MLS a Web-app? (Over crowded Clerk's Office)

So you have the BIG idea that the Church or community needs to develop. Discuss that idea here. Maybe you just want to make a suggestion on a new forum topic. Let us know.
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ckmcdonald
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#31

Post by ckmcdonald »

Any idea when us lowly Fin-Clerks will be given access? ;)
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aebrown
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#32

Post by aebrown »

ckmcdonald wrote:Any idea when us lowly Fin-Clerks will be given access? ;)
What are you asking about? This thread has rambled quite a bit and covered the new directory, calendar, and leader tools. If you don't quote the post you are following up on, with no context it's hard to tell what you mean.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
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ckmcdonald
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#33

Post by ckmcdonald »

eblood66 wrote:Access to the new web sites is determined by your callings as listed in MLS. Being website administrator on the old web site doesn't provide access on the new one.

The Website Administrator calling in MLS does not provide access to new.lds.org/leader. However, if you are listed as Ward Assistant Clerk or Ward Assistant Clerk--Membership in MLS you should have access. If you are the finance clerk you'll have to wait a while still because they haven't enabled access for finance clerks yet.

If you're not the finance clerk and you don't have access then you need to make sure you're listed in MLS using the correct standardized position. You'll also want to check (or have your ward clerk check) in CDOL to make sure you're listed there with a standard position.
Sorry, this is the reference. I'm interested because I'm also our Ward Website Admin.
jonesrk
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#34

Post by jonesrk »

ckmcdonald wrote:Any idea when us lowly Fin-Clerks will be given access? ;)
I believe that they are waiting to give finance clerks access until the finance parts of MLS online are done. That being said, finance clerks do have direct access to CDOL which may help for somethings.
ckmcdonald wrote:Sorry, this is the reference. I'm interested because I'm also our Ward Website Admin.
Ward Website Admin gives you admin rights in the calendar.
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jbowne
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Lighten the load

#35

Post by jbowne »

Wonderful discussion and looks like it will just take some time to get there. I do have some concern over some thoughts in this thread. With the latest WW training and a strong focus on lightening the load of the Bishop's - I would say there is a logistic lightening that we can take from this teaching as well. We are called to callings / given direction on how to do those callings and work to keep work/home/church all in balance. IMO technology exists to increase efficiency.

I think of the EQ president that has small children at home / demanding job / and the demans of a EQP calling. As he finally has time to do some work on his calling at 10pm (or later) - the last things he wants to do is leave his wife (which he hasn't hardly seen all day), get into his car and drive to the church so he can get on the computer and look at reports and structure of EQ / HT etc.. whatever he needs to do in his calling. Yet there are announcements of all the wonderful technologies that you can get to from the church on your phone, yet those apps don't really help the EQP stay at home with his family more (which is the PRIORITY of him being a father and a husband).

Take that example to many many callings in the church. We all have many backgrounds and family circumstances and to inflict our values and the way things should run onto people without understanding their lives is contrary to what the Savior teaches us.

I enjoyed the Brothers comments that he prints out blank sheets for HT and does the updates for the Aux.. doing what he can to help out those serving.

I hope we can keep that in mind as we do our callings and the church IT dept. develops apps - to focus on helping and not control.
mcf1999-p40
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Over-crowded Clerk's Office

#36

Post by mcf1999-p40 »

As I was looking over the blogs and threads dealing with the subject of an over-crowded clerk's office, how about adding a PDF option for reports generated by MLS? Since there's but one computer with MLS and many people needing reports, creating a report in a PDF format might help facilitate the delivery of reports to the email of our leadership.
jdlessley
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#37

Post by jdlessley »

mcf1999 wrote:As I was looking over the blogs and threads dealing with the subject of an over-crowded clerk's office, how about adding a PDF option for reports generated by MLS? Since there's but one computer with MLS and many people needing reports, creating a report in a PDF format might help facilitate the delivery of reports to the email of our leadership.
Any report that can be printed from MLS can be printed as a PDF document. If there is a PDF print driver installed, such as the CutePDF Writer available at the MLS download site, this print driver can be selected instead of the default printer for printing.

