Forums | Eportfolio Resource/Information Group

23 March 2011, 8:24

Is it possible to add an option to the "My Friends" page to recommend a "Group"?

If students are finding and friending me because I have to authorize their access, this potentially could offer easier (less clicks) access. This would offer group members or organization members growth...as for me, I would be able to select from the My Friends page the students that need to be in Group A/B.

As I would imagine, some students may not want to share their pages but need to be part of the group and forums. To be able to remove me as a friend and remain a group member. Perhaps I initiated this incorrectly with the students as I become more familiar with eP. 

23 March 2011, 12:12

Hello,

Students do not need to be friends with you in order to join your group. If you set your group settings to "request membership", meaning students would search for the group themselves and request to be part of the group, that would mean less clicking for you and for them. Students can also choose to give the group access to one or more pages of their ePortfolio under the "set page permissions" links on the ePortfolio tab. This would make it easier for students to give access to a specific set of people, rather than individual members.

23 March 2011, 12:15

If I'm understanding your question correctly, you'd like to allow your students to grant permission to their pages without having them all friend you individually.

ePortfolio allows you to grant access in three different ways:

1. User Type (Public, Logged-in Users, Friends, Secret URL)
2. Specific ePortfolio User
3. Specific ePortfolio Group

This means that you can search for a specific person (without friending them) to grant access to a page. You can also search for a specific group and share a page with everyone in that group.

Does this answer your question?

24 March 2011, 7:58

Within the MyFriends page, we have options to send message or remove them as a friend.

If I create a Group, from this page I would like the option to "Send Message" but to be specific, offering a link directly to "Request to be a part of this Group" page.

Scenario,

Student organization is posting a forum within an existing Group Page with 20 members. If each current member of the Group has 1 friend they want to invite to Join the Group they would have the option of going to their MyFriend page and selecting "Recommend a Group" (one they are a member of). A link would magically be generated for their friend and the friend may choose to join.

This would eliminate having to "Send Message" multiple emails to as many friends they may want to share the information with. One click and an email with a link is generated.

*This question pertains for to generating a precise invite vs. user settings and access; although I think it should be a given; students registered for a class should automatically be part of a group created by an instructor. Ultimately it would remain the students option to actually participate and offer access points. 

24 March 2011, 17:51

Hi Dan,

The problem with having such a link that would allow friends to recommend a group is it takes control away from the administrator, who has ultimate contol of who can join the group. These are good thoughts and ideas. Maybe this would be worth bringing up at our Teaching Circle?