FAQ
What happens I don't receive an activation email or don't receive other traffic I am expecting from the system? It is possible that emails from the Knowledge Vine are being trapped by your spam filter or as junk email. Please check your junk folders and add @knowledgevine.net to your safe sender or "white list". In some cases it may be necessary for your IT support department to implement this at your mail server
What happens if someone writes more than a sentence? If someone does this, or does not write the sentence in a question format it will automatically be rejected by the system
Are the postings moderated? Users are USUALLY unmoderated and their postings will go straight out to the network. It is however at the discretion of the group administrator to moderate users if felt necessary
How quickly does the system work? People typically find that the majority of replies are returned within one working day
How much does it cost? The system is free for all users and free for anyone who wishes to set up their own network, and we intend to keep it that way
How many emails a day am I likely to receive? The traffic volumes (number of postings for each group per month) are shown on the webpage for each of the groups. The most active group currently sees between 15 and 20 postings per month
Do I need to go online to use the system? NO - once you have registered and joined a group the system is entirely email based. You only need to go on line if you want to change your delivery options, or join or post questions to other groups
SPAM? The system will not generate any SPAM of any sort and no user information is shared with any third parties. System announcements are kept to the absolute minimum
Unsubscribing is easy, through a link in the email footers.
Confidentiality? Any questions posted are public/open to the group so if you don’t feel comfortable disclosing what information or knowledge you seek then don’t do so. Replies to users are not visible to the group or on-line, although the website administrator is able to audit these to ensure the network is not abused in any way
What happens if the traffic levels become too high? It is possible to change the format of delivery of emails so that all postings from a given week are delivered in one cluster of emails, rather than as a constant drip feed
What happens if someone breaks or abuses the rules? They are contacted and reminded of the rules – this happens infrequently. The relevant group or system administrator has the right to remove people from the system if they feel necessary. If you feel another user is abusing the system or acting in a way that is against the ethos of it, please contact the administrator for the group
What happens if I get a poor response to a question? Please don't repost the question, unless you feel the original question was not worded as clearly as it could have been and could be reposted if re-written. Alternatively, consider if there are any other Knowledge Vine groups it could be posted on. Most questions yield plenty of replies.
How is it possible to word a complex question in just a single sentence? Feedback from users has been that writing a single sentence request is easier than it sounds, even for quite precise/complex questions. The easiest way to structure the sentence is to ask “what you are seeking” first, followed by any “why/context” info if it adds value. Some examples are below:
1. “Has anyone got any contacts in the construction industry who specialise in low carbon building design as we have a project we are looking for help with?”
2. “Does anyone know of anyone with commercial expertise in the UK plastics recycling sector as we have a technology that we are commercialising in this sector and need support?"
Worded this way round means the reader can usually recognise half way through the sentence that he/she does not need to read any further and can therefore skip the email
Knowledge Vine User Themes