This meeting with a small group of volunteers provides an orientation to the ArchiCAD Coaching Program Index project.

The ArchiCAD Coaching Program calls are held several times each month, answering questions from members about ArchiCAD. They are recorded and placed in the member area.

To simplify searching for specific topics in these sessions, an index of all recordings is provided to members. A volunteer goes through a recording and summarizes each question or topic and notes the time that each section starts. This information is then compiled using Google Docs spreadsheet. The spreadsheet information is accessible as a comprehensive index on a special page in the member area, and the relevant line items are copied and placed underneath each video for convenient reference.

The index is not “exact” in that sometimes the discussion covers multiple areas, or goes back over previous or related questions as part of the process. The aim is to make it possible for members to search for a topic of interest and see when it was addressed.

A brief description of the question is essential, so that a searcher can quickly assess whether that section is relevant to the current issue at hand. In addition, the entry should include a summary of the answer, or at least a high level description of the steps, methods or concepts covered during the answer and subsequent discussion.

I appreciate the help of volunteers in keeping the index up to date. It is a community resource that enables these coaching sessions to be used by many more people than the ones who originally watched each webinar session.

Eric Bobrow

ArchiCAD Coaching Program Index Project – Session Recording – November 21, 2013