MessageNet

Category: Current Users

  • Prepare For the Worst

    All technology eventually fails. Cars, phones, tablets, computers, even MessageNet servers.

    MessageNet Connections, which is often heavily relied upon for both everyday and emergency communications, is software and web browser-based. However, the hardware that supports it unfortunately cannot last forever. Many customers that have been with MessageNet for many years and have much older servers find that their hardware begins to fail; and the way they’ve got their system set up means that until they can purchase a new server, they’re completely without MessageNet services. In addition, if the server failure stems from the hard-drive, data may not be recoverable and the customer would have to start from scratch.

    It’s important to have the right setup to protect data. MessageNet usually recommends having a redundant server setup so that if one server fails, there’s a second one to act as back-up. However, this isn’t always possible, so instead keeping a saved copy of the MessageNet hard-drive can prevent data loss and decrease down-time if a new server is needed.

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  • Using Web Links in Emergency Messaging

    The internet can be a powerful messaging tool, especially when it comes to getting specific information out to specific people in an emergency situation. MessageNet Connections can provide links to web pages that pop up and load on PCs when the message is sent. This type of message can also be sent to LCD digital signage screens via Mediaport controllers.

    This capability is important because it gives organizations the ability to provide everyone with the specific instructions that they need rather than general information that is not specific enough to be actionable or may not apply to everyone. These messages can be created and saved in advance, so different types of emergencies can be planned for.buy sumo suits For example, if there is a severe weather emergency, the national weather service webpage can be displayed on LCD screens, while specific relevant sections of an online emergency preparedness manual can pop up on the computers of the emergency response or security team.

    Displaying a webpage on an LCD screen can be easily set up in advance as a media message with web page selected as the media type, this can be set up in the Hyperlink section of the message editor. To pop a web page up on a computer, PC Alert has to be resident on computers receiving the message. If you elect, the MessageNet support staff can manage this process for you or instruct your staff in its application.

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  • The Trouble with Weather Alerts

    We’re often asked if we can automate weather alerts from the National Weather Service. While this is possible with MessageNet Connections, it’s not recommended. Weather alerts are often broadcast to a very large area and aren’t always relevant to specific buildings or locations. Automating weather alert messages also precludes any customization from the message, so all incoming weather alerts are treated the exact same way, regardless of severity of the alert and thus can be inconvenient to message recipients when the alert isn’t an emergency. Weather alerts are better sent automatically to one or two users, who can then determine whether the alert should be broadcast to a larger audience.
    The same considerations also pertain to other types of automated alerts that come from an external source, such as emergency tests and Amber alerts. Any emergency information origination from outside the organization may have a different agenda and a larger constituency, resulting in the need to edit the information or recipients to make the content relevant to your organization.

    Below is an example of the misplaced intrusion of an automated weather alert.

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  • Record Live PA

    MessageNet already offers one of the most versatile and comprehensive PA systems on the market. We’ve recently added the ability to automatically record any announcement that is spoken live over a PA. This is useful because that same message can be replayed later if its intended recipient didn’t hear all of it, or if it needs to be repeated later East Inflatable Rentals. This allows for more complicated spoken announcements, because users no longer have to worry that the message will be lost or not remembered if it’s too long, since it can always be replayed. This also provides an audit trail, so if there’s been a problem with unauthorized use of the PA, exactly what was said and who said it can easily be found out.

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  • Save a PowerPoint as a Video

    MessageNet Connections users with Microsoft PowerPoint (version 2012 or later) now have the option to save a PowerPoint presentation as a video file. This makes displaying a presentation on a MessageNet MediaPort a lot simpler. PowerPoint presentations have often had many specific settings that need to be correct in order to properly display (as explained in this earlier blog post: Make Power Point Presentations Compatible), so a video, which only needs to be saved in widescreen format, is a lot easier to successfully create and display. Another advantage of the video format is that all transitions and animations are compatible and display on MediaPorts, unlike the .ppt format, which is more restrictive.

    To save a presentation as a video, follow these steps:
    1. Click on the ‘file’ tab and select ‘save & send’
    2. Under the ‘file types’ heading, select ‘save as video’
    3. If you haven’t already set up transition timings, it will ask you to do so next
    4. Save the file (it may take a few minutes for the file to be converted, depending on the speed of your computer)
    5. Finally, upload it to a MessageNet Connections media message and enjoy a nicer presentation that was easier to create

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  • Message Prioritization

    Because MessageNet Connections can be used for both everyday and emergency communications, protocols for message prioritization need to be set up. Too often, users, not wanting their messages to be interrupted by others’, set theirs with higher priority levels, potentially blocking any other messages (even emergency messages) from being displayed or spoken. I recommend that an organization should establish priority standards for each type of message ahead of time so users know what priority to give their messages inflatable water slides.

