Groups and invite links

Welcome to the tenth issue of  Tips   for   Networking

Date: 23rd May, 2012.
Publisher: The Research Cooperative. Circulation: c. 4,100.
Previous issue: Jan. 18th, 2012 (Inviters and greeters).
Tips  top page.

Hi.

Our network is gradually developing a definite shape or form.

Unlike most social networks, such as LinkedIn or FaceBook, the different groups in our network have all been created with the same goal of helping people meet each other  for  a common purpose, the communication of research.

There is a method in our madness :-)

Individual groups are all placed within a limited number of larger categories, to make exploration of the network easy and intuitive. Any member can join groups within these categories, and any member can invite others to join groups that he or she has joined.

You can invite anyone  for  whom you have an email address, or in other ways that are explained when you click on the +Invite button.

For  several months, our main categories have been as below (click on the links to explore):

Research topics

Issues in publishing and production

Member occupations

Member languages

Member countries

to these we have recently added an important new category:

Member universities

This last and least may be the most important. So far just one university has been added.

Many university researchers and students may prefer to spend time with friends and colleagues and experts in their own university .. people they can meet in person, as well as through our network.

But I personally cannot make a group  for  every university represented by members in our network.

If you want, please  apply here to start a university focus group . You can help me to help you by making a start.

The university  for  which you want a group page can be where you work or study now, or it can be any university that you have a close connection with.

All that I require as Administrator is that you have an interest in the university, and can help us get a group started.  For  this, we need to first create the page, and then invite people to join.

It's your university, so please invite the people you know, if you think they might find our network useful or interesting.

Please look at this screenshot, below!

Ignore my name, that can be your name, after you have signed in to the network, and have opened the page of a group you belong to.

The Options button, if you see it, shows you what kind of actions you can do in the group. If you created the group (e.g.  for  the University of Zanzibar) then you will see options available to a group creator.

The big  +Invite button lets you invite anyone, from inside or outside the Research Cooperative, to join the group. Someone who is not already a Co-op member will automatically be led through the process to join the Research Cooperative, while joining the group.

Finally, notice the tab  Colleagues -  Invite, at right.

That's a tab you can always see, when you have signed into The Research Cooperative. The Invite link will take you to a standard form  for  inviting friends and colleagues to join the network.

Various options are shown  for  how to send invitations, but I usually use the option to  "Enter E-mail addresses and a personal invitation message".

It's direct and personal! Please try it sometime.

Thanks, Peter (Admin., Kyoto)

ps.

A moment of peace under the night sky in Auckland (NZ, April 2012)...