Help & FAQ

General Contacts / Connections Communities / Discussions Library / Resources

General | Top

Q: What is my username/password?

A: Your login credentials are the same username and password that you use to log in to any portion of the ILA website. If you have forgotten your password, please click here to reset it; if you have forgotten your username, please retrieve it here. If you need further assistance with your login information, please click here or you may contact the ILA office.

Q: How do I update my contact information?

A: Go to your "Profile" page, and click the green "Edit Contact Info" button under your profile photograph in the left column of the page. This will open a new window that takes you to the main ILA database and for now, you will need to retype your login credentials as the two systems are only partially integrated. Your contact edits will migrate to Intersections automatically, but not instantly. Just click on the original window to return to Intersections. Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?

A: Please navigate to your profile page, find the four tabs under your name, then select the "My Account" tab and choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down menu. This will let you control what information is visible to whom.  After you’ve made changes, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page. Please note that these settings will affect what displays in your profile, how you come up in the Member Directory search results, and how your Discussion post signature looks. Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: What is  the "My Connections" tab next to the tab "My Profile"?

A: My Connections includes three areas: Contacts, Networks, Communities.

  1. Contacts is where you'll find an alphabetical list of those you've established as contacts with a Message button to send them direct private messages.
  2. Networks is an area that reflects the power of this software: your profile information is used to automatically identify people with whom you have something in common! These are suggestions to help you build your global professional network. From here you can add contacts or send messages. 
  3. Communities is the place to view a list of the communities you've joined and an overview of the number of discussions, resource libraries, and participants.


Contacts / Connections | Top

Q: How do I find other members?

A: In addition to the answer above, you can click the "Member Directory” link found in the main navigation bar. The Member Directory lets you search for other users based on:
  • First and/or last name
  • Organization name
  • Email address

Switch to the “Advanced Search” tab to refine your search results by:

  • City
  • State
  • Country
  • Organizational department
  • Biography keywords
  • Leadership interests

Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?

A: There are several ways to add contacts. When you perform a search in the Member Directory, you will see an “Add as contact” button () to the right of each person in your search results. Just click this button to send a contact request. If you click through and view an individual’s profile, you can click the contact request link to the right of his or her profile picture.  Also, the information you add to your profile is used to automatically identify possible "Networks" and from there you can also add contacts.  Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: Why should I add contacts to my contact list?

A: Creating this virtual address book makes it easy to send your contacts messages through the community site to stay in touch, ask questions, collaborate, and maintain your global network. Additionally, when you view another member’s profile, you’ll be able to see any contacts you have in common. You can also choose to let your contacts view certain demographics in your profile that others can't. 

Q: Where can I see a list of my contacts?

A: Click on Profile (found by clicking on the drop down arrow beside your photo in the top right corner) and select the "My Connections" tab, then "Contacts". 


Communities / Discussions | Top

Q: What are Communities?

A: Communities allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with other members. During the initial launch of ILA Intersections, the ILA will follow the best practice of starting with one community. Later, as participation reaches important milestones, more communities will be launched to meet the interests and needs of our members.

Q: What communities do I already belong to?

A: All ILA members are automatically subscribed to HubILA. Later, as options are added, go to “Communities” in the main navigation bar and select “My Communities” to view the communities you currently belong to. Or go to "Connections" and click "Communities". 

Q: How can I control the frequency and format of emails I receive?

A: Navigate to your profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu.  On that page, there are subscription options: Real Time, Daily Digest, No Email.  

For each discussion, you have the following delivery options:
  • Real time: sends an email every time a new message is posted.
  • Daily digest: sends one email to you each day, consolidating all of the posts from the previous day.
  • No Email: allows you to be part of the group without having emails sent to you. You can still post and read others’ messages by logging into the community site.
Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?