    The default priority for normal messages is 200. Other every day priority levels can be set around this base. While emergency messages should have higher priority levels, emergencies are not necessarily equal. This is where it’s vital to set priority standards before emergencies happen, so a message about a fire threatening the entire building isn’t blocked by a message about a water leak in the basement that may only damage equipment. Having different classifications for emergency messages can help make choosing a priority level easier. Also, within Connections’ User Database Manager, it is possible to restrict certain users from sending messages with higher than a certain priority, so only emergency personnel can send messages with emergency-level priority, making it easier to control how the priority levels of messages are set up.

    I highly recommend these steps be taken to ensure that emergency communications are reliably delivered and are not lost in the crowd of common daily communications.

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  • Creating a Personal Directory with MessageNet Connections

    The User Directory of MessageNet Connections can be organized in many different ways. You can view other users based on their department, last name, organization, group, lists they’re a part of, or any number of other ways. But what about contacts that aren’t users in the Connections system? The contact information for non-staff is still important for any company or organization that needs to be stored for the organization so it’s not lost if someone leaves. That’s where the Personal Directory comes in. It’s part of the User Directory and can be viewed the same way as a department or a group, but those outside contacts are visible only to the user that added them. These personal contacts can be  customers, vendors, clients, personal friends, or any contact that isn’t already a Connections user. This feature allows users to quickly dial contacts from outside the Connections database, storing them just like other Connections users for ease of access and use.

    To add a new personal contact, click on the ‘name’ header above the list of people’s names in the User Directory. Connections will then ask for information about that contact, beginning with first and last name and including everything from phone number to e-mail address. The contacts added in this way appear on the User Directory screen the same way as other contacts, but with a ‘P’ icon to indicate that the entry is a personal contact. The user can even add all of the same information for a personal contact as is available for defining new users. This option makes organizing contacts easier, so all contacts, whether they’re users on the same Connections system or not, can be stored in the same place.

     

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  • The Benefits of a Browser-Based System

    MessageNet Connections is browser-based, meaning that it is launched directly from a web browser, such as Firefox or Chrome. Even though those two browsers (especially Chrome) are preferred for the best experience, this allows users to sign in on whichever web browser they feel most comfortable using, whether that is Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, or most other web browsers. This also means that users can sign in to their own Connections account on any device that supports a web browser. This can include iPads, iPhones, Android phones, Android tablets, and other mobile devices, so messages can be sent, signs tested, and more, all on the go. MessageNet Connections can also be used on any computer, which is useful for users who work at multiple locations throughout the day. You don’t have to worry about forgetting to sign out, either. Connections automatically logs off in the original location when a user signs in on a different device. You can even log in to MessageNet Connections from home, on vacation, or anywhere, if you have a VPN or external access to the server’s network.

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  • Make Power Point Presentations Compatible

    MessageNet Connections can be used to make media messages that can be posted to LCD screens. Media messages can contain videos, photos, Power Point presentations, or other types of media. Power Point presentations, while still easy to attach to a message, have a few more specifications to make them compatible.

    A good tip is to keep transitions between slides as simple as possible and test the presentation in the free program Open Office, which has similarly-supported features as a MediaPort. If a presentation doesn’t work properly on an LCD screen, chances are it’s because the transitions were too complex.

    The presentation also needs to be saved as a .ppt file rather than the .pptx file type associated with Microsoft 2007 and later, so you’ll need to save in compatibility mode. It needs to be saved in widescreen format (either 16:9 or 16:10). If the presentation is going to be displayed on more than one sign, it needs to be set up to loop continuously and to have timed transitions between slides. If it’s meant for only one LCD, then a PowerPoint control screen will pop up upon launch, allowing you to control the presentation manually. If the presentation has been saved with timed transitions, then those settings will override the manual control screen.

     

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  • Common Easily Avoidable Errors (part 3)- Accidental Restrictions

    The following tips are for current MessageNet users. If you aren’t a current user, feel free to keep reading to see the many ways MessageNet connections can work for you.

    MessageNet Connections has different security classes of users, ranging from Manager level to basic. This allows one or more people to act as administrators of the system while preventing those with less experience or skill from accessing higher level features, with the lowest level users restricted to only sending and receiving messages. It’s the users in the middle that have the ability to accidentally put restrictions on messages,  lists, or anything else they create.

    Most features of MessageNet Connections can be restricted to a certain class of user and above, and often the default is MGR, or manager. If someone with a security class lower than manager but high enough to create messages creates a group, list, or message, or adds a device and accidentally leaves the security restriction set to MGR, only those users would be able to even see, let alone access or edit the new message or list or device. Only a MGR-class user would be able to change the class restriction. This mistake is really easy to make, especially if the default restriction is generally set to manager. It’s one I’ve made myself when I was first learning how to use Connections. So, if you create a message or anything else and then cannot locate it, there’s a possibility it was accidentally restricted to a class of user higher than yours.

    The best way to deal with this problem is by double-checking that none of the restrictions are for a higher class of user before saving as new.

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