This FAQ answers to the most common questions about the site we receive from our users. We will update this document periodically to answer more questions. If you have a question that is not in this FAQ, please post it in the comments section and we will respond or direct you to someone who can answer your question.
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Q: How can I delete my element14 account?
A: If you would like to completely delete your account on element14, please send an email to communitymanager@element14.com. Please be advised that when your account is deleted all content created by the user ID will be deleted as well. If you would like the account information to remain, please request that your account is disabled.
Q: How do I change my element14 username?
A: If you need to change your username for some reason on the element14 Community, please send a request to communitymanager@element14.com.
Q: How do I change my element14 password?
A: You must be logged in to change your password. Once you are logged in, in the upper right corner click on “My Account”>”Profile”. Once on your profile page click on the “Change Password” item on the Actions menu.
Q: How do I update my status?
A: You must be logged-in to change your status. Click on your name in the top right corner from the home page. Next, you’ll be routed to your profile where you can click on “Update” to change your status. To change your status from the email newsletter click on "Let Others Know What You're Up To". Note: Status updates are not required.
Q: Is setting or updating my status on element14 required?
A: No. Setting your status is a way to micro blog and let the other members of the Community know what you’re up to.
Q: Can I change my element14 username?
A: If you need to change your username, please contact communitymanager@element14.com with the current username and the username that you would like to change to. Also, please include your email address used to register the account.
Q: I have created an element14 account in error, how can I delete my account?
A: If you need to have your account deleted please send an email to communitymanager@element14.com with your username and email address for the account to be deleted. Please note that any content created with that account will also be deleted.
Q: How do I change my email address for my element14 user account?
A: You must be logged in to change your email address. Click on your name from the home page top right corner and you’ll be redirected to your profile page. Next, click on “Edit Profile and Privacy” under the Actions menu. Under the “Edit Profile” tab change your email address and click “Save”.
Q: I have attempted to reset my password, but am getting an error message “Wrong Token”. What should I do?
A: If your token sent to you for resetting your password does not work; send an email to communitymanager@element14.com with your username, email address and mention that the token you were given to reset your password isn’t working properly. The team will reset your password manually for you.
Q: I have not used my element14 account for a few months and tried to login and got a message “It appears your account has been disabled. You might contact your administrator if you think this is a mistake”
A: If your account has been disabled by mistake, please send an email to communitymanager@element14.com and they will manually enable your account.
Q: Why did element14 automatically expire my password? (added March, 18 2010)
A: element14 enabled SSL encryption on registrations and login. As a result, we have expired any passwords that were set before SSL was available on the site so that the new password the user selects will be secure.
We appreciate this may be an inconvenience for some users, having to remember what the new password is, ect. but we feel that in the long run this will provide a much more secure site and environment for our users.
We do not plan to expire passwords regularly - this will most likely be a one-time occurrence.
CONTENT CREATION & MODERATION
Q: Where can I find my Draft content?
A: You can find draft content from "Your Content" tab then click on "Documents" and then look for "Your Draft Documents". You can also go to your Profile>Your Content Tab>Your Draft Documents
Q: What types of content can I create?
A: You must be logged in to create any content on element14. Users have the ability to create documents, start discussions, ask questions, start blogs and create blog posts, upload video, set up a poll or create an event. Not all areas of the Community are open for everyone to create content. When logged in you can view the “Actions” menu to view the content creation options available for that area on the Community.
Q: What is the difference between a blog and a blog post on element14?
A: A blog is the structure in which the blog posts live. You can think of it a blog as the book and the blog posts as chapters within the book. You must have a blog in order to create blog posts. All members on the Community are able to create personal blogs to house their blog posts. Additionally, various places on the Community allow users to post in their blogs as well.
Q: How do I create content a document?
A: You can create a document from multiple areas on the Community as long as you are logged-in. If you viewing a specific area and want to create a document the “Actions” menu and select the action to “Create a Document”. You are presented with two options “Write a New Document” or “Upload a File”. If you are uploading content only, your best option is to use “Upload a File. If you do not have an attachment to upload or want to create a new formatted document select “Write a New Document”. You may also select to create a document from the “New” drop down near the “My Account” and Login area at the top right corner of the screen. You will need to select from a list of areas in which you can create this document.
Q: How do I start a discussion?
