Frequently Asked Question

COVERED IN THIS FAQ

REGISTRATION

Why should I register for Business Exchange?

Registration for Business Exchange is free. By registering for Business Exchange you will be able to unlock the full functionality of the product. When you register you will be able to create a profile, save content for future reference, add content, share reactions, build a network and start your own topic.

How do I register for Business Exchange?

To register for Business Exchange go to the Business Exchange homepage and click the blue button to Register Now. You will be prompted to enter some basic information for your account. When you are finished, hit submit. Shortly after you will receive an email to confirm the email address you used at registration. Open the email and click on the validation link to complete your registration.

If you registered using your LinkedIn account, you do not need to confirm your email address. Once your registration is complete, you can sign in and begin using all of the site's features.

When I click the complete registration link in my confirmation email it says "Invalid username/password combination. Please try again" What's wrong?

The email confirming your registration for Business Exchange is also confirming you've used a valid email address during registration. If you use some types of email aggregators and open the confirmation email from a different email address than you used to register you will get this message. Open the email from the account of the address you registered with and click on confirm registration.

How do I change my password?

Click on the link for account in the upper right hand corner of every screen. There you will find a space to enter a new password.

How can I change my primary email address?

You can change your primary email and/or add additional email accounts from your account page. On your account page, click "add email" and hit enter to submit the new email address. You will need to confirm this email by clicking a validation link that will be sent to the new email address. (Please have patience it may take a few minutes.) Once validated, you can then opt to make the new email the primary email on your BX account.

How can I retrieve my lost password?

On the login page next to the password entry box click on the link for forgotten password and enter your email address. Shortly, you will receive an email with a link that allows you to resent your password.

How can I change my account information and preferences?

Click on the "account" link in the upper right hand corner of every screen. There you will find options to update your account information.

How can I close my Business Exchange account?

Right now it is not possible to close your Business Exchange account. We're considering adding this as an upcoming feature. In the meantime we suggest you go to the account link (add hyperlink) and make your profile private.

How can I invite someone else, such as a colleague, client, or supervisor, to join Business Exchange?

If you have registered on Business Exchange with your LinkedIn account, you can invite your LinkedIn Connections through our "Invite Your LinkedIn Connections" module on the right side of the page. (Note: You must be signed in to see this.)

If you are not registered with LinkedIn, you can do so through your profile page. Click to edit your profile page and then sync your profile. We continue to work on other ways for you to invite friends and colleagues to Business Exchange - stay tuned.

I registered on Business Exchange, but have not received my confirmation email. Can you resend it?

Many times our confirmation emails end up in a junk mail or spam folder. To avoid this, please add business_exchange@businessweek.com to your safe list to ensure our emails are routed to your inbox. Once you have done this, click here, enter your email address and we'll resend the confirmation email.

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PRIVACY

I don't want other users to see my information. Can I make my profile private?

To make your profile private click on the edit link near your photo on the left navigation. At the bottom of the page you will see an option to make your entire profile and associated activities private.

Can I choose to make some activities private and other activities public?

Right now we only have the option to make the entire profile private or public. In future releases we will offer additional options to make some parts of your profile public while keeping others private.

Will my email address be shared with anyone else?

Your email address will not be shared with any other users. Based on the settings you selected when you created your account you may receive emails from BusinessWeek, other Bloomberg Companies and/or third party advertisers. Changes can be made to these selections at any time in your Account.

Are my BusinessWeek.com registration and Business Exchange registration linked?

During the Beta phase of the Business Exchange BusinessWeek.com and Business Exchange accounts will are separate.

Is my entire LinkedIn account, and information in it, linked to Business Exchange?

Only the summary, work experience, education, and links you have published on your LinkedIn Public Profile will be shown on the Business Exchange, not your connections or contact information.

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YOUR PROFILE

Do I have to fill out a profile?

A profile is not required to view topics, read content or view other user's profiles. However, if you'd like to access all that Business Exchange has to offer including adding content, saving, sharing reactions, building a network and starting a topic you will need to register and create a profile.

