Wasn't there a time when RE users could download their P&P manuals to the Blackbaud website for others to view?  We are in the process (finally) of putting one together and I really don't have the time or energy to start from scratch.  I have been an RE user for many years and recall when other users were able to easily share their manuals.  Am I dreaming this?

Hi, Kathy. You are correct: There was previously a section in the forums for client documents. Now, forum users can attach documents to their posts and tag them with the "client document" tag. To locate them, from the main forums page you can select "client document" from the Popular Tags menu on the right side of the page. You can then search within that tag.

I searched on "procedures" and came up with these results:
http://forums.blackbaud.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=procedures&tag=client+document&orTags=0

Hope this helps!

Hey Kathy,

You aren't dreaming - you can access shared documents by clicking on "Client Documents" in the Popular Tags panel on the right side of the main Forums page.  It's actually easier to share documents in the new forums - rather than emailing the documents to Blackbaud to be posted, users can post documents to the forums themselves.  If you have anything you want to share in the future, you can do so by following these steps:

1. On the Compose tab, enter a subject and text for your post.
2. On the Options tab, click Add/Update under File Attachment.
3. Browse to the location of the attachment and click Save.
4. Add the client document tag to the post
5. Click Post to post the message and your attachment.

I am going to be honest and say that I do not like this recommendation

I prefer using the client documents section as when you search postings you typically limit to a certain time frame so as not to get a ton of responses - but what if the posting with the document I want was posted 2 years ago? 

I honestly can't even find the search button any more in the forums so when I tried to search to see how it would work I am lost.  Assuming there is one can I search only for postings with attached documents?

I encourage people to use the shared documents for sharing policies, forms, etc.  I would recommend limit linking attached documents to screenshots when you have a question, etc.

Hi, Melissa. In the current forums, there is not a separate Shared Documents section--documents are only available as attachments on individual posts. The previous forums did have a documents section, so I apologize for any confusion the change has caused.

In order to share files, such as policies and forms, they must be added as attachments. We ask users to tag the corresponding post with "client document" so the files will be easy to locate when searching on that tag. (We also go through existing posts to add the tag, when needed. :)

Regarding the search button, it should be located at the top right of the forums page. From the main forums page, if you click the client document tag in the Popular Tags menu (right side), that will limit the results to posts that have attachments. To narrow down the results, you can enter a keyword in the Search field at the top of the page and leave the search option set to "Current Tags" instead of "Entire Site."

Hope that clears things up, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Where did all of the other client documents go from the old system where they were not linked to posts?

We reposted documents that were shared within the past three years (most of the older documents were out-of-date with the most recent software versions). The reposted documents were posted by Katie Infinger and have the "client document" tag so they will come up in the results when you select "client document" within Popular Tags:

http://forums.blackbaud.com/tags/client+document/default.aspx

Does EVERY post with an attachment get the tag or are you relying on users to add the client docuemnt tag?  Is it added by default? What if the attachment is a screenshot related to their question and not really a client document.

I think I have recommended the blackbaud.com client documents for the last time.  I think I will only recommend the ones at blackbus.org from now on.

We monitor the posts and add the client document tag when needed for attached manuals, forms, etc. The tag is not automatically added so non-document posts (e.g., screen shots) will not be labeled as client documents. We’re hoping users will become accustomed to adding appropriate tags to their posts, but we realize this may take time to become a habit.

In the old forums, users had to send files to our website team to have them added to the Shared Documents section. They then had to go back and add a link to their posts. With the new system, users have more control as they are able to directly attach files to their posts. We’ve seen an increase in sharing as a result of reducing the steps in the process. However, we’re still throwing around ideas to see how we can make it easier to search the client documents. Please let us know if you have any suggestions.

Since you're having to monitor everything anyway why doesn't the old system work?  Or better yet why can't users just upload the documents to a client document section themselves - why does a BB employee have to do it?  I believe that a client document section with categories (policies, forms, plans, etc.) will be mush easier to search than using the search feature in the forum where you rely on users using the same terminology when searching - i.e. policies vs. documentation.  If there were static categories for the documents in their own section I would use it and I would recommend it to others.  As it is now I will not.

Sarah McBride:

I like your suggestion of using static categories. We’re looking into the possibility of grouping the documents on a separate page or in folders within the corresponding forums. For instance, if I have a manual specific to Data Entry, we may be able to have a specific document section within the RE/Data Entry forum. We’ll keep brainstorming ideas and appreciate your input.

Stupendous!

Kathy,

 You are absolutely right.  I remember it too. 

  I'm really disappointed they don't have the samples available anymore.

Linda DiDonato

Chemical Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, PA

Hi, Linda. Just to clarify, all of the previous sample documents from the past three years have been reposted. The documents were posted by Katie Infinger and have the "client document" tag so they will come up in the results when you select "client document" within Popular Tags:

http://forums.blackbaud.com/tags/client+document/default.aspx

Going forward, anyone can attach a document directly to their posts by clicking the Options tab within the post and uploading the file. We are also in the process of investigating other methods through which to store client documents so they'll be easier to locate. Hope that helps clear up any confusion.