LF AI Group Calendars Overview

Group calendars are managed within LF AI Foundation Groups.io subgroups (mail lists); with each sub-group (mail list) having a unique group calendar. Meeting invites from these group calendars are sent to the applicable sub-group (mail list). In order to see the various group calendars you must:

• Be logged into LF AI Foundation Groups.io

• Be subscribed to the sub-group(mail-list) you're interested in

• Thereafter, you will see all the calendars for the sub-groups you subscribe to under your LF AI Foundation Group Calendar via Groups.io OR

• You can also view a specific group calendar via the Wiki (if the group has created a Wiki group calendar) whether you are a member of the sub-group (mail list) or not

  • Example: LF AI TAC Group Calendar (tac-general@lists...) via Wiki

Subscribing to LF AI Group Calendars

You can directly subscribe to a Group Calendar to stay in sync with meetings and events

NOTE: When you receive a meeting invite in your inbox for a meeting scheduled within Groups.io (example TAC meeting invite available here) you have the option to directly add the meeting (.ics file) to your calendar tool. However, the only sure way to ensure that your calendar stays in sync with a Group Calendar is to subscribe. DO NOT RELY ON A .ics FILE in any Groups.io meeting invite as: 1) An ics file creates a static snapshot of the meeting at that point in time. 2) Updates and cancellations do not get propagated via this method. 3) You are guaranteed to have issues with seasonal time changes.

Option 1) Subscribe to an INDIVIDUAL sub-group(mail list) calendar in Groups.io 

• Login to Groups.io for the specific LF AI sub-group (mail list) list you are interested in (ex. tac-general@lists...)
• Ensure that your profile settings are updated to your preferred time zone

• Click the "Your Calendar" icon on the left 

• Scroll to the bottom of the page

• Click the "Subscribe to Calendar" button

• Copy the url that is generated
• Paste the url using whatever method your calendar reader uses for internet calendar subscriptions
  
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for various mail tools visit this page: https://confluence.atlassian.com/teamcal/subscribe-to-and-from-team-calendars-273285883.html
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for IBM Verse visit this page: https://www.recoverytools.com/blog/import-export-ibm-notes-calendar/

Option 2) Subscribe to an INDIVIDUAL sub-group(mail list) calendar on the wiki

• Login to the applicable wiki calendar page using your LF ID (tac-general@lists... group calendar example here)
• Ensure that your profile settings are updated to your preferred time zone
• Scroll to the bottom of the calendar where the calendar name is noted
• Click on the "..." section 
• Click "Subscribe" for a list of options based on your preferred mail tool
• Follow the instructions to add the group calendar as a subscribed calendar to your preferred mail tool
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for various mail tools visit this page: https://confluence.atlassian.com/teamcal/subscribe-to-and-from-team-calendars-273285883.html
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for IBM Verse visit this page: https://www.recoverytools.com/blog/import-export-ibm-notes-calendar/
  • Alternatively, you can select the "Export to iCalendar" option, if applicable to your mail tool

Option 3) Subscribe to ALL of the Groups.io sub-group(mail list) calendars you are a member of at once - Usually not the preferred option as it would give you the calendar feed for ALL mail lists you are subscribed to, only a small portion of users would prefer this option. 

• Login to Groups.io for any LF AI sub-group(mail list)
• Ensure that your profile settings are updated to your preferred time zone

• Click the "LF AI Foundation" at the top left of the page

• Click the "Your Calendar" icon on the left 

• Scroll to the bottom of the page

• Click the "Subscribe to Calendar" button

• Copy the url that is generated
• Paste the url using whatever method your calendar reader uses for internet calendar subscriptions
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for various mail tools visit this page: https://confluence.atlassian.com/teamcal/subscribe-to-and-from-team-calendars-273285883.html
  • For more detailed instructions on how to subscribe to calendar feeds for IBM Verse visit this page: https://www.recoverytools.com/blog/import-export-ibm-notes-calendar/

Zoom Bridge Overview

The LF provides some shared use Zoom meeting accounts for the LF AI community. Additional Zoom meeting accounts can be requested but will only be approved based on need, budget availability, and overall as the project scales. These shared Zoom accounts are owned by the LF, but usage and management is ultimately managed by the LF AI community. Please carefully review the following:

• Wherever and whenever possible, Zoom meeting bridges should be distributed across meetings with buffers on either side of the scheduled meeting to avoid conflicts 

• IF YOU ARE A HOST PLEASE LOG OFF OF THAT ZOOM HOST ACCOUNT WHEN YOUR MEETING IS OVER

• Meeting IDs are good for a specific day and time-slot only

• DO NOT use an assigned meeting bridge to start a meeting at a different date or time, otherwise you will cause conflicts for other scheduled meetings

