FAQ
1. What is SETAS?
a. SETAS is the UK’s one-stop marketplace for Social Enterprise Training And Support. In simple terms, it allows social enterprises to find the most relevant, most valued and most recommended support providers – and vice versa.
2. What is a social enterprise?
a. Social enterprises are businesses driven by a social or environmental purpose. There are 62,000 of them in the UK, contributing over £24bn to the economy, employing approximately 800,000 people (2005-2007 data from the Annual Survey of Small Business UK).
3. I provide mainstream business support services – not specifically for social enterprises: can I still use this site?
a. Sadly not. We believe it’s important that we ensure all listed providers have specific experience of the social enterprise space so we do a quick check-up on their organisational focus before approving them on the site. If you have specialist social enterprise services alongside mainstream delivery, do let us know and we will take this into account. Your references should be social enterprise clients. If you are initially rejected, but feel this is unfair – please email us.
4. How do I become a member of SETAS?
a. Registration is free and easy. Just enter a few details on the registration page and we’ll send you an invite. From there, follow the simple instructions to create a support provider or support seeker profile and once that’s in place you can start exploring.
5. How much does it cost?
a. Membership of SETAS is entirely free. We want to make you money, not take it from you. We may charge a small fee for additional services in the future, but will let you know all about that if it happens – and the main SETAS service will always remain free.
6. Do I have to register as a member to access the site?
a. As a support provider you have to register your organisation. We believe it’s important that we ensure all listed providers are dedicated specifically to the social enterprise space so we do a quick check-up on your organisational focus before approving them on the site. As a social enterprise, you can access all content on the site without registering – but by doing so you can set up personalised alerts and feeds to match you to recommended support providers – and you can provide recommendations and feedback on the services you’ve used.
7. How does user feedback work?
a. Every support provider and the services, events and resources they offer are open to feedback and recommendations from the social enterprises that use them. As a support seeker we ask you whether you would recommend the support you have received – and to provide additional feedback if necessary. Support Providers will receive an email notification every time their services receive such a recommendation – and all recommendations and feedback will be published for all to see on the relevant page of SETAS. We believe this is the most transparent way of allowing social enterprises to make the right choices when accessing support. If there is feedback on one of your pages that you think is defamatory or libellous please email us and, if we agree, we will have it deleted.
8. What is a ‘Dashboard’?
a. All registered members of SETAS have a personalised ‘dashboard’ as their homepage when logged-in. This page is a live feed of all relevant activity from the site since you last logged in that relates to the personalised preferences you gave upon registration. In short, it’s a summary of any new members, new resources, events, services that we think will be of interest to you. Click on the links to see the specific listing in full. If your dashboard shows information that you do not find useful, you can change your preferences to make it more relevant.
9. How do Newsletters work?
a. All registered members of SETAS can subscribe to a monthly newsletter. This updates them with all relevant activity from the site in the last month that relates to the personalised preferences you gave upon registration.
10. How does Search work?
a. Anyone using the SETAS site can search the entire database of support providers, services, resources and events. Results are listed according to the number of positive recommendations received by the listing. For registered and logged-in members there are also further filters of search by location, specialism and sector – allowing for more accurate and personalised results.
11. How do Alerts work?
a. Whenever you search for a keyword on SETAS we give you the opportunity to ‘track’ this term through our Alerts functionality. This means every time new content is added to the site relating to this keyword (e.g a new support provider joins, a new event is created, a new resource added) you’ll receive an email from us directing you to it.
12. What’s a ‘Shout’?
a. The ‘SETAS shouts’ functionality allows any logged-in member on the site to post a short message (under 300 characters) for the rest of the site to read. This can be a request for help, promotion of a new event or service or a link to an external website. Shouts can be synced to your twitter account on the Account page and by using the hashtag #setas. There’s a bookmarklet in the top right corner of every page that can be added to your toolbar, meaning you can post a shout on SETAS from any webpage, anywhere on the internet. Please remember that SETAS is for social enterprise training and support, so keep your shouts relevant. We might remove inappropriate items.
