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Category Experts

• What are Category Experts?

  The Category Experts feature allows community managers to identify superusers and define ranks at a more granular level in the community based on their contributions (solutions, kudos, and answers) at any location in the community. Your community manager might, for example, define expert ranks for each product line or product type.

  The three magic ingredients of a category expert rank are kudos, answers, and accepted solutions in Q&As. These are the metrics most likely to indicate quality contributions. If you make the grade as a category expert, here's what happens:

  • Category experts are recognized for their contributions in specific areas of the community because users in the community who post questions get to choose the best answers.
  • Category experts receive an extra expert designation (and perhaps an icon) for one or more community categories.
  • Category experts in more than one category can choose which expert rank to display.
  • Category experts can quickly view any unanswered questions in the Q&A in their categories.
  • Category experts can choose when and how to be notified by email when new questions are posted in their categories.

  Want to be a category expert? Start answering questions!

• How do I view and answer questions?

  You can see the open questions in your area of expertise in the Questions I Can Answer tab on the My Questions and Answers page. You can think of this page as a handy To Do list for your favorite Q&As.

  To view and answer questions:

  1. Click your login name at the top of the page to go to your profile page.
  2. Click the View All link under the My Questions or My Answers list.
  3. On the My Questions and Answers page, click the Questions I Can Answer tab.
     This tab lists all the unanswered questions in your area of expertise.
  4. To view a question and answer it, click the question and then click Answer.
  5. Type your answer.
     You can compose your answer in rich text or in HTML and can include links to other websites, images, or videos (depending on your community). You can also add attachments, format the text in your answer, and check your spelling.
  6. When you're happy with the text and formatting of your answer, click Post.

• How do I choose notification settings for my expert areas?

  If you've earned a category expert rank you can receive email notifications when users post questions in your area of expertise. You have a choice of how often to receive notices (immediately or in a daily or weekly digest) and the email format to be used (automatic for your email client, HTML, or plain text).

  To choose your expert notification settings:

  1. Choose My Settings and click the Expert tab. Click Notifications.
  2. Choose how often you want to be notified and the email format you prefer.
  3. Click Save Changes.

• How do I choose which expert rank to display?

  If you qualify as an expert in more than one category, you can choose the expert rank that appears on your profile page, in your profile badge, and elsewhere in the community. You can choose a specific rank, or set the system to default to the rank that's most closely related to each page.

  To choose your expert rank:

  1. Choose My Settings and click the Expert tab. Click Ranking Display.
  2. Choose Default Rank to always display the most relevant rank or choose a specific rank.
  3. Click Save Changes.