A: You must be a registered member of the site and logged in to create a discussion. Once logged in, simply click on the "New" drop down from the top right corner and select "Discussion". You will then be presented with a list of choices of where to create the discussion. You can also create a discussion in any space by clicking "Start a Discussion" in the Actions menu (located in the right-hand column on most pages of the site).
Q: How do I start a blog?
A: You must be a registered member of the site and logged in to create a blog. Click on the “New” menu and select “Blog Post” and select a location for your blog to live. If you would like your blog to be connected to your username instead of a location select the option to create a personal blog instead of selecting a location.
Q: What is a bookmark used for on the Community?
A: Bookmarks are used to connect links outside of element14 Community so our members can access information that members find helpful or relevant. Additionally, Bookmarks can be used to create shortcuts to information that is used frequently on element14.
Q: Why would I want to create a private document/discussion on element14 and how do I create them?
A: Private content is useful to users who need to keep documents or discussions confidential with just a select group of members. To create a private discussion click on “New” and then when you are asked to choose a location, select “Private Discussion”. To create a personal document select “New” and then select the option “Your Documents” when you’re asked to “Choose Location”.
Q: What happens to content I report as abuse?
A: The form you complete will be sent to our moderation team for consideration of removal on the community. After you submit the report you will not receive a confirmation and will be directed back to the home page. While the moderation team makes their decision the content will be removed from the Community and will hold a message on the URL where the original content reported was.
CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES
A: How will I know that I’ve won something?
Q: Each contest may be different. Please review the contest Terms & Conditions to learn how contestants will be notified.
COMMON ERROR MESSAGES
Q: I received a link from element14 and I am getting an error message when I click to view?
A: Some areas on element14 are hidden or not available to users who are not logged in to elemenet14 Community. If you are logged in and still not able to access the link you might check with the person who sent the link.
EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
Q: How can I unsubscribe from marketing emails from element14?
A: Click on “My Account” and select “Profile” then select “Edit Profile” and make sure that the tick box is unchecked toward the bottom of the form.
Q: How do I turn off/edit email notifications and the weekly status email?
A: You can turn email notifications off by going to the specific space, group or piece of content you are receiving notifications. Under the 'Actions' box (to the right of the screen) click on 'Stop Email Notifications". You can also go to My Account>Preferences>Email Notification Preferences then select the desired settings for your email notifications. To see all notifications for which you receive email alerts go to Your Stuff>Profile>(Tab) Email Notifications>select the items you want to stop receiving email notifications and click on the button "Remove Selected Notifications". One additional place you’ll want to check is also on your Profile>Edit Preferences>Email Notification Preferences>select “No” for all items you do not wish to be emailed about.
EXPERTS
Q: How do I become an element14 Expert?
A: If you are interested in becoming a featured expert please contact your Supplier Account Manager for assistance. If you do not have a Supplier Account Manager, please send a request to communitymanager@element14.com with the biography/credentials of the expert and it will be reviewed by the element14 team. If your expert is selected the team will contact you for further details.
GROUP MANAGEMENT
Q: How do I create a sub-group that branches off my main group?
A: Sub-groups are not possible in element14 at this time. However, you can create another group and use a widget to link to the two groups together.
Q: How can I become an administrator of a group?
A: There are two ways to become the administrator of a group.
1) Create a group of your own
2) Request admin access from the current group owner via private message or email
Q: What are my options as the owner of a group?
A: As an owner of a group on element14 you are also automatically an admin of the group. An admin of a group is able to take the following actions:
- Determine the group type: Open, Members Only, Private and Secret
- Invite other members or people to the group
- Manage the layout and design of the group
- Change another group member’s status to admin
- Delete or ban a user from the group
Q: What is the difference between Open, Members Only, Private and Secret groups?
A:
- Open: Membership is open and non-members can view content and participate.
- Members Only: Membership is open and non-members can view content, but must join to participate.
- Private: Membership is by approval/invitation only and only members can view content and participate.
- Secret: Membership is by invitation only, only members may participate, and the group is not listed in the group directory.
LOCALE & LANGUAGE
Q: Why do I have to select a country and language?
A: As a global site, element14 provides you with the ability to see the site in one of nine supported languages: English, French, German, Italian, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Thai, Korean and Spanish. In addition, whenever there are links to products on the site, we make the product information available via one of Premier Farnell's product focused sites and wish to direct you to the most appropriate site for your region.
You can change your country or language selection at any time, and your choices will be preserved via a cookie on your computer or in your profile once you are logged in for your convenience.
