ETopping's dashboard

During a conversation yesterday (with UM Crookston exec's), the question was raised about Carousel's compatibility with smartphones. Someone mentioned that they have a Blackberry Curve, and in the event of an emergency, it would be great if they could create a bulletin from their phone.

I have a Curve also, and I can log in, but I can not click the link to enter Carousel.

This functionality would be a very neat new feature. Understandably, there would be some sort of limited functionality (no uploads, standard bulletins only, etc); but to have the ability to post messages from your phone would be very attractive. People would still have to log in with their username/ password (just like I did when I logged in), so security would still exist.

Since Carousel is web based, is there a way to program Carousel like other websites where the page detects a mobile device and auto-directs to the mobile site? I'm sure someone over there has alerady thought of this...

Please view pic.

As the system is currently configured, when you copy a bulletin to another user, or view bulletins in a zone by a different user; the ENTIRE user list on the server is displayed.

Would it be possible to establish a filter (based on user zone & tag assignments) so that only users wtih access to that particular zone are displayed in the list?

Doing so would lend isolation between the different departments/ companies.

It would also make things easier for the end user since they would not have to sift through hundreds of people to find their target person.

Just a thought.

Thanks,
Eric

As Carousel continues to grow at the UofM and expand to other campuses, our needs for emergency messaging are increasing and becoming more complex. Emergency folks on both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses expressed a desire for increased functionality. If two campuses are already requesting this functionality, as the system expands; other (UofM) campuses probably will too.

They are requesting refined capabilities for content distribution allowing the ability to alert an entire campus at once; or narrow down to particular region of campus (east bank, west bank, St. Paul, etc); or select a specific building(s). Lastly, they hope that the selection process would be easy, ‘like a list of check boxes or something’.

After some thought, a seemingly simple solution could be a hierarchy based on tags.

Here is an initial idea of how it could work. A set of “Alert Zones” would be created, one for each building on campus containing a display. Channels would then subscribe to the appropriate Alert Zone. An ‘Alert Tag’ could then be created that would automatically copy the bulletin to all of the selected Alert Zones (set up/ managed by us the service provider).

One Tag would be labeled ”All” which would include all buildings on campus. Another Tag would be “West Bank” to include only buildings on the West Bank; and so on.

As far as the user interface (end user), the available zones/ tags might appear in one concise list (simple to follow). Tags would appear at the top of the list (alphabetically?); with the list of Alret Zones appearing below. This would allow the end user the ability to create a message, then simply click “West Bank”, or “Building X, Building Y, and Building Z”; all from one simple list.

Below are three examples of how it could work/ look. Doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that; and (I think) still fits within the ‘theme’ of Carousel.

Thoughts?

I got to thinking...

While creating a new bulletin, on the schedule page, it would be cool to add a feature to allow someone to create a "Recurring Bulletin". Think Outlook calendar; bulletin to run once a week ,one a month, every other Tuesday; etc. This could be activated by adding a check box below "until manually turned off" which open up a list of prompts; or something.

The way the system is set up now, someone would have to create a bulletin, then copy the bulletin and change the date, and repeat the process over and over. Time consuming; not to mention if they ever wanted to edit something. They'd have to go in to each bulletin...

Might be a handy feature.

Otherwise, if this can already be done, please tell me how because I'm not seeing it.