Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Items such as the activity description, estimated metrics, how you wish to handle bookings will be needed to create the activity. Some information is required to be entered in Bilby. Other items are optional.

1. Sign in to Bilby (if not already signed in)
2. Access My Account > My Activities
3. Use Create new activity
4. Enter mandatory items marked *
   Note: The New Bookings Status allows you to control vetting of bookings. For example, if you wanted to run a no bookings required activity, set the value to Valid and each booking request will be automatically accepted.
5. For optional items, enter if you can. The information will provide additional detail to allow participants to assess the activity. Some optional items trigger additional Bilby functionality. For example, if you include Approx Finish date and time, Bilby will send you an alert if you neglect to Finish the activity. If you enter Maximum Participants, Bilby will generate ‘n Spots Left’/’Activity Full’ on your activity when viewed via the Activities list.
6. Use the Create New Activity button.
7. Switch to the Details tab
8. Enter mandatory items marked *
   Note: The gradable distance = distance to be covered + 1km for every 100m climbed.
9. Use the Save Details button.
10. Switch to the Media tab
11. Note that any image to be uploaded must be less than ~4MB. If you have to resize an image, preserve the aspect ratio. Portrait oriented images do not display well.
12. Use Upload Image.
13. Switch to the Maps tab
14. Specify the start location of the activity and use Save Start Marker. If you do not, the default location shown is that of CBC monthly meetings.
15. You can make as many changes as you want to the activity whilst it is in Draft status. Save changes to a particular tab before moving to the next tab.
    Hint: You can even switch to the Manage Users tab, use Actions … and use Add User to add yourself to your draft activity. Then use the Details link to change your booking status to Valid.
16. When you have finished, use the Change Status link to set the activity status to Review. This will alert the Walks Secretary to vet and publish your activity.

Use the Change Status link to change the Status from Draft to Review.
This will alert the Walks Secretary to validate your activity details. Whilst your activity is in Review, you cannot edit it. The Walks Secretary then publishes your activity by changing its status from Review to Open to Public.

You are now again able to edit your activity details. This means that responsibility for the activity details has now passed from the Walks Secretary to you.

If you wish to limit participation to CBC members, change the activity status from Open to Public to Members Only.

Access the booking by using the ‘Manage this booking’ link in the email alert.

Alternatively, you can access the booking via the Activities list, open your activity, use the Edit My Activity link, access the Manage Bookings tab and use the Details link for the user.

A third way to access the booking is via My Account > My Activities, use the Manage Users link and use the Details link for the user.

1. Accept the booking – Change the booking status from Pending (or whatever status is showing) to Valid
2. Decline the booking – Change the booking status to Void.  As the CBC walk leader, you have the right to do this, but it would be appropriate to tell the declined participant why
3. Communicate further concerning the booking – Change the booking status to Interested.
   For example, you may wish to determine the participant’s suitability for the walk by 1-to-1 Bilby Notes, or by contacting the Walks Secretary for any walk history concerning the participant. Such actions are valid within CBC’s safety and risk mitigation frameworks.
   Or your activity is full, but you may wish to manage a wait list.

Note: For a ‘no bookings required’ activity (you have set the New Bookings Status to Valid), no booking management is required at this stage.

Bilby provides 2 ways of communication between users.

The activity owner and participant can exchange private, 1-to-1 Notes. Each Note generates a Bilby email alert to the recipient.

1. The default view of a user’s booking shows the Notes tab.
2. Enter a message in the text box. Use Add Note (or Shift + Enter) to send.
   An example is: “Thanks for your interest in this activity. Since we have not met, could you give me a short rundown on your recent walks  and current walking capability?”.
   Another is: “Thanks for your interest in this activity. It’s currently full and I’ll have to put you on a wait list and set your booking status to Interested”.

All Valid participants (including the activity owner) can communicate via the Message Board. If the message is tagged, the recipient(s) receives a Bilby generated email alert.

