Q. What do people like about Lotus?
A. Based upon a follow-up survey to Lotus Notes training participants, here is a list of the features that people like the most:

• Many people feel Lotus is very user friendly
• It is much easier to set up an away message (vacation message)
• Most users really like the calendar and to do list features and how they are available for access remotely.
• Many users commented that Lotus Notes becomes easier to use everyday.
• Most users really like the follow up option that allows you to mark emails that need your attention later.
• Many users were happy about the support that is offered from the IT staff. The IT personnel are cordial, accessible, helpful, and friendly.

A.
• Lotus Notes is much slower overall. Users also specified that it was slow when deleting messages, printing, and searching addresses. One user noted waiting 10 minutes for email messages to open. If you experience this problem, please call our helpdesk. Lotus Notes is a very fast product, and your machine may have spyware on it, or your network connection may need to be examined.
  
• When printing emails, all of the addresses that are included in the group are printed, not just the group name. This may take up 1-2 pages of addresses - This will change once Groupwise is no longer in use. This is caused by the fact that all email must be routed through Lotus as well as Groupwise to ensure it is delivered.

• Lotus Notes is incompatible with Windows 95 -This operating system is at least 9 years old. It would be difficult to find a new mail package that is compatible with this old of a system. So, with this year's PC replacements, we focused on replacing the older computers across campus. If you still have a Windows 95 machine, please call our helpdesk and see if we can upgrade you to a newer computer.

• Lotus does not allow users to share their folders with coworkers. As we install the Lotus client on staff and faculty PC's, this feature will become available.

• Users are having trouble using Lotus from home. Some even have high-speed connections. Please consult the recently posted Quicksheets for more helpful problem-solving tips.

• The "Out of Office" auto response tool can take as long as the next day to respond. _ We have been in contact with Lotus about this problem. Unfortunately, it is a feature built into their product to ensure the mail system is not bogged down with auto-replies.
  
• Some users said that they are unable to view the address of the sender in their received email messages _ this is particularly important to distinguish spam email. We are working with Lotus on this issue.

Q: Where do I get help with my Lotus problems?
A: There are several resources available to help you learn about the extensive features of Lotus or to help you with particular problems:

• Online Blackboard class - everyone has been automatically enrolled in a Lotus tutorial within Blackboard. There is a "Lotus Notes Documentation" class for "faculty and staff", and another for "returning students". To use this tutorial, login to Blackboard, and choose this course from your course listing.
• Lotus Quicksheets - There are a few quicksheets available on the I.T. website that may prove helpful to solve connectivity problems. These can be found at: http://www.it.carlow.edu/Quicksheets/index.html
• Lotus Quick-Tips - We will be sending out an email `tip of the week'. Look for tips on completing email addresses, calendaring, filtering email, etc.
• Call our helpdesk - If you are having a problem, we will try our best to help you. Please don't assume that someone else has reported the same problem. Please contact our helpdesk at 412-578-8700 or email us at: helpdesk@carlow.edu

Q: What are the future plans for Lotus?
A: Once we have everyone converted, we will embark on the next phases of the Lotus implementation. This includes installing the desktop client for faculty & staff as well as implementing support for Palm Pilots and other hand-held calendar devices. The client will be installed first for those individuals that need to share calendars for departmental use or need to share email folders with each other.