Creating Contributor Accounts

Step 1. Save and Crop Contributor's Headshot. Identify the contributor you want to add by looking up their biography on their organization's website. Crop the photo of their headshot so that it's square. Save a high-resolution version of their headshot in Dropbox > !ReligionAndPublicLife.org > Images. 

Step. 2. Create Branded Gmail Account. Login to https://www.workspace.google.com/ with management@tfrl.org and create a new email using the first initial and last name as the prefix for the branded email (e.g., jsmith@religionandpubliclife.org). Use the password "Religion101!" and leave the email and phone number blank. Add the cropped headshot you saved in the Dropbox images folder. Make sure the email account is filed under the "organizational unit" called ReligionAndPublicLife.org (see https://jmp.sh/PSIXOGq).

Step 3. Login to the New Gmail Account. Using an incognito browser, use these credentials to log in to gmail.com and confirm the new Gmail account is active. Leave the phone number and email account blank for the user to add later.

Step 4. Register User. Using the incognito browser, visit www.religionandpubliclife.org and click "Sign Up." Create an account using the new branded email and the same password and profile photo. Be as thorough as possible and include title, affiliation, location, and social media links. Use the user's LinkedIn profile to determine location, title, and affiliation. Use pop-up Pronunciation Respelling Key to add the pronunciation of their name; if needed, use www.pronouncenames.com. 

Step 5. Activate Account. Visit the new Gmail account to click on the link that says, "To complete the activation of the account, go to the following link." Copy this link into a new incognito tab and activate the account.

Step 6. Login and Update Profile. Use the handle and password to log in at www.religionandpubliclife.org. Add a biography in the "Text" tab (not the visual tab) and correct spacing between paragraphs. Whenever possible, add a cover photo, such as the cover photo used by their affiliation's Facebook page.

Step 7. Approve New Member. In a regular browser, log in to the platform using your own administrator account. Visit Learn > BP Registration > Member Requests and approve the new user.

Step 8. Connect User to Community. While still logged into a new user's account in the incognito window, visit the Colleagues Directory and "connect" and "follow" any related accounts (e.g., members of their organization). Ensure all new users are connected to and follow the founder (Nate) and the advisors (Jo and SiouxSanna). Then visit the Club Directory and add them as members of Clubs that relate to their expertise and interests (e.g., if they are an educator join them to Religion & Education).

Step 9. Enroll Contributor in their Courses. In the regular browser where you are logged in with your administrator account, visit Learn > Users and "edit" the new user. Enroll the user in courses where they are contributing content. Press "Update" the profile to save these changes.

Step 10. Choose Correct Display Name. In the same edit-the-user page, make sure the username "johnsmith" (lowercaps all one word) is not the Display Name. Instead, select a Display name so it's their first name, "John." Some names may vary if they have two-word first names. Press "Update" the profile to save these changes.

Step 11. Change Member to Contributor. Select the "Extended Profile" tab at the top of a user page to continue to edit their profile. Use the dropdown menu to select "Contributing Scholar" or "Faculty" as the preferred profile type. (Note: Contributing Scholars cannot receive email messages from other users, where Faculty accounts can send and and receive messages.) Double-check all details and then press "Update Profile" to save all changes.

Step 12. Log Out. Log out the user from both the Gmail and the ReligionAndPublicLife.org accounts.

Step 13. Quality Control: Contributor Feed. In the regular browser where you are logged in with your administrator account, visit the Learn > About > Contributors. If you see the new user listed then you correctly completed Step 10. If you see the new user with a Contributing Scholar or Faculty member type, then you successfully completed Step 11. 

Step 14. Quality Control: Display Name. In the regular browser where you are logged in with your administrator account, visit the Learn homepage. Hover over their phone in the "Active Members" widget. If you see their Display Name rather than their username, then you successfully completed Step 10.