13. What’s a ‘Discussion Group’?
a. We have created Discussion Groups for specialist interest areas to social enterprise support seekers and providers. Members of SETAS may join the groups and begin networking with fellow members, ask and answer questions and share news and links.
14. What do I do if I've lost my password?
a. On the homepage there’s a link ‘Forgotten your username or password’. Simply click here and we’ll send you a new one.
15. How do I change my password
a. Visit your Account page and follow the instructions.
16. How do I delete my profile
a. If you would like to delete your profile, please email info@setas.co.uk. This is the most secure process as it ensures that all of your personal data is removed both in the front-end interface but also in our databases as well.
17. How do I flag inappropriate content?
a. If you see something on the site you don’t like or you think might be offensive or libellous, please report it to us info@setas.co.uk and, if we agree, we’ll have it removed.
18. What’s your intellectual property policy? Who owns my content?
a. Please refer to our Terms of Service.
19. Can I ask a question or make a suggestion for the site?
a. We love to hear what our members think of the site, what they find useful and what they would like to see in the future. Please email us info@setas.co.uk
20. Can I report a fault or make a complaint?
a. We hope you won’t need to, but it’s crucial we hear about faults or problems you’re having with the site so we can make improvements. Again, the best way to do this is to email us info@setas.co.uk
21. Who has developed SETAS?
a. SETAS was originally developed by the Social Enterprise Training Consortium in 2002 and was run by Coin Street Community Builders, a community-based social enterprise in London, for a number of years. In 2009, the Big Lottery granted Coin Street funding to redevelop SETAS, as part of Social Enterprise Coalition’s i-SEE (Investing in Social Enterprise Expansion) programme. UnLtdWorld won the tender to work with Coin Street on the technical redevelopment, relaunch and management of the new and improved site.
22. What’s the relationship between SETAS and UnLtdWorld?
a. UnLtdWorld is a social network for social entrepreneurs. The team behind UnLtdWorld have build the SETAS site using the same tools that power UnLtdWorld, however they operate as separate businesses. Any money generated from SETAS goes back into the SETAS website and community, not to UnLtdWorld. UnLtdWorld is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnLtd, the UK’s Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.
Support Providers
1. How do I list my organisation?
a. First you must register for an account, stating you are a support provider. Once registered you will receive an email with a link to where you can create a support provider profile listing your specific organisation details. The more accurately you fill in this profile, the more accurately we can match you to social enterprises who potentially need your services.
2. What is the ‘approval’ process?
a. After you complete your profile, we will briefly check that you do indeed have social enterprise specific skills to offer. This is just to make sure SETAS doesn’t become too general and become less useful for social enterprises. This means there will be a short delay before your full profile appears on the site. This will normally not be more than a couple of working days – please email us if you are concerned about delays.
3. What are references and why do I need them?
a. We ask you to provide the email addresses of 2 of your former social enterprise clients who would be happy to be contacted if anyone would like more information about you. We do not use your references as part of the approval process, so you do not have to provide references if you do not want to, but it’s a good way of showing potential clients the good work you have done and the kinds of great organisations you have worked with in the past. Please note your referees' email addresses will be visible to all SETAS users so you must ensure you have their permission before submitting.
4. How do I add a resource / event / service / photo and video to my profile?
a. Once your main profile has been activated you can add specific services, resources and events by following the links on the right hand side from your profile page. Once added, these will automatically attach to the relevant areas on your main profile page. The more specific services you add the more visible you will be in the overall site and search listings – and don’t forget to add full details on these services so they can be accurately matched to social enterprises on the site. You can cut and paste information from other sources to make it easier.
5. How does tagging work?
a. Whenever you add content to the site, we ask you to label it with one or more keywords or ‘tags’ so other users can find it more easily. Just think of the term(s) that best describe what you’ve added or what other members that might be interested in it are likely to search for. In addition to tags we ask you to pick a ‘location’, a ‘sector’ and a ‘specialism’ that the content is related to – again to make sure it reaches the right people as easily as possible.
