Schedule Your Meetings with Doodle
Have you ever tried to schedule a meeting with several participants? It can be a nightmare of emails and back and forth phone calls as you try to find the perfect date and time. Lately my meeting planning has been much easier as I've started to use Doodle to set things up.
Here's what I do (more instructions here):
- Click on Create a Poll.
- Name my poll and identify myself as the initiator
- Select potential dates
- Select potential times
- Create the poll
Within seconds, Doodle emails me with a URL to my unique poll that I can then share with everyone I'm trying to schedule for the meeting. Once I notify them of the link, they can go to the site where they will type in their name and check off those dates/times when they're available. Each time someone "votes" I'm sent an email so I know when to check the poll. As you can see from the screen shot below, the site even tells me the most promising date/time for my meeting.
I've found the site to be remarkably easy to use, with even non-techies able to participate with no problems. A few upgrades I'd like to see include the ability to add a potential location to the poll, as well as an address book and the capacity to email the poll from within Doodle. But really, for a free tool, I can't complain. The site has definitely been a timesaver for me and one I highly recommend.
Thanks, M; looks super easy & useful, tho I'm unclear how it differs from Google Calendar & other freebie forms...(Simpler maybe? I'm all for that!)
Let me know if you have any further comparison/contrast tips, as I'd like to write a mini-blurb on it for Shaping Youth and link to you. (parents are always trying to coordinate carpools, camps, etc.) plus, for our nonprofit, it might be a great way to determine online auction fundraiser date preferences & volunteer availability and such.
Which reminds me, I just participated in a probono "open source collaborative eBook" w/all proceeds going to Variety, the Children's Charity...Thought of you, as it's an innovative way we might all be able to cross-pollinate our projects and foster further awareness and dialogue of important issues!
I posted about The Age of Conversation eBook 7-16 debut here:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=536
and more about the concept and charity here:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=412
Anyway, thanks for the Doodle post, do ping me if you have more to add re: first hand knowledge/tool USP etc. Best, A.
Posted by: Shaping Youth | July 10, 2007 at 05:26 PM
Hi Michelle
Great post. I had the initial thought how is it better than Google Calender but it is. Have you had any of the less techno people be reluctant using it?
Sue
Posted by: Sue Waters | August 07, 2007 at 07:49 AM
Hi Sue--actually, less techno people definitely get it. For them, it's like using grid to x in when they're available. And it's been much easier for me. It used to be that I had to keep track of who could come when, but now it's done for me. It's definitely been a great timesaver for me.
Posted by: Michele Martin | August 07, 2007 at 07:53 AM
Hi Michele - I am definitely going to have to it a try because coordinate professional development workshops with staff drives me crazy. Although part of the problem will be the fact that you can not even get them to open emails.
Thanks for this great post.
Sue
Posted by: Sue Waters | August 07, 2007 at 08:03 AM