Carl Tyler's Blog :: Which do you think is easier for end users?

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Which do you think is easier for end users?

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This blog entry on the Microsoft site Enhancing Presence by adding new states explains how to add different states to OCS2007, a simple XML editing and registry key change and voila, you can now say you're free but working from home. Not exactly what someone would describe as intuitive or easy. In Sametime it actually is easy, you just choose Tools, Edit Status Message and the state you want to create a status description for and enter the description, Sametime automatically saves it for future use, and it's saved on the server so if you logon from a different machine you still have your status descriptions available to you.

Posted by Carl Tyler On 10/03/2007 | Permalink |

Comments

1 - I am still waiting for ST to get an Invisible status like Yahoo IM has. Completely invaluable when you are trying to get work done.

Sean---

Posted by phigmentb At 09:24:29 AM On 10/03/2007 | - Website - |

2 - @1 You mean lurking? Personally I have never seen the need for this in a business environment. I'd be interested in hearing why you see it as being valuable? In 7.5 you can mark yourself as DND except to people you think you would want to respond to.

Posted by ctyler@epilio.com At 09:51:41 AM On 10/03/2007 | - Website - |

3 - @1 - Lurking seems to me to be a violation of the implicit contract involved in presence. To put it very simply it means that you can ask other people for things, but they can't ask you for things.
Not very sporting....

Posted by Craig_Wiseman At 10:00:58 AM On 10/03/2007 | - Website - |

4 - Two strikes:

1 - MS is making users do this in order to add something so simple. Can't wait till that comes up here, but we seem to have accepted OCS2007 unquestioningly

2 - You have to view that article in IE. Viewing in Firefox doesn't show anything after the pretty picture.

Posted by greg.walrath At 01:01:05 PM On 10/03/2007 | - Website - |

5 - @1 - something like this?

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/stforum.nsf/55c38d716d632d9b8525689b005ba1c0/04ce422e6c61ec7c85256e6800214136?OpenDocument

Posted by gregg.eldred At 10:44:02 PM On 10/03/2007 | - Website - |

6 - Carl,

I see what you mean and there could be advantages for users to do this. However I do see the need for the presence state to be standardised within an organisation. Adding a state would then be the same for everyone to use.

Ultimately you'd want presence to be automated so in you example 'I am typing an entry for my blog' should show whever you are running your blogeditor for example ...

Currently Microsoft has that arranged through Exchange Free / Busy information, idle time (away), On the phone when I use my Tanjay USB device, etc not yet for blogeditors

Besides the Presence state Microsoft has got the 'Type a Note' function which allows you to type a short note.

Posted by dehaaspeter At 08:45:00 AM On 10/04/2007 | - Website - |

7 - @6 yep standards are good. Sametime has a number of states, and the state descriptions. In the example MS gives, wasn't really changing the state, just the state description.

Posted by ctyler@epilio.com At 02:07:32 PM On 10/04/2007 | - Website - |