Profiles and Networks: Finding People on ALA Connect

One in a series of introductory screencasts created by the ALA Emerging Leaders Group I FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://connect.ala.orgUsing ALA Connect, ALA members can create a personalized network with colleagues, friends, classmates, and others around interests, issues, events, and more.Each ALA member has an ALA Connect profile, always accessible from the left sidebar. Your profile is already populated with membership information from the ALA membership database.

September 15, 2009



One in a series of introductory screencasts created by the ALA Emerging Leaders Group I
FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://connect.ala.org

Using ALA Connect, ALA members can create a personalized network with colleagues, friends, classmates, and others around interests, issues, events, and more.

Each ALA member has an ALA Connect profile, always accessible from the left sidebar. Your profile is already populated with membership information from the ALA membership database.

You can use your profile as a homebase for your online information, posting professional information and interests, even your resume. Edit your profile to remove, add, or change any information you want to share. Non-ALA members can view information from your profile, too, if you choose to make it public. Of course, your profile will be available only to ALA members, if you choose the members only setting. To find other members on ALA Connect, you can take advantage of a few different options. If you know who you’re looking for, use the Advanced Search feature in the upper right corner. Choose the Member Search tab and enter the name of the person with whom you want to connect. From the results page, follow the members name to view his or her profile. You can even add the member to your network for easy access later. Use the Add to My Network link.If you’re not sure who you’re looking for, you can browse group memberships with your My ALA Groups section. Because ALA Connect knows membership information about each person from its membership data, you can easily navigate to each of the groups with which you’re currently affiliated to find other members in those same groups. Use the Members link on the right sidebar. If you join a community–that is, an informal group organized around a specific topic, rather than a formal ALA group like a division or a section–you can also view the members. Use the My Member Communities section.To revisit the members of the network you’ve created for yourself, use the My Network tab of your profile or the My Network link directly on the left sidebar. You can even contact people in your network directly through Connect. Use the send message link. For more information about ALA Connect, use the Help community, always available at the top of the page, or the Contact Us form if you have questions.

Music: Momentum by Crepusculum, available at www.archive.org.

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