CSBA Agenda Online : Meeting & Agenda Browser

December 04, 2008 10:00 PM

How To
Agenda Online How To Guide

Preliminary Information

This guide will walk through "how to" steps for various Agenda Online functions.

*(D)*	Discussion Item
*(V)*	Can Vote
*(C)*	Consent Item

A. Create an Expanded Agenda

1. In the Section set up area of the Meeting Inspector screen, check the Unfold check box next to each section title to be expanded.

Checking the unfold box assures that agenda viewers do not have to expand the agenda to see all items under each section when opening a new meeting.

See the supporting document for a detailed screen shot which shows the location of the checkbox.

2. Meeting Administrators can also unfold sections after a meeting has been created.

3. When viewing the meeting, click EDIT MEETING and follow step one above.

B. Create Meeting Templates

1. After creating a meeting that reflects a frequently-used layout, meeting administrators can create a template of the meeting.

The meeting template can be used for future agenda creation.

2. Open the appropriate meeting and click EDIT MEETING.

3. At the bottom of the Meeting Inspector screen, click the SAVE AS TEMPLATE button.

C. Create a New Meeting From a Template

1. Click the Meetings link under the TOOLS menu.

2. Click ADD.

This will bring up the New Meeting Wizard screen. See the supporting document for a detailed view of this screen.

3. Under the Meeting Template section, use the drop-down menu to choose which meeting to use as a template, then click SUBMIT.

Please note: A meeting must first have been saved as a template in order to appear on the drop-down template menu. See Section B for instructions.

After clicking SUBMIT, you will be brought to the Meeting Inspector page where you can add additional meeting information, as well as make necessary changes to section information, if needed.

D. Create a Static Snapshot

1. Static snapshots offer users a way to create offline versions/meeting backups and official meeting records.

CSBA recommends that districts create static snapshots for all published meetings. This serves as an official record of the meeting. Additionally, static snapshots can be used in the event internet connections are lost during a meeting or if someone needs to view the meeting offline.

2. Enter the appropriate meeting agenda and click EDIT MEETING.

3. Click GENERATE STATIC SNAPSHOT on the lower portion of the screen.

An underlined link, which reflects the date and time the static snapshot was created, will appear. This is the link to the .zip file containing meeting information. See the attachment for an example.

E. Open a Static Snapshot

1. Click the .zip file link on the Meeting Inspector screen or under the Offline Version section on the agenda page.

Only authorized users, usually the meeting administrator and board members, can download static snapshots. CSBA recommends not downloading the file to a computer used by others, as it can contain sensitive information. If you do need to download the file on a shared computer, delete the .zip file after viewing it.

2. Click DOWNLOAD NOW to download the .zip file to your computer.

3. Click SAVE to save the file to your computer.

4. Double click the .zip file to extract the files to a location on your hard drive.

A folder will be created on your hard drive.

5. Open the folder.

The folder contains additional folders and an index.html file.

6. Double click the index.html file to open the meeting.

Clicking the index.html file will open the meeting agenda in your default browser. At this point you can click on any links as you would when accessing the meeting online.

F. Delete a Static Snapshot

1. To delete snapshot, click the small red X next to the file name on the Meeting Inspector page.

Deleting the file will NOT delete the meeting; it only deletes the static snapshot.

Only a meeting administrator can delete a static snapshot.

G. Add a Section to an Existing Agenda

1. Enter the appropriate meeting.

2. Click EDIT MEETING.

3. Click ADD SECTION.

There are ADD SECTION buttons at the top and bottom of the Section area.

Clicking ADD SECTION at the top adds the new section to the top of the agenda.
Clicking ADD SECTION at the bottom adds the new section at the bottom of the agenda.

Add the section closest to where you will eventually want it placed, as changing the section order is a bit time consuming.

4. Click SAVE or SAVE AND CLOSE to save the changes.

H. Change Section Order

1. Meeting administrators can make changes to a meeting's section ordering, even after the meeting has been created.

2. Open the appropriate meeting and click EDIT MEETING.

3. Use the up and down arrows to the left of each section to move sections to their desired location.

I. Change Amount of Days to Be Notified of Recent Changes

1. The yellow triangle will appear next to agenda items that have been updated since the meeting has been published.

To follow Brown Act policies, you should set your threshold value to three days (seventy-two hours).

2. To change the day threshold, click on Application Preferences under the TOOLS menu.

3. The last check box, recentChange threshold, allows you to enter the number of days to be notified of a recent change to an item.

4. Click EDIT and type the new value, in days, in the box.

See the supporting document for more details.

5. Click SAVE to save the new value. Click CANCEL to exit the screen without making changes.

More
For more information, view the CSBA's Agenda Online Service and the Frequently Asked Questions meetings. Still can't find what you need? Contact Kim Ludwig or Dianna Parker at 800-266-3382.

Other Info

Official Attendees

Indicates item has been updated within 0 days of the meeting date.