Getting Started with AppDefense Community

[BrianatVMware]

New to VMware Communities? Here are a few tips to help you get started. The full Community FAQ can be found here

Do I Have to be Registered to Use the Community?

Anybody can view the content in the public VMware Community without logging in. But you will need a VMware Community user account if you want to create new posts, reply to messages, enable watches, or earn rewards points. If you are a member of a private groups, such as certain betas, you also will need to log in before you can view them.

How do I log in?
To login to the Community, click the “Login/Register”  button in the upper-right corner of your browser window. You will be  prompted to enter your email address and password at this time.

Note: You must have cookies enabled for this feature. Your login information will be encrypted and stored in a cookie.

What if I forgot my password?
If you cannot remember your password, there is a mechanism for password retrieval on the login page. Click the “Login/Register” button in the upper-right corner of your browser window, and then click on the “Forgot your password” link.

How do I Create or Reply to a Post?
Before posting a question or starting a discussion, please search the community forums first to see if the answer has already been posted.

To start a new topic, first log in, then navigate to the appropriate community and click on “Start a discussion” link in the Actions menu on the right.

Type the subject of your post in the subject line and type your question or comment in the message box. Please try to make your subject as specific as possible.

Before you are about to post, you can spell check your message by clicking on the Spell Check button. You can refer to other users directly by mentioning them (Ex. @JLory), or attach photos/documents. When you are satisfied with the content, confirm that it is being posted in the correct forum on the bottom of the page, add tags to optimize others' ability to find it, and press the “Post Message” button.

Once this topic has been posted, you will receive notifications around it based on your settings. If your profile has the standard settings, you will receive email notifications when other users reply to your topic, and notifications on your VMTN profile.

To post a reply to a topic, first log in, then open the message and  click on “Reply” link in the bottom right corner of the message area.

How do I use the private message function?
A private message box has been configured for each registered forum user. This function is provided strictly to send private messages to other registered forum users. The private message box is accessed through visiting another users profile, which can be done by clicking on or searching for their username. The message option is in the lower right corner of the users profiles banner.

What are notifications? How do I receive notifications from a certain community?
Notifications are messages to let you know if the topic you are interested in has been updated. To signify your interest in a community, visit that community and in the top right corner, above Start a Discussion, you can choose to Follow. You can choose to have notifications in your "Connections Stream" (similar to a FaceBook timeline) or in your Inbox (which will send email notifications to your email on file and add a notification to the @ box in your header panel) or both.

To add a discussion, document, blog, or poll to your notifications list, navigate to the topic or a document you want to follow and click on the "Follow" link underneath the Actions box on the right. Check off whether you'd like this content to notify your VMTN inbox/Connections Stream, your email, or both. If you'd like to stop notifications, uncheck the relevant boxes.

To add a user to your notifications list, click onto the user's ID to access their public profile and click on “Follow”  link in the Actions box on the left. You can only follow another user in your Connections Stream, you will not receive an email notification regarding another user's actions unless it is in a place of content that you are following.

Community personal account settings
After logging into the VMware Community, click on your user name in the community navigation bar and select “Edit Profile” from the drop-down menu to view and edit your community profile.

You will be brought to a profile page with three tabs, each offering profile customization options:

• Avatar & photos - add a profile photo and select an avatar to represent your content, such as forum posts, documents, and blog posts.
• Your profile - This allows you to update your public profile in the VMware Community. You can fill in information such as occupation, expertise, a brief biography, etc.
• Privacy - a list of the information you have chosen to enter into your profile, and a customization option for each piece of information. You choose if you would like it to be visible to everyone, registered users, friends, or only yourself.
• This includes email notifications.
• Tab 2, Desktop Applications, is irrelevant.