FAQ General

Login/Registration - General

What can I do without being logged in/registered?
   Even before you have an account/without being logged in, you can access all publicly visible site pages (such as this page) as well as the search.

How do I register for the platform?
   To register, click on the button 'Register' on the top right of the page. Once you have completed the form and consented to the data protection policy, click on 'Register' on the bottom of the page. You will now receive an email with instructions for activating your account. Please note that you will only be able to log in and use your account once it has been activated.

How do I log in?
   If you already have an account, you can log in via the 'Log-in' button on the top right. In order to log in, please use the email address and password you entered during registration.

I forgot my password. What do I do now?
   If you already have an account but have forgotten your password, you can reset your password by going to the log-in page and clicking on 'Reset Password' on the right-hand side.

How do I change languages?
   You can find the menu for languages at the top of the page to the left of the button 'Log-Out' (if you are logged in) / 'Register' (if you are not logged in).

How do I use the search?
   You can reach the search via the magnifying lens at the top of the page. You can find more information on how the search works in the section 'Mentorships - Search'.

Communication - General

How can I communicate on the platform?
   There are three ways to communicate on the platform: notifications, messages and the forum. Notifications are automated messages the system sends to users, for example administrators are sent a message if a user is reported due to unsuitable conduct. Messages happen directly between two users, for example a mentor and a mentee, except for group messages, which include all members of a group. A forum can be used by all users who have been cleared for its use by the admin who manages the forum.

How do I know if I have a new notification or message?
   At the top of the page, there are a bell and a speech bubble icon. If you have a new/unread notification, the bell will show a number denoting the number of new notifications. If you have received a new message, the speech bubble will show a number denoting the number of new/unread messages. Additionally, new notifications and messages are shown on the overview tab of a user's profile.

How can I read my notifications?
   Click on the bell icon at the top of the page to go to your notifications; this will show you a list of all your notifications. You can 'mark everything as read' or hide read notifications via 'toggle old notifications'. To see the details of a notification, click on the tile of the notification.

Is it possible to receive emails containing my daily notifications?
   Yes! You can find the checkbox to activate this feature by going to the bottom of your profile's 'My data' tab.

How can I read my messages?
   Click on the speechbubble icon at the top of the page to go to the messages panel. On the lef-hand side of the messages panel, you see a list of your conversations with other users, with one list entry per conversation. If you click on a conversation's tile, the messages of that conversation will appear in the panel on the right-hand side. Conversations that contain unread messages will have an envelope symbol on their tile, as will messages that haven't been read yet. In order to write a new message, write your message in the box at the bottom of the right-hand panel; click on "Send" when you are finished to send the message.

How can a starte a message conversation?
   Visit the profile of the person you want to message and click on the button 'Start conversation' on the bottom of the page. Important: This button is only displayed if the other user has activated the function to allow other users to start a conversation with them in their profile. To visit the profile of another user, click on their username, for example on the seach page or in the forum.

How can I allow/disallow other users to start a message conversation with me?
   You can find the checkbox for this feature at the bottom of your profile's 'My data' tab.

How do I use the forum?
   To visit the forum, click on the temple icon at the top of the page. Here, you can see all available forums, grouped into general and group forums. Administrators can create forums and adjust who can see and post in the forum.

   To go to a forum, click its tile. You will now see all the forum's threads. Threads can be created by all users of the forum. A thread can be marked as an announcement; in this case, the symbol of a megafon will be displayed on the tile. Threads can also be locked, in which case no new messages can be created for the thread, though existing messages will remain. A locked thread can be recognised by the symbol of a lock on the thread's tile.

   Users can subscribe to forums and threads. Once a user has subscribed, the symbol of a speechbubble appears on the tile of the forum or thread if a new message has been created in it. Additionally, the temple symbol on the top of the page will have a number denoting the number of new messages available. Clicking on the thread with the new message removes the number.

   Messages in the forum can be created, edited, deleted and subscribed; if a user has subscribed to a message, any messages in response to that message will trigger a speech bubble to be shown on the tile of the corresponding forum/thread. Users will also see that there is a new message via the temple icon on the top of the page.

   If a forum or thread is deleted, all corresponding threads and messages are deleted as well.

Communication - Troubleshooting

All my notifications are gone! What should I do?
   Please check if the notification panel has been toggled to no longer display read messages. To do this, first click on the bell icon at the top of the page, then click on "toggle old notifications". If the issue persists please contact an administrator, quoting any received error messages.

I want to message a user, but my message isn't received/ isn't sent.
   In this case it is likely that the other user has opted out of letting other users start conversations with them. Important: An official message conversation is only started by clicking on 'Start conversation' at the bottom of a user's profile page. This button is only shown if that user has activated the corresponding function.

Somebody has made an offensive post or a post that violates the TOS on the forum. What can I do?
   Any user can report another user by clicking on "report message" underneath an offensive post. The report will be forwarded to an administrator. Administrators additionally have the option of hiding the post immediatly. If a post is hidden due to being reported, a corresponding message will be displayed on that post's tile instead of the post itself. Administrators will also be given the option to view and manage the details of the report. More information about moderating posts can be found in the section 'User Management'.

Somebody has made an offensive post or a post that violates the TOS in a message conversation. What can I do?
   To report a user to the administrators, click "report user" at the top of a message's tile.

