Conferences - Research, Program & Administrative

Alternatives to FirstClass Conferencing

Members of the OISE community may have been using the FirstClass system for various non-teaching administrative or research tasks. The following are recommended options available to members of the OISE community.

If you have a research/program/administrative email address (non-personal) - please see our Departmental Account migration section.

OISE HomeSpace (OISE network file sharing)

Features of posting files to the OISE HomeSpace:

Share files over the OISE network through your computer.
PC users will see a new U: drive letter under "My Computer".
Access is controlled through your UTORid username and password.

Needs Met:

For use in sharing files, documents, records among a limited group of faculty and staff using file server folder access.
No announcement or discussion functions.
UTORid enabled

Considerations:

Replicates use of FCIS strictly as a file sharing tool.

Please contact the Client Care Portal for assistance and to setup your Homespace account.

Education Commons services can provide more information regarding OISE HomeSpace.

Listserv (OISE supported UTORlist)

Features of creating a Listserv (UTORlist) to communicate:

Standard Listserv functions.
Lists can be managed by the list owner or unmanaged via self-signup.
Lists can be closed (new members must be approved) or open to anyone.
An archive (history) of all messages sent can be viewed.
Messages can be saved and published to an RSS feed.

Can be moderated or un-moderated.

Considerations:

Unlimited recipients.
Provides web archive (not UTORid enabled).
Users can use mail rules to filter messages, simulating the FCIS conference experience.
Un-moderated version supports discussion.
Can include contacts outside of OISE/UofT.

Please contact the Client Care Portal for assistance and to setup an OISE Listserv.

More information is available through the Listserv services menu.

Other alternatives

Additional FirstClass Conference alternatives are available if they are better suited to your needs:

Create a Blackboard Community in the University of Toronto Portal
Post information on a website using the OISE CMS (Contend Management System), or your UofT Personal Website space, or OISE Homespace website.
Send a message using an Outlook Email List or Entourage Email Group.