Being a member of ROOTS has always been important.
How useful?
Well, ROOTS is all about its membership. And with membership comes a certain responsibility to show up and engage.
Even though technology is a little intimidating for a lot of folks, the intention of this site is to make technology accessible for folks to do their work. At ROOTS, a large part of that work is about connecting and having discussions and networking.
The tools built into this website are aimed at fostering and hosting those discussions. But in order to be useful, they have to be used.
What follows is a tutorial that is focused on each of these tools, both to familiarize you with what they can do, and also to show you how to use them.
Imagine that your job is to keep track of folks: like at an event for example. You need to know who is registered, who has paid, who is presenting, who is on different work crews, etc.
Before you can keep track of any of that, though, you need to be able to recognize who these folks are, right?
The same is true for this website. Particularly when it comes to membership, there are levels of access that folks will have to the tools on the site that depend on their being current on their membership. In contrast to other sites that are there primarily to give people information, this site is geared up so it can:
In order to do all of that, we need to know who you are when you get on a computer. Not just on YOUR computer, but on any computer that you are using to access the site. This is why we need folks to be registered to the site. Once you are registered on the site and log-in, we will know who you are, and offer you different tools and resources.
If you have not already introduced yourself to the site (you have not registered for the site and do not already
have a username or password), you can go to the URL http://alternateroots.org/user/register, and create a login for the site.
Once you have acquired a username or password and you login to the site (the login link is at the bottom of the website), go to the URL http://alternateroots.org/user.
If at any time you want to modify personal information about yourself (including filling out your profile and your password on the site) you can go to the above link (http://alternateroots.org/user) and click on the 'edit' tab at the top of the page.
One the left -hand column of any webpage, there are navigation links to other pages on the site. These links are grouped in boxes. The first box that you should see on top of that column is one called 'Alternate ROOTS.' The next one you will see is one called 'Join our Email List.'
If you are currently logged into the site, the menu box you should see on the site will have the same title as your username. This menu box has things that are related to your personal account. I will go over those in another chapter.
If you are logged in, the site will not only know who you are, it can also tell if you are current on your membership dues, or if you are a member. If your membership is current, you will see a menu box below the one one with your username as the title that is called 'Members'.
Being or becoming a member of ROOTS (purchasing membership on the site) enables you to have ACCESS to parts of the site that are reserved for members only. Membership in ROOTS automatically expires on the site a year after purchase, which is a way to ensure that people re-register.
To become a member of ROOTS or renew your membership, go to the membership page and follow the links/instructions there.
Membership in ROOTS is about being connected to a larger family of powerhouse artist-activists in the South, and nationally. That level of connectivity is finding an additional mode of expression through different website tools that have been developed on this site.
These tools are in development, and will be indefinitely. The goal is to best meet the changing needs of the membership, and to match the culture at ROOTS as well as possible so that these tools can support and augment the amazing family that we already are.
That said, if something is uncomfortable to you, or you have ideas, please use the technical request system to ask questions. Get involved! Your community depends on it.
Joining a group is potentially the most powerful thing you can do as a member on the ROOTS website. A 'group' in this case represents a sort of email list. Joining a group is the same as putting your name on a specific email list.
When members write blogs or create forum discussions (you will find out more about these later), they have the ability to assign them to one or more groups. When the blog or forum discussion is saved, an email will go out to all of the members of the different groups assigned to the post.
This system gives ROOTers the opportunity to post content on the site and to automatically have specific people become aware of that content. What that means from a functional standpoint is that, if members are doing work with a specific workgroup or rhizome, they can alert each other to a new idea by posting a discussion about it on the site.
It doesn't stop there. There is also an ability for members to respond to the blogs and forum discussions by adding comments to that discussion or responding to comments. When those comments get submitted, notifications will again be sent to all of the folks who belong to the group(s) that were originally selected for the post.
What this means is that entire conversations can be sent back and forth between people who are all engaged in a specific mode of work. No longer does everything need to be sent to an overarching listserv, or even to a group of emails that you have to write out every time. In addition, members no longer have to search their inbox for important emails, as they will be accessible online. In this way, new members of a group can get caught up with what's been happening, and general ROOTS members can read and explore different discussions and blogs to find something that they are interested in participating in.
Anyone who is current on their membership can comment on any blog or forum discussion (they don't have to be part of the specific group). When they do comment on a blog or forum discussion, they will also be emailed when there are additional comments made or changes to the post itself.
Groups are the framework for ROOTS' connectivity. If you look below, you will find out everything you need to know to join and participate in groups.
If you look on the left-hand navigation menu entitled 'Members,' you will see a menu link to 'Join a Group!' When you click on that menu item, you will be sent to a large list of different groups that exist in ROOTS. When you find one that you are interested in joining, click 'Join' at the end of the row for that group.
That was easy.