Mentorships - General

Where can I get an overview of my mentorships?
   The most important information on your mentorships is collected in your profile's 'mentorships' tab. To see the details of a mentoring, click on its tile.

It's my first time on the platform - how do I become a mentor/mentee?
   Navigate to your profile's 'mentorships' tag. Here you can find the buttons 'Become a mentor' and 'Become a mentee'.

   Important: Depending on the platform, different requirements can be necessary in order to register as a mentor or mentee. Examples for this are a payment or a verification code provided to you by the platform's administration. Which verification methods apply is chosen by the platform's administrators'.

   For information on what happens next, please consult the section 'Mentorships'.

What is a mentorship agreement?
   Mentors and mentees establish the boundaries and goals of their mentorship in a mentorship agreement. The platform offers a mentorship agreement consisting of two free fields for goals, appointments and topics, the start and projected end date of the mentorship as well as a list of planned events. The mentorship agreement is designed by the mentor and mentee together. Only once the mentorship agreement has been accepted by both parties the mentorship starts properly.

How can I communicate with my mentor/mentee on the platform?
   Each mentorship automatically has its own message conversation. If you want to give additional feedback to your mentor/mentee, you can do this by going to the 'Mentorship' tab in your profile and choosing 'Give intermediate feedback'. Additionally, the 'Mentorship' tab also gives you the option to create appointments for your mentorship.

How do I set up an appointment for an existing mentorship?
   First, go to that mentorship's option page by navigating to your profile's 'Mentorships' tab and clicking on the mentorship's tile. Here, choose the option 'create new appointment', fill in the meetings details (topic, location, time and, if applicable, corresponding event) and save the appointment. You will receive a notification once your mentorship partner has accepted the appointment. The appointment will automatically be added to your calendar.

   After each appointment, you will be asked to confirm whether you participated and, if yes, will be asked for a short feedback. Any provided feedback will be available to both mentor and mentee.

How do I provide feedback for an existing mentorship?
   If you want to provide intermediate feedback for an existing mentorship, you can do this by going to that mentorship's option page and choosing 'Give intermediate feedback'. To go to a mentorship's option page, navigate to your profile's 'Mentorships' page and click on that mentorship's tile.

How do I finish a mentorship successfully?
   Mentorships can only be closed as successful by mentors. To do this, the mentor navigates to that mentorship's option page by going to their profile's 'Mentorships' tab and clicking on the mentorship's tile. There, they'll be given the option to 'Finish Mentorship'.

How do I prematurely end a mentorship?
   Mentorships can be ended prematurely by both mentor and mentee. To do this, navigate to that mentorship's option page by going to their profile's 'Mentorships' tab and clicking on the mentorship's tile. Here, you can 'Cancel Mentorship'. The mentorship agreement form also has this option.

Mentorships - Mentors

I'm newly registered on the website as a mentor. What do I do next?
   Once you have registered as a mentor, the 'Mentorships' tab on your profile will have a mentor section. Here you can see your mentorings. You can also set yourself as unavailable as a mentor if you want a break. If you know when you'll be back again, you can set a return date.

I'm a mentor. How do I find mentees?
   The best way to find mentees is be thorough when filling in your profile's 'My data' tab. Many of the answers on this page are searchable in the mentor search (see the section 'Search') and are used to fit mentor to mentee. As soon as a mentee chooses you as a mentor, they will send you a mentorship request which contains their and your information as well as an optional message to you. You will be able to approve or dismiss the request in you notifications.

I have accepted a mentee's request. What happens next?
   A message conversation was automatically created for you and your new mentee, and you can use it to communicate. You can reach this conversation via the speechbubble icon at the top of the page as well as the button 'Open Chat' on the mentoring's option page. You and your mentee will now work on your mentorship agreement; you will receive a draft for the mentorship agreement from your mentee and will be able to either accept it or rework it and send it back for review. In this way, you can keep working on your mentorship agreement until both of you are satisfied.

How do set myself as (un-)available as a mentor?
   You can toggle your general availability as a mentor by going to your profile's 'Mentorships' tab and (un-)checking the option 'I am not offering any mentorship at the moment'. Optionally, you can additionally provide a return date.

   If you want to offer mentorship in specialised areas, you can do so by navigating to your profile's 'My data' page and (un-)checking 'Provide Mentorship' next to the area in question. Don't forget to save your changes before leaving the 'My data' tab.

Mentorships - Mentees

I'm newly registered on the website as a mentee. What do I do next?
   Once you have registered as a mentee, the 'Mentorships' tab on your profile will have a mentee section. Here you can see your mentorings. If you haven't added any mentors to your favorites yet you can use the search to find your perfect mentor (see the section 'search').

I have found the perfect mentor for me. What do I do now?
   Once you have found a mentor and added them to your favorites, you can send them a mentoring request by clicking on the 'Request mentoring' button next to their entry in the search or in your profile's 'Mentorships' tab under 'Remembered Mentors'. You will receive a notification once the mentor has either approved or rejected your request.

A mentor has accepted my membership request! What do I do now?
   Your new mentorship automatically has a new message conversation you and your mentor can use to communicate. You can get to the conversation either via the speechbubble icon the top of the page or by navigating to your profile's 'Mentorships' tab, clicking on that mentorship's tile and choosing 'Open Chat'. You and your mentor will now work on your mentorship agreement. You can find the button for setting up your mentorship agreement on that mentorship's option page. Once you have sent the draft to your mentor, they will be able to either accept it or rework it and send it back for review. In this way, you can keep working on your mentorship agreement until both of you are satisfied.

