Submission Guidelines

What types of content can I share on SettleNet.org?

1. Learn

Professional development and other learning opportunities relevant to working in the immigrant and refugee serving sector:

  • Course (on-demand)
    A series of learning opportunities that is accessible at any time.
  • Course (upcoming)
    A series of learning opportunities with a start date.
  • Webinar (on-demand)
    An online learning opportunity that is accessible at any time.
  • Webinar (upcoming)
    An online learning opportunity with a start date.
  • Event

Examples:

  • In-person training sessions.
  • Facilitated and self-directed courses.
  • Seminars and workshops.
  • Skills training sessions.
NOTE: Your SettleNet.org account needs to be upgraded to Content Contributor in order to share courses and webinars. Please contact the SettleNet.org team if you are interested in upgrading your account.

2. Connect

Topics

Share information or organize discussions around content on or outside of SettleNet.org:

  • Announcement
  • Discussion
  • News Story

Events

Meet in person or online to organize, discuss topics, and join activities:

  • Event

Examples:

  • Local, provincial, and national conferences.
  • Community events.

3. Library

Resources on a wide variety of subjects related to the immigrant and refugee serving sector:

  • Best Practices
    Sector-specific or related procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective.
  • Guides and Forms
    How to access sector-specific or related government applications and programs.
  • Newcomer Resource
    Sector-specific or related material that can be shared directly with clients.
  • Handbook
    Sector-specific or related material for training clients or practitioners.
  • Research
    Sector-specific or related reports and statistical data sets.
  • Tool
    Digital applications and online solutions recommended by and for the sector.

Examples:

  • Government resources related to immigration and all matters of life that would be useful to a newcomer or settlement worker.
  • Best practice documents, templates, tip and fact sheets.
  • Handbooks and training materials for settlement workers to learn more about the sector, serving specific groups of people, ways of working, delivering services, etc.
  • Information that settlement workers can print/forward to their clients.
NOTE: Your SettleNet.org account needs to be upgraded to Content Contributor in order to share resources. Please contact the SettleNet.org team if you are interested in upgrading your account.

Why should I categorize my content?

When sharing content, it should be categorized using the SettleNet.org vocabularies of defined terms. Doing so will make it easier for other users to find your content.

There are three vocabularies:

  • Regions
  • Areas of Work
  • Services

Examples:

  • Regions
    • Content can be categorized with the term “Canada”, then more specifically categorized with the subset terms “Yukon”, “Northwest Territories” and “Nunavut”.
    • Content can be categorized with just the subset terms “Yukon”, “Northwest Territories” and “Nunavut”.
  • Areas of Work
    • Content can be categorized with the term “Accessibility”, then more specifically with the subset terms “Technology”, “Disability”.
    • Content can be categorized with just the subset terms “Women”, “Youth”, or “LGBTQ”
  • Services
    • Content can be categorized with the term “Language Services”, then more specifically with the subset terms “Translation Services”, “ESL (LINC, CLIC, ELT, OSLT)”, or “Interpretation Services”

Sharing links vs. uploading files

SettleNet.org users are expected to share external content already hosted on another site, but if this isn’t the case, the content can be uploaded instead.

When files are uploaded, the following file formats are accepted:

  • txt, pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, csv, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff, bmp

The size limit of each file is 4 MB.

My file is too large to upload. How do I reduce the file size?

If your file is too big there are ways you can reduce the file size:

  • PDF format
    • Recreate the PDF using the “lowest file size” option available.
    • If you have images, save them with a resolution of 96 DPI (dots per inch).
    • Remove all unnecessary images.
    • You may find file size and image options under the advanced settings section of the software you are using.
  • DOC and DOCX format
    • Remove unnecessary images, formatting and macros.
    • Save the file as a recent Word version.
    • Reduce the file size of the images before they are added to the document.
    • If it is still too large, save the file as a PDF.
  • JPG format
    • Scan your document at a lower resolution (96 DPI).
    • Remove all empty space around the image.
    • Shrink the image.
    • Reduce the JPG image quality.
  • PNG and TIFF format
    • Scan your document at a lower resolution (96 DPI).
    • Crop the image to remove any empty space around it.
    • Shrink the image.
    • Save the file in JPG format instead.

Are there any restrictions on what I can share on SettleNet.org? If I share content do I have to grant any licenses to SettleNet.org or to other users?

For answers to this question please review SettleNet.org’s Terms of Use and User Guidelines.

Inquiries

Should you have any questions about these Submissions Guidelines, please contact the SettleNet.org team.