What is Clearvale?

Clearvale is an Enterprise Social Network that leverages Web 2.0 technology to provide easy and secure collaboration between employees, partners, customers, and the general public. You can limit your network to just people within your company. Or, you can set up your network to include people outside of your company, such as partners, customers, or even the general public. Clearvale is very flexible, and you can use it in many different scenarios where you have a group of people who need to work together.

How do I get started using Clearvale?

Go to www.clearvale.com and create a free Clearvale Express network. Once you create a network, you need to add content to the network and then invite other people to join your network. The most successful networks have many active members who contribute to the life of the network by uploading documents, writing blogs, participating in forums, commenting on content, and so on.

What are the different versions of Clearvale?

• Clearvale Express is a simplified version of Clearvale that lets you create and share files as well as create communities within your network.
• Clearvale Enterprise is the full version of Clearvale that lets you do everything that you can in Clearvale Express as well as work with blogs, wikis, forums, polls, and so on in your network.

If you start with the Express version of Clearvale, your Sales associate can easily upgrade your existing network to the Enterprise version when you are ready to upgrade.

How do I control who can access my network?

You can configure your network so that it is public (anyone can see any content), private (a person must be invited to the network and sign in to see content) or somewhere in the middle. Clearvale  offers full control over who can see the content in your network.

How do I set up a public network?

You can take steps such as the following to create a public network:

• Define the network as being public.
• Do not require that people log into the network to see content by checking the box that allows unregistered visitors to access your network and view public content and communities.
• Allow people to join the network if they want without requiring an invitation or approval of membership.
• Set the privacy on all widgets as public content.
• Set the privacy for individual pieces of content as public content.

How do I set up a private network?

You can take steps such as the following to create a private network:

• Set up the network as a private network.
• Require an invitation and approval to join your network.
• Require a certain email domain to join your network.
• Require that people log into the network to see content.
• Set the privacy on all widgets as network membership.
• Set the privacy for individual pieces of content as network membership.

What is a Clearvale community?

A Clearvale community is an area of the network where a group of members can share information about a topic, project, or shared goal. Anyone can create a community in Clearvale. Owners of a community can choose to invite members or make the community open and let whoever is interested join. The community becomes a repository of information where members collaborate together and store information. For example, if you have a community devoted to a group of employees testing a new food flavor, you can use the community to share project documents and schedules, post videos of taste testings, and provide a forum to share ideas.

Using communities effectively allows you to create a rich history of a project, with documents and exchanges between members contextualized and located in a central location for future reference.

Why would I want my employees to begin blogging or using videos?

Clearvale is designed to increase productivity and knowledge sharing by using a paradigm with which many people are familiar. By allowing knowledgeable employees to share their expertise, other staff members can learn in an informal manner. Like any tool, such as email or the Internet, a possibility for misuse exists. However, strong corporate policies can help prevent any issues from arising.

I’m not very technical. Do I need to have my IT person help me with Clearvale?

You do not need a background in IT to setup, use, or maintain Clearvale. In fact, most users will find Clearvale very easy to use, as it resembles the Web 2.0 tools with which many people are already familiar.

Which web browsers does Clearvale support?

The following browsers are supported for Clearvale:

• Internet Explorer 6.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0
• Firefox
• Chrome
• Apple iOS 5 and iOS 6
• Android

We do not support all possible browser extensions. For example, on Internet Explorer, Clearvale does not support the Google Chrome Frame extension.

Where can I learn more about Clearvale?

Click Help on the menu bar of your Clearvale network. Additionally, view videos or read the FAQs, feature spotlights, and documentation provided on Clearvale Connect.

Who maintains Clearvale?

Clearvale is operated by BroadVision (NASDAQ: BVSN), an international software vendor of self-service web applications for electronic commerce, enterprise portals, and human resources management.

Can Clearvale be integrated with my system?

Clearvale does support integration. BroadVision would have to review the systems at your facility to determine whether it can provide integration support.

