Overview
Connect interactively with new and existing contacts, including professional partners, peers, mentors, and collaborators.
Viewing and navigating the network
The network space provides a listing of members of our network, including individuals and organizations that have signed on board. When you first click on the network tab, you will see a list of people, sorted alphabetically by last name. Each person will have an accompanying photograph (if provided), the date of last activity, a current affiliation, and a brief description of research interests (if provided).
The navigation buttons for the network space appear in the drop-down menu as well as on the right side of the page. You can view people, colleges/universities, other organizations, most active members, and my contacts (i.e., those individuals with whom you have a relationship through the site) by clicking on the corresponding links. You can also view your profile (which shows how your profile appears to other users of GBSN Connect) and review tags (i.e., the keywords/phrases used throughout the site to describe various research areas). In addition, all the members of our global network (people and organizations) are overlaid on a map of the world; when you click on "world map," you can mouse over any nation and a tooltip will appear that will list the latest count of individual and organizational members. Clicking on the numbers of people or organizations will take you to a page that will list the individual or organizational members, respectively, for just that nation.
Viewing profiles
You can view the profile of any GBSN Connect member by clicking on his or her name. You will be taken to a separate page that will provide a biosketch for that individual, according to the visibility restrictions that he or she specified. You can view an individual's contacts by clicking on "User's contacts" on the right side of the page. You can also view the workspaces in which an individual is involved by clicking on "User's workspaces" on the right side of the page.
Becoming associated with a colleague on GBSN Connect
You can invite a colleague to become your "contact" on GBSN Connect by clicking on the "Send a message" button that appears on the right side of the page when viewing his or her profile. A message will be generated and sent through the internal messaging system. If the user accepts your invitation, he or she will be added to your list of contacts. You will receive notification of this event under in your inbox under "my messages."
Inviting colleagues to join GBSN Connect
If you cannot find a colleague or collaborator on GBSN Connect, click on "Invite a friend" to invite him or her to join the global network. You will be taken to a page where you will be asked to provide your friend's first and last name, a valid e-mail address, and a brief message.
Organizations as "contacts"
Any current or previous affiliation that you may have with an organization is reflected as an organizational "contact." For example, students at the University of North Carolina have that school as an initial "contact."
Tooltips
Within the network space and throughout the entire collaboration suite, certain names, words, and phrases will appear underlined. Mousing over these will result in a tooltip that pops up and provides a brief description. For example, if you see a person's name, you can mouse over it to learn the following information: date he or she joined GBSN Connect; type of member (e.g., faculty, student, corporate representative, etc.); date/time of most recent activity; and percentage of profile that he or she has completed.
For additional help
Have any questions? E-mail help@gbsnconnect.org. Alternatively, e-mail us if you have recommendations for improving this feature.
