Aug 5 New Website and Verification System Launch!
Why are we launching a new website?
- We wanted a webhost to handle more of the backend web management than our current host does. This frees up volunteer resources for more fun projects and leaves the operational maintenance to professionals available 24/7.
- Meeting management is more robust and feature-filled, which is a big help for our office staff and volunteers.
- We've heard from members that they want to view the meeting list in their local time zone. The current platform doesn't allow this, but the new Pathminder system does.
- The new meeting list search function is tremendously helpful for in person and online meeting members!
- The redesign is more responsive to different devices - phones, tablets, and computers, without requiring as much effort on the backend.
- We're able to offer ADA compliant content automatically, a necessity for many of our members.
As an added bonus, Zoom links will be more difficult for bombers to get to!
Note: There is NO change to the way convenors log in to Zoom to start their meetings.
Here are sample (not final) example images of the meeting list and the individual meeting pages:
If you're a go-getter and want to see RIGHT NOW, check out https://meetings.lifering.org/
Is your meeting info incorrect? Reach out to correct it!
Online Meetings: New calendar information and corrections form
In Person Meetings: New meeting Platform required information and corrections
Questions?
Online Meetings: Robert Stump | onlinemeetings@lifering.org
In-Person Meetings: Lisa Swing-Corney | frontier_coordinator@lifering.org
Why are we implementing a new verification system?
- The current verification approach is very manual, time consuming, and complex.
- Our volunteer who provides verifications is retiring.
- Shifting the verification responsibility to another volunteer or to individual convenors was deemed an undesirable option due to the effort involved. And honestly, who could possibly replace Melly??
What's going to be different in verifications?
- Verifications will be provided by an automated system called Pathcheck.
- Convenors will not need to provide verification links in chat (but they can if they want to).
- A unique verification link will be posted on every individual meeting webpage.
- There is no limit to the number of verifications a person can receive.
- Verifications will be available to anyone in attendance regardless of how long they were there.
- Verifications show the length of the meeting and the duration of the member's attendance.
- Pathcheck info for convenors | Pathcheck info for members | Pathcheck info for verifiers
- More about LifeRing Verifications
| Here's what they look like:
| Example Verification Scenarios: The meeting shows as 1 hour on the schedule, runs for 1 hour, and the attendee was in it for 6 minutes. The meeting shows as 1 hour on the schedule, runs for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the attendee was in the meeting for an hour. More info below in the Members section, but convenors will be happy to hear that adding emojis and flair to member's names is fine as long as they're separated by a space from the screen name. |
Members need to know much of what was mentioned above in the section on verification changes, as well as a few more things:
- Members will need to create a free Pathcheck account and will have access to all of their verifications for all LifeRing meetings for the past 7 days.
- Members can request verifications to be emailed to themselves and an additional party such as treatment centers, court officers, or medical treatment teams.
- They can use any email address they'd like to.
- Their screen name can be anything they'd like. The verification will only pick up the username the person logged in as, BEFORE any renaming. Renamed folks will not be able to find their new username in Pathcheck.
- Pathcheck offers paid versions that allow them to get verifications from 14 days ago ($11) and a month ($49).
- LifeRing does not receive a percentage or any revenue from Pathcheck subscriptions.
- There are additional perks to those programs, like goal reminders, but that's managed by Pathcheck and all proceeds go to them.
- Since verifications are emailed to members, they can always refer back to their email for archives once they start receiving them.
- Pathcheck info for members | Pathcheck info for verifiers
- More about LifeRing Verifications
- Blurb for pasting into your meetings
How can you best support members right now?
Change is hard, but it's harder when it's a surprise. Convenors are our members' main source of information, perhaps their only source, and you will save 100 headaches by mentioning this change early and often!
Here's a blurb you can edit to make your own, and paste into chat:
On August 1, LifeRing launches our new website and verification system! The meeting listing will be a big improvement, including local time views. Our verification system will be Pathcheck. Here's more info about verifications: Pathcheck info for members | Pathcheck info for verifiers
When they point their browsers to lifering.org to connect with their sober support family and friends, the new website will greet them, and it will be easiest if they already know it's coming.
Training includes some beta testing, and is open to all, however the content is focused on convenors and cohosts.
Registration will be required for easy tracking of attendees, and to ensure there will be attendees for the trainers! Sessions will be canceled if there are no registrations 30 minutes before the session.
Here's a working agenda (subject to change):
- How to find info on the new website
- Convenor portal
- Blog
- Request for beta testing assistance to do exploratory surfing, finding bugs
- How to report issues and corrections
- Components and filters on the meeting search page
- Convenor meeting management
- New components of the view
- Review meeting for correct information
- Review / correct your public convenor info displayed
- Corrections to convenor contact info must be made by email request to onlinemeetings@lifering.org
- Verification overview
- Creating a Patchcheck account
- Viewing meetings
- Getting verifications
Training schedule (These meetings are NOT eligible for verifications)
Friday July 18, 12:30pm - 2:00pm Pacific
Completed!
Monday July 21 11:00am - 12:30pm Pacific
Completed!
Monday July 21 3:00pm - 4:30pm Pacific
Completed!
Monday July 21 5:30pm - 7:00pm Pacific (Strongly focused on Beta testing)
Completed!
Tuesday July 22 11:30am - 1:00pm Pacific
Completed!
Wednesday July 23 8:00am - 9:30am Pacific
Completed!
Friday July 25 10:00am - 11:30am Pacific (Strongly focused on Beta testing)
Completed!
Friday July 25 3:30pm - 5:00pm Pacific (Strongly focused on Beta testing)
Completed!
Saturday July 26 9:00am - 10:30pm Pacific
Completed!
Saturday July 26 12:00pm - 1:30pm Pacific
Canceled - no registrants
Saturday July 26 3:00pm - 4:30pm Pacific
Canceled - no registrants
Saturday July 26 6:00pm - 7:30pm Pacific (Strongly focused on Beta testing)
Completed!
Sunday July 27 12:00pm - 1:30pm Pacific
Completed!
The meetings with a strong focus on Beta testing will be briefer overviews of the website and verification system, and more attention on exploratory testing of the website functionality. We'll go through sections of the site, and fix issues on the fly if we can, or document them for fixing at a later date.
We will attempt to make a recording available early on in case any of these times don't work for you. But who wants to watch a 1.5h recording!? Please try to attend.
The training sessions are a great place to get your questions answered! But if you can't wait, just ask anything in the comments below.
High level overview of the changes:
Overview of the meeting list page:
Verification walkthrough:
Please leave a comment below with your questions. Our staff will be notified immediately and then we can answer publicly for others who have the same question. This is the preferred method of reaching out.
We'd really love to hear from you even if you have ideas we can't yet schedule on the roadmap of future enhancements!
Alternatively, you could save your question for a training session. We'll use all the questions we receive to build a FAQ for convenors and members.
Emailing webmaster@lifering.org is an option as well.
I host I Am Safe and want to attend a training session, but every one of these falls during a workday. I just can’t spare 90 minutses in the middle of a shift.
Hi Brian! I added some more sessions Saturday and Sunday.
When I sign up for Pathcheck as a member, will verifications just fly into my inbox every time I attend a meeting or do I have to click a button or fill out a form?
I use Pathcheck for a different recovery meeting and you do have to click a button from the meeting list on the website or you can download the pathcheck app and just type in the meeting code 5 or so minutes after the meeting ends. It is very simple to do and the verification in is your inbox within a minute or two.