Caucus Introduction Page
Caucus

TUTORIAL

Types of Conferences

Each conferencing application will have a variety of conferences suited to that environment. In general there are two types.

In an open conference, membership is available to anybody with access to the Caucus conferencing system. Open conferences cover general topics open to all. These can include anything from restaurant reviews and company picnics to office policies, vacation schedules, music, politics, and literature.

Restricted conferences impose some limitation on membership. The organizer can specifically designate persons who may become full or read-only members and/or exclude others. Examples of restricted conferences are:

Course-related

In an academic setting one of the major uses is in connection with classes. In the typical course conference, membership is restricted to students and their instructor. Additional non-course participants, such as other faculty members or experts, are sometimes included.

Special purpose

There are many types of special conferences whose membership may be partially or fully restricted. Examples in an academic setting are: thesis committees, faculty committees, student and faculty organizations and research groups. Business examples are: Boards of Directors, research and development groups, holiday party committees, and sales support groups.

Obtaining Computer IDs for Participants

CAUCUS is on the u.arizona cluster, so if you have a u.arizona.edu account, you can use the same username and password. You do not have to self-register. If you as an organizer are running a restricted conference, you will need to know your members username so that you can add them to your 'closed' conference.

Starting a New Conference

At the UA, only Faculty and Staff can start a new conference. In other settings, a conferencing system coordinator may restrict the number and type of conferences. (For information on how to start new conferences, see the Caucus Conference Organizer's How To Start a New Conference)

Learning to Use Caucus

It is very important that participants know how to use the system before engaging in any "serious" conferencing. Introductory training sessions are available for Faculty, Staff, and Students, or join the 'practice' conferences, or read the Quick Start Guide, FAQ or other New User Information.

  1. Caucus Quick Start Guide
  2. Caucus First Steps
  3. Quick Tips
  4. Caucus Frequently Asked Questions
  5. Caucus Etiquette and Rules
  6. Caucus Uses

Conferences to Join:

  1. Demo conference - demonstration of CAUCUS showing features.
  2. Feedback conference - let us know what you think of CAUCUS.
  3. Invite conference - to see 'new' conferences that are available for you to join.
  4. Notice conference - for UA special announcements.
  5. Practice conference - try posting a message or respond to other messages.
  6. Questions conference - ask any question about CAUCUS.

Want to start your own conference?

 

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