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Global collaboration? Get the time right!
Hi pbwiki people. it is only because i normally enjoy your product that I am taking the time to report this. I find it laughable that you introduce a seminar with "global" in the title and don't give a globally accessible time for it. It should *by default* be stated in UTC (or GMT if you prefer), and then, if you wish, in American regionalisms as well. How are users around the world supposed to remember who is on summer time and which state is in which zone?
And then, this is what makes the joke better, on the sign up page for the webinar (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register...), it lamely says "To convert this time into your time zone, use the Time Zone converter:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock... "
-- and the link doesn't work! (I'm using FireFox.)
And nowhere in the email you sent me, or the sign up page, did I see anywhere to point this double error out privately, hence this public forum to vent my frustration/ amusement. I will be using this as an example with my students of how American (and other) companies THINK they are global, when really they haven't quite got there yet. Proof: if the first employee who reads this has to look up what UTC/GMT means, or ask a collegue or line manager, that to me says your company has not got a global mentality.
The last time I had any dealings with pbwiki, the employee was courteous and efficient, so I have good feelings about the company. But peanut butter is, after all, a parochial taste.
And then, this is what makes the joke better, on the sign up page for the webinar (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register...), it lamely says "To convert this time into your time zone, use the Time Zone converter:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock... "
-- and the link doesn't work! (I'm using FireFox.)
And nowhere in the email you sent me, or the sign up page, did I see anywhere to point this double error out privately, hence this public forum to vent my frustration/ amusement. I will be using this as an example with my students of how American (and other) companies THINK they are global, when really they haven't quite got there yet. Proof: if the first employee who reads this has to look up what UTC/GMT means, or ask a collegue or line manager, that to me says your company has not got a global mentality.
The last time I had any dealings with pbwiki, the employee was courteous and efficient, so I have good feelings about the company. But peanut butter is, after all, a parochial taste.
I’m amused and equally frustrated, and disappointed
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Inappropriate?Hi Roberta,
You're right, it would be much easier for our international audience if we listed our webinar time in GMT so the entire audience can translate the exact start time. I will keep that in mind for the next webinar.
I do want to point out that we chose 4:00 PDT / 23:00 GMT because it worked best for our speaker Peter Williams (the CEO of Deloitte Digital and Australia's leading IT guru) who is located in Australia.
I apologize for any inconvenience, but needed to pick a time that also worked for Australia.
Kristine -
Inappropriate?Roberta,
Unfortunately, GoToWebinar doesn't allow me to add links to their signup page, hence the lack of a hyperlink for the Time and Date converter. If you cut and paste the URL into your browser, it should work. I'll add the UTC/GMT time to future webinars. -
Inappropriate?UTC/GMT times have been added to all future webinars. Thanks for the feedback!
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Inappropriate?Prompt replies, and remedial action taken: a good result. i suggest you might wish to feed back to GoToWebinar that there are legitimate reasons to include a hyperlink -- not to circumvent their processes, but to clarify matters and ease sign-up procedures
KrissyMo, you may have misinterpreted my phrase "globally accessible time" and I'm sorry if that wasn't crystal clear. I meant not the time itself and its convenience to as many people as possible, but strictly the display of that time. "Ten to midnight" and "11:50" and "23h50" are different -- and in different circumstances equally valid -- ways of displaying a given time. Likewise, 23:00 GMT allows everyone to convert to whatever is relevant to them.
Another step towards international understanding....
I’m grateful for the positive response
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Inappropriate?Have you tries converting times with www.scheduleonce.com/SingleTime.aspx ? -
Inappropriate?Roberta wrote, "But peanut butter is, after all, a parochial taste." What does that mean? I thought peanut butter was one of the most universal nut products in the world. -
Inappropriate?Peanuts, yes, in some parts of West Africa and South East Asia, but I don't know anywhere outside North America where peanut butter is widely used, or in many cases even known. The choice of name for an internet company seems quite odd to me, given the increasing incidence of peanut allergies, some fatal. (Peanuts are not strictly a nut. I know that's pedantic, but when members of your family have life-threatening immune responses to certain foods, the difference matters.) Like I said, I have good feelings about pbwiki the company, but the name to me evokes a mixture of kidulthood, insular Americanism, and food toxins.
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Inappropriate?OK... What about NutellaWiki?
"Nutella is also very popular in the rest of Europe, India, Malaysia, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Singapore, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and South Africa, mostly with children and teenagers. This is less true in the United States, where the product was only available as an expensive import until the 2000s. In the United States, basketball star Kobe Bryant was a former spokesman for Nutella, having grown up in Italy. Nutella is briefly mentioned in Chloé Doutre-Roussel's "The Chocolate Connoisseur", which includes an anecdote of her mother flying into Mexico with several jars and smearing it on her face to convince a Customs Officer that it was a facial mask, and not a banned food product. In 1999 Nutella was one of the official sponsors of the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions league season. They were advertised at every game on a bill board."
I’m amused
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