Getting Started from a Share Link
Welcome to Permanent.org! Your family member, friend, colleague, or neighbor sent you a link to preview the work they've done on their archive on Permanent.org. This link gives you a preview of some files they want to share with you and possibly collaborate with you on. To get started viewing these files and collaborating, you'll need to create a Permanent.org account.
Below are instructions for creating an account from a share link and viewing the shared files in your new archive.
View Share Preview
If you've been sent a share link via email, text message, or other message, you can click the link to open it in your mobile browser.
You'll be able to see a preview of the items that have been shared with you. Permanent.org provides a preview to individuals who are not logged into Permanent for security reasons. If you tap on a file to view it, you will be prompted to log in or make an account.
Create an Account
To create an account, tap the Create Account button.
You will be taken to the sign up page. Enter your email address and create a secure password, then click Sign Up.
Once you have submitted your credentials, you will be taken to a welcome page which will walk you through creating your first archive. An archive is a collection of materials about a person, group or family, or an organization that encompasses the digital legacy of that person, group, or organization. If you aren't sure what archive to create, start with yourself. You can always create new archives or change the name and type of your archive later.
The first step to creating your archive is to choose the archive type. The archive type corresponds to what the archive will represent: either a person, a group or family, or an organization. Tap the archive type you want to select, then tap Next.
Next, you'll name your archive. Your archive is generally the name of the individual, group, or organization the archive will be about. Type in the name, then tap next.
Congratulations, you have created your first archive! You will be taken to the Private Files section of your archive.
Download the App and Login
Now that you have created your Permanent.org account and your first archive, we suggest downloading the Permanent app and logging into your new account. The Permanent mobile app makes it easy to get started with viewing the materials that have been shared with you and collaborating on building a shared folder.
Once you have downloaded the app, open the app and tap "Already have an account?" to log into your account.
After you have logged in, you will be taken to the Private Workspace of your archive. Workspaces are different areas of your archive with different permission levels that you can save and view your digital files. You can learn more about your archive's workspaces here.
View and Collaborate on Shared Files
To view the files that have been shared with you, go back to the Share Preview link that your family member, friend, or colleague sent you. Now that you have the mobile app downloaded, you will see a banner at the top or bottom of the screen with an Open button to open the link in the mobile app. Tap Open.
You will be taken to a share preview in the mobile app. At the bottom of the screen, tap "Request Approval." This tells the owner of the shared files that you have created a Permanent account, and you would like to access the full files through your newly created archive. Depending on the settings the archive owner has for the shared files, you may be granted access automatically to the files, or you may need to wait until they have approved your request. Once the request has been approved, you will receive a notification.
To view the shared files or folder, you will need to navigate to your Shares Workspace. Your Shares Workspace is where you can see all of the files that have been shared with you and the files that you have shared with others. Tap the hamburger icon in the top left corner of your screen, then tap Shared Files. At the top of the Shares Workspace, tap Shared With Me. You will see the files or folders that have been shared with you. Tap the file or folder to open it.
If you have the correct access permissions for the files, you can upload additional files to a shared folder or edit the metadata of the shared files. You can learn more about uploading files and adding metadata here.
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