Help/FAQs

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General | Top

Q: What is FEIconnect?

A: FEIconnect is an online network exclusively for Members of FEI and association staff. FEI Members can use the site to build relationships and network with others who share their interests, specialties or questions.


Q: What is my username/password?

A: You will use the same username and password that you use to log in to the main site. If you have forgotten your login credentials or need assistance with your login information, click here.

Q: How do I update my contact information?

A: From your profile page, click the Edit/Pencil icon next to "Contact Details" (pictured below). This will take you to the "update my information" page on FEI's website. For security purposes, you will be required to log in again in order to make/request updates to your contact information. Updates to your contact information will take 10-20 minutes to be reflected on your FEIconnect profile.

Edit Profile

Q: How do I update my profile?

A: After logging in to the FEIconnect, click the arrow at the top right of the page. Then, click the “Profile” button in the dropdown menu. This will redirect you to your profile. Here, you can add information to the various sections (Education, Job History, etc.) by clicking the green “+ Add” buttons. You can add your photo by clicking the “Actions” button. Alternatively, for individuals with LinkedIn accounts, you can import you information directly from LinkedIn by clicking the green “Import Your Info” button. Once clicked, you will be directed to a screen where you will need to enter you LinkedIn account login credentials in order to permit FEIconnect to export you information into the system. Once you have entered your information, click “Allow access.” You will now be directed to a page where you can select which information you would like to have exported from your LinkedIn account into you FEIconnect account. Once you have made your selections, click the blue “Save and Continue” button at the bottom of the page.

Click here to view

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

A:FEIconnect allows you to customize what information is visible in your FEIconnect profile. To do so, click on the arrow next to your profile picture at the top right of the webpage. From the dropdown menu, click "My Profile."



This will take you to your profile. Here, click on the "My Account" tab and choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down menu.



At the "Privacy Settings" page, you will be able to control what information is visible to whom. You can also choose to remove your profile from the Member directory and any community rosters. After making changes, click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page.



Click here to view a video walkthrough on "How to Update Your Privacy Settings on FEIconnect"

Q: What are the rules/guidelines for FEIconnect?

A: To ensure the best possible experience for all community members, we have established a Code of Conduct that outlines basic guidelines for participation. The Code of Conduct can be accessed here. Each member is required to agree to this Code of Conduct when logging in to FEIconnect for the first time.

Q: How do I fix menus/images/text that appear out of place in my internet browser?

A: This issue is likely caused by "Compatibility View" being activated in Windows Internet Explorer. For instructions on how to deactivate "Compatibility View" in Internet Explorer 8 through 11, please click here.

Q: How are "Most Active Members" determined?

A: The Most Active Members list is determined by Member Engagement Points. Please see the below table for how points are achieved:

Activity Engagement Type Description Points
Bio Updated Awarded for each update the user has made to their bio 1
Community Membership Awarded for each community in which the user is a member 1
Contact Invitations Accepted Awarded for each invitation to become a contact that the user has received and accepted from others 1
Education Details Updated Awarded for each update the user has made to their education details 1
Job History Updated Awarded for each update the user has made to their job history 1
Library Entries Viewed Awarded for each Library entry the user has viewed in detail 1
Messages Received Awarded for each person to person message the user has received and read 1
Contacts (Friends) Awarded for each contact or friend the user currently has 2
Library Entries Rated Awarded for each Library entry the user has rated 3
Contact Invitations Sent Awarded for each invitation to become a contact that the user has sent out 3
Messages Sent Awarded for each person to person messages that the user has sent thru the directory 3
Recommended Content The number of times content created by the user was recommended by others 3
Related Links Awarded for each related link or related entry the user has added to Library entries 4
Discussion Group Posts Written Awarded for each Discussion Group post the user has written 8
Profile Picture Updated Awarded for each update the user has made to their profile picture 10
Library Entries Posted Awarded for each Library entry that the user has posted/uploaded 10


Contacts / Connections | Top

Q: How do I find other Members?

A: Click the “Directory” link found in the main navigation bar. The Directory lets you search for other Members based on:
  • First and/or last name
  • Company/Institution name
  • Email address

Switch to the “Advanced Search” tab to increase your search to:

  • City
  • State
  • Country
  • Community
  • Education

Click here to view a video walkthrough on "How to Find Colleagues on FEIconnect"

 

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 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.

