Join the Conversation: Creating Your Profile in the Altru Community

Hopefully, by now you’ve checked out the Altru Community. Maybe you’ve searched for a question and found an answer, or you’ve perused the ideas section, mentally agreeing with some, but you have yet to sign up and start creating topics or contributing to conversations. While there is much to be learned from simply observing the conversations in the community, you’re missing out on some great features: connecting with other users, letting us know what you think, and staying informed of the latest news and features. Convinced? Here’s how to join:

In order to participate in the community, you just need to create a user profile; all you’ll need is your name and email address. This way, you’ll be able to receive notifications about conversations you’ve participated in or topics you’ve followed. Of course, if your inbox is already overflowing, you can update your preferences to reduce or eliminate email notifications.

Start by clicking Sign Up – located in the top right corner of the page:

From here, the Log in or Register on Altru to continue pops up:

Click Sign In. You will be taken to Blackbaud.com, where you will log in. Once you enter your Blackbaud.com information, you’ll be returned to the community and asked to provide a confirmation code. Just check your email registered with Blackbaud.com (double check the spam folder for an email from GetSatisfaction), enter the code in the community, and you’ll be logged in. Your Altru Community account is synced with your Blackbaud.com account.

From here, you’ll create a Nickname, which will be seen when you post. We encourage you to use your real name, because when we know who we are talking to, we can offer more insightful and specific instruction. To do this, just click “Show my real name, instead of my nickname.” Of course, it’s not mandatory, so if you’re always “Mable1025” (my former go-to comprised of my cat’s name + my birthday), then feel free to use that.

We also encourage you to put your organization and/or title in your tagline. This is a great reference if you’re looking for a specific type of user (e.g., “What survey questions are other children’s museums using?”) and only want to connect with that portion of the community.

Additionally, the community is a place where you can continue to promote your cause. Your profile can contain a link to your organization, a charity you support, your own fundraising campaign, or even your personal blog. Your primary email address is listed here, but don’t worry – it’s not public to the community. Put up a picture of yourself, you child, pet, company logo or favorite graphic – however you would like to represent yourself.

And there you have it: name, title, and a link to more info about me. You can even check out what topics I follow. This is a great way to find like-minded users, who you can collaborate with to make the most of this networking opportunity.

So what are you waiting for? Come join the community and get in on the conversation! I’ll even throw in some Mable cuteness to convince you:

How can you resist?

You can keep up with us on Twitter by following @bbsupport; we use the hashtag #bbaltru when we discuss Altru Museum Management Software . Take a look at our Twitter Guide for more information.