Mentorships - Search

Where is the search?
   You can navigate to the search via the looking glass icon at the top of the page.

How do I find the perfect mentor?
   Your first step is to choose which area your future mentor should be active in. Based on your choice, you will be presented with different search criteria. The exact search criteria are determined by the platform's administration. You can additionally weigh every search criteria in order to refine your search further.

   At the bottom of the search page you will find the text search ('Improve your search result by providing additional keywords'); whatever you enter here will be matched against the information texts mentors added to their profiles, so be sure to make use of it.

   Once you are satisfied with your search's setup, click 'Search' at the bottom of the page.

The search results
   As a result of the search you will receive a list of mentors, who will be ranked top to bottom from best to worst fitting. On the left-hand side of every mentor's entry, you will see a summary of their information. If you click on the mentor's name, you will be forwarded to that mentor's profile. On the right-hand side of the mentor's entry, you will see the degree to which the mentor's entry conforms to your search parameters. Here, you will also be able to add the mentor to your favorites (or remove them if they are already in your favorites) or directly send a membership request if you are already registered as a mentee.

   If more search results are available you will be able to load them via a link at the bottom of the page.

How can I add a mentor to my favorites?
   You can find the option to add a mentor to your favorites (or remove them if they have already been added) on the right-hand side of the search.

How can I find the list of mentors I have marked as a favorite?
   Mentors favorited by you will appear at the bottom of your profile's 'Membership' tab.

Profile - General

Where do I find my profile?
   To navigate to your profile, klick on "[your name]'s profile" at the top of the page, replacing [your name] with the name you entered during registration. You can find information on how to register an account in the section 'Login/Registration'.

What can I do on the profile page?
   Your profile is your base from which you can explore the platform. Here, you can see upcoming events, new messages and notifications and trophies and medals you have recieved on the platform. The profile is also where you manage your mentorships, groups and user data. You can find more about trophies and medals in the section 'Gamification'.

How do I use the calendar?
   The calendar in your profile shows all events you have registered for as well as appointments you have added manually. If you click on a calendar entry, it is shown underneath the calendar with more details. If you click on these details, you are forwarded to the page for this calendar entry. Events and appointments set on the current day automatically have their details displayed underneath the calendar.

How can I add an entry to the calendar?
   If you have registered for an event on the platform, this event is automatically added to your calendar. You can also manually add calendar entries by clicking the 'plus'-sign at the top right of the calendar. This will forward you to a form where you can input the calendar entry's details and choose a colour for the entry's display. If the platform's administration has enabled the use of Google Maps, you can choose the entry's location diretly on a map. To finish, save the new calendar entry by clicking 'Save'.

Where can I find a calendar entry's details?
   In order to see a calendar entry's details, click on the entry in the calendar and then on its details underneath the calendar. You can now see the calendar entry's details and are able to download the entry, send it by email or hide it. If you have manually created the calendar entry, you can also edit or delete it in this menu.

How can I hide and unhide calendar entries?
   In order to hide a calendar entry, go to that entry's details page and click on 'hide' underneath the main calendar details. In order to toggle the 'hide' function for all hidden calendar entries, go to the overview tab in your profile and choose 'hide hidden events' or 'show hidden events'.

How can I get an overview of my mentorships?
   You can manage your mentorships on your profile page in the 'mentorships' tab. Here, you can see all mentorships you are a part of at the moment. You can find more information on managing your mentorships and how to become a mentor or mentee in the section 'Mentorships'.

How do I create a group?
   In order to create a group, go to the 'groups' tab on your profile page and click on 'Create New Group'. You will be asked for a name and description for your new group, to choose whether mentees, mentors or both can join your group and whether your group currently accepts new members. Every group automatically receives a group conversation and a group forum upon creation.

How do I manage a group I have created?
   To do this, go to your profile page, choose the tab 'Groups' and click on the group you want to manage. Here you have a direct link to the group's messages and forum and can see a list of all group members. You can display the profile of each group member, promote them to admin or remove them from the group. You can also add a group event or edit the group settings you input when you created the group.

I have a group. How do I accept new members?
   You will receive a notification every time somebody applies to join your group. Clicking on that notification will forward you to the request and you will be able to see the current members of that group as well as who is asking to join. You can now accept or reject the request. If you decide you do not want to accept any more members, you can disable allowing requests for group membership on the group's detail page, accessible via the 'groups' tab in your profile

I have a group. What can I do with it?
   Every group automatically has its own group conversation and forum for its members. You can decide to who joins your group or disable membership requests. You can also create group events and share them with the members of the group.

I have a group. Where do I find the group's conversation and forum?
   Like common conversations and forums, group conversations and forums are accessible by clicking on the speechbubble and temple symbols at the top of the page. Additionally, you can access your group's conversation and forums via the 'groups' tab in your profile.

How do I register for a group?
   In order to register for a group, go to the 'groups' tab in your profile and click on 'Search for Group'. You will now see all groups you are eligible to join. In order to apply to join a group, click on 'Send request' in that group's list entry. Once an administrator of that group has approved your request, you will be added to the group.

How can I deactivate my account/profile?
   To deactivate your profile, got to the 'My data' tab in your profile and choose 'Deactivate my profile' at the bottom of the page.