6. How do I get my organisation/services/
a. The best way to do this is to get as many good recommendations as possible for your content. The more positive recommendations you get, the higher your listings appear in the search results. You should also add as many relevant tags as possible to your page and give as thorough a description as possible. The more information you give us, the easier it is for members to find you!
7. How do I get positive recommendations from users?
Well, first and foremost by providing a great service, obviously! But it also helps to ask everyone who’s used your services (whether they found you on SETAS or not – and especially if they valued the support you offered) to come to the site and provide feedback for others to see. These kinds of recommendations are your organisation’s strongest selling point. There’s a link on your profile page to tailor and print a little flyer to give to your clients with the setas address so it’s easier for them to give you feedback.
8. How do I get my SETAS listings higher up in Google listings?
a. The best way to do this is to add as many relevant tags as possible to your page and give as thorough a description as possible. The more information you share, the easier it is for Google to find you! We have added sharing buttons for users to add your pages to social networks and social bookmarking sites – increasing the number of links to your pages.
19. Can I advertise on SETAS?
a. You certainly can! There’s a range of different ways you can advertise your services on SETAS – from sponsored search placements, to flyers targeted by location, sector or specialism. Contact dan@setas.co.uk.
20. I'm a sector support organisation. Can I partner with SETAS?
a. SETAS is a platform built on partnerships – we provide tools to integrate our content into external websites and vice versa. We are able to build and sustain online communities on behalf of partners to grow social enterprise and encourage social entrepreneurship in all parts of the UK and across a range of sectors and policy areas. Contact dan@setas.co.uk.
Support Seekers
1. Do I need to register to use SETAS?
a. As a social enterprise, you can access all content on the site without registering – but by doing so you can set up personalised alerts and feeds to match you to recommended support providers – and you can provide recommendations and feedback on the services you’ve used. Registration is free and easy...
2. How do I create a profile?
a. First you must register for an account, stating you are a support seeker. Once registered you will receive an email with a link to where you can create a support seeker profile listing your specific organisation needs. The more accurately you fill in this profile, the more accurately we can match you to support providers who can potentially help your work.
3. How does tagging work?
a. Whenever you create a profile, we ask you to label it with one or more keywords or ‘tags’ so other users can find you more easily. Just think of the term(s) that best describe what you do and what your support needs are. In addition to tags we ask you to pick a ‘location’, a ‘sector’ and a ‘specialism’ that the content is related to – again to make sure it reaches the right people as easily as possible. 4. Can I advertise my organisation on SETAS?
a. SETAS is focussed on training and support provision for social enterprises, which we think makes it unique. SETAS is not designed to be a general platform for social enterprises, so there are a number of other places you might find better suited to general advertising and networking. So if your organisation provides support services, you can get more information on advertising your services by emailing Dan@setas.co.uk. If you want to advertise non-related services, do get in touch and we can have a chat about it.
5. How do I recommend / feedback on a support provider on the site?
a. If you have received support from one of the organisations listed on SETAS we ask that you provide recommendations and feedback on how valuable you found it so that other users can make informed decisions when deciding which services to use. For all logged-in members, every support provider and service page has a box to tick asking whether you would or would not recommend the service offered. There is the opportunity to add further, more detailed feedback underneath. Remember all feedback is published for all members to see – and is sent to the support provider themselves so be honest and fair. When you are browsing for support services don’t forget to check out the feedback from other social enterprises before contacting the support provider.
6. How do I contact a support provider I find on the site or enquire about a particular service or event?
a. Every page that is owned by a particular support provider has a button to contact the support provider offering the service. This will send an email to them from your SETAS account which they will respond to. .
7. What is a ‘Favourite’?
a. As a registered member, if you find something on the SETAS site that you want to access regularly, you can add it to your ‘favourites’ – meaning its just one click away every time you log-in. Simply click on the ‘Add to Favourites’ button on the top right of any page and then access all your favourites through ‘My SETAS’.
8. What does it mean to ‘follow’ a support provider
a. As a registered member you can ‘follow’ a support provider. This means that you will receive dashboard and newsletter alerts of any content they add to the site, any shout they post, any comment they make.