• DO NOT log into a different meeting using the same Host account, otherwise you will cause conflicts for other scheduled meetings

Zoom Bridge Errors 

• If you receive the error, "The meeting host is attending another meeting" or similar message: 

  • A previous meeting using that Host account is still in progress and did not end as scheduled 

  • The Host forgot to end the Zoom session and someone is still connected to the bridge

  • Someone has used that Host account to start a meeting outside of the assigned time-slot

  • Someone is using that Host account to attend another Host's meeting in progress

• If you cannot get into your meeting because the host Zoom account is in use: 

  • Send an email to lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation indicating that you are having an issue with a specific Zoom account. Include the Zoom account name you are having an issue with (ex. Zoom1) 

  • The email will be distributed to the complete List of Alternate Hosts for Zoom Meetings that have Host privileges LF AI Zoom accounts

  • The LF is not responsible for intervening or setting up an emergency bridge in the event of an LF AI Zoom bridge conflict, however will assist if/when possible, to request please see Requesting/Changing/Canceling a Meeting section below 

Requesting / Changing / Canceling a Meeting

Those with prior approval for Alternate Meeting Host and Recording Privileges AND Meeting Moderator Privileges (see below) do not need to follow this process as you have the permissions to manage your own meetings. For all others, to request a new meeting to be set up or to change/cancel an existing meeting as an exception:

• A ticket must be created by emailing lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation with the following information included as applicable for the request: 

  • Meeting Name

  • Day/Date

  • Time & Timezone

  • Duration for Meeting

  • Recurring or One-Time Zoom Link 

  • Any additional comments you believe are relevant to your request

  • Note: For Alternate Host & Recording Privileges you must read more below regarding the requirements

Note: A minimum of 2 business days lead time is required to review and complete requests. 

Scheduling/Managing Meetings in Group Calendars

The LF can set up individuals from the LF AI community with privileges to schedule and manage meetings in the LF AI Group Calendars (managed via the applicable Groups.io sub-group(mail list)) provided the following criteria is met.

Group Calendars Meeting Management Privileges Requirements:

• Privileges are only granted to Chairs/Co-Chairs Committees, Project Technical Leads, or Community Coordinators, other must be approved on exception basis

• You must be the designated with the role above on the applicable group wiki page 

• You must request privileges by emailing lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation and include the applicable Groups.io sub-group(mail list) you'll be coordinating the meeting(s) within (ex. tac-general@lists...)

• Once approved you will be added as a moderator for the applicable Groups.io sub-group(mail list) with permissions to add/update/cancel/delete meetings

After you have been granted Group Meeting Management Privileges, to create/update a meeting follow these steps within Groups.io:

• Visit your LF AI Group Calendar via Groups.io 
• Scroll to the bottom of your group calendar, select Add Event, and choose the applicable sub-group(mail list) you are trying to create a new meeting for (ex. tac-general@lists...). 
• Fill in the fields for:
  • Event Name, enter descriptive name for your meeting and include the Zoom Link you are going to use, this is very important to help others know what Zoom Account is in use during each meeting time
    • Example: TAC Meeting (LF AI Zoom)
  • Start and End Times, selecting All Day if applicable 
    • Local time zones should not be used when scheduling a meeting as a best practice, it is preferred to select "UTC" from the pulldown list. If you don't know how a local timezone maps to UTC, try this link 
      • This will help everyone's calendar to sync properly with daylight savings shifts and the overall global nature of the community
  • Event Repeats, select if applicable, and enter the additional details
  • Location, this will be the LF AI Zoom Link (ex. Zoom1: https://zoom.us/j/123456789) you are using, the meeting links available for shared use are noted below under List of Alternate Hosts for Zoom Meetings
    • You must be very careful to not overlap LF AI Zoom account meetings, you can easily view all the meetings within the the applicable Group Calendar via Wiki page (such as the tac-general@lists... group calendar)
      • You may need to negotiate with the meeting owners if there are conflicts with your preferred time
  • Organizer Email, this will be the sub-group mail list (ex. tac-general@lists...)
  • Organizer Phone, is optional
  • Meeting Event Color, is optional at this time, but try to use the same color as the rest of meetings for that list as a best practice
  • Description, this will be the relevant meeting details. It is recommend to enter the following:
    