How can I edit my profile?

To edit your profile, click on the link to edit your profile in the left hand navigation.

What picture formats may I upload?

The .jpg, .gif, .bmp and .tif file formats are supported.

Is my profile going to be shared?

If you choose to make your profile public when you create or edit your profile, all Business Exchange users will be able to see the information in your profile. Additionally, users who search for you on Google or other search engines may find your profile as a search result. If you elect to make your profile private all of your profile information will be visible only to you.

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SUGGESTING A NEW TOPIC

How do I suggest a new topic?

Click the Suggest a Topic button on the top of any page to suggest a business topic of interest. You will then be prompted to give the topic name and a short description.

How long does it take for my proposed topic to be approved?

You should hear from our topic moderation team on the status of your topic's approval within one business day.

How will I know when my topic has been approved?

You will receive an alert email when your topic has been approved.

Can I edit my topic description once I've submitted it?

No. Once you've submitted your topic for moderator approval you can no longer make any changes to the description.

Why wasn't my topic approved?

You will receive an email message from a moderator if your topic is not approved. Topics are most often rejected because they are not business related topics, a similar topic already exists or there was not enough user activity to create fill the most active tab. In order for your topic to be approved at least five items must be in the 'Most Active' tab. To ensure your topic has content in the 'Most Active' tab read, save and add new content to your topic.

Who approves suggested topics?

Business Exchange's moderation team approves suggested topics, usually within one business day.

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YOUR NETWORK

Why would I want to add someone to my network?

Adding someone to your network will allow you to regularly check back to see what they are reading and contributing to Business Exchange. To find them just view Your Network.

How do I add or remove someone from my network?

To add someone to your network just click on the blue add tab next to their picture. To remove someone from your network just click on the gray box with the 'x' next to their picture. You can also add someone to your network directly from his or her profile page by clicking the 'Add to Your Network' button at the top.

How do I search for someone I know on Business Exchange?

At the bottom of every BX page, there is a search box that allows you to browse relevant topics and find users. Click the "find users" tab and enter a name. User names will appear below the search bar. Scroll to the correct user name and hit enter to view his or her profile.

I can't find my colleagues on Business Exchange, how can I invite them to join?

Currently, we do not have an invite feature on Business Exchange. However, we do hope you will invite your colleagues to join with a personal email. The invite feature is a future enhancement we will be making to the site.

Is my network private?

If your profile is public your network can be viewed by other users. If your profile is private only you will be able to see your network. You can change your profile privacy setting in the account link on the upper right hand corner of every page.

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ADDING CONTENT TO TOPICS

What happens if I add the same piece of content as someone else?

You will be instantly alerted that someone else has already added this URL or that the story has already been brought into the topic through our news or blog feeds.

When I add an RSS feed to the topic sources I don't see the content I expect.

The RSS feeds added by users do not show all the content from a specific blog. Each feed goes through the search queries specific to that topic to ensure we are only showing content relevant to the topic.

Can I remove content that is offensive, repetitive, or irrelevant?

To remove content from a topic click the "report" link at the end of that piece of content. Use the drop down to select a reason. The moderation team will review all reported content and remove when appropriate.

How do I submit a piece of content to more than one topic area?

When you post an article to a specific topic, you are given the option to add it to up to five topics. If you see an article in a topic and think it also works for other topics, you can add it to up to five other topics. To do this, click the "add to topics" link (under the topic description) and search for other relevant topics. Once you've compiled your list (up to five), click "add" to complete the process.

When I add a news or blog URL, how long should the summary be?

Summaries are important to help other users sort throught what articles might be of interest to them. Aim for two or three lines and include key names, companies or developments. You can even copy and paste the first sentence or two into the summary field, if you are in a rush.

How can the BX Bookmarklet help me add content easily?

Drag this button to your browser's Bookmarks Bar. Press it to quickly share things you find on the web with BX.

(If you don't see the Bookmarks Bar, choose "Show Bookmarks Bar" from your browser's View menu item.)

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