Help

    • Registering lets you take full advantage of the community, enabling you to:
      • Post new messages and reply to other members' posts
      • Receive email when someone responds to a specific post or topic
      • Exchange private messages with other members
      • Personalize your community experience
      • Post comments on blogs that don't allow anonymous comments
      • Post ideas, vote on the ideas you like best, and post comments
      If you don't register, you can only browse, search for information, and read posts. You won't be able to give helpfuls, vote on ideas, interact with other community members, or set customization preferences.
      Close

    • Registering takes only a minute; all you need is a login name, a password, and an email address.


      To register:

      1. Click Register at the top of any page.
      2. Enter a Login name. (Your login name appears whenever you post or send private messages.)

        Tip: Most people create anonymous names for the sake of privacy and to help them feel more comfortable participating. Be creative, have fun with it, but choose carefully: you can't change your login after you're registered.

      3. Enter a Password.

        Tip: Passwords are case-sensitive. Include upper and lower case letters and numbers to make your password more secure.

      4. Enter your password again.
      5. Enter a valid email address.

        6. You'll be asked to confirm your email before you sign in.
      6. Enter your email address again.
      7. If you're the only one who uses this computer, click Remember me on this computer to be automatically signed in when you come to the community.
      8. If you want, enter your first and last name.
      9. Select a time zone that matches your location.
      10. Click Register.
      11. Check you email for a confirmation e-mail and click the activation link.

        Note: You must have cookies enabled in your browser to register and to sign in the community.
      Close

    • After you've registered and confirmed your registration, you can sign in and start participating.


      To sign in:

      1. Click Sign In at the top of any page.
      2. Enter your Login name and Password.

        Tip: If you're the only one who uses this computer, click Keep me signed in to sign in automatically next time you visit.

      3. Click Sign In.
      Close

    • To get help with your password:
      1. Click Need help with your login name or password? at the bottom of the page.
      2. Enter the email address you used when you registered with the community.
      3. Click Reset Password.
      4. Check your email for your login name and a password reset link.
      Close

    • Changing your avatar is an easy way to personalize your community identity. You can change your avatar as often as you like. Your current avatar appears at the top of the Avatar page.


      To change your avatar:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Avatars.
      3. Choose a new avatar in one of these ways:
        • Choose an avatar from the Community collection. (Choose an avatar collection and click the avatar your want.)
        • Use an image from your Image Gallery. (Click From Image Gallery and click the image you want.) You can only use this option if you have uploaded images that have been approved.
        • If you have been granted permission, use your Facebook profile photo as your avatar. (Click From Facebook and click Set Avatar.
        • If you have been granted permission, use an image from the web. (Click From the Web and enter the URL for the image. Then, click Set Avatar.
      Close

    • Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of your posts.


      To create your personal signature:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Personal Profile > Personal Information.
      3. Enter your signature text in the Signature box.
        Some communities let you use HTML in your signature. Check with a moderator if you have questions.
      4. Click Save.
      Close

    • You can tell other community members as much or as little about yourself as you want. You can enter a short biography, your location, your interests, or anything else (within community guidelines, of course).

      To tell other community members about yourself:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Personal Profile > Personal Information.
      3. Enter information about yourself in the Biography field. You can also enter your name, location, company info, and any other information you want to share.
      4. Click Save.

      By default, all community users can see this information.

      To display your info only to people on your Friends List:

      1. Click Preferences > Privacy.
      2. Set show private information in profile to to friends only.
      3. Click Save.
      Close

    • Your profile card displays information about yourself and your community achievements. You can include your avatar, helpfuls count, community rank, post count, and latest post. You can also create badges for Blogger and Wordpress.

      To create a profile card:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Personal > Profile Cards.
      3. Click Display your profile card on your posts.
      4. Choose one of the themes provided or, if you can upload images without moderator approval, click Browse to choose a background image.
      5. Click the items you want to display on your card.
        The Preview shows you what your card will look like.
      6. Click Save.

      To create a Blogger card:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Personal > Profile Cards > Blogger Profile Card.
      3. Choose one of the themes provided or, if you can upload images without moderator approval, click Browse to choose a background image.
      4. Click the items you want to display on your badge.
        The Preview shows you what your badge will look like.
      5. Click Upload to Blogger.
      6. Follow Blogger's instructions for incorporating the card.

      To create a Wordpress or web site card:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Personal > Profile Cards.
      3. Click Wordpress Profile Card or Website Profile Card.
      4. Choose one of the themes provided or, if you can upload images without moderator approval, click Browse to choose a background image.
      5. Click the items you want to display on your card.
        The Preview shows you what your card will look like.
      6. Copy the URL (for Wordpress) or code (for website) at the bottom of the page and paste it on your Wordpress or web site page.