Q: How do I change my timezone settings? (hint: all content will be time stamped with the timezone settings you've selected ie. events, posts, documents ect...)
A: Make sure you are logged in, next go to "My Account"> General Preferences Tab and change the time zone setting and click “Save”.
Q: I need to change the language settings in my element14 account – where do I change my language?
A: Click on the flag near the top right corner of the screen. This will take you to your language settings. You have the option to select a “Site Language” and a “Content Preferred Language”. Site Language is the language used in the navigational menus, pop up messages, site wizards and forms. The content preferred language is used to surface the content in the language you most prefer to read on element14. For example, if you can only read English, you might want to set your site language to English and the content preferred language to English as well so the content in languages that you can not read will be filtered to show up after all of the English content is surfaced to the top.
MOBILE
Q: Does element14 have an iPhone application?
A: Yes, to see more information about the mobile applications available visit our Mobile Group
Q: Does element14 have an iPad application?
A: We do not currently have an iPad application, but we welcome your ideas in Feedback and Support.
NAVIGATION
Q: How do I navigate element14?
A: There are several ways to find what you're looking for on element14:
1) Search: Type what you are looking for into the search bar and review your results, narrow your results using the search filters.
2) Browse All: The browse option at the very top of the page allows you to quickly find all content of a specific type - documents, discussions, blogs, groups, etc.
3) New: Allows you quick access to create new content
4) Technical Documents: We have collected over 8000 technical documents in our Technical Documents area sorted by application or technology
5) My Page: Is your personalized home page (after login) which allows you to customize the topics of most interest to you using the widget/layout menu
6) My Account: Quick access to manage your account and change account settings
Q: How do I find other members with interests (or other criteria) similar to mine?
A: There are several ways to find members on the site:
- From the "Browse" menu in the top black bar, select "People"
- You can use the general search box to search for keywords. The results will display People and content within the site that match your criteria.
- From your own profile, on the right-hand side of the page there are links to "Similar People" with whom you have profile field values in common.
PRIVATE MESSAGES & SPAM
Q: I received a spam message from someone I don't know in my Private Message inbox, what should I do?
A: If you have received a private message from a user you do not know that sounds like unwanted solicitation, please send an email to communitymanager@element14.com with the username of the person who has sent the spam private message and a copy of the message you received. The element14 Moderation Team will ban the user as soon as we receive reports of spam.
RECRUITING & CAREERS
Q: I am interested in applying for a position with Premier Farnell.
A: Please visit our careers page.
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SALES/QUOTES & PRICING
Q: I need a quote on products.
A: element14 Community does not provide quotes – please contact one of our global quotations teams for assistance.
ROAD TEST
Q: What is a Road Test?
A: Road Test is one of our most popular groups on element14. It is an opportunity to sign up for a chance to be selected to test, review and keep the latest products from our suppliers for FREE!
SECURITY
Q: I am concerned that my full name and email address show on my profile – how do others see my profile and can I change the privacy settings?
A: Other users can only see the information that you want them to view. You can adjust privacy settings in your account profile by going to “My Account”>”Preferences”>”Privacy Settings” tab and change your settings.
SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK
Q: I have an idea on how to improve element14, where should I send it?
A: Please submit all feedback on the Feedback and Support area on element14. We review these ideas periodically and if an idea is selected we will schedule it for development. You may also email us at communitymanager@element14.com with your ideas for future improvements.
TECHNICAL ISSUES/ REPORT A BUG
Q: I found a technical issue on element14, where should I report this?
A: Please report all errors and technical issues to our support team at communitymanager@element14.com. Please include the steps you took when you found the issue, any screen shots that will help explain the problem, internet browsers you were using when the issue happened and any other information you believe is important in helping us troubleshoot and resolve the issue.
TRAINING
Q: I am looking for tutorials to teach others how to use element14 – where can I find these?
A: We do not have a formal tutorial library on element14 yet, but we are happy to answer your questions about element14 functionality – feel free to post your question on Feedback and Support and we will reply with steps to complete your task on element. Also, if you have a question about how to do something on element14, please check the Feedback and Support area as sometimes someone will have the exact question as you have. You may also post your question in the comments section of the FAQ for help.
MISC FAQs
Q: Do you provide advertising opportunities or link enchanges on element14?
A: No, we do not advertise or participate in link exchanges on element14 Community