How do I generate a link to an event in RSO

[Lee Peterson]

Hello All,

I've created an RSO event for a local climate change non profit hosting a Sustainability Summit on April 14th.  The event organizer would like to place a link on her registration website that will send people to RSO to find carpool partners.

How can I generate a hyperlink that will take people directly to the event ridematching page in RSO? 

What I am hoping to provide her is a link that will take people directly to the event page, allow existing users to log in and create a trip to the event and allow non-users to create an account and then create a trip to the event.

This is the event: http://www.oly-wa.us/transitionolympia/Events.php. I've attached a screen shot of the RSO event or if you can see events in the Intercity Transit network look for an event called "Sustainability Summit: Unleashing our Creative Gen" to see what I've already put together.

Thank you,

Lee

[Christopher Aiken]

Hi Lee,

Sounds like a cool event, but am not sure this exists. I think you're looking for an events widget, akin to the vanpool seatfinder widget and the emissions widget. A widget is the only way I know of to get RSO code to stick on an outside website. I don't think you'll be able to hyperlink directly to the events page inside the application. Best workaround I can think of is to provide a link to the logon page and have folks sign up or in depending, then find the event. And just so I can use "widget" one more time in this reply, you might ask Anne or Stan about events widgets (I believe they are on the development schedule, but am unsure about when/if they are to be made reality).

Good Hunting, Chris

[Lee Peterson]

Thank you Chris! 

My concern with inviting people to create an account then search for the event is that if they're not in the Intercity Transit network they will not see the event, right? 

For example, if they live and work in Tacoma (or Shelton or Aberdeen) they would not be part of the Intercity Transit (Thurston County) network and therefore this event will not appear in their events list.

I hoped the event could be visible to anyone with the link then they could create the trip from there.

I suspect the only way to solve this would be to make the event part of the Washington State network but I don't have that power.  Plus, we can't make every event global.  It would make the events list too long to be useful.

[Amol B]

Network events are meant for network members - the scope of a network event is  the network - they are not shown to non-network members. In case of user created events, the user controls the scope of the event by choosing who to distribute the event link to.

Have you considered using user created events? Here's one scenario how that could apply here:

• The Sustainability Summit event is created from a user account. The user copies the link and includes the link on the public HTML site where other information for the event is available. For example, the link could be posted as below:

Want to carpool to the Sustainability Summit? Click here to post your carpool trip. You must have an account in RideshareOnline to post your carpool trip. If you do not have an account in RideshareOnline, please sign up first and then click on the link above to post your trip.

• Now if a user clicks on the link, they are taken to the login page of RSO. Once the user logs in, the user is directly taken to the event page - the user can view the event and add a trip to the event. All users who click on the link and login to RSO, regardless of their regional network association  will see the event. 
• If the user is already logged in the RSO when the user clicks the link, the user is directly taken to the event trip page and the user can then post the trip information.

Hope this helps.

[Lee Peterson]

Thanks Amol!

I didn't realize user generated events were different.  That's exactly what I needed.

[Mika Imori]

Was just getting ready to note the difference between an event set-up by IT vs one by the Sustainability Summit folks.  If the Sustainability folks have a conference attendee list, once registered as a RSO user, they could send an email to all attendees with link and instructions.  Otherwise, the event as you have set-up will be available to only those within IT network, as Amol notes. 

You may want to go to the training site to see how it would work for you (as a general user).  Below is what I just did:

As Bugs Bunny I created an event in the training site – Bugs Carrot Eating Contest.

Below is the email created by RSO that I can send out to all folks on my Carrot email list, but Bugs can edit the email prior to sending to all. 

 

From: Bugs Bunny
Subject: Travel options for Bugs Carrot Eating Context

You can use http://rsotraining.icarpool.us to connect with others and travel together for Bugs Carrot Eating Context. Traveling together could mean carpooling, sharing a taxi or even biking together. Please follow the instructions below to look up ridematching options for your trip.

If you can't open the link below from this email, copy the link into your browser.
http://rsotraining.icarpool.us/MemberPages/en/RouteEventPreferenceT...

1. Register or log in to http://rsotraining.icarpool.us.
2. Enter your starting address and preferences and save the trip.
3. Proceed to find matches. You can send ridematching requests to others through the website.
4. Others who match with you may also send you ridematching requests to the event.
5. Be sure to log your travel in the trip calendar.

Best regards,
Bugs Bunny

[Lee Peterson]

Thanks Mika,

I deleted the event created as admin and helped the Sustainability Summit promoter create the event from her RSO account.  It worked great.  We were provided an email lust like the one for the Carrot Eating contest.

Here's the link to the user created event:  http://rideshareonline.icarpool.com/MemberPages/en/RouteEventPrefer...

I wouldn't have been able to figure this out without this forum!  I'm so glad we have this tool to support RSO administrators.

[Christopher Aiken]

Awesome results Lee! Glad the RSO community stepped up and was able to point you in the right direction. Apologies for not thinking of using user generated events in my original response, was kind fo stuck in admin-mind, glad Amol and Mika are on it!