      Close

    • Your Friends List is a way to create your own community within a community.

      Depending on your privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography, other personal information, or online status. If you send private messages, you can choose friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

      Note: Your Friends List is available only if your community supports private messages.

      To add people to your Friends List:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
      3. Click Add user name to Friends.

      Note: You can remove a person from your Friend's List by clicking "Remove from Friends". Additionally, you can click "Ignore" to prevent specific users from contacting you.

      Close

    • You can customize the look and behavior of the community in many ways, including time zone and language preference, text size, menu behavior, message order, and privacy settings.


      To set your viewing preferences:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Go to My Settings > Preferences.
      3. Click through the various preference tabs and make the changes you want.
      4. Click Save on each tab where you make changes.
      Close

    • Communities provide a place for members or participants to search for information, read and post about topics of interest, and learn from each other. Depending on how the community is set up, you'll find:
      • boards where you can post questions and answers
      • blogs where you can read and comment on articles
      • idea exchanges where you can suggest ways to improve products and vote for ideas that other community members have posted
      • and more...

      Guests (unregistered visitors) can browse or search the community for information. Members (registered users) can post messages or comments, track discussions, and get email notifications on posting activity and other community actions.

      Close

    • The ServiceNow Community is a professional, friendly, informative, and fun place for everyone. Your cooperation is essential to keeping our site welcoming and appropriate.

      Please read our official documents below to know what to expect and what is expected of you when you are here on the site:

      Read the Community Code of Conduct

      Read the ServiceNow Terms of Service

      We offer many ways to contribute your knowledge and experience: posting questions and sharing answers, commenting on blog and articles, and searching.

      We encourage you to visit often and participate. Ask your toughest questions. Chances are someone has a solution or can point you in the right direction. If you find a solution that works, let others know and pass on your own tips and insights. You might just have the answer someone else needs.

      Remember to thank community members who have helped you. Show your appreciation by giving kudos to helpful posts, accepting a solution that answers your question, or posting thank-you replies.

      Close

    • To post a message:

      1. Go to the board where you want to post.
      2. Click the New Message link.
      3. In the Subject field, enter your message title.
        Tip: Make your subject clear and concise, as it's the only part of the message that shows up on the message-listing page.
      4. In the Body field, type your message. Be sure to include all necessary details, especially for technical topics.
      5. Format and spell check your message, as needed.
      6. Click Submit Post.
      Close

    • Click Reply to respond to a particular post.

      The Reply Message screen is similar to the Post Message screen, with these differences:

      • When you reply to a post, the subject line is filled in automatically. You can change it if you want.
      • You can paste the message to which you are replying into the body of your reply by clicking Quote Message.

      Your reply is added to the existing thread. It won't create a new thread.

      Close

    • Yes. You can use macros to create boilerplate text that you can paste into any message. You can create up to 9 macros.

      To set up a macro for boilerplate text:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Go to My Settings > Macros.
      3. Enter a short but memorable name in the Macro Title field.
      4. In the Macro box, enter your boilerplate text. (You can use HTML tags if your community allows it.)
      5. Click Save.

      Tip: To add text at the bottom of your posts, you can include that text as part of your signature instead of using a macro.

      To add your boilerplate text to a post:

      1. Go to a post.
      2. In the comment area, place your cursor where you want to add the boilerplate text.
      3. Open the Macros menu and select the macro you want to add.
      Close

    • A Q&A is similar to a forum, but focuses on specific questions and answers. Use Q&As to ask questions or find questions that community experts have already answered.

      If you're an expert in an area, or just want to share what you know about a question, Q&As are a great way to answer someone else's question and track the questions that are still awaiting answers.

      Close

    • You ask your question in the Ask a Question component, which can be on any community page or even on another web site.

      To ask a question:

      1. Click in the Ask a Question box and start typing your question.
        As you type, the system suggests answered questions that contain the same subject matter.
      2. To view one of the suggested questions, click it. If none of the suggestions looks promising, click Continue.
      3. Edit the question subject as needed and ask your question.
        You can compose your question in rich text or in HTML and (if your community supports it) include links to other web sites, images, or videos.
      4. Add attachments, format the text in your question, and check your spelling, if needed.
      5. Click Post.

      After you post your question, category experts are notified. If they know the answer, they can jump right in and answer.

      Close

    • Answering a question is just like posting a reply or comment in the community. You might find a question to answer by browsing through a Q&A on a question you're interested in, or you might click a link from a page where unanswered questions are listed.

