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In ALA Connect, some members post to share information or just to start a conversation. But there are times when you really need a specific answer. Now there is a way for you to reach out to your community and community specifically if you are in need.

Now, most Division and Round Table Member communities support Discussions and Questions.  When you create a post, you can expect a typical user experience. By default, you will still create an Open-ended Discussion post. However, if you need to designate a post as a question, you can do so. You can categorize your post with the applicable thread type (called "focusing your thread") by selecting it at the top.

In addition, the Latest Question and Answers Widget has been added to Division and Round Table Member Community pages that have chosen to turn on the functionality. This widget displays posts that request answers. Now Connect users can see when a fellow professional really needs assistance. This widget only displays questions within the microsite, and the widget will only display questions from Division and RoundTable communities that utilize the Question and Answers functionality.  Note, the widget will only show to you the content from communities that you can access.   By default, the widget will display five questions. And it has a "More" button which will take you to all recent posts in the microsite where Open-ended Discussion posts and Questions are displayed.

Below are details on how you can focus a thread to designate a post as a question that needs an answer and if you are the original poster.

Mark a Question to be answered:

The icon for each thread type carries through to the list page, making it easy to visually identify the type of post at a glance.

Don't pass up the Opportunity to Assist - Answer a question:

If you read a question posed by another community member and can answer it, click Answer.

The Content Editor will display directly on the page, allowing you to answer inline without navigating away. By default, you'll use the Basic editor, with a limited set of options. Click the ellipsis (...) button to expand the Basic Plus editor with additional formatting options.

 

 Mark a post as the Best Answer:

When someone asks a question, there's generally a reply that offers the best answer. To help promote this content the thread's original poster (as well as Super Admins, Community Admins, and Community Moderators) can mark one of the answers as the best answer by selecting Mark As Best Answer from its ellipsis (...) menu.

NOTE: You can clear the best answer at any time by selecting Unmark Best Answer from the menu. Only one answer can be flagged as the Best Answer at a time.

The answer is then visually highlighted to indicate this, ensuring other users know. In instances where multiple answers are available, flagging one as the best answer automatically pins it to the top of the list.

In addition, the Jump to Best Answer link appears at the top of the page, allowing you to quickly view the best answer. This is especially helpful for questions with a lot of text.