August 18, 2014

Sigma Xi has launched Communities, a feature on its redesigned website. In Communities, members will be able to share discussions and resources online. 

All active members (life members or those who paid dues) have access to see discussions in Communities. They have been added to the first community, The Lab: Members-to-Members. This is a space for members to discuss any science or engineering topic, from career advice to industry trends. They control the conversation. 

"At Sigma Xi, we know that being a successful scientist requires learning and sharing between companions and mentors," said Jamie Vernon, director of communications, in his opening message to the community. "We've created these communities to help you [members] find expert insight, helpful tips and knowledge about the scientific enterprise."

Members who wish to participate can watch our video tutorials:  

Part 1: How to login and access Sigma Xi's community
Part 2: How to update your community profile
Part 3: How to participate in Sigma Xi's community

Or, follow these steps:

1) Login. To do this, go to www.sigmaxi.org, click "Login" in the top right corner and follow the steps to create a password. Then login and click on "Communities."

2) Once on the Communities page, update your profile to make sure your information is accurate. Be sure to include a picture. If you can't find your discipline in the drop-drop menu of the profile, choose the field of study that fits best with your background. If you can't find your institution or employer, please e-mail us at memberinfo@sigmaxi.org with "new institution" or "new employer" in the subject line so we can add it to the drop-down menu.

3) Update your privacy and subscription settings in the "My Settings" area.

4) Ask a question of your peers. It's simple to do, just start a new discussion, or browse the previous postings and respond to someone else's question. 

Everyone must follow our code of conduct. Additionally, spam or marketing messages are prohibited. The community is self-moderated so that members can flag these and other inappropriate messages. A post must add to the body of knowledge for the community.

By default, you are subscribed to the community's "Daily Digest" setting, which means you'll receive no more than one e-mail message per day that will contain all of the previous day's postings. If you wish, you may change your subscription settings here or e-mail memberinfo@sigmaxi.org to let us know you would not like to receive these e-mails. 
 
If you have questions on how to use the community, please check out our FAQ page or e-mail webadmin@sigmaxi.org.