Frequently Asked Questions

The AVID Community is an online community of members, currently open to those, including health and social care staff, policy-makers, evaluator and academic researchers, and staff of think tanks who professionally engaged or interested in the development, implementation, or evaluation of Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) in healthcare. The AVID community cannot be used for commercial gain. It is not currently open to technology suppliers or developers.

The community offers a number of “spaces” that may have additional eligibility questions to answer before approval.

Register on the homepage https://ambientvoice.thiscovery.org and if you need further information see the User Guide here. The community administration team will review your request, and you'll get an email when your account is approved. Once your request is approved, click on the ‘Spaces’ tab in the top navigation bar. You’ll see a list of available spaces you may be eligible to join. Select the ones you're interested in and complete the registration questions to request access.

We are creating an online community of members. Registration is important to taking part in community activities and makes it is easier to keep members safe and secure online.

No, membership is completely free. No one should be asking you to pay for membership or any other service in the community. If this happens, report it to avtcommunity@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk immediately.

Approval is based on specific criteria to ensure only those who are eligible are allowed to participate. If we say no, you'll get an email to say so. Contact avtcommunity@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk if you think there's been an error.

As often as feels valuable to you. You’ll get summary emails highlighting updates, so you won't miss important posts and news. You can change your notification settings on your profile.

Click your profile picture (top right) → Settings → Notifications. Choose which types of community activity you want to know about, and how you want to know about it.

Click your profile picture (top right) → Settings → Email summaries.  Choose how often you want summaries and what you want these to cover. We recommend weekly summaries to start.

Spaces are special areas focused on specific topics. They provide members with a structured environment to collaborate, share insights, and engage in relevant discussions. You may automatically belong to some spaces, while others may require you to request access. Some are private and can only be joined by those meeting specific criteria (e.g. working at a particular organisation). Look for the "Join" buttons on the Spaces page.

Yes, the platform works well on smartphones and tablets. Use updated versions of Chrome, Safari, or Firefox for the best experience.

Take part in discussions, share materials, ask questions, access materials, take part in ‘asks’ - short activities to gather ideas, and contribute to the shared learning on AVT implementation.

Go to the right space. Look for "Post” at the top of the Stream. Choose a clear, specific title. Give enough background for useful responses. Add right topic tags.

Other community members in the same spaces can see your posts and profile information. You can control what appears in your profile through your privacy settings.

Avid currently welcomes health and social care staff, policy-makers, academic researchers, evaluators, and think tank staff who are professionally engaged or interested in the development, implementation, or evaluation of Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) in healthcare. The AVID community cannot be used for commercial gain. It is not currently open to technology suppliers or developers.

 Some spaces may have additional rules with additional eligibility questions to answer before approval.

Yes, but all new members must complete the same registration process. Send invitations through the platform, or direct colleagues to the registration page.

All members must follow our Terms of Use and Code of conduct for each space must be agreed.

Report concerns to avtcommunity@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk  or by clicking ‘report’ on the drop down button next to each post. We take community standards seriously and address issues quickly.

On secure UK-based servers with extra security measures. Full details about data handling and your rights are in the Privacy Notice

For questions or concerns about anything to do with the project or the handling of your data, please email the project team at avtcommunity@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk

For technical problems or questions about the platform, please contact the Thiscovery team at help@thiscovery.org. 

Yes, if you choose to leave the community you can delete your account in your profile settings. Alternatively contact avtcommunity@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk to request deletion or if to request an export of your data. Please note that some of your contributions may remain visible in discussions to preserve the continuity and clarity of conversations.

See the Privacy Notice for more details.

Use updated versions of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Some tools may not work in older browsers or Internet Explorer.

Use the search function or filter by topics using the buttons on the top-right of the screen. Follow particularly active or expert members to see their work.

Engage meaningfully in chats via the comment section on the live feed. Complete your profile so others understand your background.

Share feedback with community managers, welcome new members, add high-quality content, and model positive behaviour that makes the community valuable for everyone.