Training Schedule

To view the training session click here
Conference line number is located in the event details

CommunityVoice is a place where finalsite users can gather to share ideas, ask questions, and provide feedback, both with finalsite and with each other. Want to know how other schools are doing something? Have a great idea that you’d love to see implemented in the finalsite software? Post it in CommunityVoice!

(Note: If you have a problem that finalsite Support needs to look at and resolve, please go to the Support Portal and submit a support ticket. Support staff are well equipped to help solve these kinds of issues, and a support ticket is the best, most efficient way to request assistance.)

If you have never logged onto CommunityVoice before, you should use the “CommunityVoice” link under the Support tab of your admin interface. This link is configured to automatically create your CV account the first time you click it.

Once the account is created, you can use this link to automatically log you into your account. Alternatively, you can go to http://communityvoice.finalsite.com/login, and use your administrator email/password to login manually.

By default, your CommunityVoice profile is rather sparse. Adding and changing some of the information in your profile can make it more personalized, and help establish your (and your school's) identity in the community.

To update your personal CommunityVoice profile:

1. Log in.
2. Hover over your name in the top bar.
3. Click Profile Information from the dropdown.

Here’s a handy checklist for updating your profile:

Have I changed my Nickname?

By default, your username on CommunityVoice will be pulled from your admin username on your school’s website. In the Profile Information section, you can update this Nickname setting to be more personalized for you.

Have I uploaded an avatar?

Your avatar is the small picture that displays next to your posts on CommunityVoice. It’s your visual representation on the site. You can upload a real picture of yourself, artwork, or whatever image you want to represent yourself with. Under Profile Information, use the Choose File button next to the Your Icon setting to select a file from your computer to upload.

 Have I set up notifications?

There are four different types of posts in CommunityVoice: questions, ideas, feedback, and updates.

 Questions

If you have a question about how to do something in finalsite, what the best practices to follow are, or how other schools are doing something, CommunityVoice is a great place to ask it. You can get an answer from other CommunityVoice users, or start a discussion about the best way to do things.

 Ideas

Since you’re the people who are using the software on a day-to-day basis, we love to hear your thoughts on how we can make it better for you. Our developers look at these ideas when speccing out new updates, so feedback from you on the changes you’d like to see is essential.

 Feedback

Have an opinion about finalsite? Let us know! We love hearing feedback from clients about what we're doing, software that we’ve rolled out, or pretty much anything! This feedback can be either positive or negative: if there’s something that you think we’re doing wrong, please let us know that too, so we can correct it.

 Updates

Updates are a special class of post that finalsite can post from time to time to help broadcast company information to CommunityVoice users. For those worried about missing out on information, the contents of these updates will usually be posted elsewhere as well, such as the Support or Software Updates blogs, the admin dashboard, emails to school administrators, etc.

Problems

CommunityVoice is primarily for interaction with other finalsite users. If you have a problem that is interrupting your workflow or where something is going wrong with the software, and you need to contact finalsite for help, the best option is to submit a support ticket about it. You can do this from the Support tab of your admin login. finalsite Support staff have expert knowledge on how the software works, and are better equipped to quickly help solve these types of issues for you.

When you first open CommunityVoice, you’ll start off on the main screen and you’ll see a text field you can use to input your question, idea, or feedback.

When you click Continue, CommunityVoice will search for existing topics that may be related to your post. If none of these posts answer your question, you can continue with the submission process by clicking “Nope. Finish posting my question.”

You can then give your topic a title and description; on the right, you can select the module(s) relevant to your post, and make your post easy for others to find later by adding some appropriate tags.  

Title: Enter a concise description of your post, or state your question.

Description: Provide additional information about your post. Be as detailed as possible.

Related Product/Service: Select the module(s) that best fits your post.

Tags: Enter keywords related to your post, separated by commas. At least three relevant keywords is a good rule of thumb.