      To answer a question:

      1. Click the question you want to answer.
      2. Click Answer.
      3. Type your answer.
        You can answer using rich text or HTML and (if your community supports it) can include links to other web sites, images, or videos
      4. Add attachments, format the text in your answer, and check your spelling, if needed.
      5. Click Post.

      To comment on a question or an answer:

      1. Go to the question or answer where you want to post a comment.
      2. Click Comments.
      3. Enter your comment and click Post Comment.

      Close

    • When community members answer one of your questions, you can choose the answer or answers you think are the most useful, helpful, or accurate and mark them as a solution. If you have two answers that give part of the solution, you can accept both.

      To accept an answer to a question:

      1. Go to the answer that you want to accept.
      2. Click Options > Accept as Solution.

      Close

    • You can see some of your questions and answers on your profile page, or you can view all of your questions and answers.

      To view your questions and answers:

      1. Go to your profile page.
      2. Under the My Questions or My Answers, click View All.
      3. On the My Questions and Answers page, click tabs to see your questions and answers.
        Note: If you're a category expert, you'll see a Questions I Can Answer tab, which lists all the unanswered questions in your area of expertise.
      4. Click a question or answer to view it.
      Close

    • Bookmarks enable you to list community content (boards, articles, ideas, topics, or individual posts) on a special page so you can easily find it again.

      To bookmark a piece of content:

      1. Go to the item you want to bookmark.
      2. To bookmark a location, choose (Location) Options > Bookmark.
        To bookmark a specific post, go to the post and choose (Post) Options > Bookmark.

      To view and manage your bookmarks:

      1. Go to My Settings > Subscriptions & Notifications.
      2. Click My Bookmarks.
        You can click a bookmark to go to the item.
      3. To delete a bookmark, click the check box for the bookmark and click Bookmark Options > Delete Selected Bookmarks.
      Close

    • Subscriptions let you get email updates whenever new content appears in an area of the community that you're interested in. You can subscribe to a board, a blog post, an idea exchange, or any other location in the community. You can also subscribe to a specific post.

      To subscribe a piece of content:

      1. Go to the item you want to subscribe to.
      2. To subscribe to a location, click (Location) Options > Subscribe.
        To subscribe to a specific post, go to the post and click (Post) Options > Subscribe

      To view and manage your subscriptions:

      1. Go to My Settings > Subscriptions & Notifications.
      2. Click My Subscriptions to see a list of the items you've subscribed to.
        You can click a subscription to go to the item.
      3. To delete a subscription, click the check box for the subscription and click Email Subscription Options > Delete Selected Subscriptions.
      Close

    • RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It is a way for you to get the latest content from this community, along with many other sites that you visit, all in one place. With an RSS feed reader, you subscribe to web sites, and those sites feed you new content so you can stay up to date.

      To use RSS, you need a feed reader, such as Google Reader, MyYahoo, or the Live Bookmarks feature of Firefox. There are many free options. After you have your feed reader set up, you can find RSS feeds in the community by going to a board, blog, thread, or message and selecting Subscribe to RSS Feed from the options menu. There you will see a preview of the feed. Most RSS readers give you a button to click at this point. After you click it, the RSS feed appears in your reader as well as new content from that section of the community whenever it becomes available

      Close

    • You can create a search query subscription that sends you an immediate or digest email whenever a submitted message matches your search criteria. You can create one query for yourself.

      It can take about 15 minutes before you are notified about any new matching messages, and existing messages posted before you create a search subscription will not trigger any notification emails. Matches on terms used in author names, tags, labels, or attachments do not trigger any notifications.

      To create a search query subscription:

      1. Go to your profile page.
      2. Click My Settings > Subscriptions & Notifications.
      3. Enter one search query.
      4. Click Save.

      When entering search queries, pay attention to the following:

      • Search queries are not case sensitive
      • Asterisks (*) and question marks (?) must be preceded by an alphanumeric character
      • Quotes (") can be used around multiple terms to search for an exact phrase
      • Special characters (%$#@) must be inside quotation marks ("%")
      • Parentheses must be closed on both ends
      • Using foreign characters in a search query is not supported
      Search queries can include one or more of the following operators:

      QUERY EXAMPLESEMAILS SENT WHEN
      Including/excluding specific terms or phrases
      milk AND honey
      milk honey
      +milk +honey       		Posts include both "milk" and "honey" in any field, in any order.
      milk OR honey Posts include either "milk" or "honey" in any field, in any order.
      "heavy metal" NOT "heavy duty" Posts include the exact phase "heavy metal" but no other combinations of the 3 words.
      +grain -rice
      grain NOT rice       		Posts use the term "grain" but not "rice".
      "milk honey"
      milk+honey       		Posts use the exact phrase "milk honey".
      +"blue bird" AND parrot Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" AND the term "parrot".
      +"blue bird" OR parrot Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" OR the term "parrot".
      (+"blue bird" AND parrot) -owl Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" AND the term "parrot" but NOT the term "owl".
      (+blue +black) OR (+pink +purple) Posts include "blue AND black" in an order, in any field OR "pink AND purple" in an order, in any field.
      Using wildcards
      mi* Posts include words that start with "mi" (like milk) but not words that include "mi" in middle (dynamite) or end (demi).
      dy*mi* Posts include words that start with "dy" and include "mi" in the middle of the word (like dynamite).
      te?t Posts include a 4-letter word that starts with "te" and ends in "t" (like "text" and "test" but not "term" or "tested").
      Specifying fields to search in
      title:roses The word "roses" is used in the title (subject) field.
      teaser:roses The word "roses" is used in the Blog or Article teaser field.
      body:roses The word "roses" is used in the body field.
      Close

    • An article contains technical helpful product information. Articles are great community resources for several reasons:

      • You can search for article posts or use special navigation links that let you browse through the community's articles.
      • After you find an post, you can add your comments and maybe even edit the post (if you have the right permission). If the post's publisher incorporates your comment into a later version of the post, you'll get credit as a contributor.
      • Articles can contain some of the same rich media as other posts, including images and attachments.
      • Each post contains lists of contributors and related links.

      Contributors could be community members whose posts or comments are used in the post, authors who put the post together, or editors who reviewed or refined it. Related links take you to posts that were used in the post or other posts that the authors thought you might find helpful or interesting, including forum messages, blog posts, and ideas

      Close

    • You can view a article post in a number of ways.

      To go to the article for a board or forum, click the book icon next to the forum name on the community page. Then, you can browse the list of posts and choose one to read.

      To search for a article post, enter a search keyword and choose Article in the list to the left of the Search button. Then, you can use search results filters to zero in on the post you want.

      To go to an post related to a post, click the Article links at the top of the post. You might find links to posts based on the post, links to posts related to the post, or both

      Close

    • If you find great community material (helpful questions and answers or just plain useful information), you can nominate it as a article post. The people responsible for your community's article evaluate your nomination, and if it's accepted, article authors can use it as the basis for a article post.

      To nominate content:

      1. Go to the question you want to nominate.
      2. Click Topic Options > Nominate to Article.
      Close

    • You can contribute to articles by:

      • Writing good answers to questions posted in the community or accepting good solutions to questions you post. These answers may be used for trusted advice in a future article.
      • Editing your posts to keep them current.
      • Commenting on published posts. By adding more information, providing clarification, or just helping to keep published posts up to date, you contribute to a post and receive credit for your contributions.
      Close

    • To edit a article post:

      1. Click Edit on the post page.

        Note: You only see the Edit button if you have permission to edit the post.
      2. Click in the section you want to edit and make your changes.
        You can edit text, add text, or drag content from the clipping area on the right side of the Editor.
      3. To search for additional material, enter a search term and click Search.
      4. To find tagged material, click the Tags tab and click a related tag.
      5. Format text, spell check the content, and add contributors or related links as needed.
      6. Add a revision note that explains your changes.
      7. Click a save option: Save, Save & Request Review, or Save & Request Publication.
      Close

    • A blog is an online journal written by one or more authors. Blogs usually appear in reverse-chronological order, so you see the most recent post first, followed by earlier articles. Some blogs have comments from readers, which you can read by clicking the Comments link at the bottom of the blog.

      How is a blog different from an article? Learn more in the article below:

      https://www.servicenow.com/community/community-resources/is-it-a-blog-or-is-it-a-document/ta-p/2326139

      Close

    • Posting a comment on a blog is simple. If the blog is open for comments, you'll see an option to post a comment at the bottom of the post.

      To post your comment:

      1. Click Comment or Post Your Comment.
        You can post a comment to a post or to someone @ mention someone to reply to their comment.
      2. Type your comment in the comment area.
        You can use simple HTML and quote the post you're commenting on.

        Tip: Unless you have special permissions, you can't edit or delete a comment after it's posted, so be sure to preview your comment and spell check it first.
      3. Click Post Your Comment.

      Some blogs display new comments almost immediately. Other blogs don't display new comments until the blog author or a moderator approves them.

      Close

    • Yes, however, you must provide your name (which we'll show) and your email address (which we won't). You might also be able to enter a web site URL to display with your comment. Then, simply type your comment and click Post Your Comment.