Note: If no tag is used (and many new members and guests don’t know how to tag), no Bilby email alert is generated. But valid users can see the messages if they happen to access the Message Board.

1. Access the Manage Users, Message Board tab
2. Tag the recipient by typing @ in the text box and selecting one of the displayed valid users or activate the @ Mention link. Repeat this process for multiple recipients
3. Use @everyone to communicate with all valid users
4. Enter your message, then use Add Note.

Find additional details about a prospective user’s booking by switching to the Booking Info tab.

Note: A contentious issue is the availability of a mobile phone contact. This is not collected when a user first registers on Bilby as a guest, although they are given ample opportunity to enter it and expose it to activity owners as they make a booking request. You may need it to advise very last-minute changes to your activity.

Note: A similar situation may apply to the availability of an address, needed when in town transport pickup is arranged. Activity owners may need to ask participants to expose their address.

It is preferable to communicate activity arrangements via Bilby, rather than via email. Details can be accessed by Admin officers in case of emergencies, and the ownership of an activity can be transferred to another valid participant if the original owner becomes unavailable.

Bilby provides unlimited space to do this. Each Message Board entry can be 2,000 characters long and there can be an unlimited number of entries.

Hint: A method of harnessing this facility might be to write separate entries for multiple logistical aspects (eg. one for weather, one for shared transport, one for costs) and post them without tags. Finally, post a MB entry tagging @everyone, saying “read all the MB posts below. Please confirm to me that you have seen them”.

Hint: If circumstances change, a new MB entry can be made. To keep all details current, the replaced MB entry can be removed from view by using … and using Hide Note.

1. Use the Message Board to communicate final arrangements such as meeting place and time. You might ask for valid participants to confirm receipt by a MB entry tagged to you.
2. If you want no more bookings, set the activity status to Closed.
3. If you want Bilby to send you a reminder to Finish the activity, set the activity status to Closed and specify an Approx Finish date and time.

If you have wait listed bookings (status of Interested), send a Bilby 1-to-1 Note to each wait listed participant, advising that the activity is full and their booking could not be accepted.

1. From the Manage Users tab, use Actions …, Print List. The list is verbose, so you may care to just write the valid participants’ names and phone numbers on a sheet of paper.
2. Print the appropriate Acknowledgement of Risks and Obligations form. Acknowledgement of risks and obligations and Acknowledgement of risks and obligations – under 18 if required.
3. Print an Incident report form.
4. Print an Emergency information sheet and Air Rescue Advice procedure.

1. Expected attendees, both members and guests (booking status Valid in Bilby) – mark off their name. It is not necessary for them to sign the form, as members have acknowledged risks and obligations when purchasing membership or renewing. Guests have made the acknowledgement when registering as a guest.
2. Unexpected members (eg. a ‘no bookings required’ activity) – record their name and email address that is registered in Bilby. It is not necessary for them to sign the form, as members have acknowledged risks and obligations when purchasing membership or renewing.
3. Unexpected Bilby guests – if you can determine that the participant is registered as a guest in Bilby, record their name and email address that is registered in Bilby. To be safe, the participant should read and sign the AoR&O form.
4. Other unexpected participants – record their name. The participant must read and sign the AoR&O form. Record their email address if they are willing.
5. For Wednesday Walks led by CBC, treat all participants as in 4. Other unexpected participants.

Do the following steps in order.

1. Access the activity’s Participants list via the Manage Users tab
2. For each participant on the AoR&O form that is not on the Bilby Participants list, use the Actions … button. Add User. Enter the participant’s email. If the participant cannot be found by Bilby, do not create a new user record. Click Add User.
3. Use the Finish Activity link to process through marking attendances and completing the activity.
4. Do not enter any CBC led Wednesday Walks attendance details in Bilby. If, for any reason, a participant has registered, access the booking via Manage Users, Details. Then use Actions … and Trash Record.

If there are participants remaining that cannot be entered into Bilby

1. Mark them clearly on the AoR&O form
2. Scan or photograph the form
3. Email it to the Check-in Officer.