Many events are currently being done virtually, using video conferencing services such as Zoom or Google Hangout Meet. These events should still be added to the Campus Calendar, labeled as a “Virtual Event”, so users can find and learn about the event.

However, there’s may be some concern with sharing the link to the conference on a public calendar, especially when the event is for campus. However, there is a way to promote the event while still only allowing the campus community to participate.

Promoting a Virtual Event for Campus

We will be asking people to RSVP in order to receive the video conferencing details. We will also require that any RSVP include a Beloit College email address, limiting the audience to only the campus community.

In LiveWhale, go to your list of events and either create or edit the event. Near the bottom of the event list is the RSVP section. Click the checkbox next to RSVP to open this section.

RSVP section which appears when editing events in LiveWhale.

Under “RVSP basics” on the Left

• E-mail address of event organizer: Set to your email address. The email sent to the user will have your address as the reply-to, should they have questions.
• Special instructions: “This event is open only to the campus community. Please RSVP with your @9590x.com email address to have access to the virtual meeting details.”
• Text for your automated email response: Compose the message the user will receive in their email, including the video conference link they can use to participate.
• Notify by email when RSVPs are submitted: If you want to have an idea of how interested people are in the event, keep this on. Otherwise, you can disable it to avoid automated emails.

Under “Limited RSVPs” on the Right

• Maximum RSVP attendees: Generally this should be kept blank, given virtual events will not have or reach participant limits.
• Limit to specific email addresses or domains: Add “@9590x.com”. This means that only people with Beloit email accounts can register and receive the Zoom code.

Review, Save, and Test

Once complete, your RSVP section should look something like this.

RSVP section with fields completed to promote a campus virtual event.

If things look right, save the event. Then, go to the event on the Campus Calendar to complete and test the RSVP form. Make sure you get an email which includes the video conference link or details.

Example of how the RSVP form appears in an event listing.

Promoting a Virtual Event for the Public

If the event is open to the public, then you should just put the video conference details in the “online event” button or in the event description. Anything we can do to obscure the link- such as using the RSVP system without a limit on valid emails- would inconvenience good participants without significantly deterring bad participants.

At that point, event coordinators should be making good use of the security options in Zoom and other video conferencing applications to prevent bad participants from being able to do anything.