How can I delete my account/profile?
   To delete your profile, got to the 'My data' tab in your profile and choose 'Delete my profile' at the bottom of the page.

How can I manage the cookies on my account?
   You can find the checkbox to allow or disallow cookies at the bottom of your profile's 'My data' page.

Where can I input information that will help me find a mentor/mentee?
   You can manage your personal information on your profile's 'My data' tab. Which information you can input is chosen by the platform's administrators (see the section 'User Management' for more information).The administrators also decide which information will be used for the mentorship search function. Some data fields have a red star attached; these are mandatory. If there are mandatory fields you haven't completed yet, you won't be able to navigate away from the profile page.

Profile - Troubleshooting

Why can't I edit or delete a certain calendar entry?
   If this happens you are likely trying to modify a calendar entry that you haven't created yourself, but have received from somewhere else, for example a calendar entry for an event you have registered for. These kinds of entries can be hidden but not edited or deleted.

I want to use Google Maps to input a place, for example while creating a calendar entry, but it isn't working. What's going on?
   In this case platform administration likely hasn't activated Google Maps inclusion for the platform. This means you can see the corresponding field and add some input, but there is no connection to Google Maps.

Why can't I leave the profile page?
   If there are mandatory information fields on the 'My data' tab of the profile page for which no information has been entered yet, you will receive a popup with the text 'Please fill out the missing fields in your profile' when trying to navigate away from the profile page. In this case, fill in the mandatory fields and you will be able to leave the page. You can recognise mandatory data fields by the red star next to the field's name.

Wiki - General

Where can I find the platform's wiki?
   You can navigate to the wiki by clicking on the book icon on the top of the page. If there is no book icon, the platform's adminstration hasn't set up the wiki.

Can I like articles on the wiki?
   Yes! To like an article, click on the 'thumbs up' icon within it. If you have changed your mind, you can unlike the article again by clicking the 'thumbs down' icon.

Can I add an article to the wiki?
   Only administrators can can add new wiki articles.

Can I edit an article on the wiki?
   Whether you can edit a wiki article or not depends on the permissions set up by its original writer.

Wiki - Troubleshooting

I can't edit a wiki article. What happened?
   Which user groups can edit which wiki articles depends on the article's settings. These are decided on by the article's original writer. If you cannot edit an article, you don't possess the necessary permissions.

Other (General) - General

How can I make a payment?
   The platform supports payment by credit card.

Other (General) - Expertise

What is expertise / an expertise section?
   Expertise is the exchange of goods or services without most of the steps characteristic of a mentoring relationship. Administrators may create dedicated areas for exchanging expertise. In order to offer or search for expertise, members will need to be registered as mentors (offering expertise) or mentees (searching for expertise).

FAQ Administration

Feature Management - Sections

Where can I manage a platform's sections?
   To go to the section management menu, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'Sections' in the submenu 'Administration'. Here you can create new sections for the platform and edit or delete old sections.

What is a section?
   A section is an area of the platform that is connected to a certain topic, for example to a certain field of studies. Sections can be assigned their own user properties and are presented separately in the search and the wiki. Sections can have their own landing page and wiki landing page. If a section is marked as a matchmaking domain, mentors can offer mentoring specifically for that sections' topic; in this case, an additional checkbox to that purpose will appear in each mentor's user profile in the 'My data' tab.

Feature Management - Events

Where on the platform can I manage events?
   To go to the event management menu, choose 'Administration' in the top row, then click on 'Events' in the submenu 'General'. Here, you can create events, export an event's registered participants as .pdf or .csv, copy an event, edit an event and assign an event to specific user groups. You can also delete events here.

   If you click on the title of an event, you can see a short summary of that event's main information and can register for that event. You can also download an event's calendar entry here, send it per email or hide that calendar entry.

   To edit an event, either click on the pen icon on the right of an event's list entry or click on its start or end date. Check the checkbox 'Notify all registered users about this event' at the end of the page before saving your changes to send a message with the changes to the event to all users registered for it.

How can I create an event?
   In order to create an event, navigate to the event management menu and choose 'Create event' on the upper right. You can now input the event's basic data. You can also assign a parent event to the new event and choose a colour which will be used to represent it in the calendar.

   If you choose to make it mandatory to register for the event, check the checkbox 'Registration necessary' and enter the event's details regarding participants, deadlines and verification methods. If you choose to place a fee on event registration, you can input the exact price here and set up discounts for mentors, mentees or registered users if desired. When you save your new event, the platform will automatically create the associated verification method, and you will be able to see and edit it in the verification method menu.

Where can I manage registered participants of an event?
   In order to manage an event's registered participants, go to the event management menu and click on the event's participation icon (the icon with the three parallel lines). Here you will see a list of all registered participants of the event. The list includes information on which usergroups a participant belonged to, when they registered and, if the event is connected to a verification method, details on their verification, e.g. on a payment. You can use this menu to register and deregister users manually. You can also export .csv and .pdf lists to all participants, to participants who are registered users of the platform or to guest participants. Additionally, you can send collective emails to these groups from here.

Feature Management - Mentorships

Where can I see information about mentorships on the platform?
   You can do this in the mentorships management menu. To go the mentorships management menu, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'Mentorships' in the submenu 'General'. Hier you can see all mentorships on the platform. Use the drop-down button on the top right to filter the list according to mentorship status - for example, you can filter for active or concluded mentorships or mentorships which are only just beginning and working on their mentorship agreement. You can also export information on either selected or all mentorships in a .csv file.