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 or even build a referral 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.


Communities / Discussions | Top

Q: What are communities?

A: Communities allow you to participate in discussions and share resources with other Members.

Q: What communities do I already belong to?

A: Go to “Communities” in the main navigation bar. Select “My Communities” to view the communities you’re currently a part of.

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

A: Go to My Profile and click on the "My Account" tab. Choose "Community Notifications" from the drop-down menu. On that page, 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 per community to you each day, consolidating all of the posts from the previous day
  • Consolidated digest: sends one email to you each day, consolidating all posts from multiple communities (that you have selected this subscription for) from the previous day. This subscription is recommended for Members that are in multiple Committee Communities.  
  • 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.

Click here to view a walkthrough video on How to Update Your Notification Options of FEIconnect


Q: If I am subscribed to a community's daily digest, when will I receive it?

A: The daily digest consists of all posts made to a community from the previous day. Digests for each community are automatically generated and sent by the FEIconnect system Monday through Friday at 7 am Eastern, provided a post was made the previous day. Posts made to a community on the weekend will be included in the Monday daily digest. 

Q: I'm subscribed to a community's discussions (digest or real time) but haven't received any emails. What should I do?

Some email service providers (ESPs) may incorrectly identify FEIconnect emails as spam. While we do everything possible to ensure strong deliverability rates, it is sometimes necessary that you add FEIconnect email addresses to your "white list" (this tells your ESP that we are approved senders and not spam). If you stopped receiving email from FEIconnect, this is the first and most critical step to take to ensure our email can be delivered to you.

What is a white list? A white list is a list of email addresses or domains that you want to receive emails from.  By adding an address or domain to your white list, you are telling the email system not to filter email from that address or domain.  Follow the appropriate instructions below for the email service provider you are using to add us to your white list and to ensure that you receive our emails. 

Organization/Work address 
MS Outlook
AOL
Yahoo!
Gmail (Google)
Windows Live/Hotmail

Organization email address:
If you use your work email address, such as name@companyABC.com, you will need to work with your IT department or vendor. Please ask them to add the domain connectedcommunity.org to your organization's "white list."

Alternatively, they can white list by IP address. We have six dedicated IP addresses from which our mail is sent:

54.240.14.78
54.240.14.79
54.240.14.80

54.240.14.31
54.240.14.32
54.240.14.106
54.240.14.216
54.240.14.217
54.240.14.218
54.240.14.219
54.240.14.220
54.240.14.221


MS Outlook
New Subscribers
You will need to add DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org and Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org to your Outlook address book.  Here’s how to do this:
  1. From your MS Outlook email inbox, click the Contacts tab. 
  2. In Contacts, on the Home tab, in the New group, click New Contact.
    Keyboard shortcut: To create a contact from any folder in Outlook, press CTRL+SHIFT+C. 
  3. Wait for the Address Card for New Contact window to load. 
  4. Once loaded, cut and paste DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org into the email field. 
  5. Click the Save button. 
  6. Repeat the process for Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org


AOL account:
New Subscribers
You will need to add DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org and Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org to your AOL address book.  Here’s how to do this:
  1. From your AOL email inbox, click the Mail menu and select Address Book. 
  2. Wait for the Address Book window to pop up, then click the Add button. 
  3. Wait for the Address Card for New Contact window to load. 
  4. Once loaded, cut and paste DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org into the Other email field. 
  5. Make our address the Primary Email address by checking the associated check box. 
  6. Click the Save button. 
  7. Repeat the process for Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org

Existing Subscribers
If you are already a subscriber but our email isn’t getting through, our e-mail may be in your AOL Spam Folder.  Please use your web mail to check your Spam Folder.  If our email is in your AOL Spam Folder, open our email and click the This Is Not Spam button.  Lastly, please add DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org and Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org into your Address Book as outlined above. 

Yahoo!
New Subscribers:
You will need to set up a filter to redirect FEIconnect emails into your inbox:
  1. Open your mailbox and click on "Mail Options" (upper right hand corner).
  2. Select Filters.
  3. Click the "Add" link on the filters page.
  4. Update the "From Header” rule with the following two pieces of information: "contains" and DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org.
  5. Click the "Choose Folder" pull-down menu and select “Inbox”. Pick the "Add Filter" button.
  6. Repeat for Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org.

