dimdim drupal ecminstitute


What is the Drupal Rec Room?

The Drupal Rec Room is a free, collaborative web space reserved for the Drupal community. This virtual web space includes advanced web conferencing features including VOIP, video conferencing, community chat, white boarding, screensharing, and more. It is available 24/7 for up to 20 people to collaborate and share information on Drupal. Our goal is to go beyond threaded discussion and get people talking and sharing information live.


How do you use the Drupal Rec Room?

Suppose you are installing Drupal and you experience a problem. The traditional way to get help is to post a question on Drupal.org and wait for a response. Many times it takes long written descriptions and several posts to get your problem identified and fixed. If a picture is worth a thousand words then sharing a live desktop in real time is priceless! With the Drupal Rec Room you let people know in the forum: “...and BTW, I will be in the rec room at 4:00pm EST to show you the problem”. Other uses include sharing slide shows, chatting during lunch, and organizing group activities etc.


How do I start?

Simply click the “Host Meeting” button inside the widget. If you get an error message stating that the meeting is already in session then go back and click the “Join Meeting” button. It is that easy. No sign up is necessary.


Who is behind the Drupal Rec Room?

The web conferencing software and live hosting is provided by DimDim. DimDim competes with Webex, Live Meeting, etc. but for about 1/10 of the price. The Drupal Widget, electronic forms, scheduling, and documentation is provided by ECMINSTITUTE.org. The ECMINSTITE is a non-profit, Association for IT professionals working in the Enterprise Content and Knowledge Management Industries.


Ok, what's the catch?

There is no catch, only a few limitations. Keep in mind this is a public, community web space for up to 20 people. Anyone can start and join meetings. If someone starts a meeting you can only join the meeting in progress – not start another meeting. When hosting a meeting, a software plugin will load automatically into your web browser. This plugin is extremely light weight, runs in IE and Firefox, but it may not run in your particular configuration. There are other limitations explained in the documentation and support page. You can also check out how Drupal people are using the tool


Suppose I wish to work in a private room, schedule a larger meeting, or plan an industry event?

You have several options. First you can get a private account through DimDim or login to ECMINSTITUTE.org using your Google account. You could purchase software plus hosting for $99/year to increase the number of participants to 100. You could also fill out this form and we may help. Our services are free for non-profit activities. We can also promote your event throughout the industry.

What other services does ECMINSTITUTE.org provide?

First, we have a very cool website – ECMHUB. The technology is spotlighted by Dojo Javascript Toolkit, the people behind Drupal Dojo. It is a massive industry mashup with thousands of daily news and information items. Please participate. If your blog is missing from our feeds, let us know and we will add it to our list.

Second, our mission is to solve problems. We offer unique programs for both industry “Solvers” and “Seekers”. Our approach represents a more fair, and cost effective process for problem identification, review, and resolution. If you are struggling to solve a problem and it takes more than a paragraph to describe it, please let us know. We may be able to help.

Third, get the word out. We need you to blog, collaborate, and promote organizations that represent an alternative voice in content management such as Drupal.org and ECMINSTITUTE.org.