   To see the details of a mentorship, click on 'Details' on the right of that mentorship's list entry. Hier you can see basic information on that mentorship as well as the mentorship agreement, intermediate feedbacks, past events and planned events and delete the mentorship.

Where can I see statistical data on the platform's mentorships?
   To go to the statistics management menu, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'Statistics' in the section 'General'. Here you can find statistics conerning the users and mentorships on the platform. You can also view all existing feedback messages.

Can I award a certificate to users who have successfully participated in mentorships?
   Yes! To do this, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click 'Settings' in the section 'General'. Here you can upload a .pdf file for successful mentors/mentees under the submenu 'Mentorship'.

Where can I set up a template text for mentors to refuse mentorships?
   To do this, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click 'Settings' in the section 'General'. You can enter your text under the corresponding option under the subheading 'Mentorship'.

How can I delete a mentorship as an administrator?
   To delete a mentorship as an administrator, go to the details of that mentorship. Here, you can find the "Cancel Mentorship" button on the upper right.

Feature Management - Troubleshooting

I can't delete an event - there is no bin icon on that event's entry, and there is no checkbox to delete it with the 'Delete selected' command either. What is going on?
   This means that there is a verification method associated with the event. In this case, you first need to unlink the verification method by unchecking the checkboxes "payment allowed" and/or "code allowed" and "payment or code needed". Once you save the new settings, the previously linked verification method will automatically be deleted and you can now delete the event.

The Google maps display for creating/editing maps doesn't work correctly / doesn't provide a map. What is going on?
   In this case it is likely that no Google Maps API key has been set for the platform (see the section 'Other (Administration)' for more information).

Gamification - General

Which options for gamification are there?
   The platform offers XP, trophies and medals to gamify the user experience. You can find the settings for trophies and medals by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and going to the section 'Gamification'. Settings for XP are in the section 'General' under the tile 'Options'.

How do XP work?
   In the options, you can choose how many XP a user gets for a specific action, for example logging in daily or posting on the forum. Having more XP will cause users to level up. Users can see their level progress in their profile in the 'overview' tab.

How do trophies work?
   In order to create a trophy, you first need to set up a corresponding tropy activity. Next, you set up the trophy and connect it to the activity. If the user completes the activity, they automatically receive the corresponding trophy. Trophies can be combined in trophy collections of trophies that have a common theme.

How do I set up a trophy activity?
   Click on the 'Trophy-Activities' tile in the section 'Gamification'. Here, you can see all trophy activities you have already set up. To set up a new trophy-activity, use the 'Create activity' button on the upper right. You will now be asked to provide a description of the trophy activity, choose a condition to trigger the activity from a drop-down list, and enter how often the trophy activity needs to occur to trigger a trophy and how many XP will be earned for the activity. If you would like the activity to be available for quests, check the checkbox 'Add trophy-activity to quests?'. Check 'Publish trophy-activity?' to publish the activity, then save the activity.

Where can I manage the platform's trophies?
   Click on the 'Trophies' tile in the section 'Gamification' to see a list of currently available trophies. Here, you can create new trophies and edit or delete existing trophies.

How to I set up a trophy / make it available?
   Click on the 'Trophies' tile in the section 'Gamification' and click the 'Create trophy' button on the upper right. input an image and a description for the new trophy. Additionally, you can choose which trophy activity this trophy is associated with; an activity can be used for more than one trophy. Once you have published the trophy via the checkbox and clicked on 'Save', users will automatically be awared the trophy once they have completed the associated activity.

Where can I manage trophy collections?
   Click on the 'Trophy-Collections' tile in the section 'Gamification' to see a list of existing trophy collections. Here, you can create new trophy collections and edit or delete existing collections.

How do I set up a trophy collection?
   Click on the 'Trophy-Collections' tile in the section 'Gamification' and click the 'Create collection' button on the upper right. Input a background and a description for the new trophy collection. You can now assign trophies to the collection. Every trophy can only be assigned to one collection. You can also declare the collection an event trophy-collection, which means that users will only be able to collect trophies for this collection during a certain time period. Click on the 'Published' checkbox to publish the collection and on 'Save' to save it.

Where can I manage medals?
   Click on the 'Medals' tile in the section 'Gamification' to see a list of available medals. Here, you can create new medals and edit or delete existing medals.

How do I create new medals?
   Click on the 'Medals' tile in the section 'Gamification' and click the 'Create Medal' button on the upper right. You will now be asked to input an image and a description of the medal. Once users have been awarded this medal, you will be able to see them and unassign the medal under 'Assigned Users'.

How do I award users a medal?
   Unlike trophies, medals are not awarded automatically. In order to award a medal to a user, click on 'Administration' in the top row of the platform and go on the tile 'Users' under 'Administration'. Click on the user you want to award the medal to. You can assign the medal via the subpoint 'Medals' in the user's profile information.

   To remove a medal from a user, go to the same subpoint in the user's profile information and click 'remove' next to the medal you want to remove. Alternatively, you can remove a medal from a user directly on that medal's page.

Where can a user see their awarded trophies, trophy collections and medals?
   Trophies, trophy collections and medals are shown in a user's profile, which they can reach via the top row of the platform. Images of trophies associated with a trophy collection are displayed on top of that collection's image. If users are awarded a trophy or medal or complete a tropy collection, they are additionally notified by a pop-up.

