Getting Started 

Learn how to get started on The Circle!

Logging In

Q: How do I log in?
Click the "Sign In" button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.

Log in to The Circle using your email address and Sigma password. If you have forgotten your information, please use the “Forgot Password” link on the member login screen.

Learn how to update your profile on The Circle.



Posting Research and Survey Requests

Q: I am conducting a research study and would like to ask Sigma members to participate. Is this allowed? 
If you are interested in posting links to surveys for research studies, please do so in the Community of Interest you believe will yield the best results or the "Global Member Forum" on The Circle. Please do not share the same request more than once (reminders included). Do not post to multiple forums or locations.

Before posting, your research must be approved by your institution of higher education's Institutional Review Board (IRB). 

All survey postings should be limited to the following information:

* Brief 1-2 sentence description of survey with invitation to participate
* Link to survey
* Contact information

The full scope or proposal of the project should not be included in the posting.

Sigma Volunteer Opportunities

Watch a brief video to learn more about volunteering for Sigma!



Groups and Discussion Forum Postings

To be a part of group communications, you must join/subscribe to the community! 

Q: How do I join/subscribe to a group?
Click “Groups” and then “All Groups” from the navigation bar on The Circle to see a list of available groups and communities you can join. Click the purple "Join" button for any of the groups that interest you, and select one of the delivery options (Real Time, Digest, No Email) to let us know how you'd like to subscribe to email. 

Real time: sends an email every time a new message is posted
Daily digest: sends one email to you each morning, consolidating all posts from the previous day
No Email: No emails will be sent but you may still participate via the discussion board 

Consolidated digest option: In addition to the subscription types listed above, members can also combine updates from all group subscriptions into one daily email, called a Consolidated Digest. Rather than receive one daily digest for each group you're a part of, you can receive one email that combines them all.

On your profile, select the "My Account" tab and select the "Group Notifications" link to change your discussion subscriptions. Watch a recorded tutorial: 



Q: How do I leave a group?
Click “Groups” and then “My Groups" and select the appropriate group. From the group homepage, click on the "Settings" button and select "Leave Community."

Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
From a received email or the online discussion board, you can click the “Reply” link to send your message to the entire forum.

Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
From the group, click "Post a Message" under the "Discussions" area. You may also click on "Participate" from the purple toolbar and select "Post a Message." You will have to select the group you wish to post to.

Q: I am conducting a research study and would like to ask Sigma members to participate. Is this allowed? 
If you are interested in posting links to surveys for research studies, please do so in the Community of Interest that best relates to your research and/or the "Global Member Forum" on The Circle. Please do not share the same request in more than one Community of Interest (reminders included).

Before posting, your research must be approved by your institution of higher education's Institutional Review Board (IRB). 

All survey postings should be limited to the following information:

* Brief 1-2 sentence description of survey with invitation to participate
* Link to survey
* Contact information

The full scope or proposal of the project should not be included in the posting.


Directory

Q: How do I find other Sigma members?
Click the “Member Directory” link found in the main navigation bar at the top of the site. The Directory's Advanced Search lets you search for other members based on a variety of parameters, including location, education, and job history.

Watch a brief video to learn more about connecting with other nurses on The Circle!


Contact List

Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?
There are several ways to add contacts to your list. When you perform a search in the Directory, you will see an “Add as contact” link next to each person in your search results. Just click this link to send a contact request. If you click through and view someone’s profile, you can click the contact request link just to the right of their profile picture. You can also add contacts by selecting from the My Networks link, accessible from the My Profile link in the top navigation, or by viewing any of the members of the groups to which you belong, by selecting My Groups from the My Profile link. 

Q: What are "Networks"?
Networks are networking groups that are automatically created based on demographic information in your profile. They help you locate other members who live in your city or state, share your interests, have the same job title, and more. 

Libraries

Q: How do I access my community or chapter website resource library?
Click "Groups" and then “My Groups,” from the navigation bar on The Circle. Find the group you’d like to access, and click either the library tab (communities), or link to the library page (chapter website) in the site navigation.

Q: Can I search for specific file types?
Yes. When in the resource library area, select “Advanced Search” from the left navigation. This search will let you specify file type: PowerPoint, Excel, image, video, etc.

Q: How do I upload a document?
In the resource libraries area, click the blue “Create new library entry” button. First, choose a title for your document, include a description (if you’d like) and the kind of file you are uploading. Continue following the prompts to upload or paste your file. 

Q: What kind of documents can I upload?
The system supports several file types, including: PDFs, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, images, hyperlinks, webcast recordings, and video. You are, however, prohibited from uploading copyright-protected documents that you do not have the rights to post.

Q: I have several related documents. Do I have to post them individually?
No. You can post related documents together, and we encourage you to do so. In the "Standard File Upload" entry type, you can upload multiple files to one entry. 

Q: Can someone else edit or delete my file?
As the owner of the document, only you or an administrator can edit delete your document. If you’d like to delete it, use the menu options at the top of the library folders.

Q: Can I download documents?
Absolutely. That’s why they are being shared. However, please note all of these documents have been submitted by your peers and have not been reviewed by us. You must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of such content.


Other questions?  

Please email us if you are having trouble regarding training, site design, content, user profile or other issues. Please allow one business day response time.