FoodSHIELD Announcements

Online Meetings Upgrade to Connect 7

FoodSHIELD has recently upgraded the web-based meetings tool to Adobe Acrobat Connect 7. 

Members who have used our online meeting space will notice the overall layout is very similar, but Connect 7 offers several enhancements and new features:

• Easier room- and participant-management for meeting hosts
• Easier way for participants to set their status and communicate with the presenter
• Break-out room feature for meetings that require small-group work

The break-out room feature is new to Connect 7. To find out more about this feature, watch the following introductory video:

Breakout Rooms: An Introduction

Inviting non-members to a web meeting

Web meetings are a popular tool for FoodSHIELD members.  Previously, we covered how to create a web meeting and a new user premier for those new to the web meeting tool. But what if you wish to invite non-members to join your web meeting?  Here's how:

1. First, you need to be the creator or owner of the meeting--the person who first created the meeting. This gives you special host privileges within the meeting space.
 
2. If you haven't created the meeting yet, create the web meeting in FoodSHIELD (for instuctions, see the tutorial).
 
3. Enter the meeting room. This will launch the meeting in a new window. Note: Adobe Connect meeting rooms remain active until you delete them. So you can go into your meeting at any time--before or after the meeting. You can do this in one of two ways:
   
   1. If it is a meeting scheduled for the near future, it will show up on your main Member Portal page under My Upcoming Meetings.
      
      
      
   2. Or to see all of your web meetings, go to Attend Meetings under the Meetings menu.
      
       
4. Once in the meeting space, go to the top menu bar and select Meetings... Invite participants.
   
    
   

   
   
5. This brings up a window with the direct web link to the meeting. You can either highlight the link, copy it, and paste it into a document or message, or you can send the link in an e-mail by clicking the Compose e-mail button.  This opens up your e-mail program (Outlook, Mail, etc.) and creates a new message with the link in the body of the message.
   
    
   
   
6. For non-members to join the meeting, they just need to click on the link you provided them and that will take them to the sign-in page for the meeting.
   
   Once there, non-members simply:
   
   1. Select the Enter as a Guest choice,
   2. Type their full name, and
   3. Click the Enter Room button
      
   

   (Click the image to view full size)
   

New member profile pages

The member account information pages have just been upgraded to a cleaner interface and added functionality.

Here's a summary of what's new:

• Left navigation bar provides improved organization and more information to be displayed
• Address Book allows you to save other member's contact information in an easy-to-access page (for more information see How to Use the Address Book)
• My Interests provides a place for members to identify their professional interests and expertise
• My Workgroups displays a list of your workgroups with hyperlinks for quick access to workgroup pages

(Click image for larger view)

To view your profile:

• Click on the blue profile icon in the upper left of the Member Portal, OR
• Go to My Profile under the Home menu of the gray menu bar

To view another member's profile:

• Click on the person's name from the member directory or workgroup participant list

Using the Address Book feature

The Address Book feature allows you to create a personal member address book within FoodSHIELD. 

• Quickly add contact information of any FoodSHIELD member for quick reference
• Contact information is automatically updated when any changes are made to the member's profile
• Always accessible from your My Profile page
• Initiate an e-mail message to a member by clicking the e-mail address

To add a member to your Address Book:

1. Click the Address Book icon next to the members name in the Member Directory or a workgroup participant list.
   
2. A new message window will open.  To add the contact, select the green Yes button.  To cancel, select the black X to close the window.
   

To view your Address Book:

1. Go to your My Profile page by selecting the blue Profile icon in the upper right of the Member Portal (or click My Profile from the gray Home menu bar).
    
2. Select Address Book under the Communicate section of My Profile.
    

Member Portal gets a new look

The secure side of FoodSHIELD - the Member Portal - has a newly designed layout for quicker access to the features our members use the most.

Video Tutorial: Attend your first Adobe Connect meeting

Web meetings are an increasingly popular tool for FoodSHIELD members. FoodSHIELD uses Adobe Connect to host online meetings and trainings that can be secured to select individuals or open to a public audience.

If you are new to the Adobe Connect technology, here is a quick video tutorial created by Adobe that shows you how to access the meeting and interact with the new meeting environment.  Note that with FoodSHIELD, you do not need a separate login to the meeting, just login to FoodSHIELD and click the Enter link next to the meeting name.

Attend Your First Connect Pro Meeting

Want to learn more? See how you can create your own FoodSHIELD web meeting and view additional resources.

Browse open access workgroups

Want to see all the open access workgroups active on FoodSHIELD? Just go to the GROUPS menu after you login and select "View Public Workgroups". These workgroups are open to all FoodSHIELD members, just click on the group name to request access.