The Title and Tags sections are important for making sure your post is findable in searches. Keep your titles concise and descriptive of the overall topic of the post. In the post above, “How does your school use Forms Manager?” is a better topic title than, say, “Looking for Advice,” for example.

Some users go above and beyond the call of duty, and stand out as especially knowledgeable or helpful. We want to highlight those members of the community who go the extra mile to help out others. 

Champions on CommunityVoice are awarded with a “champ” badge on their profile to mark them as a trusted source of information.

While there’s no single, set path to become a finalsite CV Champion, here are a few things that we look for in a champ:

1. Have an active presence in the community.
2. Consistently offer valuable feedback or software enhancement ideas.
3. Answer other users’ questions in an accurate and helpful manner.
4. Provide useful feedback that can be used to improve finalsite and its software.
5. Create topics that generate meaningful discussion.

We take notice of people who are courteous, helpful, and positive. If you consistently display qualities of a potential Champion, then a group of finalsite employees will review your posting history. If we decide that you would make a good Champion, we’ll contact you and offer the opportunity. (We won’t just assign Champion status to anyone without their permission. Since it comes with some additional responsibilities and standards [see below], you’ll always have the option of not being a Champion if you prefer.)

finalsite holds the right to remove a champion status at any time. Champions hold their positions for as long as are helpful members of the community. Every few months we'll evaluate all our champions: if you're active and adhering to the guidelines set here, you've got nothing to worry about. 

Champions are held to a slightly higher standard than most CV users. A Champion is:

• Courteous – When posting replies or topics, conduct yourself in a positive manner, and always be respectful of your fellow posters.
• Helpful – Replies to posts should always positively contribute to the discussion. Whether it’s answering a question, providing additional details, or presenting an alternate viewpoint on an idea, posts should foster positive discussion and improve the community as a whole.
• Accurate – Always try to be as accurate as possible. If you’re not sure of something, try to verify your information, either through our Knowledge Base, or by testing it. It’s OK to be mistaken once in a while, but the majority of a Champion’s information should be correct.
• Moderate – A champion should encourage others to follow CV rules, by being an example of them themselves. If a finalsite employee is needed, a champion should not be afraid to “call for backup.”
• Participatory – Champions should stay active on CommunityVoice, continuing to exhibit the qualities that nominated them for champion status in the first place.

Here are some guidelines for your interactions on CommunityVoice:

KEEP TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE COMMUNITY
Topical areas are not limited to finalsite products/services and can cover a wide range, including: related software, general best practices, policies, communications, constituent relations, emerging technologies/techniques, etc. Topics/posts clearly unrelated to the general interests of this community will be removed.

BE RESPECTFUL OF THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS
Expressing differences of opinion can often lead to entirely new insights and ideas. While debate is welcome, always disagree with others in a respectful manner, as you would if you were in the same room with them. Abusive treatment of another community member will be grounds for being banned from CommunityVoice.

KEEP COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL
For most of us, CommunityVoice constitutes a part of our professional workplace. It’s OK to have fun, but profanity, sexually explicit content, or other “not safe for work” content is not appropriate for CommunityVoice.

BE YOURSELF
While you can set your display name to anything you want, we much prefer it when people use their real names. One benefit of CommunityVoice is getting to know each other a little better, and that is difficult when we’re all a bunch of anonymous users. You’ll find you’ll have more credibility and respect with other members when you’re willing to put your name with your posts.

REPORT PROBLEMS/ERRORS IN A SUPPORT TICKET
In order to get the fastest possible response to a problem or error you’re encountering, please submit a Support Ticket for these kinds of issues rather than posting in CommunityVoice. The biggest reason for this is that the people who are best equipped to fix problems are watching for incoming tickets. Our response to a problem reported on CommunityVoice might therefore be a little slower.

POST REMOVAL AND USER SUSPENSION
While we believe in open and free communication, finalsite reserves the right to remove any post deemed offensive or inappropriate. Users who repeatedly abuse their rights in CommunityVoice will have their posting privileges suspended.