WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform User Guide
sharing.wekh.ca

How it Works

Welcome to WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform! This guide will outline how to use the platform, and answer some frequently asked questions you may have.

Signing Up

If you are visiting WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform for the first time, you will have to sign-up for a user profile before posting. Every time you access the platform on a new device, you will have to enter your email to receive a new pin.

  • Enter your email address to be sent a pin that will grant you access
    • Check your Spam folder if you do not receive the pin in your Inbox
  • If you are visiting the platform on a smartphone, use the prompt to save it as an icon on your homescreen for easy access and enable notifications to know when someone has responded to your post or comment
    • If you are accessing the platform on your computer, move your cursor over the “phone” to interact with it
  • Fill-out your profile and tell us a little bit about who you are
    • You can change your username by clicking the three stacked lines in the top left corner and selecting “Edit User Name | Modifier le nom d’utilisateur”
    • Add a photo to your profile by clicking the three stacked lines in the top left corner and tapping your email and then the camera icon
    • Your contact details will only be visible to the user who has created Asks or Gives you respond to

Exploring the Platform

There are several ways to navigate the platform and find posts that are most relevant to your needs and expertise.

  • The Home page is your portal to each category and shows Recent Asks and Gives
  • We have created seven different categories to organize Asks and Gives. Explore these categories to find posts that fit their criteria.
  • Within each category posts are triaged by Urgency
  • Scroll through the “Asks | Demandes” and “Gives | Dons” tabs to see all posts from other users
    • You can Filter and Sort posts by criteria like Region, Language and Urgency to quickly find what you are looking for by clicking the Filter icon in the top navigation bar
  • If at any moment you would like to go back from where you came, click the “Back” button in the top left-hand corner or click the page you would like to return to in the navigation bar

Creating a Post

Creating an Ask or a Give is one of the best ways to engage with ecosystem members on the platform.

  • First explore the categories and determine where your Ask or Give best fits
  • Use the + icon in the top corner of the “Asks | Demandes” or “Gives | Dons” pages to create a new post
  • Fill-in the required details about your Ask or Give and add it to the platform
  • Find all responses to your posts under the “Me | Moi” tab
  • You will be able to see the contact information for users who comment on your posts so you can privately connect

Responding to a Post

Another terrific way to contribute to the community is to Comment on Asks that you may be able to help with, or Gives that you might benefit from.

  • Find an Ask or Give that you would like to respond to
  • Click to open the post, and scroll to the bottom
  • Click “Add comment…” and write your response
  • Note that your contact information will be made available to the poster so that they may contact you privately

Sharing the Platform

Growing the platform will ensure that more Asks are responded to and more Gives are created.

  • Link your friends, colleagues, and professional networks to sharing.wekh.ca
    • If you are on Twitter, share one of the following posts:
      • There is a new way to connect with the women entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada. Use the @WEKH_PCFE @theforumca Sharing Platform to ask for what you need, and give what you can. Join me at sharing.wekh.ca! #WomenEntrepreneurs #WEKH
      • Do you have something to offer Canada’s women entrepreneurs? Or a specific need for business support? Post an Ask or a Give to the women entrepreneurship ecosystem using the @WEKH_PCFE @theforumca Sharing Platform at sharing.wekh.ca
  • You can also open a QR Code that will automatically send whomever scans it to the platform. You can open the code by clicking the three stacked lines in the top left corner and tapping “Share app.”

Quick Reference

A short instruction guide is also available within the platform itself. Tap the three stacked lines in the top left corner and open “How it Works” to see it whenever you are stuck.

FAQs

Who is WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform for? What kind of people make up the ecosystem?

WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform is designed for women and all women-identified, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people. The women entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada is a vibrant network that includes women entrepreneurs themselves, professionals and organizations that support women entrepreneurs, researchers and academics, and individuals who work in government ministries and agencies that serve women entrepreneurs.

What is WEKH and The Forum?

The WEKH is the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, a project funded through the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy that aims to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise.

The Forum is a Vancouver-based charity that energizes, educates, mentors and connects women entrepreneurs to be wildly successful, promoting strengthened economies and thriving communities.

What are the benefits of participating in WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform?

There is power in numbers. Through our platform you can access the expertise and knowledge of the women entrepreneurship ecosystem across regions, industries and sectors.

By posting an Ask, you may find low or no-cost solutions to challenges you are facing as a business-owner, form valuable professional connections, and access a wider customer base of women who support women.

There are several potential benefits to posting a Give as well. You can help strengthen Canada’s women entrepreneurship ecosystem with your experience, broaden your professional network, and attract new clients in need of your services or offerings.

Is there a membership fee to use the platform?

No. The WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform is available at no cost to all women entrepreneurs across Canada and any women representing organizations that support them.

What kind of support can I ask for?

The WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform allows members of the Canadian women entrepreneurship ecosystem to draw from the knowledge and reach of the community and share their own learnings to access business opportunities and collaboratively tackle challenges. Members can use the platform to ask for whatever they need to support their business right now, whether that’s information on capital or warm introductions to new contacts and key influencers. Examples of specific “Asks” might include:

  • I am unsure how to access the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) and need to talk to someone who already has.
  • I have launched a new social media profile for my art practice and need help spreading the word.
  • I recently became an entrepreneur and need guidance in exporting my goods.

What can I post as a Give?

Users of WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform can offer support to the women entrepreneurship ecosystem in several ways, including expertise, services, or buying power. Examples of specific “Gives” might include:

  • I have helped several businesses build online stores to help keep them alive through the COVID-19 crisis. Let me help you!
  • Our organization offers free counseling to immigrant entrepreneurs building their businesses in Canada. Give us a call.
  • My mother’s birthday is coming up and I would like to buy a unique gift and support women entrepreneurs at the same time. What do you sell?

If I post an Ask do I also have to give something in return?

No. There is no requirement that if you ask for support you have to give something in return. The platform is intended to increase access to support and share resources throughout the Canadian women entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Will all users be able to see my contact information?

No. When you respond to a post, your contact information will be made visible only to the user who created it to make communication outside of the platform possible. Other users will just be able to see your username and profile picture (if you have chosen to upload one) when you make a post or comment.

Is the WEKH/The Forum: Sharing Platform moderated?

Yes. A member of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub staff will moderate the platform to ensure all discussion is respectful and inclusive. Any posts that are deemed to violate our Terms of Use will be removed.