Service overview
Viva Engage is a private and secure enterprise social network that allows members to connect with others who belong to the same email domain. McGill’s Viva Engage site is like a private Facebook site specifically for the McGill community. Use Viva Engage to share information, collaborate and make group decisions.
Members can self-organize into groups with similar interests. This feature can be an alternative to Listservs or Email distribution lists, particularly in cases where all group members need to actively post messages. However, unlike email, which is “pushed” to members’ Inboxes, Viva Engage is a “pull” technology, meaning users must go there to view the content.
External participants can be added to individual Viva Engage conversations, but they cannot browse the Viva Engage site nor find other McGill members.
Viva Engage is also integrated with McGill’s Office 365 portal.
Who can use it
All McGill Staff, Faculty, and Students with a valid McGill email address (first.last@mcgill.ca or first.last@mail.mcgill.ca).
External individuals may be given access as participants in a discussion or private chat and can be added as members of “External Groups.” However, they cannot browse McGill’s Viva Engage site or join any McGill internal groups.
How to request & access the service
Web interface:
| Active students, faculty, and staff can go to the Microsoft Office 365 site: https://portal.office.com. Sign in with your McGill Username and McGill Password, under the Apps menu (Expand All Apps) then click on the Engage icon. |
NOTE:
If you already have an account in Yammer and were accessing the public McGill Yammer site before it was brought in as a McGill service, you must now sign in with your McGill Username and McGill Password.
Alumni and retired McGill faculty & staff need to sign in at Viva Engage.
Modify your profile, Settings, and Preferences: Click the Gear icon in the upper right corner.
Install the Viva Engage mobile app: A Viva Engage app is available for Windows mobile, iOS, and Android devices on the corresponding app store. Check Set up Viva Engage on your mobile phone.
Cost
There is no cost associated with this service.
Availability
The service is available 24 x 7, except during planned maintenance or outages.
Check the Microsoft Office 365 website for announcements, maintenance or unexpected downtime.
FAQs
Find most answers to many questions in Viva: Introduction
Best practices & policies
Edit your Office 365 Profile by adding a photo and any details you want to share with fellow McGillians.
Viva Engage is governed by the Terms of Use, which are stated within the site itself. In brief, Viva Engage use must respect McGill’s Policy on the Responsible Use of Information Technology and the Cloud Directive.
Keep your posts respectful and professional, with the assumption that although the site is intended for sharing within McGill, your content could end up elsewhere, simply due to the nature of social media and the Internet.
Training & documentation
Self-serve resources:
- Viva Engage 101 video
- Microsoft Viva Engage to find out more on the following subjects:
- Get started with Viva Engage
- Copilot in Viva Engage
- Setup and administration
- Privacy and security
- Facilitate engagement
- Communities in Viva Engage
Support
For support on Viva Engage, please start with the Self-Serve ressources above.
For access/authentication issues, contact the IT Service Desk.