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ConnectionsLogo HCL Connections External Users

External Users in your organisation can participate fully in things they are directly involved with, such as a file they've created or that someone has shared with them.

If you have experience from Connections on-premises you will see that The experience is similar, but not identical.

Adding external users

If you like to add an external user to your Community you need to contact your company Administrator who can create them for you. Then you can add them to your Community.

External users - what they CAN do

  • Collaborate as a member in communities. For example, you can contribute to a community forum.
  • View and download files that are shared with them.
  • Edit files in HCL Connections™ Docs if the organization makes licenses available for use.
  • Join HCL Sametime® meetings that you are invited to.
  • See an activity stream to which you have access.
  • Edit your profile by clicking Edit Profile.
  • View abbreviated business cards of people that share content with you.
  • Share files with people.
  • See who updates a file and when from the Files app.
  • Use the Connections mobile app.
  • Chat with people in the organization.
  • Network with people in the organization you are visiting.
  • Access Mail, Calendar, and Contacts, when you visit an organization.
  • Switch between organizations that you can visit (if you can visit multiple organizations).

  • Receive email notifications for the following updates:

    • You are @mentioned in a message.
    • A file is shared with you.

  • Follow a file that is shared with you, so you receive email and Home page updates when the file is edited or updated with a new Version.

  • Note: In general, which email notifications you receive and when you receive them depends on your notification settings. You can set up individual emails or daily or weekly digests.

External users - what they CAN NOT do

  • Be a community owner.

  • Create a community.

  • Follow and be followed by people.

  • Use @mentions.
  • Use the My Notes widget.
  • See public microblog.
  • See public or publicly listed (moderated) communities.
  • See public files.
  • Edit a file that is shared with you locally.
  • See or search the company directory (including using type-ahead) to find people.
  • See recommended content or people.

Note: External users cannot see public recommendations but they can see private recommendations. For example, External users can see a file recommended to them within a community to which they are a member.

  • Access the Profile menu. Note: External users can, however access their own profile by using the Profile view.
  • Access other user profiles.
  • See community metrics.
  • Use the Connections desktop plugins.
  • Use the Important to Me bar.
  • View the Top Updates page on the home page.

Although they could in IBM Cloud, a person from one organisation cannot join or be added to a Community from another organisation. If a Community that was migrated from IBM Cloud previously had such a member, their community status updates are preserved, but any files from their organisation linked to in the updates are NOT available, and those links are broken.