   Administrators can also see a user's awarded trophies, medals and trophy collections in that user's profile information.

User Management - General

Where can I manage the platform's users?
   To go the user management menu, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'Users' in the submenu 'Administration'. Here, you can temporarily deactivate or permanently delete users and download the information of selected/all users as a .csv file. You can manually assign roles to existing users and manually create new users by going on 'Create user' on the top right.

   Click on the email address of a user to go to their detailed profile information and see their verifications/access permissions and forum contributions. You can also regenarate the user's id, reward and rescind medals and manually approve and remove verifications.

What is the full version of the abbreviations used for user groups in the management menus for "Files", "Menu", "Events", "Users" und "User Properties"?
   SA ... super administrator
   AD ... administrator
   AU ... authors
   MT ... mentors
   ME ... mentees
   EVR ... all users

Where can I manage reported users?
   The menu for managing users who have been reported due to breach TOS can be found by choosing 'Administration' in the top menu, then clicking on 'Reports' in the submenu 'Administration'. Here, you can see the details of any reports and either dismiss them or take further steps.

For what can I use the verification mechanisms the platform offers?
   Using the verifications mechanisms, you can for example ensure that only certain pre-approved users can become mentors by requiring users to input a previously sent code to upgrade their user profile to the status of mentor. Other examples are a fee that has to be paid to register for an event or the upload of a student id to register as a mentee

Where on the platform can I manage verification methods?
   To go to the verfication methods menu, choose 'Administration' in the top row, then click on 'Verfication Methods' in the submenu 'Administration'. Here you can edit and delete existing verification methods as well as create new verification methods by going on 'Create verification method' in the upper right.

   Click on a verification method to see its details. Here, you can also generate and manage verification codes belonging to this verfication method; codes that have already been used will be greyed out. Important:

   If you create an event which needs a verification method, the corresponding verification method will be created automatically. You will only be able to delete this automatically created verification method by removing the need for verification for the event.

Which verification methods are available?
   The following verification methods are currently available:

   - file upload (the user's id in .jpg or .pdf format)
   - payment
   - verification code
   - choice of payment or verification code
   - user is a mentor
   - user is a mentee

Which actions can be set to depend on verification?
   The following actions can be set to depend on verification:

   - upgrade user to mentor
   - upgrade user to mentee
   - access to the forum
   - access to a certain page
   - access to the WIKI
   - registering for an event

Which security intervalls can be set for verification methods?
   Verification methods can be set to mandatory repetition in the following intervals:

   - one-time verification
   - weekly verification
   - monthly verification
   - annual verification

Where can I see when users upload a file for verification purposes?
   Administrators are notified when users upload a file during a verification request and can access the requests menu directly via the notification. You can also manually navigate to the requests menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top menu and then clicking on 'Requests' in the submenu 'Administration'. To work on a request, click on 'View' under the header "ID Document" to view the uploaded file. You can now either approve the request by clicking on the tick mark icon or deny it by clicking on the bin icon and deleting the request.

Where can I specify which information users can provide on their profiles and which of these properties can, for example, be used in the search?
   This can be done in the user properties menu. To go the user properties menu, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'User Properties' in the submenu 'Administration'. Here you can create new user properties, edit and delete existing properties and assign properties to certain user groups. Properties are only shown in the profile of a user if that property is assigned to a user group the user is a part of.

How can I create a new user property?
   To create a new user property, go on 'Create property' on the top right of the user property menu. You can now provide a name and additional information for the user property. Other information to include are whether the property is optional, whether it will be requested during registration, to which user groups the property is visible, if it is assigned to a specialized area, whether it is searchable and whether it will be shown in the search results.

   You also need to choose a property/question type for your new property and, if needed, provide additional input for that property type. Whether such additional input is necessary depends on the question type. Many question types requiring additional input provide the option of uploading a file with the necessary information.

Which question types are available for user properties?
   The following question types are available as user properties:

   - short text
   - short text with additonal english input field
   - text
   - text with additonal english input field
   - text after ticking checkbox
   - text after ticking checkbox with additonal english input field
   - number
   - checkbox
   - matriculation number
   - date
   - date in the past
   - multiple choice (only one answer possible)
   - multiple choice (several answers possible)
   - taxonomy (only one answer possible)
   - taxonomy (several answers possible)
   - location
   - file upload

   Note that the question type 'location' is only fully available if the platform is connected to Google Maps with a Google Maps API key (see the section 'Other (Administration)' for more information on this).

User Management - Troubleshooting

I can't delete a verification method - there is no bin icon on that verification method's entry, and there is no checkbox to delete it with the 'Delete selected' command either. What is going on?
   This means that there is an event associated with the verification method. Verification methods that are associated with an event cannot be deleted separately; instead, they are deleted automatically once the need for verification is removed from the associated event.

Content Management - General

Which kind of pages/articles can I create?
   There are four ways of publishing content on the platform: normal webpages, wiki-pages, news articles and the help FAQ.

Where can I find the page editor / Where can I manage my pages?
   To go to the page editor, choose 'Administration' in the top menu, then click on 'pages' in 'general'. You are now in the overview menu for creating normal webpages, wiki-pages and the help FAQ page. To create a new page, click on 'Create page' on the top right. On the right of each page's entry, you have the options to publish the page (eye icon), copy the page (copy icon), preview the page (glasses icon), edit the page (pen icon) and delete the page (bin icon). If you want to delete more than one page at once, you can do this by checking the respective pages' checkboxes on the left and choosing 'Delete selected' on the bottom of the page.

