
Limitation
Be aware that certain permissions will only work if the person has been given appropriate privileges by your administrator.
From left to right, the individual permissions are:
| Permission | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Edit permissions | The person can edit this permissions form. This includes adding people at Who. |
| Moderator | This just gives the person the Moderator label. The Approve items permission is required to enable the person to approve items. |
| Delete any item | The person can delete any object, including posts sent by others. |
| Create items | The person can create wiki pages, move objects into your community, send oversized posts, and upload files without having to attach them to posts. |
| Edit read-only items | The person can edit objects that aren't normally editable, such as sent posts. For this permission to work, you must also select the Edit items permission. Be cautious about giving this permission, because it overrides normal FirstClass behavior. |
| Edit items | The person can edit any wiki page. |
| Save window and view properties | The person can change the community layout permanently. Be cautious about giving this permission, because a person with this permission is dictating the default community layout for others. |
| Approve items | The person can open and approve unapproved posts. Posts sent by this person are automatically approved. |
| Delete own items | The person can delete and change the properties of their own objects. |
| Open community | The person can open your community. |
| Search items | The person can search your community. |
| Send items | The person can post to your community. |
| Open items | The person can open files and wiki pages in your community. |
| Create subconferences | The person can create subcontainers in your community. |
| Download files & attachments | The person can download attached files and files that have been uploaded directly to your community. |
| View permissions | The person can view this permissions form, but not edit it. |
| View history | The person can view the history of objects in your community. |
To create a description of the community for others to read, tap the About button on the community's permissions form. You can also access this description by choosing About from the community's menu.
When you are done with the permissions form, simply close it. Your changes are automatically saved.