This page is a Quick Start guide. There's also a more detailed How Can I... page, and an A-Z of terms offering more help.

Where words have a ? symbol next to them move your mouse over the symbol to see a quick explanation, or click it to read a full definition.

Accessing the site

This section details the different levels of access that are available on the Policy Unplugged website. 

If you have been sent an email with Username? / Password?

You will have access rights to:

• Update your profile that has been created for you
• View the profiles of other participants and contact them 
• Comment on the blogs?, whitespace and cool reads created by other participants
• Create your own blogs, whitespace and cool reads

If you have registered yourself onto the site

You will have access rights to:

• Create and update your own profile
• Subscribe to any of the available Policy Unplugged communities
• View the profiles of other participants and contact them
• Comment on the blogs, whitespaces and cool reads created by other participants
• If you want to create your blogs, whitespace and cool reads you will need to contact us and request to have your account upgraded

If you have not registered onto the site

You will have the access rights to:

• View the profiles of other participants
• View the blogs, whitespaces and cool reads created by other participants
• If you want to comment or contribute, you will need to register onto the site

Browse

We have three areas on the website - the central header menu, the left sidebar and right sidebar

Central Menu - Overall PU Community

• See who the PU team are
• View the profiles of the registered members of the website in our community
• Register for future Policy Unplugged in upcoming events
• View the recent posts that have been made on the website
• View the quick start (this page) access to this website in how to use
• Contact the PU team
• Locate specific content by searching and ideas (go to Our Community and click on ideas)
• Check the ideas that have been generated by the PU community to see if you are missing anything else interesting.

Left Sidebar - Login / Register and Learn About Policy Unplugged

Login / Register 

The login / register for the website is located at the top of the left side bar - you will need to register and Log In?

• If you have not registered onto the website, click Create new account under the Log In button (left sidebar), and follow the instructions.
• If you have received an email with log in details, then you have already been registered - please input your provided username and password to register
• If you have registered, but lost your password, click Request new password and follow the instructions.
• Once registered and logged in?, you may change your username (and password) at about me->edit->account settings. Blog entries and comments will appear with the firstname lastname you provide.
   

Learn more about Policy Unplugged - what we do and what we know

Right Sidebar - Policy Unplugged Communities

This is the community section of the website - located here are all the Policy Unplugged community groups.

Click on the community that you want to view and learn more about:

• The Policy Unplugged event that the community group was launched for
• The participants in the community
• The posts (blogs, whitespaces, cool reads) that have been posted by the community participants

Contribute to community

First, complete registration? so that you can contribute to the site, including your profile so others can find you. You can then:

• Comment on any item through the comment link at the end of items
• Add your own content by clicking on post a message under the personal menu that appears when you Log In (please note that if you have self registered on the website, you will need to contact us in order to upgrade your account to do add your own content pages)

Get Notified of Community Activity

Subscribe to the feed of the community either by RSS? or by email subscriptions

More?

See the How Can I ... and A-Z of terms for further explanations and how to raise your profile.

How Can I..