Content Management - Pictures

How can I upload pictures to the platform?
   There are two ways to upload pictures to the platform. The first way is to use the file management menu. You can navigate to the file management menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and then clicking on the 'Files' icon in the 'General' section. To upload a new file, click the 'Upload file' button on the top right. You will be asked to input a display name and a description for your picture. Click on 'Save' to upload the picture.

   You can also upload pictures directly in the page editor by choosing a picture section, clicking on the camera icon and then choosing 'Upload'.

Where can I manage the pictures I have uploaded to the platform?
   In order to manage the pictures you have uploaded to the platform, navigate to the file management menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and then clicking on the 'Files' icon in the 'General' section. To edit a file, click on the pen icon on the right of that file's list entry. You can delete files by clicking on the bin icon on the right of that file's list entry, or by selecting several files at once via the checkboxes on the left and clicking 'Delete selected' at the bootom. You can set permissions for each file via the checkbox list on the right side of each file's list entry.

Content Management - FAQ

How do I add a help FAQ page to the platform?
   First, create the FAQ page in the page editor. Now you need to set that page up as the FAQ page. You can do this by navigating to 'Administration' in the platform's top menu and then choosing 'Options' in the 'General section. Here, you set the page you created as the FAQ page via the "FAQ Page" dropdown menu. Users will now be able to reach your FAQ page by clicking on the newly appeared question mark icon in the top menu of the platform.

Can I create more than one FAQ page?
   It is not possible to add more than one FAQ page to the question mark icon at the top of the platform. However, you can always use wiki pages and normal webpages to convey information to your users.

Content Management - Menu

How can I publish my page?
   In order to be able to publish a page, it needs to be set to visible. To do this, use the eye icon on the right-hand side of every page entry in the page management menu. All pages except for news articles can also be set to visible or 'Published' via a checkbox in the page editor of that page.

   Once you have set a page to visible, follow the following steps for the different page types in order to make them publicly available:

Publishing a normal webpage:
   In order for users to be able to navigate to the webpage, it must be connected to a menu entry. In order to do this, navigate to the menu entry menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and then clicking on the 'Menu' icon in the 'General' section. Here you can see all existing menu entries and their parent entries.

   In order to create a new menu entry, click on 'Create menu entry' on the top right. You will be asked to enter the new menu entry's title and priority; the priority determines in which order your pages will be displayed. Connect the menu entry to a page via the 'target page' field. If the menu entry is supposed to be part of a dropdown menu, you can connect it to a parent menu entry. Parent menu entries are normal menu entries without a target page.

   If you only want certain user groups to view the menu entry, you can specify this in the menu entry menu via the user group checkboxes on the right of each list item.

Content Management - News

Where can I manage my news articles?
   You can go to the news management menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and then clicking on the 'Menu' icon in the 'General' section. Here, you can edit, set to visible and delete news entries via the icons on the right-hand side of each list. To delete several news entries at once, click their checkboxes and choose 'Delete selected' at the bottom of the page.

How do I create a news article?
   Navigate to the news management menu and click on 'Create article' on the top right. In addition to the news article's content, you can add a title, an excerpt and a header image. All text can be provided in German and English.

How can I publish a news article?
   News articles are published via the news widget, which can be added to normal pages via the page editor.

Content Management - Page Creation

How can I create a page (whether it be a simple webpage, a wiki page or the FAQ help page)?
   First, navigate to the page management menu by choosing 'Administration' in the top row and then clicking on the 'Files' icon in the 'General' section. Here, you will be able to input the following base settings:

   Slug                                                                         ... a short title that is shown in the page's URL
   Page Title                                                               ... the page's title in German and English
   Published                                                                ... tick this checkbox to set the page to visible
   Is a wiki page                                                         ... tick this checkbox to add this page to the wiki
   Allow all users to edit this page                          ... tick this checkbox if the page is a wiki page to permit all users to edit it
   Allow search machines to display this page    ... tick this checkbox to make the page visible to search engines
   Excerpt for search machine entries                   ... the provided text will be used for search engine entries
   Image for search machine entries                     ... the provided picture will be used for search engine entries
   Thematic Section                                                  ... the thematic section to which this article belongs and under which it will be grouped in the wiki
   Page Content                                                         ... the content of the page

How do I add content to the page?
   Your page content is organised in different section which help format the page. For each section, you choose which type of content you want to enter. Text fields can always be input in German and English via a toggle on the section's top right; pictures only have to be input once and are shared for both languages.

   Every time you create a section, you can choose between eight formatting options regarding background colour and whether/how the section is further split. You can create as many sections as you want. To add content to a section, click on the plus icon in the section. You will now be able to choose whether to continue creating further sections within this section or whether to add content directly. You can choose between the following types of content:

   - Text
   - Picture
   - Picture slideshow
   - Widget: Sections
   - Widget: Info all
   - Widget: Info mentors
   - Widget: Info current mentorships
   - Widget: Info happy mentees
   - Widget: News
   - Widget: Calendar
   - Widget: Events
   - Widget: Upcoming events
   - Widget: Info groups
   - Widget: Info wiki articles

   Widgets are prefabricated building blocks which add the platform's existing information to a page. Examples for this are the news widget, which adds the platform's news pages, or the info widget on current mentorships, which adds the number of currently ongoing mentorships.

