Submitted by admin-boss on
We've learned a lot about the QuestionPoint software over the past year. Here are some tips that you can use to prevent and recover from technical glitches.
Prevent Screen flickerings
Screen flickering/refreshing uncontrollably? This is often caused by double-clicking on a New Patron rather than single-clicking. It can also occur if you click once on a New Patron, but they are very slow to load, so you click again. Be sure to only click once on each New Patron.
Check your IE settings
Is QP behaving oddly? Are you all alone on your shifts? Check your Internet Explorer settings (instructions available at: http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/index.php?page=techtroubles). It's good to check them at the beginning of every term. Be sure that “Check for newer versions of cached pages…on every visit
to the page” is selected!
Optimise your cobrowsing probability
Can't cobrowse? Try deleting your cache and/or cookies at the beginning of each shift, or just before you click the cobrowse button. You may have to do this before every cobrowse session - everyone's computer is different. Fortunately, deleting your cache and cookies for a second or third cobrowse session will not affect any of your other ongoing sessions.
Database Entry Error
If a patron reports that they can't login to a database, especially if they receive the error message: "This is cookie.htm from the doc subdirectory", ask them to open the database in a new window. This error occurs both when cobrowsing, and when page pushing.
Skip-a-Step Glitch
This glitch occurs when cobrowsing into a database. The patron logs in and enters the database, but the service provider's screen is left behind. Just ask the patron to click on any link - the next page will appear on both computer screens.
Preventing glitches in general
The software works best if only the MyQuestionPoint and Chat Monitor are open in Internet Explorer. Try to do any other internet tasks in Firefox (or, on a completely different computer!)
Prevent Logout Errors
Browser crash? Computer crash? Power outage? If one of these prevents you from logging out properly at the end of your shift, please login again at the earliest opportunity, and logout properly. Otherwise, the service may remain open ALL NIGHT! For more information, please see the blog entry: http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/AskAway/2007/07/askaway_logout_errors.html
Optimise cobrowsing in IE7
Has cobrowsing stopped working since you upgraded to IE7? Check to see if you are using the Microsoft Virtual Machine (instructions available at: http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/index.php?page=techtroubles). If you are using IE7 you will have to switch to Java.
Think outside the cobrowse
"Cobrowse: No" patron with an in-depth question? Use page pushing instead! Type in the URL of their library's main page, then navigate them to the database they need using chat. Open the same database on your own computer, and search in tandem. They get a great instructional session, and a re-usable, step-by-step transcript!
IM your colleagues
Don't forget! When you see the popup warning that a colleague has IMed you, the message will not appear automatically. To see it, click on the IM link at the top of the Chat Monitor, then click your colleague's name in the bottom left.