      Close

    • Some blogs display new comments almost immediately. Other blogs don't display new comments until the article author or a moderator approves them.

      If your comment doesn't appear immediately, check back in a few minutes. If it still doesn't appear, your comment is most likely in the approval queue.

      Close

    • No, you can't. Be sure to check your spelling and preview your comment before you post it.

      Close

    • To share blog posts with friends, you can use any shared bookmarking, social network, or other tracking service, such as Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, Facebook, MySpace, Google, StumbleUpon, Technorati, or Twitter. However, you must have a valid account with the service.

      To share a article post:

      1. Go to the post you want to share.
      2. Scroll to the share button.
      3. Click the service you want to use.
        The next steps depend on the service.

      Close

    • Yes. You can subscribe directly to a blog or an post, or you can subscribe to their RSS feeds. If you subscribe to an RSS feed, you can use an RSS reader to view new content that's added to the blog. If you subscribe directly to a blog or post, you receive an email alert when new posts or comments are posted.

      ToDo this
      Subscribe to a blog Go to the blog page and click Blog Options > Subscribe.
      Subscribe to an post Go to the post and click Article Options > Subscribe.
      Subscribe to an RSS feed     Go to the blog or post and click Blog Options > Subscribe to RSS Feed.
      Then, save the live bookmark or whatever you usually do to add an RSS feed.

      Close

    • An idea exchange is a collection of ideas posted by community members. Ideas can include anything from new product requests to suggestions about how to improve a product or service. Everyone in the community can see and vote on the ideas. Idea exchanges offer 3 types of ideas:

      • Hot ideas (popular right now)
      • Top ideas (received the most helpfuls)
      • New ideas (most recent)

      Adding an idea is just like posting a message on a board, and voting for ideas is like giving helpfuls. You can post comments on ideas the same way you do on blog articles. Your community might use labels to help organize related or similar ideas, and assign a status to each idea so you know which ideas might be considered or implemented

      Close

    • Posting an idea is just like posting a message on a board.

      To post your idea:

      1. Go to the idea exchange where you want to post an idea.
        Tip: It's a good idea to search the idea exchange first to make sure that someone else hasn't already posted the same idea.
      2. Click New Idea.
      3. Type an Idea Subject and the body of your idea.
        You can use simple HTML, format the text, or add links or images. You can also preview your idea and check your spelling before you post the idea.
      4. To receive email when someone comments on your idea, click E-mail me.
      5. If labels are required, enter or choose one or more labels.
        The labels you can choose from are listed below the Label entry area. Click a label to choose it. Labels make it easy to find related or similar ideas.
      6. (Optional) Add one or more tags.
      7. Click Post.
      Close

    • You vote for an idea by giving it helpfuls. Just click the Kudos! button next to the idea. If you change your mind, you can revoke your helpfuls later.

      Close

    • To post your comment:

      1. Go to the idea exchange where you want to post an idea.
        Tip: Search the idea exchange first to make sure that someone else hasn't already posted the same idea.
      2. Click New idea.
      3. Enter your idea.
        You can use simple HTML, format the text, or add links or images.
      4. Preview and spell check your idea, if needed.
      5. To receive email when someone comments on your idea, click Email me.
      6. If labels are required, enter or choose one or more labels. The label options are listed below the Label entry area. Labels make it easy to find related or similar ideas.
      7. (Optional) Add one or more tags.
      8. Click Post.
      Close

    • No, you can't. Be sure to check your spelling and preview your comment before you post it.

      Close

    • To share ideas with friend, you can use any shared bookmarking, social network, or other tracking service, such as Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, Facebook, MySpace, Google, StumbleUpon, Technorati, or Twitter. However, you must have a valid account with the service.

      To share an idea:

      1. Go to the post you want to share.
      2. Click Bookmark.
      3. Click the service you want to use.
        The next steps depend on the service.

      Close

    • Yes. You can subscribe directly to an idea or an idea exchange, or you can subscribe to their RSS feeds. If you subscribe to an RSS feed, you can use an RSS reader to view new content that's added to the idea exchange. If you subscribe directly to an idea or idea exchange, you receive an email alert when new ideas or comments are posted.

      ToDo this
      Subscribe to an idea exchange Go to the idea exchange page and click Idea Exchange Options > Subscribe to this Idea Exchange.
      Subscribe to an idea Go to the idea and click Idea Options > Subscribe to this Idea.
      Subscribe to an RSS feed     Go to the idea exchange or idea and click Idea Exchange Options > Subscribe to this Idea Exchange's RSS Feed or Idea Options > Subscribe to this Idea's RSS Feed.
      Then, save the live bookmark or whatever you usually do to add an RSS feed.

