Welcome you YOUR website
The Institute's members only website brings together news, articles and information in a way that puts YOU in control. These HELP sections explain how to:
• Personalise your menu
• Receive tailored information
• Find your way round

Relevant to YOU
The most important aspect of the site is that it is isn't simply a portal to information - it works behind the scenes to make sure you get relevant information. Most search engines use crude keyword comparisons to match words and phrases (for example it can't distinguish between buffalo the animal and Buffalo NY).

But this site is designed to make sure that you get news and articles relevant to you, using a piece of software called Autonomy. Autonomy analyses the news and articles as you read them, then looks around for other pieces with similar patterns. It builds up a profile of what you are interested in and as you use the site more, the site's understanding of your interests deepens and sharpens.

So the more you use the site, the more useful it becomes. As your needs and interests change, and you start to use different areas of the site, Autonomy will track those changes.

How YOU like to see it
When you first log on, you will see a Home Page based on what the Institute already knows about you. The menu column on the left of the screen will contain links to the District Societies, Faculties and Board that you belong to. The news in the personal News column will come from those areas too.

To maximise the relevance of your news, you can decide which areas of the Institute you want to receive News from by selecting items inYour News on the :HOME menu. You will be presented with a drop-down menu that contains hyperlinks to District Societies, Faculties and Services. If you click on one, the main screen window changes to a form with a tick list of items from available.

When you have selected the items you want, you can click on the SUBMIT button on the form to save your choices. If you want to clear the selection form so that everything is deselected, you can click on RESET.

You can change the HOTLINKS available on your Home Page menu in the same way, by selecting Your Hotlinks.

You can make these changes at anytime, so as your interests change, your Home Page reflects those.

Finding YOUR way around
Navigating the site is straightforward, even for those new to the Internet. You can navigate your way through the menus, select pages to look at, or move from one page to another by clicking on the hyperlinks. If you are unsure whether a piece of text is a heading or a hyperlink, move the cursor over it. If it is a hyperlink it will generally change its appearance.

The Institute's website divides the screen into three areas. First there is a narrow strip across the top that contains the navigation bar and the research facility. The navigation bar holds the main navigation buttons for the site, including HOME, NEWS, EMAIL PLUS, PUBLIC SITE, etc. These buttons will remain constant. On the left is a column containing the menu, the contents of which are determined by what you selected form the navigation bar. The remaining area is the content box, which is used to show web pages, document or news column.

So, for example, if you have selected NEWS from the navigation bar, the menu column will show Accountancy Site Links, Banking and Finance Links, Government Site Links, etc. If you now select Accountancy Site Links you get a drop-down menu containing hyperlinks AccountingWEB, ASB, Auditing Practices Board. Finally if you select Auditing Practices Board, a window is opened to the home page of that site.

Maintaining YOUR privacy
At this point you may be worried that your privacy is in danger. Nothing could be further from the truth. Apart from entering your membership number as you log in, you need not give any other personal details while you are in the website. If you look on the front page of the website (where you are asked for your membeship number and password) you will see that there is a link to the Privacy Policy for the site.


Features of YOUR site
The key features of the site are:
Viewing and updating your details - you don't need to wait for an annual postal questionnaire.
Tailored online business newsfeeds - the more you read, the more focused the newsfeeds become.
Easy to use, powerful search engine - the engine responds to 'natural language' questions, to make it easier for you to find the information you need.
Ability to personaliase your website - you can choose which parts of the Institute's news to receive.
Email Plus - an excellent unified messaging service that allows you to combine voice, fax and email messages on the one number.
Free ISP - the Institute now provides a free ISP, powered by breathe, the UK's largest free ISP. Follow the link on your Home Page for details.

Services for YOU
There are number of facilities and services that the website offers. There is also a wealth of information to be found there too. The best way to find out what you are interested in is to have a look around, here are some areas that might interest you:

Career Advice
:SERVICES -> Resources - Practice ->Chartac Career Services

Practice Rights for working around the world
:SERVICES -> International Members

Requirements for working in audit, investment business and insolvency
:SERVICES -> Responsibilities of membership

Accountancy Books
ABG -> Accountancy Books

Search
The Search facility is always available in the top area of the screen, above the navigation bar. If you select This Site, it will search the Institute's website. If you select External Sites, it will search the whole of the Internet. The search facility uses 'natural language', so you can ask a question as you would to a person, eg "Where do I find more information about Corporate Finance?".

Feedback
If you have any feedback, please complete the form under FEEDBACK on the navigation bar. Fill in the form and click SUBMIT to send it to the Institute or RESET to clear the form and start again.