About Subscription to the Assemblies Community Network (January, 2012)
HOW TO SIGN UP: See Page 2 of this document below.
About Subscription to the Assemblies Community Network (ACN):
The main website of American Catholic Council (ACC) is http://americancatholiccouncil.org/. The ACC
also sponsors an auxiliary site, known as the as the Assemblies Community Network. The ACN site is
located at http://acn.americancatholiccouncil.org/ and operates independently of the main ACC site,
but is linked directly to it. Only the “home” page of the Assemblies Community Network is visible to the
public. Most features of this “social networking site,” including full access to the ASSEMBLY CALENDAR
as well as all interactive features like the MEMBER FORUM, will require a simple “sign-up” process.
Subscription is FREE and does not imply membership in the American Catholic Council (ACC), which
itself is a MOVEMENT rather than a membership organization.
In the creation of this site and the application of its various interactive/communications features, we
have taken steps to preserve privacy while still promoting transparency and open communication.
Through your subscription to the CAN, you can access a reasonably safe, secure way to build solidarity
and community with other Catholics across the US who are committed to reclaiming the vision of
Vatican II. The site allows such persons to share perspectives, ideas and challenges we all face in our
prayerful and faithful struggle to push forward on issues of structural reform in the Catholic Church.
We strive to be inclusive of all sincerely motivated persons committed to the work of the ACC and the
vision of Vatican II. However, by requiring subscription to the site, we demonstrate some intent to
inhibit “public” access to those who might otherwise malign our members or co-opt the work of the
ACC. The simple questions we ask during the sign-up process (explained below) help us screen for
motives, sincerity, and broad general commitment to the overall vision of the American Catholic Council.
All subscription submissions must be approved after the sign up process. This generally takes less than
24 hours. You will receive a confirmation email from the ACN acknowledging your approval. But you will
need complete the process of sign-up by clicking the link in the body of your approval email.
Subscription applications are monitored daily.
We have taken reasonable steps within the capability of the system’s software to protect member
confidentiality while at the same time attempting to promote open and transparent communications.
See more on that in the related document called Balancing Confidentiality and Transparency. At no
time do subscribers' identities appear in public view on this website. They will only be visible to OTHER
subscribers (members). In the interest of promoting open dialogue, please note that subscription
cannot be anonymous, as no member will be accepted without a full name, address, phone and email
contact during the sign-up process. Though asked for at signup, your personal contact information
(physical mailing address, email address and phone number) will NEVER be visible to anyone, even other
subscribers of the site. Subscribers will only see each others names and City and State. Subscribers can
send messages to one another, without disclosing email addresses. This allows members to search for
others in their area to build communities of faithful solidarity.
Before signing up , we recommend that you first review some of the features and benefits of
subscription as described further below, as well as the related steps we have taken to protect
confidentiality and deter misuse of the site.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE: How Sign-Up Works ………
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About Subscription to the Assemblies Community Network (January, 2012)
HOW TO SIGN-UP:
You will be prompted through a 4-step process:
(Step 1) The Initial SIGN-UP Screen: You will be asked these 4 questions:
 Your Email Address (the one you will use to Sign-In as a Member); Your email address will not
appear anywhere on the site;
 The Password you create to sign-in; This is not accessible to anyone, including administrators of
the site; Once you sign in after signing up, and so long as you use the same computer, your
computer will “remember” you and not require continued login and submission of a password
(unless you have disabled cookies).
 Birthdate; Your birthday and age will NOT appear anywhere on the site; it is a required question
at SIGN-UP that the system will not allow us to remove;
 A two-word challenge “CAPTCHA Code” that will appear to and that you will need to re-enter in
the space provided to assure you are a real person; If the code is illegible, click the circling
arrows button the right to generate a new code.
(Step 2) Email Verification: The system will then automatically generate an email to the email address
you used in the initial sign-up screen. You will need to access your email account, open the email and
click on the link within the body of the email to verify your email address. If you signed up and did not
get the email verification, check your spam folder or junk mail, as it may have been diverted there. If you
still have difficulty, contact technical support at: [email protected].
(Step 3) Creating your online PROFILE: Once you verify your email address, you are automatically taken
to the PROFILE SCREEN, which will ask the following questions:
 Full Name (REQUIRED) (obviously bogus names will be denied membership);
 Country (REQUIRED);
 Zip Code or Postal Code (The System then automatically generates City and State);
 Postal Mailing Address (Street Address): REQUIRED, but PRIVATE; This will NEVER appear
anywhere on the site;
 Phone Number: REQUIRED, but PRIVATE; This will NEVER appear anywhere on the site;
 Local Diocese: (OPTIONAL)
 Open-Ended Question (REQUIRED): Please share something about your interest in the American
Catholic Council . We ask this question to understand why you wish to subscribe and to validate
your sincere commitment to the ACC process; Your response is private and cannot be viewed by
anyone, including other subscribers.
 An Open-Ended Question asking how you came to learn about ACC.
(Step 4): Subscription Approval: Once you submit your profile, your subscription is considered
"pending" until approved by an Administrator of the Assemblies Community Network. This should
normally take no more than 24 hours, and often much sooner. Once approved, the system will send you
an automated email advising such. Once accepted as a subscriber (member), at any time you can choose
to cancel your subscription (membership).
