Civil Service Live Network


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Help

If you have any further questions about Civil Service Live Network please email network@civilservicelive.com

I don't remember my log in details - what shall I do?

Click on the Log in tab in the top left hand of this page. In the right hand box you'll see a 'Forgotten my log in details' link - click here to reset your details.

If you are still having problems, or are not sure whether you are a member of CSLN please email network@civilservicelive.com.

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How can I make the most of my profile?

A profile on Civil Service Live Network is a powerful tool to help you find new opportunities - it allows you to share your professional skills and experience with nearly 30,000 members across the civil service.

To make the most of the profile, fill in as much information as possible - the more relevant information you provide, the more likelihood there is of fellow colleagues finding you to share information and opportunities.

Use the section titled 'areas of work' to list your skills and key project experience - this will help people to find you when they search for colleagues and potential colleagues on the network.

Use the About Me space to summarise your key skills, interests and experience, or to indicate what kind of projects or work you might be interested in.

You can update your profile by clicking on the 'My Profile' icon above and then clicking on 'Edit my profile' in the right corner.

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How can I share information through Civil Service Live Network?

There are four main ways to share information on the Network:

  • Adding a page in a group
  • Uploading a file to a group
  • Posting a message to the Civil Service Wire
  • Writing a blog

Adding a page in a group

When you add a new page in any group, members of that group will receive an email notification about that information. They will be able to comment on the page and – if you chose – they can also edit the page, updating information or suggesting new ideas where relevant. Please only add content to relevant groups, and bear in mind that members of the group will receive email bulletins every time you edit the page.

To add a page:

  • Go to the group in which you would like to add the page.
  • If you’re not already a member you’ll need to join the group using the link in the left hand column.
  • Click on the ‘Group pages’ link, also in the left hand menu. This takes you to a list of all pages already in that group.
  • Click on ‘New page’, again in the left hand menu.
  • Add information in the text boxes which appear.
  • You can tag the page with key words (finance, sustainability, diversity) which will help other users to find it.
  • Set the access settings using the drop down menus- the 'access' function controls who can see the page; the 'write access' controls who can edit it.
  • Click save to publish the page. An email bulletin will now be sent to members of that group.
  • If you do not wish to send out an email bulletin, save the page access as ‘Private’. Then, when you have clicked save, you can edit the page and change the access to allow others to see the page.

Uploading files

You can upload any sort of file into a group, and members will receive an email telling them that the file has been added.

To add a file in a group:

  • Go to the group in which you would like to add the file.
  • If you’re not already a member you’ll need to join the group using the link in the left hand column.
  • Click on the ‘Group files’ link, also in the left hand menu. This takes you to a list of all files already in that group.
  • Click on ‘Upload a file’, again in the left hand menu.
  • Click on the ‘Browse’ button and find the file you want to upload
  • Enter the file title and a description of the file, which will appear in the notification your contacts will receive when you upload the file
  • Chose the Access setting using the drop down menu –  this controls who will be able to see the document
  • Click save.
  • An email bulletin will be sent to all group members alerting them to the new resource in this group.

You can also embed files directly into a page or a blog. To do this you should:

  • Add your page or click on ‘Write a blog post’ in the blog page. This will take you to the text editing screen
  • Click on the 'Embed/upload media' tab above the text box. If you have already uploaded files you will see a list of them here. Simply click the one you wish to embed into this page and click save.
  • If you have not yet uploaded files, click on upload and follow instructions as above.

Civil Service Wire

Civil Service Wire is a facility similar to twitter which lets you send short messages or web links to the whole CSLN community. Your message will appear on the activity feed, and your followers will receive an alert whenever you post to the wire.

To post on the wire, click on the ‘The Wire’ tab above, and enter text in the box at the top of the page.

Blogs

Any user can set up a blog and regularly write a log of what they're thinking or working on. Members can subscribe to blogs to receive an update when a new entry is added, and you will also receive notifications when any of your colleagues on the Live Network uploads a blog.

You can write blogs within a group, or you can write a blog linked to your profile.

To write a personal blog:

  • Click on the 'Blogs' tab above, which will take you to the Network's blogging centre. Here you can see the most recent blogs from across the network.
  • Click on the 'Write a blog' button on the left and you will be able to start your own blog.
  • You can view a preview of your blog entry by using the ‘Preview’ button in the top left hand of the page. You can also save a draft of the blog if you wish to finish it later.
  • Once you are finished, click ‘Publish’
  • Your colleagues will receive an email anytime you write a new blog, as will anyone who is subscribed to your blog.