      Close

    • Starting from your image gallery, you choose the image and name it. There are size limitations, of course, and a community moderator must approve your image before it appears in your gallery or you can insert it in a post

      To upload an image to your image gallery:

      1. Go to your profile page.
      2. Click View Image Gallery.
      3. Click Browse and select an image file to be uploaded.
        A preview of the image.
      4. Type a title for the image.
      5. Click Hide in Gallery (Private) to make this image private.
        Private images never appear when other community members view your image gallery. They only appear if you insert the image in a post.
      6. Click Save to Gallery.
      Close

    • You can use any approved image you've uploaded as your personal avatar.

      To use an uploaded image as your personal avatar:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Go to My Settings > Avatars.
      3. Click From the Community or From Uploaded Images.
      4. Click the image to use as your personal avatar.

      Close

    • You can insert images from your computer (this uploads the image to your gallery), from your image gallery (if the image has been approved), or from another location on the web.

      To insert an image in a post:

      1. Start a new post.
      2. Click Photo in the editor’s toolbar.
      3. Choose one of the image source options and follow the on-screen instructions.
      Close

    • For your protection, your community requires a moderator to approve all uploaded images before they can be displayed. Although you can see your uploaded images that are awaiting approval or flagged for review, other community members who view your images can only see the ones that have been approved.

      Close

    • A private image is one that only you can see. Each time you upload an image, you can decide whether you want that image to appear in your image gallery. If you choose no, the image is private. Remember, a moderator must approve all uploaded images before your can use them in a post or display them in your gallery.

      To change the privacy setting for an image:

      1. In your gallery page, click the check box below the image you want to change.
      2. Click Image Options > Make All Checked Images Public or Private.
      Close

    • There are now two versions of the image upload feature that communities can use. The choice is made by the community manager and applies to the entire community.

      In communities that use Images (Version 2) you can organize uploaded images into albums and images become more like posts: you can give helpfuls to images you like and comment on images in your own albums and those of other community members.

      Here's what's new in Images (Version 2):

      • You can organize your images in albums. You start with default public and private albums that contain any images you might already have uploaded.
      • When you upload an image you can place it in an existing album or create a new one.
      • You change the privacy setting for images by moving them between private and public albums.
      • When you view the images in an album you can use a new carousel control near the top of the page to scroll through the images.
      • You can add a description and tags to an image and choose the one you want to use as the album cover.
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    • To comment on an image:

      1. Go to the Albums and Images page of the image's owner.
      2. Open the album that contains the image you want to comment on and click the image.
      3. Click Kudos.
      4. (Optional) Click Add Tag, enter the tag, and click Add.
      5. Click in the comment editor, type your comment, and click Post Your Comment.

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    • Depending on your starting point, you choose one or more images, choose the album where they'll be located, and upload. There are size limitations, of course, and a community moderator must approve your images before others can see them. You can upload images from:

      • Your Albums and Images page
      • Any of your individual Album pages
      • Post Message, Answer, Comment, Post, and other Post pages
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    • You can change the name, add a description, and apply tags to an image, but you can't edit the actual image in the community. If you want to edit the image, you need to do that outside the community and upload the edited image.

      To edit information about an image:

      1. Go to your Albums and Images page.
      2. Open the album that contains the image you want and click it.
      3. Click Edit to change the image title, add a description, and enter tags.
      4. To display an image on the front of the album, click Use this image for the album cover.
      5. Click Save.

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    • To insert an image in a post:

      1. Start a new post.
      2. Click Insert Image.
      3. Choose an image source location.
      4. Follow the on-screen instructions

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    • A private image is one that only you (and community moderators with permission) can see. When you upload an image, you can place it in a private album or public album. Moderators must approve all uploaded images before you can use them in a post or display them in your My Images list.

      To change the privacy setting for an image:

      1. Click the image to go to the image page.
      2. Click Image Options > Move Image.
      3. Choose an album and click Move. To make an image private, move it to a private album. To make a private image public, move it to a public album.

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    • An image album is used to organize the photos and other graphics that you've uploaded to the community. By default, you start with two albums: Private and Public. Your community manager determines the number of albums you can create.

      To edit an image album:

      1. Go to your existing Albums and Images page by starting a new post or editing an existing post.
      2. Go to text editor tool and click the insert image icon (camera)
      3. Choose an album.
      4. Edit the album name or description or change the privacy setting as needed.
      5. Click Save.

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    • For your protection, your community requires a moderator to approve all uploaded images before they can be displayed. Although you can see your uploaded images that are awaiting approval or flagged for review, other community members who view your images can only see the ones that have been approved.

