The key to setting up your web office is to first invite members and then post information that your members will find useful and interesting. Here are six simple steps that will get you started building your web office community.
The Announcements section on your home page is the perfect place to greet new members to your web office.
Post a welcome announcement with a short statement describing what your group will use the site for. And highlight the features you want members to be sure not to miss -- such as a special folder in group documents or a discussion forum.
To Post an announcement, click the New link on the Announcements window in your homepage.
Learn more about using announcements.
Schedule and publicize all your group events in one place: the online calendar. Start by adding:
Weekly meetings
Upcoming deadlines
Family birthdays
You choose whether the event appears on the group calendar or on your personal calendar only.
And don't forget to set an auto-reminder that will be emailed to you a few hours before the event!
To start scheduling group events, select Calendar > New Event from the Menu. When the Calendar appears, click New in the Command Bar.
Learn more about your Calendar.
Share the fruits of your web research with the rest of your group. If you know about some great web sites, search engines, or online resources, add them to the Group Links section of your home page.
Chances are other members will find them useful, too!
To share web links, go to the Links window in your homepage and click the New link.
Share virtually any type of file with the members of your site. Begin by uploading your group's must-have documents. It could be:
Frequently-used templates
Your company handbook or playbook
Pictures or graphics
Status reports or spreadsheets
Sales presentations
To begin uploading files, select Document > New Document from the Menu.
One of the best ways to get new members involved in using your site is to initiate a group discussion. For your first dialogue:
Collect opinions
Ask for suggestions
Gather feedback
Take a poll
Once you get started using Discussions, you'll see what a valuable tool it is to collect input from all members, no matter where they are.
To start a discussion, select Discussions > New Forum from the Menu to create a new forum. Then, start a discussion thread in your forum.
Learn more about Group Discussions.
Members make up the core of your web office community. Invite the people you want to use the site to your Members list.
If you've set up a business web office, invite your coworkers and business partners.
For non-profit or hobby group sites, encourage those who share your interest to join.
If it's a personal site, invite your friends and family members.
To invite members to your web office, select Tools > Invite Others from the Menu. Each person you invite receives an email with details on how to check out your web office immediately!
If you don’t see the "Invite" option, ask your administrator to give you permission to invite new members.