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First: if you use an authenticator app, nothing is ever sent — open the app and type the code it shows. For sent codes, check where the screen says it went (“phone ending in …” or your email); for email codes, check spam/junk. Codes can take a minute; if clearly lost, press Resend code. Each sent code expires 10 minutes after sending. If codes never arrive by text, your record may have no cell number or an outdated one — after signing in with an emailed code, update your cell under My Profile → Contact.

That's the automatic fallback: when there's no usable cell number on your record or the text couldn't be delivered, the portal emails the code rather than leaving you waiting. The screen explains it when it happens.

An authenticator app (Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, Authy — any of them) shows a fresh 6-digit code every 30 seconds, generated on your phone itself. Once you connect one on the Sign-in Security page (My Profile → Contact → Sign-in Security), it becomes your sign-in default: no waiting for a text or email, and it works even with no cell signal. It is also the most secure of the three — there is nothing in transit to intercept. Text and email stay available as backups on the code screen.

Once, on the Sign-in Security page (My Profile → Contact) — not at each sign-in. Pick Text message or Email and save; every future sign-in follows it. Text is the default when you've never chosen.

Use “Text me a code instead” or “Email me a code instead” on the code screen — those always work. If you want the app back, contact the society office to clear the old enrollment, then re-connect the new phone on Sign-in Security. Your password is unaffected throughout.

No — two-step sign-in applies to every sign-in, members and staff alike. It's what keeps a leaked password from being enough to enter.

The pair is checked together, so also verify the email: it must be the member email on your society record (some members have multiple addresses). If in doubt, use Forgot your password, or ask the office which email your record carries.

Wait a few minutes and try again; the pause clears on its own. If you've forgotten the password, use the reset link rather than guessing on.

Three usual causes: it expired (10 minutes), it was already used once, or a sign-in code was typed into the reset page — the two kinds of code are not interchangeable. Request a fresh reset code and complete the form in one sitting.

At least 8 characters. Longer and less guessable is better; a short sentence works well.

Idle sessions are closed automatically for security. Sign back in; nothing you saved is lost.

Email changes on the record are handled with the society office (the office is notified of every member email change as a safeguard). Once the record carries the new address, codes and resets follow it automatically.

Any modern browser on any device — the page adapts to phones. No app is required to use the portal; the authenticator app is an optional extra for sign-in codes.

The platform version. If you contact support about a sign-in problem, reading that number off your screen is the single most helpful detail to include.

No. The dashboard shows the features your society offers, and for staff, the cards that belong to your role. If your colleague belongs to a different society — or has a different role — different tiles are expected. If you believe you need something you don't see, contact your society office.

You have a balance due. Open Pay My Dues to see the amount and pay securely online; the dot clears itself once the balance is zero. The Balance Due figure on your membership card is the same number.

Open My Profile and correct it there — the card updates immediately. Your institution is picked from a list; if yours is missing, ask the office to add it.

My Profile > photo. A square-ish, head-and-shoulders photo works best. Until you add one, the card shows your initials — that's the intended placeholder, not an error.

The card reads your live ledger. If the amount surprises you, contact the office before paying — they can see every charge and payment behind the number.

It is your membership status with this society, using your society's own status names. Status changes (for example retiring to emeritus status) are handled by the office.

Member Since is this society's join date on record. If you believe the date is wrong — for instance after a rejoin — the office can review your record's history.

No — the dashboard layout is set by the society so that every member sees the same map and support can guide anyone by screen. What you can personalize lives inside the features (favorites in the Digital Library, saved scans in Study IntelliScan, and so on).

By design — hover doesn't exist on touch screens. The label under each circle names it, and this chapter's tables list every tooltip.

The portal signs out idle sessions automatically for security. Sign back in; you'll land on the dashboard. Nothing you had saved is lost.

The Staff ribbon marks staff accounts so it's always clear you're signed in with staff capabilities. Members never see a ribbon.