When you return to the page where all the groups are listed, at the top of the page, you will see the word 'Groups' in BOLD (which should also be highlighted) and then next to that you will find 'My Groups' and 'Group Activity.' The 'My Groups' will show you a list of what groups you are in, and the 'Group Activity' will show you all the recent activity and posts that were sent to the groups you are in - so that you can catch up and browse for items of interest. If, at any time, you click on the actual name of a group, you will be sent to a page that lists all of the items that have been posted into that group.
So, let's say that at a time in the future, you realize that you are getting WAY too many emails or that you do not want to be in a specific Group.
First of all, you should know that you have absolute control over how frequently you receive emails notifying you of new posts into a group. I'll go over that first, and then farther down show you how to leave a group.
The default is for notifications to be sent to folks immediately. You also have the option to have them sent daily, weekly, etc...
If you look at the left-hand menu with your username as the title, you will notice a menu link called 'My Space' that will take you to your profile page. Please click on that menu item.
At the top of your profile page, you will see a bolded link that says 'Notifications.' Click on it.
Once that page opens, you will notice that there is a new line of bolded links under the 'Notifications' link. Please click on the one that says 'Group.' You will see a list there of all of the groups you belong to. The last column is where you set, for each group, how often you want to receive emails. All of the options are on the drop down menu.
Once you have set these to your liking, REMEMBER TO HIT 'SAVE' or else none of the settings will get saved.
When you return to the page where all the groups are listed, at the top of the page, you will see the words 'Groups' in BOLD (which should also be highlighted) and then next to that you will find 'My Groups' and 'Group Activity.'
If you click on 'My Groups' you will be taken to a list of the groups you belong to. In the last column, you will have the choice to 'Edit Membership.' If you click on that, it will take you to a page that gives you the option to leave that group. Click on that link, and confirm that you do want to leave the group, and it will be done.
Part of the goal of having smaller email groups, is that it reduces the amount of emails that get sent to everyone, and it will enable and encourage the discussions to become more lively.
There will be times, when you are either making slight edits to what you already posted, or do not care to send a notification to everyone about your post. If this is the case, you have the opportunity to turn the notifications off for your submission.
When you are editing the submission or creating it, you will notice the word 'Notifications' with a check box directly under it. If you DO NOT want notifications sent out, you can check that box.
There will be networks of members within ROOTS who are doing a significant amount of work together. As a member, you have the opportunity to use this tool for those discussions and conversations, particularly if it might be of interest to others.
If you would like to form your own group, click the 'Submit Technical Request' link in the 'Members' menu, and make sure to include the name of your group, and a short one paragraph description.
If you browse to 'News + Events' you will see a link to a ROOTS calendar. One of the benefits of membership is the ability to submit events for that calendar for viewing by anyone who visits the site.
If you are current in your ROOTS membership dues, you will see a menu box in the left-hand column of the page called 'Members'. A link under that Menu says 'Enter your Event for the ROOTS Calendar'. If you click on that link, you will be able to submit your event.
The purpose of a forum is to have a conversation, usually regarding something you are working on, with people you are working on it with.
Typically work conversations happen over email or over listservs (an email address that forwards email to a bunch of other email addresses).
The issue with sending emails to people individually is that, somewhere down the line, for whatever reason, someone gets accidentally dropped from the list - either in a reply, or when a new email is created.
Listservs take care of this problem, but they don't solve everything.
In a typical email conversation on a listserv to really catch up with the full discussion, it's important to read every email you get. This is because conversations about things and responses to them do not happen in a linear way in real life. Email listservs have a difficult time simulating organic conversations. If someone responds to an email that was sent two weeks ago, you won't be able to see any discussion that has happened since then on your email.
The benefit of having these conversations through the Forums is that you can see the full discussion represented visually on the page of the initial post. Several threads of conversation can be seen simultaneously in a visually represented hierarchy.
If you are logged in and a current member, aside from being awesome, you will also be able to post a forum discussion. On the lefthand menu box called 'Members' you will see a link called 'Start a Conversation'.
When you click on that link, you will be presented with a form to fill out. Most of the stuff you need to fill out will make sense to you. There are a couple things I would like to point out that are important here:
If you are in a group that was selected to receive emails about this conversation, that email will come to you with the title of the conversation, a 'teaser' (the first 100 or so words), and a link to the entry itself below that. To go directly to that conversation, click on that link.
DO NOT respond by email to these conversations. If you do, the rest of the people in that conversation will not have access to what you say.
If you are on the site, and want to browse through the conversations that way, go to 'Forums (Conversations)' under your 'Members' left-hand menu box. From that page, you will be able to see overall 'Conversation Categories.' If you click on any one of those you will see a list of conversations (also called 'Forum Topics'). To view and respond to a specific conversation, click on it, and you will see the Conversation post itself, as well as responses to it. To respond to the post you can 'add a comment,' and respond to a comment you can click 'reply' underneath that comment.
A forum is a conversation, and a blog is an expression. A forum asks a question and requests feedback, and a blog just says it like it sees it.