Do I retain the copyright and other legal rights to content that I post to Clearvale?

Yes, you retain your legal rights to your content.  When you upload your content, you grant us a license to use and display that content.  For more information, please visit our Terms of Use.

Can I upload content for which I do not own the copyrights?

BroadVision prohibits the posting of infringing materials on Clearvale. You may only upload content to Clearvale if you are certain you have the legal right to do so. If you are not certain you have the legal right to use the content, please refrain from posting it on Clearvale.

I created a new network, but my confirmation e-mail has not arrived.

Please follow these steps to resolve this issue:

1. Check your e-mail application’s spam or junk folder.
2. Ensure that you are logging into the same email address that you registered with. A common error is registering with an incorrect domain name. For example, broadvision.com and broadvision.net are two distinct domains.
3. If you have gone through both steps above, and still cannot resolve this issue, please send an email to the following address: clear-info@broadvision.com

If I change my password on one network, do my passwords change for all other networks I have registered with?

Yes, if you are a member of multiple networks using the same email address as your login name, your password will always be the same across all networks. If you change your password via one network, that change will be propagated to all of your networks.

My account was hacked or “phished.”

If the security of your account has been compromised, you should take the following actions:

• Run anti-virus software.

For Windows:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/viruses/xp/av.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/default.mspx

For Apple/Mac OS:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

• Reset your Clearvale password. Log into any one of your networks. Click the My Profile tab. Then click Edit Settings>Account Settings.  In the Account Settings screen, you will see fields to reset your password.

How can I send you feedback or bugs that I have discovered?

Send us an email at support@broadvision.com.

BroadVision provides support to all customers who are paying for Premium Services or have purchased Support services.

I created a network and it looks very generic. Can I customize it for my needs?

Yes, if you are using Clearvale Enterprise. Before you begin inviting people to become network members, you will want to customize the appearance of your site. You can customize as much or as little as you want. Select Admin>Appearance to make changes.

If you are using Clearvale Express, you cannot customize the look of your network. If you want a network that you can partially or fully customize, contact your Sales associate to see about upgrading to Clearvale Enterprise.

I don’t like the default background. Can I use my own?

Yes. You can upload a new image for your background or specify a background color. When you change the background, however, make sure that there is enough contrast between the text and new background image, as well as the logo.  If not, you can upload a different image or change the text color so that it displays clearly against the your background.

How do I upload a different background?

Select  Admin>Appearance. Scroll down to Page Header, select a color to use as the background or browse to the image you want to upload and use as the background. Click Save to see your new background.

In Appearance>Advanced, I selected a theme for my network but don’t like it after all.  If I change it, will anything happen to the information on my site?

You can select a new theme for your site at anytime; all data and user information is retained.

I need to have my organization’s logo display on the network. Can I do this?

Yes, you can upload your own logo or image so that it displays in the upper left-hand corner of the page. Select Admin>Appearance>Branding. Scroll down to Logo and browse to the image that you want to upload. Click Save when done.

In addition, you can include your own logo on the Network Login and Registration page. To do so, scroll down to Banner and upload your image and then optionally specify a welcome message. Click Save when done.

I created a new network and need to setup the home page. What do I do?

As the administrator, you can change the arrangement of your network’s home page. On the home page, click Edit Layout. Then drag the widgets you want from the widget gallery to a location on your page. Make sure to click Save when done.

I want to display more than one video (or Twitter Feed, etc) on my home page. Can I do this?

Yes. You can drag more than one of the same type of widget onto your page. For example, you might want to configure one Twitter widget to display Tweets from your CEO and another to display Tweets about your company.

Who should I invite to my network?

Each network is different. Think about the purpose of the network and who are the right people to participate. For example:

• Is this a network for just your coworkers?
• Is this network for customers? Or potential customers?
• Is your network for a specific department?

Your network needs people who are able to add content as well as people who will be reading and "consuming" the content.

How do I invite members to my network?

