General
Communities / Discussions
Library / Resources
General | Top
Q: What is my username/password?
A: To log into CommunOT, use the same username and password that you use to log in to www.aota.org. If you have forgotten your username and/or password, you can reset your password here. If you need further assistance with your login information, email Membership Support or call 800-SAY-AOTA (729-2682).
Q: How do I update my contact information?
A: Your CommunOT contact information is the same as your AOTA member information. To update this, go to www.myaota.org. Under “Settings,” click on “Update Contact Info.”
Q: How do I control what information is visible in My Profile?
A: Navigate to your profile page, 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. When you’re done, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.
Q: How do I get a badge or ribbon?
A: Ribbons identify the Special Interest Section Standing Committee members. Badges reflect the primary Special Interest Section you can select as part of your AOTA membership. “Top Contributor” badges are automatically given to users who frequently post and comment in the community.
Communities / Discussions | Top
Q: What are communities?
A: Communities allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with other members on a given topic.
Q: Which communities do I already belong to?
A: Go to “Communities” in the main navigation bar. Select “My Communities” to view the communities you currently belong to.
Q: How do I join/subscribe to a community and its discussion group?
A: Click on “Communities” in the main navigation and click on “All Communities” in order to see a list of available communities. Click on the community that you wish to join and simply click "Join," then choose a delivery option for posts.
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.
Q: Am i able to participate in all the communities, or do i need to stay within my Special Interest Section?
A: All of the communities are open to all members. You may subscribe to or just explore any of them.
Q: How do i create a new community?
A: New communities will be created by the Community Manager if: (a) a particular topic doesn’t intuitively fit into any of the existing forums, and (b) there are enough posts about this topic over time to indicate that a new community would be robust and sustainable.
Q: How do I leave a community or unsubscribe from a discussion?
A: Go to your profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. Here, you will see a list of available communities and those to which you’ve subscribed. Select "Leave Community” under the Actions column for the discussions you wish to leave.
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.
Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
A: Go to the community you'd like to post a message in. Click "Add" next to "Latest Discussion Posts.” You can also go to "Participate" and click "Post a Message." From an email (HTML version) for a particular discussion forum, you can use the “Post Message” link located at the top of the discussion email.
Q: How do i find my DRAFTS AND posts?
A: Click on Profile in the drop down next to your photo at the top right side of the page. Then click My Contributions and List of Contributions. You'll see a list of all previous contributions, drafts, and scheduled posts.
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, then click on the magnifying glass. On the left hand side of the search results screen, you'll see additional criteria to refine your search by.
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 All 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.
Q: Where Can i put job postings?
A: CommunOT cannot be used for job postings. Please go to OTJobLink.org to post or find a job.
Q: How/Where do I post a survey?
A: Links to surveys for research or projects may be posted only in the Survey Requests threads in the General Forum or a Special Interest Section. Any survey links posted outside of this specific thread will not be permitted.
Q: How can I post about a sensitive or private topic?
A: Anonymous posting is allowed on CommunOT. Anonymous posting is for users who do not feel comfortable asking their questions under their name. Please be respectful and follow the community terms and conditions.
Libraries | Top
Q: How do I find resources that may have been uploaded by other members?
A: If you know which library the resource might be located in, find the affiliated community via the All Communities page. Click through the community's landing page, then click on the “Library” tab . If you do not know where the resource might be, enter search terms in the main search box the same way you might enter search terms into Google or another search engine.
Q: How do the libraries get populated?
A: The libraries are populated in two ways:
1. When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the affiliated library.
2. You can also upload documents directly to a library by using the “Share a File” 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.
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
Q: What kind of files can I upload?
A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), images, and audio (mp3 and mp4).
Q: What are the “tags” for?
A: Tags can identify what’s reflected in your content, making it easier for others to find it. By clicking on a specific tag, you will see all other content on the community that has the same tag.