Conversations exist for multiple voices to develop in unison and require responses. Expressions do not need a response, and are intended more to exist in and of themselves. While you can respond to a blog, it is not why the blog was posted.
The forum is wanting to get to work, and wants your interaction.
The purpose of a Blog is to express yourself. Y'all know anything about expressing yourselves? Well don't forget that you can do it here as well.
If you are logged in and a current member, aside from being awesome, you will also be able to post a blog. On the lefthand menu box called 'Members' you will see a link called 'Write a Blog' under 'Blogs'.
When you click on that link, you will be presented with a form to fill out. Most of the stuff you need to fill out will make sense to you. There are a couple things I would like to point out that are important here:
If you are in a group that was selected to receive emails about this blog, that email will come to you with the title of the blog, a 'teaser' (the first 100 or so words), and a link to the blog itself below that. To go directly to that blog, click on that link.
If you are on the site, and want to browse through all the blogs, go to 'Blogs' under your 'Members' left-hand menu box. To view and respond to a specific conversation, click on the Title, and you will see the Blog itself, as well as responses to it. To respond to the post you can 'add a comment', and respond to a comment you can click 'reply' underneath that comment.
A forum is a conversation, and a blog is an expression. A forum asks a question and requests feedback, and a blog just says it like it sees it.
Conversations exist for multiple voices to develop in unison and require responses. Expressions do not need a response, and are intended more to exist in and of themselves. While you can respond to a blog, it is not why the blog was posted.
The Alternate ROOTS server is now up, and you can download and upload files onto it for storage. In order to do this, you need a program on your computer. Because I do not own a mac or a pc (or run any of those programs) I cannot teach you how to use them. There is documentation and tutorials online that you can google if you need them. Because the function of file sharing is a higher level function with respect to computing, I would recommend getting familiar with what you are doing, before moving or changing stuff on the server.
Remember that what ever you delete or add to the server will impact everyone, not just you. Please be respectful of that, and make sure you understand what you are doing (by reading the documentation and tutorials) before you start making changes.
Here is a list of programs available for your use below:
Apple:
http://fetchsoftworks.com/
http://cyberduck.ch/ (Carlton can be a resource for how to use this one).
PC:
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=winscp&filename=winscp421setup.exe&use_mirror=internap
You want to click to download from these pages (if download doesn't happen automatically) and then you will want to install the program by double clicking on it and going through the process they lead you through.
These programs will have slightly different interfaces, so I can't explain how to use them other than to give you the information below. The website for the program should have instructions on it (documentation) or you can google 'configure' and then what ever program you downloaded/will be using.
Here is what you will need to know:
host (outside office): 70.89.250.57
username: rscuser
password: rscuser
port: 22
protocol: SFTP or SSH2
The folder you want is:
/Shared Items/Public
The folder you might end up at is your personal user folder. You will want to go up a couple of levels, or you can just enter "/" in the folder list and then double click 'Shared Items', and then 'Public'.
While there is a list of members in the section of the site that is visible to anyone browsing the site (under Membership --> Membership Directory), that list does not include email addresses so as to protect the membership from spammers. In the 'Members' menu, however, there is a list with much more information on it so as to enable members to contact one another directly.
The assumption (this is the Honor System) is that this privelege will not be abused in any way. If we get complaints about this, we will have to take this down which would be a bummer for all of us in this community. Abuse includes giving this list out to anyone else. You can use it for your own purposes, but not for the purposes of the other organizations and business you work with. Please respect this.
Technical requests are a way for you to bring our attention to any difficulties you are having on the site or suggestions for it. When you submit a request, it goes directly to our website maintainer, and to the geeky folks who make up the Technology + Communications Team.
Filling out a Technical Request will ensure that your issue will be addressed promptly. Requests for technical assistance or questions will not be met with the same level of urgency if they are emailed directly to Alternate ROOTS or ROOTS staff members.
To fill out a Technical Request, go to the left-hand 'Members' menu box, and click 'Submit Technical Request' (under 'Technical Requests'). Fill out the form as completely as you can. When you are typing out your ticket, pretend that we can't see your computer and that we are not inside your brain. Give us as much background as possible.
To view a list of your request and others, please click on the link in the 'Members' menu that says 'Technical Requests'.
The Executive Committee has its own left-hand menu item, and the logic behind this is that there might be some conversations that need to happen in a different forum than the rest of the membership has access to. It works similarly to the 'Forum' (so read that part of the membership chapter of this manual).
In order to have access to that menu item, you must be listed as a member of the Executive Committee. If you would like to be added to that list, please submit a technical request. There is also more written about technical requests in the membership chapter of this manual.
Please keep in mind that you should also read the members manual section on groups, because in order for your Executive Committee post to be sent to the team via email, you will need to check the box for the Executive Committee before hitting 'Save.'
Also keep in mind that if you want to change what you wrote but do not necessarily need people to receive a notification about it, click the checkbox under 'Notifications.'