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    • You can use any approved image you've uploaded as your personal avatar.

      To use an uploaded image as your personal avatar:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Go to My Settings > Avatars.
      3. Click From the Community or From Uploaded Images.
      4. Click the image to use as your personal avatar.

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    • To upload a video to your video gallery:

      1. Go to your profile page.
      2. Click View Video Gallery.
      3. Click Upload a Video.
      4. Click Browse to select a video file to be uploaded.
        If the video is small enough (the size limit is set by your community), the video is uploaded.
      5. Enter a title and description for the video.
      6. Click Hide in Gallery (Private) to make this video private.
        Private videos never appear when other community members view your video gallery. They only appear if you insert the video in a post.
        Click Upload.
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    • To insert a video in a post:

      1. Start a new post.
      2. Click Insert Video.
      3. Choose one of the sources and follow the on-screen instructions.
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    • The two main reasons why you might not be able to view videos are:

      • Your videos are still being processed after uploading.
      • The site moderator hasn’t approved your videos.
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    • A private video is one that only you can see. When you upload a video, you can decide if you want that video to appear in your video gallery. If you choose no, the video is private.


      Remember, a moderator might need to approve your videos before your can use them in a post or display them in your gallery.


      To change the privacy setting for a video:

      1. In your gallery page, click the check box below the video you want to change.
      2. Click Video Options > Make All Checked Videos Public or Private.
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    • An Accepted Solution is a way for you to choose the reply that best answers a question that you've posted. When you accept a solution, both the question and the solution get special icons and links that take you directly from the question to the answer.

      An Accepted Solutions icon (green check mark) also appears on boards and in search results so you can see which messages have solutions.

      You can mark a solution as accepted only for questions that you've posted (you started the thread). Community moderators can also mark one of the replies to a message as an accepted solution

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    • To mark a message as a solution, click Accept as Solution on the reply.

      If you change your mind or if another reply provides an even better answer, you can revoke the first selection and accept the second reply.

      To revoke an accepted solution, click Options > Not the Solution.

      You can choose another solution or leave the question unsolved.

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    • Kudos is a content rating system that lets you vote for the messages you think are the most useful or important.

      When you give helpfuls to a message, you are giving a thumbs-up for good content and a pat on the back to its author. Your helpfuls help to boost the value of certain messages and enhance the reputation of their authors.

      Giving helpfuls is as easy as a single click, but the impact of helpfuls ripples across the community.

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    • You can give Helpfuls to any posts in the community except your own.

      To give helpfuls to a message and its author, click Kudos on the message.

      If you change your mind about the quality of the message, you can revoke your helpfuls.

      To revoke helpfuls you've given, click the Kudos button again.

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    • Want to know who thinks a message is good? It's easy to find out which regular community members and community experts have given helpfuls to a message. Helpfuls from community experts can carry more weight than those from brand new members. (Community administrators can choose to have helpfuls granted by experts carry more weight than helpfuls granted by regular members.)

      To see who's given you helpfuls:

      1. Go to the message page.
      2. Click the Helpfuls total.
        The Who Helpful this Message page shows you all the community members who've given helpfuls to the message.
      3. Click Experts to see helpfuls given by high-ranking members of the community.
        Experts are usually moderators and other users who had a helpfuls weight of more than 1 when they gave the message helpfuls.
      4. Click the Date Helpful, User ID, or or helpfuls link to sort this page by the date the helpfuls were given, the name of the user who gave helpfuls or by the helpfuls count.
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    • There are usually two helpfuls leaderboards on the community's front page -- one for authors and another for messages. The author's leaderboard shows who has received the most helpfuls. The message leaderboard showcases the most helpful messages. Links from the front-page leaderboards take you to the full leaderboard pages.

      To view the Top Helpful Messages leaderboard, click view all from the front page module.

      To view the Top Helpful Authors leaderboard, click view all from the front page module.

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    • To see who's given you helpfuls:

      1. Go to you profile page.
        Your Profile pages shows the names of community members who have given you helpfuls, the messages they helpful, your top helpful messages, and the helpfuls you've given.
      2. To see all of your recent helpfuls activity in an area, click view all.
      3. Click the tabs to see more info about your helpfuls activity.

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    • Your helpfuls weight is the number of helpfuls you give each time you click Kudos!.

      If you're new to the community, your helpfuls weight is probably 1 (each helpful counts as 1). More experienced community members might have a higher helpfuls weight, so they could give two helpfuls, ten helpfuls, or more each time they click.

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    • There are a few reasons why you might not be able to give Helpfuls to a post.

