Doodling is not always fun
I have used Doodle.com several times at my workplace when searching for suitable meeting times. But I never had to use it with collaborators from other time zones. In our PBL team I was responsible for setting up the first Doodle poll for the group. I thought that the times I enter would NOT change depending on the respondent's location. Do not ask me why I had this assumption, there are no logical answers. I just thought. I even warned the respondents to convert the times to their time zones when opening Doodle. Of course, I was wrong. Doodle is more intelligent than I believed it to be, and yes, it does convert the times you set to the actual time zone of the respondent.
I ended up creating a new poll, just to avoid the confusion. A bit of extra work, a few more reminders sent out, and it was done.
After most people filled it in, there were 7 times with 5 potential participants (in different combinations) for each. I had to choose two meeting times. How shall I choose? I spent about 20 minutes just considering the best options.
Finally, the decision was made. Great. I posted it on our Google+ wall in the form of an image with yellow background so that the participants can easily spot it among the other posts. I was so proud of myself... for about two hours. Then came the comments about who could not make it/would be late/could have come at a different time etc.
It is hard to find a time that suits everyone. But it is even more challenging to make a decision when times are fine for an equal number of participants, just with different participation setup. The first challenge for the group will be how to find meeting times. And, for me at least, how to use Doodle efficiently.
I ended up creating a new poll, just to avoid the confusion. A bit of extra work, a few more reminders sent out, and it was done.
After most people filled it in, there were 7 times with 5 potential participants (in different combinations) for each. I had to choose two meeting times. How shall I choose? I spent about 20 minutes just considering the best options.
Finally, the decision was made. Great. I posted it on our Google+ wall in the form of an image with yellow background so that the participants can easily spot it among the other posts. I was so proud of myself... for about two hours. Then came the comments about who could not make it/would be late/could have come at a different time etc.
It is hard to find a time that suits everyone. But it is even more challenging to make a decision when times are fine for an equal number of participants, just with different participation setup. The first challenge for the group will be how to find meeting times. And, for me at least, how to use Doodle efficiently.
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