CuriousMitch
The ramblings of one curious guy

LotusLive Events – There Has to be a Better Way

Categories: lotuslive

I don’t complain very often, at least I try not to, but today I had to register for 6 different “Events” Running on LotusLive, and in the process discovered that the process is quite cumbersome.   To step back a moment I am talking about the LotusLive Events service, not simply LotusLive Meetings, Meetings could not be easier to join, you simply need the URL or the Meeting ID. Now lets take a look at the Event registration process 1. Go to the URL for the event and Register (OK this part makes sense), when done you will see this on the screen A picture named M2 2. Receive the confirmation e-mail which contains yet another link to click on A picture named M3 3. Click on the link in the e-mail which takes you to this screen A picture named M4 4. Receive (yet another) e-mail which contains an .ics file that can be imported in to your  (Notes) calendar to place the event and meeting/voice information on your calendar So if we sum up that was 3 URL, and 2 e-mails all to sign up to participate in an event.  I don’t know about you, but I think this process can be streamlined just a bit  

Posted by Mitch Cohen on May 27, 2010 @ 6:23 am
2 Comments - Leave a comment!
2 Responses to LotusLive Events – There Has to be a Better Way
  1. Phil Salm
    May 27, 2010 | 9:26 am

    Hi Mitch,

    Sometimes it’s a matter of using the right tool for the right job. There is a pretty good reason for the process above.

    LotusLive Events is designed for public webinars. For a public event, you want an open web page that the public can hit without authenticating. That way you can link to it off your corporate web page, or you might link to it off of a pdf invitation, or you might link to it off of an invitation you send via email.

    The first email you received would be like an example of that. It was an invitation for you to check out the event details.

    Once you’re on that open web page, you read the event details, and you may decide you want to register, so you click on the register link on that web page. That generates the 2nd email you received.

    The reason you’re asked to then confirm your registration, is that since the registration web site is open, anyone could register you. So this is to make sure this wasn’t a prank registration.

    The last one you received included the calendar ics because now you were confirmed.

    So several steps in the process, but I believe good reasons for them. It has been some time since I’ve set one up, but I think some of these steps can be disabled at the time the event is created by the organizer.

  2. Erik Vos
    May 27, 2010 | 6:01 pm

    He Mitch,

    When scheduling a LotusLive Event the following options are available:

    Registration Approval

    o Participants must be approved before they can attend
    o Participants are automatically approved

    I always select the second option, because I always send e-mails with the LL Events invitation (saves time for the end user). However If you put the invitation on your public website. I always would use the first option.

    Erik