Help / FAQs

A: If you're a Member of The Policy Circle, you already have an account.  Visit the Log in page and use the Set Password/Forgot Password link to create your password. If you're unsure whether you have an existing account, use the Set Password/Forgot Password and use the email address at which you receive communications from the Policy Circle.  To join The Policy Circle and The Policy Circle community, click here.    

A: On your profile page, select the pencil icon next to "Contact Details" in the left column. Please note it may take up to 30 minutes for your updates to be reflected on your profile.  

A: Please navigate to your profile page, then select the "My Account" tab and choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down menu. This will let you control what information is visible to whom.  After you’ve made changes, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.  Learn more about updating Privacy Settings

A: Click "Connect" link found in the main navigation bar and choose Community Directory. The Directory lets you search for other users based on:

• First and/or last name
• Email address
• City
• State
• Zip Code
• Topics of Interest

A: There are several ways to add contacts. When you perform a search in the Directory, you will see an “Add as contact” button to the right of each person in your search results. Just click this button to send a contact request. If you click through and view an individual’s profile, you can click the contact request link to the right of his or her profile picture.

A: Creating this virtual address book makes it easy to send your contacts messages through the community site to stay in touch, ask questions or even build a referral network. Additionally, when you view another member’s profile, you’ll be able to see any contacts you have in common. You can also choose to let your contacts view certain demographics in your profile that others can't.

A: Groups allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with other members.

A: Go to “Connect” in the main navigation bar. Select “My Groups” to view the groups you currently belong to.

A:  Select “Circles” in the main navigation and choose “Find a Circle" to browse all existing Circles.  Use the All Group Types drop-down near the top to filter the list of Circles by state.  If you're interested in joining an existing Circle, click the Circle title to open the group, then send a message to the Circle Leader to request an invitation to join.    

A: Navigate to your profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Group Notifications" from the drop-down menu.  On that page, you can view and control your subscription options.  

For each discussion, you have the following delivery options:

• Real time: sends an email every time a new message is posted.
• Daily digest: sends one email to you each day, consolidating all of the posts from the previous day.
• No Email: allows you to be part of the group without having emails sent to you. You can still post and read others’ messages by logging into the community site.
• Consolidated Digest: Allows you to combine multiple groups into one notification email.  Note: Consolidated Daily Digest is the recommended setting if you belong to more than one group to avoid receiving multiple emails.  When you choose a Consolidated Digest, set the Discussion Email drop-down to No Email.   

Learn more about managing Group Notifications. 

You can also control the other TPC Community emails you receive - such as emails from administrators and those resulting from peer-to-peer interactions - by navigating to your profile, choose the "My Account" tab and selecting "Email Preferences."   

A:  Go to your profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Group Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Here, you will see a list of available groups and those to which you’ve subscribed. Select "Leave Group” under the Actions column for the discussions you wish to leave.  If this is not an option, set the drop-down in the Discussion Email column to No Email and be sure the boxes are unchecked in the Consolidated Daily and Weekly Digest columns.  

A: To respond to a discussion post, please navigate to the discussion post and click “Reply" to send your message to the entire group.  To send a message to the only author of the post, please select “Reply Privately” (located in the "Reply" drop-down).  We recommend replying privately for simple comments like “me, too” that add little value to the overall discussion; and replying to the entire group when you are sharing knowledge, experience or resources that others could benefit from.

A: On the site, go to "Connect" > "Recent Discussions" to view all recent conversations.  To start a new thread on a new topic, press the Post New Message button.  Alternatively, you may go directly to "Connect" > "Start New Discussion."  Learn more about participating in discussions.  

A: If images are not appearing, it is likely that your email client is set to suppress images. This should be something you can change in your security or viewing options. If you would rather receive text-based email, go to your profile page and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Group Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Select the “Plain Text” format option for each of the discussions you are subscribed to.

A: Yes, please enter a keyword in the search bar located in the main navigation. To refine your search results, select one or more facets from the menu on the left side.

A: Locate the group you are interested in viewing from the appropriate groups page. Click through the group's landing page, then click on the “Discussions” tab. If you see a post you’re interested in, click the subject line which will take you to the entire thread.

A: If you know which library the resource might be located in, find the affiliated community via the My Groups page. Click through the group's landing page, then click on the “Library” tab . If you do not know where the resource might be, enter search terms in the main search box the same way you might enter search terms into Google or another search engine.

A: The libraries are populated in two ways:

1.  When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the affiliated library.

2.  You can also upload documents directly to a library by using the "Create New Library Entry" button on any group's library page. Library resources are not required to be associated with a discussion thread.

A: Select the "Create New Library Entry" on any group landing page. Please note that uploading a document is accomplished by completing a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:

• Choose a title for your document, and include a description (optional). Select the library to which you’d like to upload it, and select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional).  Then, choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). Once you have completed these steps, please click “Next.”
• Upload your file.
• Select “Next” if you want to further describe your files and/or add tags to your file.  Otherwise, please click “Finish” to post your library entry

A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), webinars, images and YouTube videos.

A: Tags are great way to organize and categorize content on your site. Tags can be applied to discussions, library entries, events, Tagged items are prioritized in the search results.