Customize Member Invitations

As a manager, you have the ability to invite new space members. However, by default this ability is not limited to managers of a space. Space members can also invite others to join the space. The ability of a manager to alter whether a member can send invitations is an advanced management feature.  If you wish to set your space so that only the manager can invite new members, click on the "Manage" button, then the "Permissions" icon.

Create Custom Messages

There are 3 ways you can welcome members into your space:

1. Email Invitation:  specify text (and a banner image) to be used when invitations are sent
2. Join Page:  shown when members arrive to join a space via "Invitation Express" or "Public Encouragement" 
3. Welcome Page:  shown to members once they join a space - this page can also be set to be the default destination page for the Overview tab

Create a Short Invitation Message:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Under "Email Invitations", type in a text to be included in invitations sent from the space
4. Click "Save"

Upload an Email Banner to be displayed in Invitations

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Under "Email Invitations", scroll down to "Email Banner"
4. Upload your image (Tip: the image should not exceed a width of 600px).  This image will be included in emails associated with the space, including invitations.
5. Click "Save"

Create a Join Page:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Scroll down to "Red Carpet"
4. Under the Join Text, type in a the message you would like to appear on the join page (default text is entered and can be replaced with your own message)
5. Click "Save"

Create a Welcome Page:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Scroll down to "Red Carpet"
4. Under the Welcome page description, type in a page title
   Note:  to have new members see a specific page after joining a space, simply enter the title of the existing page and click "Save" (no need to continue with steps below).
5. Click "Edit Page" - a new browser window will open, allowing you to create a custom welcome page
6. Enter and customize content for the welcome page, click "Save" and close the browser window (you can always go back to step 5 above, clicking on "Edit Page" to make changes)
7. Once back at the Invitations page, click "Save"

Invitations 

  There are 3 ways you may become a member of a space

1.  Email Invitation
2.  Invitation Express
3.  Open Door

Email Invitations:

Email invitations allow a member of a space (if the manager has not deselected the Open Membership option) or mangers of a space to invite others to join the space. Invitations can be sent from the Members tab and through the Invitations page for managers. Email invitations will contain a banner at the top (see "Upload an Email Banner to be displayed in Invitations"  above), invitation message (if specified, see "Create a Short Invitation Message" above) a link to respond and go to the join page of the space.

To issue a new invitation through the manager's Invitation section:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Under "Email Invitations", click on "Invite People Now"
4. Fill in fields, and click on "Add Rows" as necessary
5. Click "Save" to have the invitations sent

To issue invitations through the Members Tab:

1. Go to the "Members" tab
2. Select "New Invitation" or "Bulk Invitation", 
3. Type in the e-mail addresses of the person you wish to invite to your space.
4. Click 'Send' to send the invitations.

Invitation Express:

Invitation express allows the manager of a space to provides potential space members with the URL to join the space and the invitation code (can be a word or a phrase) to gain entry. This is particularly useful for adding large numbers of people to a space at once. For example, a teacher could write the URL to join the space and the invitation code on the board for the entire class. The students would quickly access the space by entering the specified URL in their browser, and in the invitation form, enter the invitation code and their email address. They can either let the software choose a password for them, or set up a username and password.

Clicking on "Join" will give them access to the space. Their username and password will be sent to them in an email.

As a manager, if you wish to set up invitation express:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Scroll down to 'Invitation Express'
4. The URL the prospect space members will have to visit to put in the password is shown as a link. It is typically the URL of your space, followed by  "/join"
5. To set the password for the invitation express, type it in the text box.
6. Click 'Save' to make the password active and the URL live.

Open Door:

A manager of a space can enable specific settings to allow the public to quickly become a member of a space. If a member of the public would like to participate in a space, they can click on "Join" in the right column to quickly become a space member and begin collaborating. They will be asked to provide an email address, and they will need to type in the invitation code (which is provided).  This option is used in conjuction with "Invitation Express" and public permissions.

As a manager, to encourage the public to join your space:

1. Click on the "Manage" button in the upper right corner on the banner for your space
2. Click on the "Invitations" icon
3. Scroll down to "Open Door"
4. Click the checkbox next to the prompt "Encourage Public to Join?"
5. Click 'Save' to make the changes final.

Public visitors to your space will now be encouraged to join!