   If you want to delete a section, click the bin icon on its bottom left. To clear the chosen content type of a section, click the bin icon on its top right. Click on the anchor icon on a section's bottom left to get a link you can use to link to that section.

How can I make sure only one user edits a page at a time?
   If another user is currently editing the page, you can see this on the page management menu under 'Currently edited by'.

How do I know who has created or edited a page?
   If you open a page in the page editor, you can see who last edited it and when this happened on the right-hand side. Choose the eye icon to can see the version of the page at that time. Choose the pen icon to reset the page to the version at that time. Careful: Such a reset cannot be reverted.

I've made a mistake editing and now the page is broken. Can I reset the page to a previous version?
   Yes! To do this, go to the page's page editor. You can see previous versions of the page via the eye icon on the top right. You can use the pen icon next to it to reset the page to that version of the page. Careful: Such a reset cannot be reverted.

Content Management - Wiki

What is the wiki?
   Administrators can create articles for the wiki and assign them to areas they have created. All wiki-articles are tied the book icon which will appear in the top row of the platform once the wiki has been set up. Users can read and like articles; the wiki overview page shows a list of the most popular wiki articles. Additionally, administrators can enable users to edit existing wiki articles.

How do I create a wiki article?
   To create a wiki article, create your page in the page editor and then mark it as a wiki article by ticking the checkbox 'Is a wiki page'. Your article will now automatically be added to the platform's wiki once it is set up.

How do I set up my platform's wiki?
   In order for your platform's wiki to be accessible to users, you must set it up. You can do this by navigating to 'Administration' in the platform's top menu and then choosing 'Options' in the 'General section. Here you can set your 'Wiki Landing Page'. The wiki's landing page is the first page users see once they navigate to the wiki. Once you have set the wiki's landing page, a book icon for access to the wiki will appear in the platform's top row.

How can I allow and disallow users to edit a wiki page?
   Go to the page's site using the site editor. Each page has a checkbox 'Allow users to edit this page' which you can use to regulate editing permissions.

Other (Administration) - General

How can I change my platform's theme elements like colours, icons and footer?
   To navigate to the theme menu, choose 'Administration' in the top row, go to the section 'Administration' and click on the tile 'Theme'. Here, you can adjust the following:

   - Favicon and bar icon, including placement and background
   - Background colour and base and navigation colours
   - Colour, size and font of headings and other text
   - Colour scheme for avatars
   - Text of the platform's footer in German and Englisch

Where can I see which payments have been made to the platform? Where can I see which verifications have been made by verification code?
   To see this, choose 'Administration' in the top row, go to the section 'Administration' and click on the tile 'Payments'.You can now see all verifications that have been attempted. For each verification, you can see the name of the user making the verification, the status of the verification, whether it was successful, the date of the verification, which verification method was used and (for payments) the amount payed as well as the payment reference / (for verification codes) the verification code. Click on the verification method to be taken to its details page.You can export the list of recorded verfications as a .csv file.

Where can I find the options menu?
   To navigate to the options menu, choose 'Administration' in the top row, go to the section 'General' and click on the tile 'Options'. Here you can change some of the platform's basic settings.

What is 'maintenance mode' and where can I find it?
   When the platform is in maintenance mode, users of the platform who are not part of the user groups 'super administrator' or 'administrator' will be shown a mainenance page. You can find the checkbox to activate and deactivate maintenance mode in the options menu.

Where can I set up template messages?
   You can set up templates for the following use cases in German and English in the options menu in the section 'Overview':

   - Email signature for platform emails
   - Information about a mentorship agreement
   - Information about cancelling a mentorship
   - Information about refusing a mentorship

Is it possible to choose how many entries are shown on pages that show lists in the Administration menu, for example in the users menu or the events menu?
   Yes! You can change this setting in the options menu under the subheading 'List Entries per Page in Admin Area'.

Is it possible to choose how many entries per page / forums per page are shown in the forums tab?
   Yes! You can find these settings in the options menu under the heading 'Forum'.

Where can I set up template texts for privacy policies?
   You can set up templates for the following texts in German and English in the options menu's 'Privacy' section:

   - GDPR Text, which users can navigate to during registration
   - Cookie Message
   - Cookie Error Message
   - Message for mentorships that might be experiencing difficulties, for example because they haven't shown any activity in a long time

Which services can I bind to the platform via API? Where can I input my API keys?
   You can input API keys for services you want to connect to the platform in the options menu's section 'APIs'. The platform supports the following services:

   - Google Maps
   - Stripe
   - Google Analytics
   - Matomo
   - Recaptcha
   - DeepL

What can I do if I do not want to use certain functions for my platform and don't want these functions to be visible to the users either?
   You can toggle selected functions/modules on and off in the options menu. This is possible for the following modules:

   - Wiki
   - Forum
   - Chat
   - Events
   - Gamification

   You can find the corresponding checkboxes in the options menu under the subheading 'Modules'.

Other (Administration) - Expertise

What is expertise / an expertise section?
   Using an expertise section, platform members can exchange goods or services without most of the steps characteristic of the mentoring process. To declare a section as being an expertise domain, tick the corresponding checkbox in the section's edit page. Additionally mark it as a matchmaking domain in order to enable users to exchange expertise via this section.