I would caution, however, that serious consideration be given to any reports containing confidential information not be sent by e-mail. For more information on the policies regarding the security of confidential information please consult the Security section of Policies and Guidelines for Computers Used by Clerks for Church Record Keeping. There are also a number of threads on these forums that discuss the issue of sending confidential information by e-mail.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
danpass
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#38

Post by danpass »

jdlessley wrote:Any report that can be printed from MLS can be printed as a PDF document. If there is a PDF print driver installed, such as the CutePDF Writer available at the MLS download site, this print driver can be selected instead of the default printer for printing.

I would caution, however, that serious consideration be given to any reports containing confidential information not be sent by e-mail. For more information on the policies regarding the security of confidential information please consult the Security section of Policies and Guidelines for Computers Used by Clerks for Church Record Keeping. There are also a number of threads on these forums that discuss the issue of sending confidential information by e-mail.
When creating PDF versions of confidential reports, also keep in mind that the PDF files should not remain on the computer's hard drive. The best way to ensure this is to have the PDF print driver save files directly to a flash drive. This flash drive should be kept locked up when not in use.
idjeeper2
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#39

Post by idjeeper2 »

ckmcdonald wrote:In my opinion, many of these things shouldn't be happening in the room at all.

Temple Recommend Interviews (Bishop's Office or a classroom)
Youth Interviews (Bishop's Office or a classroom)
Setting Apart's (Bishop's Office)
HPG and ELQ Holding Presidency Meetings (Classroom or Home)
HPG and ELQ and RS Presidencies changing HT/VT Assignments (Not on Sunday)
Visiting, Visiting and More Visiting (Foyer or cultural hall)
Children Milling Around (Go Home!:))
Storage of Misc Junk (Closet or dumpster?)
Members Hunting for Curriculum Materials (Get from appropriate leader?)
Aux Leaders Entering HT/VT/Attendance Info (Not on Sunday)
Handing out Treats to the Children (Bishop's Office, Primary room, or not at all)
Aux Leaders Using WWW to Look up Addresses, etc. (Home)
Aux Leaders Printing Reports (Ask Clerk or Not on Sunday)
HPG and ELQ PPI's (Classroom)
Members Asking to use the Tape, Stapler, 3-Hole Punch, etc. etc. (Library)
Members Using the Phone (Hall phone or from home)
Parking Place for Books, Binders, Briefcases, Suit Coats, etc. (Only bishopric or clerks)
Since no one else tackled your list, I thought I would take a shot at it. I think you nailed it with your opening comment. Since I'm very familiar with your community, I know that it is a long drive for many of your members and they want to get everything done in one trip. That may be a challenge to overcome.

When I was membership clerk, we took shifts. I would go to the church an hour or two before the block and get most of my work done. The finance clerks had the office after church for as long as they needed. During the block, generally the office was closed. I usually went in for a few minutes after Sacrament meeting to enter new callings/releases, ordinances, and request new records. If someone needed a report or rolls, I could be talked into running those but I tried to stay ahead of those and get them done before church. Elders had Tuesday night, High Priests had Wednesday night, Relief Society had Thursday night. They could shuffle their schedules with each other as much as they wanted.

Now, to the original question, the online MLS tools will be a wonderful thing, especially if we can get the HT/VT reporting function working. The finances are going to be the lowest priority if that happens at all. So the best advice I have is to get with your ward clerk and other clerks and present a united front to the bishopric that things have to change. Maybe some of my suggestions can generate a discussion of how to do that. You can also remind your members of what life was like before meetinghouse internet (its only been a couple of years). Somehow they got all their work done then - they can do it again.;)
tortdog
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#40

Post by tortdog »

idjeeper wrote:Somehow they got all their work done then - they can do it again.;)
Assumes facts not in evidence!
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