The digital world has impacted many aspects of our lives, but none more than how we communicate with one another. Computers, smartphones and tablets have not only revolutionized how we communicate messages, but they have also increased our effectiveness in organizing group events and meetings.
Almost everyone belongs to some sort of group which meets from time to time. It could be for work, sport, study, church or volunteer activity. Trying to coordinate a meeting by making personal phone calls to each of the participants sounds archaic. What’s more interesting, is that use of email for this purpose is also diminishing. Email is great for a back and forth conversation with one or two people. It is certainly not ideal for managing the RSVP’s of a group. The emails are not consolidated, people change their minds, you are not presented with a clear real-time view of who’s coming, and there are no configurable options (e.g. who can bring guests, who can see the guest list).
Below are short descriptions of five websites and applications that can help simplify your meeting planning process. These tools can simplify the communications issues relating to the meeting- so you can focus on the meeting content.
GoToMeeting
If your meeting involves attendees from offsite locations, then GoToMeeting is a great tool that will connect everyone. It is a great
Whoozin
Whoozin is the ultimate web-based RSVP tool. Whoozin incorporates the information about your meeting or event (and images, if
Doodle
If the challenge you face is scheduling the right time to meet with your peers, then Doodle may be the tool for you. This website
Minutes.io
For those who like to distribute notes among co-workers, we have a solution for you. Minutes.io helps keep you organized. It is a free app that does not require sign up and it works straight from your computer browser. This tool allows you to take notes, keep track of attendees and record the minutes of each meeting. You can categorize your notes (e.g. TODO and IDEA) to help formulate the agenda for future meetings. After a meeting, the minutes are stored in your browser where they can be emailed via secure URL to all the meeting participants making it accessible from anywhere.
World Clock Meeting Planner
If you are a traveler and you’re constantly trying to schedule meetings in different time zones, then this tool is for you. World Clock Meeting Planner helps you find the most convenient meeting time in 12 different cities for all parties involved.
If you want set the meeting by reference to local time in different time zones, you can use the Event Time Announcer to convert your local time, and share the meeting with all your attendees.