A: To respond to a discussion post, please navigate to the discussion post and click “Reply to Discussion” to send your message to the entire community.  To send a message to the only author of the post, please select “Reply to Sender” (located in the "Reply to Discussion" drop-down).  We recommend:
  • replying to the sender for  simple comments like “me, too” that add little value to the overall discussion; and
  • replying to the entire community when you are sharing knowledge, experience or resources that others could benefit from.

Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?

A: Go to “Participate" > “Post a message.” To start a new thread  on a new topic from an Intersections email (HTML version) for a particular discussion forum, you can use the “Post Message” link located at the top of the discussion email. Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: I’m having trouble viewing the HTML email messages. How do I fix this?

A: If images are not appearing, it is likely that your email client is set to suppress images. This should be something you can change in your security or viewing options. If you would rather receive text-based email, go to your profile page and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Select the “Plain Text” format option for each of the discussions you are subscribed to.

Q: Can I search for posts across all the Communities?

A: Yes, please enter a keyword in the search bar located in the main navigation. You can then further refine your search results by categories, tags, and recency.   

Q: How do I see a listing of all of the posts to a specific Community?

A: Locate the community you are interested in viewing from the appropriate communities page. Click through the community's landing page, then click on the “Discussions” tab. If you see a post you’re interested in, click the subject line which will take you to the entire thread. “Show Original Message” at the bottom of all of the posts in a thread will display the original message that started that discussion.  

Libraries | Top

Q: How do I find resources that may have been uploaded by other members?

A: There are several ways to do this:

  • Click the word "Search" in the website navigation and enter your key word(s) the same way you might enter search terms into Google or another search engine.
  • If you know that this resource is located in a library associated with a particular Community, find the community via the All Communities page. Click through the community's landing page, then click on the “Library” tab and find the document in that list.
  • Alternatively, if the resource is not associated with any particular Community, navigate to the "Libraries" area of the website navigation and select the appropriate Library from the drop-down list to see all of the entries.
  • If you do not know where the resource might be, click the word Search in the website navigation and enter your key words the same way you might enter search terms into Google or another search engine.

Q: Can I search for specific file types?

A: Yes. Enter your desired keyword in the main search box. From the search results page, click "Search."  Then click on “Search for Specific File Types.” This gives you the option to specify file type: Document, Image, Spreadsheet, etc.

Q: How do the libraries get populated?

A: The libraries are populated in two ways:

  1. When you include an attachment in a community discussion post, the system automatically places the attachment in the library specially affiliated with that community.
  2. You can also upload documents directly to a library by using the “Share a Resource” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "Create New Library Entry" button on any community's library page. Library resources are not required to be associated with a discussion thread. Please note that the ILA Author Interviews, Method Moments, and "How To" Libraries are exclusively populated for members by ILA Staff.

Q: How do I upload a file?

A: Select the “Share a File” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "Create New Library Entry" on any community landing page. Please note that uploading a document is accomplished by completing a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:

  • Choose a title for your document, and include a description (optional). Select the library to which you’d like to upload it, and select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional).  Then, choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). Once you have completed these steps, please click “Next.”
  • Upload your file.
  • Select “Next” if you want to further describe your files and/or add tags to your file.  Otherwise, please click “Finish” to post your library entry

Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: How do I edit/delete a file I uploaded?

A: After successfully uploading the file, please find the file in the Library you uploaded it to and click on its title. Once you are inside the file description area, find and click the Actions button (). In the drop down select either "Edit" or "Delete" depending on how you would like to manipulate your file. Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: What kind of files can I upload?

A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), webinars, images and YouTube videos. Help us maintain the community's integrity and observe the intellectual property rights of others by only submitting content you have personally written or else used with permission and properly attributed. By uploading a file, you are stating that you either hold the copyright or have obtained permission.  Watch a how-to video for more details.

Q: What are the “tags” for?

A: Tags are great way to organize and categorize content on your site. Tags can be applied to library entries, events, and glossary terms.  Tagged items are prioritized in the search results.