Manage Directories FAQs

The Manage Directories section (formerly Manage Groups) is where you create and manage all of your groups and contacts. Depending on how your organization uses the system, you may have more than one directory. For example, government organizations with access to public alerting tools typically have both an internal directory and a public directory.

Article Navigation

Why does my Resources navigation look different?
What is a Contact/Group Classification?
- Manage a Contact's Classification
- Manage a Group's Classification
What is a Child Group?
Why do I not see all of my Groups?
What do the icons next to a Group's name mean?

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Why does my Resources navigation look different?

To allow for easier access and differentiation between contact and group types (or classifications) you now have access to the Manage Directories module. All of your contacts (formerly internal members) and groups can now be managed per classification. Admin and Public Subscriber management tools still have their dedicated links from the main navigation.

Old and new versions of Directory Management navigation in the left-hand menu of the Mass Notification dashboard.

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What is a Contact/Group Classification?

A user or group classification identifies the type of contact or group and determines which directory they will be placed in. Admins with permission to edit groups and contacts can modify the classification of groups and contacts from the details view if needed (see the Contact and Group classification screenshots below). Currently, there are two classifications available in the system: Internal and Public.

An Internal Contact, or Internal Member, is an individual who can receive alerts within your organization. Their only role is to receive and respond to alerts sent through the Mass Notification system. Internal Groups are only available for communication within the system, and users are assigned to them by an administrator

A Public Contact, or Public Member, is an individual who has subscribed to receive public communication from the Mass Notification system. Public Groups are available for public communication and allow users to manage their group membership.

Note: For customers with split directory permission: For administrators with the ability to manage contacts, the Public Contacts and Public Groups menu items are restricted to administrators who are authorized to send alerts to public contacts.

Manage a Contact's Classification

On the Edit form for an internal or public contact, use the 'User Type' dropdown to select the contact's classification.
A User type field.

Manage a Group's Classification

On the Edit form for an internal or public group, use the 'Classification' dropdown to select the group's classification.
A group Classification dropdown with the Internal option highlighted.

Note: It is important to make sure that classifications are consistent when creating and managing child groups. For instance, if you have a parent group called Public Groups, and a child group called Emergency Alerts, they should both have the same classification.

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What is a Child Group?

A child group or subgroup is any group that is nested within another group. In the screenshot below, 'Internal' would be considered a parent group, and 'All Staff' and 'Fire Department' would be considered child groups.
An example Internal Groups list with some parent and child groups highlighted.

Note: When creating nested group structures, users should only be placed into the lowest level of nesting. Using the screenshot above, you'll notice there are no contacts in the Internal or Fire Department groups. Since both groups contain child groups, all of the contacts are placed in groups at the lowest level within the group tree.

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Why do I not see all of my Groups?

The classification of groups must be consistent throughout the entire group tree/structure. If you are not seeing all of your groups, there is likely a conflict with the missing group's classification. Luckily, there is built-in tooling to help resolve these issues. Follow the instructions below to resolve any conflicts.

Look for any groups that have the warning (blue triangle and exclamation point) icon. This indicates that the highlighted group's classification does not match its parent's classification.
To resolve this, click on the highlighted group's name and edit the classification.
Then click submit at the bottom of the form. When you return to the Groups page, you'll notice the group is now visible on the appropriate Internal or Public Groups page.

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What do the icons next to a Group's name mean?

When navigating your group structure, you may see different icons before or after the group's name. Below is an overview of what each icon means.

Group Icons
Icon	Description
	This triangle icon will be displayed when the group's classification does not match its parent's classification. To resolve this, edit the group's classification to match its parent group's classification.
	This Earth icon is displayed when a group is marked as a default public group. All public subscribers/contacts will be automatically subscribed to this group when they sign up for or are added to your public directory.
	This document icon is displayed when a group is marked as visible on the public signup page. This indicates that your public subscribers/contacts can subscribe to alerts sent to this group.