Article URL: http://www.bc.edu/helpdocs/AG-about001.shtml

Summary:  User and Technical requirements for accessing Agora Web Services; Signing into Agora; Agora Web site organization; My Services; Exiting Agora

Agora is a service-based intranet for the Boston College Community. Services and information made available through Agora are restricted to members of the Boston College Community and require a BC username and password for access. Agora is a portal to many Web-based services and tools allowing Boston College students, faculty, and staff to access and interact with personal information and perform university transactions related to their role in the University. Using a Web browser, you are able to access email, Web forums, WebCT, research tools, and more, bringing many of your Internet activities on to one Web page.

Requirements

User and Account:	You must be a member of the Boston College Community. You must have a BC username and password. To access your complete suite of services you must complete the requirements of a First-time User.
Computer Specifications:	A computer with network access and a Web browser.
Knowledge and skills:	Basic understanding of Windows or Mac OS; Basic understanding of Web browsers: How to start the applications and enter the URL of a Web site to visit.

Sign into Agora

To sign in to Agora

1. Go to  http://agora.bc.edu.
2. If you see an alert informing you that you have requested an encrypted page, click OK (see Figure 1).
   
   Figure 1.
3. On the Agora sign in page, enter your BC username and password, then click Sign In (see Figure 2).
   If this is your first time signing into Agora, follow the directions on Agora: Signing in to Agora for the First Time.
   Note: If you forget your password, call 617-552-HELP (4357).
   
   Figure 2.

Agora home page

After successfully signing into Agora, a personalized Agora home page appears (see Figure 3). Your Agora Home Page includes a banner at the top of the page, which displays your full name on the right hand side. Following your name are the words my services, which is a link to the current page. When navigating through Agora, a similar black banner will appear at the top of most service pages. To return to your Agora home page, just click on the my services link. To the far right of your name is a link to sign out of Agora. It is extremely important that you click on the sign out link when you have completed your Agora transactions. Agora maintains information about your account in the Web browser until you sign out. If you use Agora at a public workstation or on a computer you share and fail to sign out, the next person to access Agora could have access to your email, personal information, and perform transactions in your name.

Figure 3.

Bulletin

Your Agora home page displays any important notices about planned technology outages or other computing alerts under the Bulletin heading.

Directory Search

You can perform basic searches of the Boston College Directory directly from your Agora Home Page. To search for a person, complete the following steps:

• Type their full name, first name first followed by their surname, in the text box directly under the heading directory search You may also search by surname alone (see Figure 4).
• Click on the radio button labeled people.
• Click on the word Search to the right of the text box.

Figure 4.

• The Directory Search results page will display. It will list the full name of all persons retrieved by your search, followed by their title, email address and campus phone (see Figure 5).
• Click on the Full name of the person you were searching for.

Figure 5.

• The Personal Presence page for that individual will display. Any information they chose to display to the BC community, such as their picture, email, campus and home address will display (see Figure 6).

Figure 6.

My Services

Quick Links

Quick Links highlights services frequently used by the Boston College community including U-View, WebMail, Voicemail, and Directory Search.

• U-View allows you to view University information on yourself. You may update certain items under U-View. Depending on your role at Boston College, either student, faculty or staff, the information will include your address, phone number, vehicle information, financial aid, current courses and grades, and paycheck information. 
• WebMail allows you access your email from anywhere in the world with Web access using a Web browser. You can work on email from an office workstation, a home computer, a laptop in a hotel room or a public terminal.
• Voicemail allows you to listen to your voicemail messages, set preferences voicemail preferences, and manage outgoing messages.
• Directory Search allows you to perform basic and advanced searches of the Boston College directory.

My Services

My Services is a menu of links to services generated to fit your needs and interests related to role at Boston College. If you have more than one role at Boston College, for example, you are a staff member and a student, you will receive services for both roles. For a brief summary of the services available to you, please check My Services for Students | Faculty | Staff (coming soon).