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About Subscription to the Assemblies Community Network (January, 2012)
How To SIGN-IN AFTER Your you are APPROVED:
Go to Assemblies Community Network directly at http://acn.americancatholiccouncil.org/. Once there,
click on the SIGN-IN Link in the upper right box and Login with the email address and password you used
when you first signed-up. Once you are in, We recommend that you bookmark the page for future use
and easy access, so that your computer remembers you automatically, so that you don’t have to sign-in
repeatedly. Alternately, you can also access the Assemblies Community Network directly from the
mainsite of the ACC at www.americancatholicouncil.org and from there, click on the large button in the
upper right labeled “Assemblies Community Network.”
PRIMARY FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF SUBSCRIPTION:
All members get access to the following four features designed to expand and enhance transparent but
secure grassroots communication within the Assemblies Community Network:
(1) Subscription to American Catholic Council E-Newsletter (You will always have the option to
unsubscribe
(2) Access to Discussion FORUMS: All registered members of the Assemblies Community Network can
view and participate in existing discussion FORUMS and start new discussions. If you participate in a
Forum discussion, your name as registered in your profile at SIGN UP will appear linked with your
comments. Also, if you upload a photo of yourself within your profile (optional), the photo will appear
next to your name. Please note that NON-MEMBERS cannot access Forums and will not see the identity
of forum participants. Forums are organized in categories. ACN Administrators monitor all discussion
Forums and create new categories as necessary in order to keep the various discussion threads within
orderly units. The system will also allow you to accept or reject automatic emails sent to you to advise
you that there has been a new posting or reply posted to any particular forum you may be participating
in. This is a helpful feature to prompt you to visit the forum of your choice in a timely way.
(3) Access to PLANNING GROUPS: This feature is particularly designed to support the Planning
Committees of Local/Regional Assemblies. In effect, these “Groups” are totally PRIVATE FORUMS. Only
ACC Administrators can create GROUPS, and only if it is determined that there is a legitimate member
representing a local planning committee who is willing to serve as convener and moderator of the
discussion in his/her local Assembly Planning Committee, and only for specific purposes of planning a
listening session in her/his local community. Each moderator of an Assembly Planning Group can then
“invite” others in her/his local area to join the discussion within the particular local planning “Group.”
Neither the public nor other members of the Assemblies Community Network outside the "group" will
see the discussion within a “Group.” This tool provides an excellent means for secure and confidential
communications among members of a local planning committee as they collaborate in developing the
program and plan for their particular listening session. The system will also allow you to accept or reject
automatic emails sent to you to advise you that there has been a new posting or reply posted to a
particular “group” you may be participating in. This is a helpful feature to prompt you to visit that group
to see the latest communication in a timely fashion.
(4) “Invite Others to Join:” If members are “signed in,” they can invite other persons to join as members
of the Assemblies Community Network. This is an excellent tool for leaders of local planning committees
who want to reach out to particular persons in their area and invite their participation in the network.
To invite others, simply click the second tab on the top horizontal menu bar (Invite Others to Join) and
follow the prompts. We recommend that you use the “manual” method to enter the email addresses of
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About Subscription to the Assemblies Community Network (January, 2012)
your invitees. The system will then send an automated email to your invitees; any invitee who accepts
your invitation and SIGNS UP will receive a follow-up email advising them that their membership is
pending approval by the system administrator. Please note that this feature (Invite Others to Join) is
distinct from #6 below (Invite Friends). Also, keep in mind that anyone can access the public site where
they have an option to "join" as member of the site. Therefore an alternate way to tell others about the
site is to simply copy and paste the
http://acn.americancatholiccouncil.org/ into the body of a conventional email.
SECONDARY FEATURES & BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP:
(5) The “MEMBER'S PAGE” Feature: Some members of the Assemblies Community Network may wish to
take advantage of this OPTIONAL feature which will allow them to participate in "private"
communications with other members. Related features allow members to update their profile, add their
photo if they so choose, invite other members to be their "friends" (#6 below), create a personal blog,
and post comments to the “wall” of the pages of other members. By default, the "MEMBER'S PAGE" tab
is only visible to "members;" Content on the page can be blocked to varying degrees and made
accessible to only select members you choose to invite as "friends." You can manage these privacy
options within the Member's Page "Settings" button in the upper right column. To totally block your
"page" from view from all members of the network, check the privacy option for “invited friends only.”
So long as you do not invite friends (#6 below), your “Page” is totally blocked from view.
(6) Invite Other Members to be your “Friends:” Again, this feature is an option for those members who
wish to have private communications with other “members” and share their "Page." To invite “friends”,
one must first SIGN in and then use the “invite friends” button within the Box in the upper right column.
Once you send the invitation, the invitee (who must already be a member of the Assemblies Community
Network) will receive an email notification stating: “(Your Name) has added you as a friend on ACC
Assemblies Community Network." The invitee then has the option to accept or decline the invitation.
Other functions within the “Settings” option of each member’s PAGE are:
 Update profile;
 Add a personal photo; It will appear only on the member's Page, as well as next to the member's
name if he/she participates in discussions (FORUMS) or GROUPS;
 Email Settings: You can choose under which circumstances you wish to receive an automatically
generated email regarding updates and new content on the Assemblies Community Network
site;
 Create blogs: We do NOT recommend that members utilize the Blogging Feature. Though it is
part of the “package” and cannot be totally removed, we have taken steps to neutralize it and
make the feature largely irrelevant. Blogs will never be seen in the public view, and can only be
viewed by other members and only by going to a member's individual page. Further, all blog
posts must be approved by a network administrator before they appear on a member's "page."
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