Instant Newsletter - July 2006

We're hard at work ensuring that our existing products will work seamlessly with Sametime 7.5 and you can rest assured we're already working on some products to make use of the new Sametime 7.5 features.

Josh our intern who was responsible for creating this monthly newsletter, graduated from college a few months ago, so I am excited to be taking over his newsletter duties until we recruit a new intern in a couple of months.  

This month I'll be giving some tips around modifying the Sametime Meeting Center, my top ten Instant Messaging Etiquette tips for new users and finally I'll talk about an exciting new conference Collaboration University.

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Click to read the complete article

Tired of Sametime yellow?
Changing the background colors of your Sametime Meeting Center


Sometimes it feels that the Sametime folks at Lotus embraced yellow to a whole different level to the rest of the organization. With yellow backgrounds, yellow logos, it can feel like everything is yellow.

This tip will explain how to remove the yellow background and brand the meeting center with your own logo and colors.  Which can help all your users feel like your Sametime Meeting Centers are part of your core intranet offering.

Get full details here...

Planning ahead
Make the future easier by making a few changes to the Sametime Meeting Center


It's possible with a few key changes to the Sametime Meeting center to make life much easier for design changes in the future. If you want to do something as simple as change a background color on a website, which would your rather do modify one form or seven? For me I'd prefer one change. This tip outlines how you can consolidate the forms

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Into a single form and save yourself hours of work in the future.

Click here to see complete instructions...

Collaboration University
Your gateway to the most in-depth Sametime and QuickPlace knowledge


Collaboration University 2006 is the most in-depth, advanced, highly focused, and complete coverage of IBM Lotus Sametime and QuickPlace to ever take place.

The Sessions are delivered by experts from Instant Technologies, Connectria, SNAPPS and The Turtle Partnership. All of them -- RedBook authors, exam writers and partners with tens of thousands of hours of experience.

Collaboration University will be a unique experience and is the first event to be focused purely on Lotus Sametime and Lotus QuickPlace. Collaboration University will provide a great opportunity to network with your peers and to stretch and challenge your mind!

Please join us in Kansas City or London. We look forward to seeing you there!

Registration is available online, or by calling toll-free +1-800-889-7350, or international +1-978-253- 0100. Early registration deadlines are July 21 ($400 discount!) and August 18 ($200 discount). Seats are limited, so register today.

IM Etiquette
Help users to get the most from Instant Messaging with some simple Etiquette.


Recently I was interviewed by industry recognized social tools expert Stowe Boyd. We got on to the subject of Instant Messaging Etiquette, so I came up with the following tips for new Instant Messaging users:

• Use Status and Status descriptions effectively. If you don't want to be disturbed, then be sure to set your IM status to DND, if you're away from your desk but don't mind being contacted, add your telephone number to your status description
• IM isn't email. Keep your messages focused and to the point. If it's going to take a few lines to send the message, think about whether email would be better. Use emoticons when required. IM messages can often come across with the wrong tone, so use emoticons (smiley faces) to indicate the tone of your message.
• Be careful when using acronyms. You maybe an IM veteran, but not everyone knows what ROFL, LOL or BRB mean.
• Don't be afraid to use the phone. Often as IM conversations go on it can become tedious to type everything you want to say, so when it makes sense convert your IM conversation into a telephone or video call.
• Don't hide behind IM. If you wouldn't say something to someone if they were standing in front of you, what makes it OK to say it via IM?
• And along the lines of the first suggestion, when you leave the office, or you're done for the day, log off from your IM system. That way people know you're not there -- versus just not responding to their requests.
• If you're on the phone with one person, or someone comes into your office to chat, try and avoid still taking part in IM conversations. People can hear the distraction across the phone, and the person in the room can see you ignoring them. Ask the IM party, or the person that entered you room to hold on one second. Now having said that, there are times when you may be on the phone when IM makes perfect sense, for example when negotiating with a customer and you need to check what can be delivered etc. with someone else.
• Be aware of other people's typing skills. You may type 100 words a minute, but your colleague may only manage 20, so be sure to check that the IM conversation you're having is still the same one the other person thinks they're having.
• Be aware that CAPS LOCK in the IM world is considered shouting, use it when you want to draw attention to something, or make a point. Don't type entire paragraphs with the CAPS LOCK key on.
• When it makes sense bring in other people, most IM systems allow what is called N-Way chat, where you can have more than two people in the conversation. If you need to involve somebody else, bring them into the conversation.