Writing a blog in a group

  • Go to the group in which you would like to add the file.
  • If you’re not already a member you’ll need to join the group using the link in the left hand column.
  • Click on the ‘Group blog’ link, also in the left hand menu. This takes you to a list of all blogs already in that group.
  • Click on the 'Write a blog' button on the left and enter your text in the boxes provided.
  • You can view a preview of your blog entry by using the ‘Preview’ button in the top left hand of the page. You can also save a draft of the blog if you wish to finish it later.
  • Once you are finished, click ‘Publish’

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How can I control the information I put on Civil Service Live Network?

Civil Service Live Network gives you complete control over each piece of information you share, whether that's details on your profile page, a post on the wire or information shared through a particular group.

You can pick a default setting for all information you share by:

  • Click on 'My settings' - you'll find this in the top right hand of this page
  • At the bottom of the page you will see a drop down menu with four options allowing you to set the default option for your information. These are:
  1. Private - choose this option if you want to keep your information entirely private. It will not be visible, but information on your department and role may still be available to the network administrators when they are gathering anonymous data from the Live Network.
  2. Colleagues - choose this option if you want the information to be visible to people you are following.
  3. Logged in Users - choose this option if you want all members of CSLN to be able to see the information
  4. Public - choose this option if you want the information to be available to all visitors to the site, including those who are not CSLN members.

You can also control each piece of information in your profile separately. As you fill in or update your profile information you will see a drop down menu below each section which allows you to pick one of the four privacy options for that section.


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What are groups and why should I join them?

Groups are communities within the wider Civil Service Live Network, based around professions, events, or shared interest in a particular topic. You can see a list of all the groups on the Live Network by clicking on the ‘Groups’ tab above.

When you join a group on the Live Network you can see all content and can choose to receive email alerts telling you about news, features and events relevant to that group.

You can receive these alerts directly into your email inbox, or you can have them sent to an inbox on the Live Network, making it easy to see all the latest alerts in one place. To receive alerts, first join the groups you wish to recive information about. Then, go to your settings page and chose whether to receive alerts via email or straight into your Live Network inbox.

You can also share information with others members that group by adding pages or files, or starting a discussion. This provides you with an effective way to communicate with colleagues across the civil service who share your professional interests.

As well as joining existing groups, members of the Network can also create their own groups. You can use your group to:

  • Upload files to share with other members
  • Create news pages to share updates or ideas
  • Host online discussions on specific challenges or new ideas
  • Share case studies or best practice, or useful web resources through the ‘group bookmarks function’
  • Carry out polls of group members
  • Share photos

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How do I set up a group on the network?

You need to be logged to do this

  • Click on the 'Groups' tab in the menu bar at the top of the page
  • This takes you to our groups directory. In the top left hand menu, click on 'Create a new group'
  • You can now fill in the various fields to create your group. Don’t forget to add tags which will enable other users to find the group easily.
  • When you get to the ‘Groups permissions’ box,  chose closed group if you want to control who joins your group.

Once you're done, click 'Save'. Your group has now been created, and should appear in our groups directory.


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How can I find other people on CSLN?

You can search for colleagues on the 'People' page - find it using the tab above.

The boxes on the left let you search for colleagues by name or by tag – this could be a department, profession or work area.

As you find users with shared interests, colleagues and potential colleagues, you can add them as colleagues on the Live Network. This means you are will be alerted when they update or share information on the site.


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Can I contact other members of CSLN?

Yes - you can send a private message using this option in the right hand menu on their profile page.

Civil Service Live Network also allows you to send information to many people at once by uploading files or sharing information through groups (see 'How do I share information through Civil Service Live Network', above).


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I keep getting emails from you - how can I stop them?

Civil Service Live Network will automatically send you email notifications for a number of things:

  • whenever someone comments on or edits your content on CSLN
  • when someone sends you a message on the site
  • when your contacts upload new information
  • when information is added to a group you are following.

For all of these email notifications, you can change their frequency or turn them off through the Settings page:

  • Click on the 'My settings’ icon at the top of this page
  • Click on 'group notifications' or 'site notifications' from the menu on the left hand side of the page
  • For each type of notification you can chose whether you wish to receive an email alert, or a message in your CSLN inbox. If you don’t tick either box, you won’t receive any notifications.
  • Click on the SAVE button

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I am subscribed to group X but am not receiving any alerts - how do I subscribe to these alerts?

You may not have chosen to receive notifications for this group. You can change this by:

  • Click on the 'Settings' icon at the top of this page
  • Click on 'Group Notifications' from the menu on the left hand side of the page
  • For the relevant group you can choose whether you wish to receive an email alert, or a message in your CSLN inbox.
Click on the SAVE button

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I received two (or more) identical alerts - why is that?

Some content is relevant to more than one group. If this is the case you will receive a notification from each group as the information is uploaded. You can change the frequency of all of these emails as above.

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How can I delete my account?

If you simply want to stop email notifications, please follow the instructions here. If you want to delete your account entirely, please send an email to network@civilservicelive.com with your name and email address with DELETE in the subject line

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