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Generalities
Members
Administrator
Group data


Generalities

  1. Definition [top]
    Information sharing (calendars, addresses, etc.) can only be done within a group. Therefore, you have to be member of at least one group to share your own data or to have access to the data of other users.

    Every member of the group has a personal login and a personal subscription. In the context of a group, the subscription types of the members do not matter: all subscription types enable you to join a group and all members of a group can have different subscription types. The fact that a person belongs to a group has no influence on the subscription type: it remains unchanged.

  2. Tips for creating a group [top]
    It is important to create groups efficiently, including the people with who you wish to share information. It is better to create several small groups with a simple sharing pattern (access rights identical for all group members) than a single large group with a complex access rights pattern (each group member has different access rights).
  3. Group types [top]
    There are three types of groups:

    Open Group
    • Membership: Free (every user can join the group)
    • Members directory: The members listing is public
    • Group directory: The group is listed in the public group directory
    Closed group
    • Membership: apply by sending an email to the group administrator
    • Members directory : The members listing is public
    • Group directory: The group is listed in the public group directory
    Private Group
    • Membership: only the group's administrator invites people to become members of the group
    • Members directory: The members listing doesn't appear in any directory
    • Group directory: The group does not appear in any directory.

Members

  1. Conditions to join a group [top]
    You can belong to up to 20 groups, unless your subscription allows more groups.
  2. Search for a group [top]
    Click on Find a Group in the menu bar. Use at least 2 criteria amongst the following:
    • Group name: enter at least 3 consecutive letters which must appear.
    • Activity: determine if it's a business group or not.
    • Sector: if it's a business group, specify the economical sector.
    • Language
    Note: The private groups never appear in the search result.
  3. Join a group [top]
    The procedure is specific to each type of group:
    • Open groups
      They are listed in the group directory. Make a search and click on Click here to join.
    • Closed Groups
      They are also listed in the group directory. Make a search and send an email to the group administrator whose email address appears in the group description
    • Private Groups
      These groups cannot be searched: you must be invited by the administrator to join one.
  4. Quit a group [top]
    Click on Manage my groups and then on Quit this group.

Administrator

  1. Definition [top]
    The administrator of a group is the person who manages the group. When you create a group, you are automatically the administrator of this group.

    The administrator is the only one able to add, edit or delete content in the group tools (calendar, documents, etc.), but he may give these rights to certain or all members of the group.

    The administrator of the group it not authorized to leave the group, unless he has chosen a new administrator.

  2. Conditions to create a group [top]
    The maximum number of groups you may create is determined by your subscription type.
  3. Maximum number of members [top]
    Every group has a maximum number of members. It is set by the subscription type of its administrator.
  4. Group capacities [top]
    Just like a private environment, a group environment has capacities (MB for documents, for instance). These capacities are set by the subscription type of the group administrator. Therefore, the group administrator will generally have the highest subscription type.

    Example: a subscription type has a capacity of 100 MB for Documents.

    • The administrator has 100 MB for his own private documents.
    • Every group created by this administrator has a capacity of 100 MB for Documents. In other words, the documents placed within the group by all members (including the administrator) cannot exceed 100 MB.
    • If the subscription type allows the creation of 3 groups, the total capacity for the Documents is 400 MB: 100 MB for every group and 100 MB for private documents of the administrator.
    The capacities for the private environments of the members of the group are set by their own subscription type.
  5. Create a group [top]
    In the group tool, click on Create a new group. Then enter the following parameters:
    • Group Name: Group short name (max. 12 characters), this is the name that will appear in the group directory. E.g.: IAB.
    • Group long name: The entire name of the group. E.g.: Internet Advertising Bureau)
    • Description: A description of the group.
    • Group main activity: select the group type: Business or Non-Business.
    • Group sector: Select the group sector.
      Be precise because this will be a determining search criterion!
    • Group language: select the language of the group.
    • Group Directory: decide if your group is private or public.
      A public group will appear in the group directory, while a private group will not.
    • Member Directory: decide if the group members list is public or private.
      A public members list appears in the member directory, while a private list will not.
    • Access: choose the access type for your group:
      Open: If it's an open group, anyone can join the group by making a search and clicking on Click here to join.
      Closed: If the group type is closed the group administrator has to invite people in the group by sending them an email.
  6. Modify a group [top]
    The administrator can modify the groups parameters to change it into an open, closed or private group. All other parameters (group long name, description, language,...) can also be modified, except for the group name.

    If you are the administrator, click on Manage my groups and then on Change group settings and carry out the necessary changes.

  7. Add members [top]
    Click on Manage my groups and then on Invite members next to the group name.
    • If the person you want to invite is in your address book
      Click on Send an invitation to a new member via Address book and tick the boxes to select one or more persons.
    • If the person you want to invite is not in your address book
      Click on Send an invitation to a new member via e-mail, enter a name and an email address and select a language. You can invite several persons by entering e-mail addresses separated by ";" (ex: paul@domain.com;peter@domain.com). In this case, leave the Name field blank. All invitations will be sent in the selected language.
    . Each person you invited will then receive a standard email in the chosen language; it will contain the administrator name and the group name, as well as an introduction to the virtual office. The procedure to join the group will also be explained.

    If someone has not answered an invitation, you can resend it by clicking on Resend the invitation or delete it by clicking on the Trash icon.

  8. Remove members [top]
    Click on Manage my groups and then on View members next to the group name. Then click on the Trash opposite a member to remove him from the group.
  9. Number of administrators [top]
    A group has only one administrator (at a time).
  10. Change the administrator [top]
    The current administrator can resign by choosing a new administrator among the members of the groups. To do so, display the list of group members and click on Becomes administrator.

    As the capacities of the group (number of groups, number of members and capacities for the objects of the group) are set by the subscription type of its administrator, ensure that the new administrator has a subscription type with sufficient capacities.

Group data

  1. Access to the group data [top]
    Go to a tool and click on View in the menu bar and then on the group name you wish. You can also select the group in the second pull-down menu.
  2. The "All group members" tickbox [top]
    If you select the box: "All members of (group name)" (after you have clicked on Access), the members who may join the group later on will have the same rights as the current members.