    • Summary of the meeting purpose
    • Meeting lead name
    • Wiki page for reference
    • Full Zoom details
  • Request RSVP, don't use as this feature results in unexpected behavior unless EVERYONE on the list makes use of it which is too difficult to enforce
  • Reminders, set this up for automatic email reminders to be sent to the applicable mail list regarding the meetings
    • 10 minutes before is suggested, leave as Send As Normal Message
  • Notifications, you must select Send Invite To Group in order for the invite to be sent to the applicable sub-group
    • Leave Send Notice To Group When Event Happens unchecked as it is an unnecessary notification
  • To Update a Meeting, click on the event you are updating and select Edit Event and make the applicable changes 
    • Select Update Event to save the changes and ensure you choose the update to reflect on Only This Event or All Meetings as applicable
      • Update Event will make a change to the meeting and will be reflected in the meeting subscription with the next automatic update
      • Update Event and Group will make a change to the meeting and will be reflected in the meeting subscription with the next automatic update AND send an updated notice to the mail group
  • To Cancel/Delete a Meeting, click on the event you are updating and select Edit Event, scroll to the bottom of the Event and click on Delete Event
    • You'll need to select either Only This Event or All Meetings as applicable 
    • The meeting update will be reflected in the meeting subscription with the next automatic update
    • The Send Notice to Group is selected by default, adjust accordingly if you need to remove that 
• Courtesy Email, as a meeting lead it is a best practice to email the applicable sub-group with a note about any new meetings available, any meeting changes, or meeting cancellations 
  • You should always make the change in Groups.io and if a notice to the group is going to be sent you can reply with your additional commentary 
• Refresh Wiki Calendar, for immediate update to the wiki group calendar (if one is in use for the group calendar), refresh the subscription to the applicable sub-group(mail list) listed, otherwise, the update will be reflected in the meeting subscription with the next automatic update
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page
  • Mouse over the mailing list for the meeting you just set up and click on the 3 dots (...)
  • Scroll down and click "Refresh", this will force the wiki subscription to update immediately
• You must then update the applicable groups Meeting List (such as the TAC Meetings List) to ensure there is a clear view of all meetings happening across the Trusted AI Committee for reference by the community and also for management of the shared Zoom account among the Committee Chairs and Working Group Leads

Alternate Meeting Host & Recording Privileges

Recordings cannot occur unless someone registered as a the Zoom Host account is physically connected to the meeting using that account. The LF can set up individuals from the community with alternate-host credentials provided the following criteria is met.

Alternate Meeting Host & Recording Privileges Requirements:

• Privileges are only granted to Committee Chairs, Project Technical Leaders, or Community Coordinators

• All approved alternate-hosts will be added to the lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation mail list for access to the shared Zoom credentials, login to Groups.io will be required to view
  • The shared Zoom credentials can be viewed here: https://lists.lfai.foundation/g/lfai-meetinghosts/wiki/home

• Please ensure that you test accessing the shared Zoom account prior to any upcoming meetings to resolve any issues in advance

• You should NEVER update any Zoom account settings, you may only update settings for your individual meetings if needed

• The LF maintains the master account login and password management to avoid inadvertent issues with the shared accounts, if you are requesting a change to settings you must email lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation with your request and it will be reviewed, a minimum of 2 business days lead time is required to review and complete requests
• Recordings should be saved to the alternate-host's computer rather than to the cloud, see detailed instructions below 
  • The alternate-host has the responsibility for uploading the recording file to the applicable group Wiki page
  • Files under 1.5GB can be uploaded directly to the Wiki
  • Files larger than 1.5GB will need to be uploaded to the shared LF AI Google Drive, you will need to request access by emailing lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation
  • The recording should be linked back to the applicable group Wiki page
  • If an applicable meeting recording folder does not exist you may create a new one. (Note: This is an evolving model and updates will follow with a solution that better accommodates those with Google access issues)
  • Again, DO NOT RECORD TO THE CLOUD
• The alternate-host must review and understand the Zoom Overview and Zoom Bridge Errors information outlined above
• All approved alternate-hosts will be added to the lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation mail list for meeting troubleshooting and questions, see Zoom Bridge Errors 

Step-by-Step Guide for Recording Meetings

1. Go to https://zoom.us/signin to sign in using the shared LF AI Zoom account credentials applicable to your meeting

2. Choose "Meetings" from the menu on the left

3. Find your meeting on the list (usually the top one) and click the "Start" button to launch your meeting

4. After the meeting has started click the "Record" button located at the bottom of the Zoom window OR if someone is screen sharing the recording option will be found under the "More" section of the Zoom menu bar 

5. Select "Record to this Computer"

   1. Note: Due to limited storage space in Zoom accounts, recording links stored in the cloud will expire, thus you must store your recordings locally prior to posting to the Wiki