Existing Subscribers:
If our emails are ending up in your Yahoo! “Bulk Folder”, please open the email and click the "Not Spam" button. Next, check to see if DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org or Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org is in your "Blocked Addresses" list. If you see DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org or Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org on this list, select it and click the "Remove Block" button. Finally, please set up a filter as outlined above.

Gmail (Google)
New Subscribers:
  1. Please add DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org and Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org to your Gmail contacts list. To add us to your contact list:
  2. Click "Contacts" along the left side of any Gmail page.
  3. Click "Add Contact".
  4. Copy and paste DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org into the primary email address dialog box.
  5. Click "Save".
  6. Repeat for Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org.

Existing Subscribers:
How to check if your community email is in the "Spam" folder:
  1. Click “Spam” along the left side of any Gmail page.
  2. If you see any community email listed among the messages in this folder, check the box next to our email.
  3. Click the “Not Spam” button along the top.

Windows Live/Hotmail
New Subscribers:
Please add DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org and Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org to your Safe Senders list. To add us to your Safe Senders list:
  1. Open your mailbox and click "Options" (upper right hand corner).
  2. Click the "Junk Email Protection" link (top of page). 
  3. Select the "Safe List" link (second from bottom). 
  4. Copy and paste DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org into the dialog box titled "Type an address or domain". 
  5. Click the "Add" button next to the dialog box.
  6. Repeat for Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org.

Existing Subscribers:
If your FEIconnect email is in your “Junk Email Folder”, open the email and click the "Not Junk" button. Next, check to see if our email address is in your "Blocked Senders" list. If you see DoNotReply@connectedcommunity.org or Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org on this list, select it and click the "Remove" button. Finally, if you have not done so, add this email address to your Safe Senders list as described above.
 

Q: How do I leave a community or unsubscribe from a discussion?

A:  Go to My 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. Under the "Notification" column, select “No Email” for the Community you wish to leave. This can take several seconds if you change your settings for several groups at the same time.

Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?

A: Click “Reply to Discussion” to send your message to the entire community or “Reply to Sender” to only send your message back to the sender; both links are located to the right of the post. 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 “Participate" > “Post a message.” From an email (HTML version) for a particular discussion forum, you can use the “Post Message” link in the right navigation bar.

Click here to view a walkthrough video on "How to Post a Discussion on FEIconnect"


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. Directions on how to change these settings for several commonly used email clients can be found here.

Q: Why do I have to post messages and reply through the website?

A: There are many features made possible because of the web interface:
  • When you send an attachment through this new system, it automatically places it in the Community’s library and sends a link to Members.
  • Because it sends a link, you can share files up to 1GB in size and just about any file type.   
  • All posts and associated resources are automatically archived and easily searchable.

Q: Can I search for posts?

A: Yes. Enter a keyword in the search bar. From the results page, you can filter on content type, date range or posted by. Click on "Advanced Search" for even more options.

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. The “Author’s Messages” link will show you all of the posts that particular Member has contributed to that community.

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 community on the appropriate 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: Can I search for specific file types?

A: Yes. Enter your desired keyword in the main search box. From the search results page, click "Show Advanced 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: When you include an attachment in a discussion post, the system automatically places it in the library. You can also upload documents directly by using the “Share a file” link found under “Participate” in the main navigation or "Create a new library entry" 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 a new library entry" on any community's landing page. Please note that uploading a document is done in a few steps, and each step must be completed before you can move on to the next:
  • Choose a title for your document, include a description (optional), select the library to which you’d like to upload it, select a folder to which you’d like to upload it (optional) and choose an Entry Type (most will be Standard Files, but be cognizant of any copyright licensed material). Then click “Next.”
  • Browse and upload your file. Click “Next” if you want to add tags to your file or click “Finish” (you may have to scroll down to access these buttons).

Q: What kind of files can I upload?

A: The system supports dozens of file types including hyperlinks, standard files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), webcasts, images and YouTube videos.

Q: What are the “tags” for?

A: Tags are another way of organizing and searching for documents. You can help others find the file you uploaded by including tags when you upload it. There are many pre-loaded tag categories to choose from.

Q: I am trying to upload a file but get an error message that the file is "not registered as an accepted file type. How do I fix this?

A: If, when trying to attempting to upload a file as a discussion attachment or directly to a community library, an error message (pictured below) appears, you have an out-of-date version of Internet Explorer (IE). To resolve the issue, download the latest version of IE here.