Beta Directory Issues

[aebrown]

Is anyone else having issues seeing pictures they uploaded to the beta.lds.org directory on the new.lds.org directory? The pictures I uploaded show as broken links. New pictures upload ok, but when I go to assign them, they won't assign. They disappear from the screen, but the count of new pictures remains the same. The next time I click on "new" the picture I just assigned reappears.

Only one ward in our stake has uploaded any pictures, but they seem to be working fine. I know that the photos were uploaded back in the beta.lds.org days, yet they still display correctly in new.lds.org/directory.

That ward's clerk can upload and assign new photos today. So the problems you are reporting don't seem to be universal.

[nutterb]

A number of the pictures I loaded before seem to have been lost, but they're easily reloaded. The majority of my pictures are still there.

[zaneclark]

At some point I am assuming we will be able to send a "broadcast" email to members as we now do with the current LUWS. I can see nothing yet in the tools or elsewhere on this feature. And another related question, if we do send a broadcast email from the new directory, will it still be limited to only those who have registered?

[aebrown]

At some point I am assuming we will be able to send a "broadcast" email to members as we now do with the current LUWS. I can see nothing yet in the tools or elsewhere on this feature. And another related question, if we do send a broadcast email from the new directory, will it still be limited to only those who have registered?

There are very limited broadcasts available on the Leadership pages of the Directory. The link just below the title of the organization lets you send an email to everyone listed with callings in that organization. But there is no all-inclusive broadcast capability at this point, and I don't see anything about that in Jira, so if something is coming in this area, it's not soon.

In any case, it seems pretty clear to me that registration is not a factor in whether people get emails -- all that matters is that they have an associated email address. For LUWS registration was a requirement because that was the only way an email address got associated with a person, but that's not the way the new Directory works -- the email address comes from MLS (or the user entering it directly in the Directory).

[kisaac]

At some point I am assuming we will be able to send a "broadcast" email to members as we now do with the current LUWS. I can see nothing yet in the tools or elsewhere on this feature. And another related question, if we do send a broadcast email from the new directory, will it still be limited to only those who have registered?

As Alan-Brown mentioned, we may not see any change in the beta directory. The email options in beta directory are "clunky" for leadership use, using mailto: links which rely on your own email client. These seem to be for general membership use; for members to give feedback to leaders, or so they can contact another member. I don't think I want a "spam" button- to have all ward users have broadcast ability in the directory!

I believe the broadcast email features that a leader might use (and those you are seeking) are being developed under the "Leader and Clerk" app (tool.) I know there are major differences in the two:

see this post:

I'd just like to note that the Directory application, and the Leader/Clerk app are not the same thing. They are completely separate apps that live under the LDS.Org family.

That being said, the Directory application allows members to keep their own contact information up to date, and includes mailto: links for every member with an email address in the directory.

Additionally, our next release (coming soon) includes mailto: links in the Ward and Stake Leadership directories that will allow you to email an entire leadership group (e.g. click the link on the Elder's Quorum page to email the entire EQ Presidency).

These messaging tools (along with those in the Leader app) will continue to evolve over the next several months. Messaging is a core feature set driving these apps and we are finally getting to the point were we can start including some cool functionality. Stay tuned...

I Like what I see in the "leader and clerk" email messaging tool now, however, and use it for sending most of my outgoing clerk emails. I know that currently access to this tool is limited to a very few callings, but hope they work out the "permissions" soon. It still does lack the "broadcast to all members" feature, so when the whole ward needs to know, I must go back to LUWS for it.

Here is my "email upgrade wish list" for broadcast emails in the "Leader and clerk" tool, which are common in business uses every day...

1) BCC feature (blind carbon copy - so recipient can't see any others that may have also received the email) Currently, if you send an email, all recipients addresses are sent out to all, even those that have requested they NOT be distributed.

2) "Email all members" category. Useful for ward activity reminders, funeral arrangement notices, emergencies, etc. This is important! LUWS has this limited to all "users".

3) some kind of report. "you're email has been sent" in a pop up from "leaders and clerks" tool is not enough! In LUWS, an email "report" is sent to the sender, listing the contents and who it was sent to. This can then be filed, or it can be given to the bishop as a follow-through report (return and report.)

3) report or listing of "bounces." Whose email is not being delivered?

4) File system to save frequently used emails, or templates? I must re-write each weekly meeting reminder email because they cannot be saved as a template or archived as a "sent" copy.

5) Formatting or styles? it would be nice to bold or underline on occasion.

6) Automated feature? Just dreaming here. Could I set up an email to automatically be sent to ward council members each Wednesday before ward council to remind them?

[zaneclark]

There are very limited broadcasts available on the Leadership pages of the Directory. The link just below the title of the organization lets you send an email to everyone listed with callings in that organization. But there is no all-inclusive broadcast capability at this point, and I don't see anything about that in Jira, so if something is coming in this area, it's not soon.

.

I decided to check this out but unfortunately I am back to the spinning wheel when I tried to access the leader directory....and about that "spinning wheel." With nothing better to do while waiting to see if the page would open, I looked closer at the wheel and discovered that it isn't a wheel, but a clock with a minute hand whirling around the face...

[zaneclark]

As



Here is my "email upgrade wish list" for broadcast emails in the "Leader and clerk" tool, which is just asking for similar features we use in business every day...

Agree 100% with your wish list.... We can only wait.... and hope.... and pray...

[auslinford]

I am listed as the Website Administrator in the beta, but I do not see that I have any admin rights. I would like to upload member photos, create calendars, etc.
Where do I go for admin functions?

[aebrown]

I am listed as the Website Administrator in the beta, but I do not see that I have any admin rights. I would like to upload member photos, create calendars, etc.
Where do I go for admin functions?

The whole issue of permissions on the new sites has been evolving over time, and official documentation is very limited. But here are some notes and clarifications:

1. You say you are "listed as the Website Administrator in the beta"; what does that mean? The first question is if you have the standard calling of "Website Administrator" in MLS at the ward level. If you do, then you should also have that calling in CDOL. You may not be able to verify this personally, but someone with the right permissions should be able to do this for you.
2. The permissions for the Directory and the Calendar are quite different. My impression is that a Website Administrator is fairly powerful on the Calendar, but not so much in the Directory.
3. If you do have the standard calling of "Website Administrator", then in the Calendar you should be able to go to Options > Manage Rights and see yourself listed as an Approver. In the UNIT column would be your ward's name, and in the CALLING column would be "Website Administrator". If that is the case, you can be confident that you do have the standard calling.
4. In the Calendar, it's important to distinguish between ward and stake calendars. If you are an approver at the ward level, then you can do administrative functions such as creating calendars for the ward, but not for the stake.
5. I'm not sure about the current permissions on the Directory; at one point you had to be a bishopric member, ward clerk or assistant clerk to do administrative tasks such as approving photos.

[auslinford]

Thanks Alan. When I go into the Directory in the Beta, and go to Ward Leaders and Organizations, under Other Callings, I am Website Administrator. I am not sure if that is the standard calling, or one that was created. I will contact the Ward Clerk to find out.