6. You can pause and resume if necessary and the recording will be saved as a contiguous stream

7. Stop the recording when you are finished, it will be saved to your computer when the meeting is officially ended

   1. If you accidently stored in the cloud you must download the recording file from the recordings section in the Zoom account and then upload to the Wiki, once you confirm you have the recording file saved properly please delete it from the Zoom account

8. Upload the zoom_#.mp4 to the applicable group Wiki page

   1. Files under 1.5GB can be uploaded directly to the Wiki

   2. Files larger than 1.5GB will need to be uploaded to the shared LF AI Google Drive, you will need to request access by emailing lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation

      • The recording should be linked back to the applicable group Wiki page

      • If an applicable meeting recording folder does not exist you may create a new one. (Note: This is an evolving model and updates will follow with a solution that better accommodates those with Google access issues)

9. After you have verified the upload was successful and you can watch the recording from the Wiki, you can remove the files from your computer

10. Note: Regarding Chat File Content, uploading the chat.txt file is often beneficial to the team. Be advised the chat file may contain private chats sent from/to the person recording the meeting.

11. DO NOT upload any "audio_only" or "playback" files.

Ending an "In Progress" Meeting

A meeting owner has the right to terminate a meeting that is preventing their scheduled meeting from starting. If you have Zoom account privileges you can do it this way:

1. Login to the Zoom account for the bridge

2. Go to the Meetings tab on the left (if it isn't already there)

3. Find the offending meeting that has your meeting blocked (the green ball indicates the meeting in progress)

   
   

4. Click the "End" button

5. You should notify lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation that you are going to do this and state which Zoom account you are using

List of Group Calendars Meeting Moderators

Please see above for more information on Alternate Meeting Host and Recording Privileges. All approved meeting moderators will be added to the lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation mail list for meeting troubleshooting and questions, see above.

List of Alternate-Hosts for Shared Zoom Meeting Accounts

Please see above for more information on Alternate Meeting Host and Recording Privileges. All approved alternate-hosts will be added to the lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation mail list for meeting troubleshooting and questions, see above.

Calendar Troubleshooting

Google calendar subscription isn't updating

Google calendar is notorious for long update delays of up to 12 hours or more for subscribed calendars and you cannot force it to update.  If the wiki calendar has been refreshed and the meeting in question matches what you see in Groups.io, the only way to force g-cal to update is to actually remove the calendar and re-subscribe. This is a known issue that the LF does not have any control over.

All the meeting times displayed on the wiki are wrong

As an anonymous user the wiki will display times in UTC.  Make sure that A) you are logged into the wiki and B) that you have set your timezone in your profile.

All the meeting times displayed in Groups.io are wrong

The default is UTC. Make sure you have set the timezone in your account profile.

How do I convert my time zone to UTC?

Setting your timezone correctly on your computer, in Groups.io and on the wiki, should correctly display meeting times for your local time zone. If you need just a general conversion chart, try world clock meeting planner.

Zoom Bridge: The meeting host is attending another meeting

If you receive the error, "The meeting host is attending another meeting" or similar message. Please see the Zoom Bridge Errors section.

Do meetings using private bridge numbers need to be added to the LF AI group calendar?

If the meeting is a community meeting, yes absolutely. The meeting should be added to the appropriate calendar for the list used by the project.

Who can set up a meeting on a group calendar?  

Every distribution list will have a "Meeting Moderator(s)". Meeting Moderators have access to create/change/delete meetings from the Groups.io calendar for that distribution list. View the list here.

Who can set up a new Zoom bridge? 

Permissions for shared Zoom account management will usually be the same as the Meeting Moderators, found here, for each subgroup (mail list). The list of alternate hosts for shared zoom meeting accounts can be viewed here.

Which Zoom Link is assigned to which subgroup (mail list)?

See the list of alternate hosts for shared zoom meeting accounts here. 

What if I want a meeting but there are no Zoom accounts available for that time slot?

If it is for a reoccurring meeting, you will need to email lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation to determine if there will be any new Zoom accounts added to the project soon. If not, you will need to use your own personal meeting account.

If it is for a one-off meeting, you will need to email lfai-meetingrequests@lists.lfai.foundation with your request following the instructions here.

What do #cal-invite and #cal-cancelled mean in the notification emails sent from Groups.io?

#cal-invite is a meeting invite

#cal-cancelled is a meeting cancellation

I still need help

Send an email to lfai-meetinghosts@lists.lfai.foundation for help from within the community or email operations@lfai.foundation and you will receive a response as soon as possible.