1. How to join the EnableMe online community

Enter the EnableMe website: https://enableme.vanillacommunities.com/.

To post comments and discussions on the community, you first need to sign up. Your profile is anonymous – you will only be identified by your username. It takes just a few short steps, as explained below.

1. Click on the Register field on the right hand-side of the page.

2. Choose your desired username. Your username lets you keep anonymity when asking personal questions.

3. Choose your preferred password and retype it in the “confirm password” field. Make sure to use a strong password (optimally with 6+ characters containing a capital letter and a number). Make sure that only you know your password. 

4. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and to the Community Guidelines by ticking the checkbox. To read through those, click on the respective link.

5. Pass the reCAPTCHA I am not a robot field.

Click on the “Sign up” button. You are ready to browse through the community!

2. Customise your profile

Now that you are onboard, it is time to make yourself visible to the community. To customise: 

1. Click on your profile icon on the right hand-side and select Edit Profile from the dropdown.

2. Upload a picture or an avatar that represents you (does not have to be a real picture of you). Once you do, you earn your first photogenic badge! :)

3. Update your personal information to make it easier for others to connect according to interests. (e.g. In Areas of Interests you can choose to reveal your disability (or not), and show your personal interests and hobbies).

4. Click on Save. Your profile is ready!

3. Write your first comment by introducing yourself

It is time to say hi to the community and add your first comment.

1. Click on the Community field (below) to open all thematic categories.

   

2. Under the Community heading click on the Welcome & Introductions category.  

Open the first discussion with the title “Welcome to EnableMe! Introduce yourself here“ by clicking on it.

1. Scroll down to the comment section and write your introduction in the comment section (you can add who you are, your interests, what you are searching for on the forum).

Post the comment by clicking on the blue button Post comment.

Voila! Your introduction has been shared. Now you can scroll up through the others’ introductions to get a first sense of the community members.

4. Start your first discussion

Interested to start a conversation yourself? In the Health and Living themes you can ask questions which other members can answer. In the Community section you can start discussions, ask questions and initiate polls. Here’s how to start a discussion f.ex. in the Coffee Lounge space:

1. Click on the Community field (below) to open all the thematic categories. 

1. In the

Community heading and click on the Coffee Lounge category. 

1. Start your first discussion by clicking on the drop down next to

Ask a question and select New Discussion button.

1. Add a

discussion title (f.ex. “Virtual coffee...”) and write body text (f.ex. what you are searching for).

1. Select where the post should be

announced (posted) by clicking on the option: “don’t announce” / “in the category” / “in the category and recent discussions”

1. Post your discussion

by clicking on the blue button Post discussion.

4. Ask a question

In all sections you can ask questions which other members can answer. You can pose questions in the same manner you start a discussion:

1. Click on the Community field (below) to open all the thematic categories. Select the right category according to the theme of your question (f.ex. Assistive Technology & Therapy).

2. Click on the Ask a question button on the right hand side.

   

1. Make sure to choose a

clear and self-explanatory title for the question, so that others can answer your question faster. Add the text and click on Ask question.

5. Mark a question as answered

Once you have posed a question, community members will start answering. Every time someone replies, you will get a notification on your profile (below).

Review the answers. If the post answers your question, please note that by clicking Yes to the Did this answer the question? In that manner you show appreciation to the members who answered to you, and make it easier for others with the same question to navigate the forum. 

6. Add a comment or reaction to a discussion

To add a comment or a reaction just enter the desired category and click on the discussion you are interested in. Just below the body of the discussion you can find the available reactions: e.g. like or LOL (amusement). 

Underneath the discussion you can write a comment and tag a user by using the @... function. By tagging them they will get notified.

7. Find the right spot to post your question: Community Blueprint

If you wonder where is the right space to post your question, here is the overview of the categories on the forum and their descriptions. Once you find the space for your theme, scroll through the previous discussions to see if your question was already asked. If so and the answer was helpful, don't forget to add a like to thank the author. If not, just ask the community to share by posing a new question in the right thematic category.

If a question is not posed in the right category, the Community Managers will move the question to the right space to keep the overview in the forum.

8. Edit or remove a comment

You can edit or remove your comment or discussion within 4h of posting. To do so, click on the three dots on the right hand side next to your post and select edit or delete.

9. Reporting of abuse or spam and consequences

Should a community member’s behaviour not align with the Community Guidelines, the Community Manager will take action. Sometimes that just means giving someone a warning; other times it means revoking certain privileges or accounts entirely. 

If you encounter a behaviour in violation with the Community Guidelines, we encourage all community members to report the behaviour with the “Flag” symbol directly on the post (as a spam, abuse, report), or directly email community@enableme.com with the subject line “Community Guideline Flag”. Let’s safeguard our community space together.

Icon	Flagging system	Action	Consequence
	Spam	Spam reaction allows to report any spam that gets posted so that it can be removed as quickly as possible	Community Manager gets notified after 5+ people have flagged a post as spam
	Abuse	Abuse reaction marks posts that are abusive or violate the Terms and Conditions or Community Guidelines	Community Manager gets notified after 5+ people have flagged a post as abuse
	Report	Report allows a direct link to the Community Manager  and text explanation why a post is not appropriate or dangerous	Community Managers received a direct notification with a link to the discussion or thread and the member’s explanation

10. Personal Messages

On EnableMe you have the option to send personal messages with other community members. To do so:

1. Click on the message button in the top ribbon, on the right.

   

2. To start a new private message, click on the symbol. 

1. Start by typing the username of the wished contact. Name suggestions will autofill. If you wish to send the message to multiple users, just add the further user names in the box one after the other.

1. Add on your text and click on post. Your message has been sent! 

Make sure to stick to the Community Guidelines and keep the private messages private: do not share private messages and excerpts of those publicly without the consent of your communication partner.

11. How to delete my profile

We are sorry to hear that you consider leaving the EnableMe community. 

If you are unsure whether leaving the community is the right move, we recommend reaching out to your Community Manager or community@enableme.org. 

If you wish to delete your profile, you can do so. Your profile will be deleted, and your posted content on the community (discussions, comments) will stay under a blank user name.

Should you wish to delete all your previously posted content, you can do so by contacting the Administrators at community@enableme.org.