The bottom of every page: the footer shows “PediaSphere v…”. Support may ask for it — read it right off your screen.

Contact the society office — the primary email is deliberately not self-service because sign-in, codes, receipts, and mailing lists all follow it, and the office corrects those lists at the same moment they change it. Every other contact field is yours to edit on the Contact tab.

Any standard authenticator works — Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password. Contact tab → Sign-in Security → Set up authenticator → scan the QR with the app → type the code the app shows → Confirm & connect. From then on your sign-ins use the app by default; text and email remain as backups.

Not by default — the whole point is that nothing needs to be sent. Codes by text or email arrive only when you ask for one on the sign-in screen (“Text me / Email me a code instead”), and that backup uses the preference you saved on Sign-in Security.

If the old phone still works, easiest is: sign in, remove the authenticator on Sign-in Security (needs your password), then set it up fresh on the new phone. If the old phone is gone, sign in with a text/email backup code, then ask the society office to clear the old enrollment; once cleared, set up the new phone yourself. Your password never changes in any of this.

The list is shared and curated so institution names print consistently for everyone. Ask the office to add yours; it then appears for every member.

JPG or PNG upload directly; WebP, GIF, BMP, and AVIF convert automatically; up to 25 MB, with big files resized in your browser first. If it still fails, try a plain JPG. A square-ish head-and-shoulders crop looks best on the card. Uploading replaces the old photo immediately.

With auto-renew set to Yes and a card on file, your dues are charged automatically at the annual cycle and you get a receipt by email. The Contact tab shows the card's last four digits and the “Manage card on file…” link to replace it. Set auto-renew to No at any time to go back to paying manually.

Dates and statuses are the society's official records, so they're read-only here. The office can review the record history and correct it.

Only aggregate counts are ever shown (Diversity Analytics), never individuals, and demographics never appear in the directory. All demographic questions are voluntary.

It's the gate into the mentoring pool: answer yes and Mentor IntelliMatch and Ralph may present you as a potential mentor; answer no and you're never suggested.

They are what make the portal personal: funding matches, mentor and collaborator matching, study scanning, and Ralph's who-does-what answers all read those selections. Empty checkboxes = generic results.

Transactions tab — find the payment row and press Receipt; a copy goes to your member email. Dues charges resend as invoices the same way.

Contact the office rather than paying around it — they see the full ledger and its audit trail, and corrections are posted as new entries so the history stays intact.

If you belong to more than one society on this platform, it lists each membership and its status in one read-only line. It's informational — each society's portal still runs entirely on its own membership. (Your sign-in security — password, preference, authenticator — is shared: one person, one login, protected once for all your societies.)

Sign-in codes by text now go to the new number (they follow the cell phone on your record). That's a feature: keep it current and two-step sign-in stays effortless.

No — that's the whole point. The community signs you in through your society account: one email, one password, one one-time code flow. If the community ever asks you to create a local password, stop and use the society sign-in button instead.

The society launches its community gradually — staff first, then invited early groups, then everyone. Your account is fine; your stage just hasn't opened. The office can say where the rollout stands and can add early access when warranted.

Two usual causes: the staged rollout (above), or membership standing — community access requires current membership, so a lapsed status declines politely. Check your status on the dashboard card; the office can confirm in a minute.

Identity and membership only — your name and member email, confirmed by the portal at sign-in. Never your password, never your dues or ledger, never demographics. The community's own content (what you post there) lives under the community's terms.

The community follows the portal: sign in through it after the change and your identity carries over. No separate update to request.

The hand-off pass is one-time and short-lived — a stale tab or a back-button replay can invalidate it. Close the community tab, start again from the community's sign-in button, and complete the flow in one go. Persisting, tell the office the time it happened; the attempt is traceable.

Yes — that's normal. And signing out of the community doesn't sign you out of the portal (or vice versa); each site manages its own session once the hand-off is done.