      • You've already given Helpfuls to this message (you can only give them once).
      • You wrote the message (you can't Kudo your own messages).
      • Your community manager wants you to give Helpfuls only to a message that starts a thread and not to replies.
      • Your community manager has turned Helpfuls off for a message or a forum.
      • Your community manager has frozen Helpfuls for this message. You can still see how many Helpfuls the message has received, but you can't Kudo it any more.
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    • Sometimes a message gets so many helpfuls that we run out of space to show the number. When that happens, you'll see a Hot Helpfuls symbol or icon instead of the helpfuls count on the helpfuls badge.

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    • Labels are used within a community to help categorize posts in a variety of discussion styles; forums (questions), blogs, and articles. Labels enable you to categorize the content you write based on the themes or content in the post.

      Labels are created by the Community Admin team and are controlled by Product Owners/employees for consistency and need. All authors (including you) must choose to apply labels from a pre-defined list for where the post appears.

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    • To add a label:

      1. Navigate to the post you authored.
      2. Open the post to edit it.
      3. In the Labels field, start typing the label or choose one from the list. If you add multiple labels, you must separate them with commas.

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    • Typically, only administrators or permissioned members can create new labels or edit the label list. When the use of labels is enforced, members must apply a label when submitting posts. Labels can be optionally predefined, giving administrators complete control over exactly which labels are used in their community.

      Labels are applied at node (board) level, so different settings can be applied at different boards. One board might be mandatory with a predefined pool of labels, while another can be completely optional and enable users to create their own labels.

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    • When you subscribe to a label, you will be notified by email when a new post is created with the label.

      To subscribe to a label:

      1. From a particular post with a label, click on the label to filter by that label. (You can also do this from the labels component.)
      2. Click Subscribe.

      Note:Your community users can configure their own subscription settings under My Settings > Subscriptions and Notifications > My Subscriptions and My Settings > Subscriptions and Notifications > Notification Settings.

      One thing to note about labels is that they are applied at content-type specific level. Thus, predefined labels and subscriptions to labels exist only at the place at which they are applied. For example, if you subscribe to a label named 'contest' on Now Platform articles, it will not automatically subscribe you to an identically named label at Now Platform blogs. You will have to subscribe twice, once at each content type.

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    • Private Messenger enables you to send private notes to other community members. Private Messenger has two big advantages over email:

      • You don't have to know the other member's email address to send the note. (Also, you don't have to reveal yours.)
      • You can read and send private messages without leaving the community, making it easy to a quick conversation with another community member.

      To use the Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in. You'll see a Private Message icon at the top of your page. If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.

      Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.

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    • To send a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click Compose New Message.
      4. Enter the recipient's name in the Send to area.

        Note: Depending on your role in the community, you might be able to send a message to a group of users based on their role or rank in the community. If so, you can choose a role or a rank.
      5. Enter the subject for the message in the Message Subject area.
      6. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
      7. Click Send Message.
        You can look for the messages you've sent in the Sent tab.
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    • To read a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
        If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To read a message, click the message subject.
      4. To reply to a message, click Reply. Type the reply and click Send Message.
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    • To reply to a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To read a message, click the message subject.
      4. To reply to a message, click Reply.
        The recipient and subject are automatically entered for you, but you can edit them.
      5. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
      6. Click Send Message.
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    • You can delete messages one at a time as you read them, or in bulk from your Inbox.

      To delete a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To delete a single message, click the message to view it and then click Delete.
      4. To delete all messages, click the Options menu and click Delete All.
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    • To see the private messages you've sent:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click Sent Messages.
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    • Your Friends List is a way to create your own community within a community.

      Depending on your privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography, other personal information, or online status. If you send private messages, you can choose friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

      Note: Your Friends List is available only if your community supports private messages.

      To add people to your Friends List:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
      3. Click Add user name to Friends.

      Note: You can remove a person from your Friend's List by clicking "Remove from Friends". Additionally, you can click "Ignore" to prevent specific users from contacting you.

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    • Most users in an online community get along very well. Sometimes, however, you might encounter someone you consider a nuisance. If you are receiving messages that you'd prefer not to receive, you can add the sender to your Ignored Users list. The system blocks all messages from users on your Ignored Users list.

      To add someone to your Ignored Users list:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click a message from the user you want to ignore and click Ignore user name.

      To remove someone from your Ignored Users list:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click Ignored Users to see the list.
      3. Click Remove from Ignored list to begin receiving messages from this user again.

      You can also search for community members and add them to your Ignored Users list.

      To search for a user.

      1. On any page, enter a user name in the Search box.
      2. Choose Users and click Search.
      3. In the Search Results, click the user's name.
      4. Click Ignore user name in the Contact area

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