After you set up a network, you need to invite members to it. You do this by signing into your network as an Admin user and clicking Members>Invite Members. Specify the email addresses of the users to invite. Assign the user a role, usually Writer. Also, add them to any communities that are relevant to them. If you have many users to invite, you can bulk upload a file of email addresses.

Why don't I see the members I just invited listed under the Members tab?

Members are not added to the network until they accept the invitation by clicking the link in the invitation email and follow all the steps of joining the network.

The people I invited didn't receive the invitation. What happened?

It could be the person you invited did not receive the email due to one of the following reasons:

• Have the person check their spam filter. If the spam filter blocked the email address, it could be as easy as adding the network email address to the approved list of senders. This was the address used in Admin>Network Administration. Resend the confirmation in Pending Invitations to complete the registration process.
• A firewall could be blocking the email. IT or their service provider may have to help resolve the problem.
• The invitation may have expired before they joined the network. Invitations expire after 7 days. If that is the case, resend the invitation.

Do I need to create a member profile?

Member profiles are useful in a Web 2.0 environment. For example, you might have a colleague who resides in another office; his profile might contain information about a project he just finished—one similar to the project you are just starting. Profiles allow colleagues to connect and share information that they might not otherwise in the typical Web 1.0 (“one-way” communication) environment. And, you can always control the amount of information you share.

What if someone joined my network that I do not want?

Administrators can disable members from the network at any time. To disable a member, select Admin>Member Administration. Find the member, and change their Role to Disabled. This member can no longer sign into your network.

Can I create a custom invitation to send to invitees?

If you are using Clearvale Enterprise, select Admin>Email Templates to create your personalized invitation. Pay special attention to the variables defined in the template such as, %NETWORK%, %LINK%, %TIMEOUT_DAYS%, and so on. These variables will be assigned a value when the invitation is sent. If removed, your invitation may not be successful.

Why do I see an "invalid email" message after trying to invite network members?

If you are using Clearvale Enterprise, your network might be defined to require that members have an email address with a certain email domain. (This is specified on the Admin>Network Administration page.) In this case, members must have an email address that matches the domain(s) specified for the network. So, if your network is limited to the "BroadVision" domain, you cannot invite members who do not have a BroadVision email address. If you try to invite members with a Yahoo or GMail address, it is considered invalid.  If you want to open your network up to people with different email addresses, remove the email domain restriction.

How do I get started adding content?

Think about what kind of content that you want to add to your network: documents, images, videos, blogs, forums, and so on. Then, decide the best place to add the content. If it pertains to all network members, place it on the main page of the network. If it is specific to a group of network members, consider adding it to a community.

How should I organize my files?

Clearvale provides several tools to help you organize your files:

• Use folders to organize your personal files.
• Use folders within communities to organize community files.
• If you are using Clearvale Enterprise, you can create folders for network-level files.

Why can't I make content appear on the home page of my Clearvale Enterprise network?

The administrator of your network controls how content appears on the home page of the network. They can configure the site so that blog entries, forum topics, files, images, and videos automatically appear on the home page of the network. Alternatively,  they can configure the site so that content does not appear on the home page by default and instead the administrator hand-picks the content that appears on the home page. In this case, you need to work with your administrator to edit your content so that it appears on the home page. Or, you can request administrative rights and make the changes yourself.

I would like to place a blog within a community.  Is this possible?

If you are using Clearvale Enterprise, then you can include a blog within a community. First, add the Blogs widget to the community. Then, click the Add Blog Post link in the footer of the Blogs widget. When you add a blog post in a community in this manner, Clearvale assumes you want the blog to appear in the community and pre-selects to share the blog with the community.

Why can't I add content to a network?

You might not be logged into the network. Check the title bar and make sure that you see your name and that you do not see the Login link. If you are sure that you are logged into the network, you might be assigned to Reader role. If you have the Reader role, you cannot add content to the network. If you have the Reader role, you can provide comments on other members' content, participate in polls, send messages to other network members,  create bookmarks, and update your profile (assuming that these features are available in your network).