Alerts
Wiki ▸ Documentation ▸ User Documentation ▸ Alerts
- Released in version: 0.1
- Also called: "Buoy Alerts"
Alerts are calls for help you send to one or more of your Crisis Response Teams. Alerts are delivered to the confirmed members of your support Team(s) through email, SMS/txt message, and/or other channels as defined by the recipients according to their Buoy preferences. When a Team member responds to your Alert, you will be able to communicate with them and any other responders directly using text, audio, and/or video.
Each time you want to send a new Alert, you need to access the Activate Alert screen.
The Activate Alert screen is only accessible after you have already logged in to your account. Once logged in, there are a couple ways you can access the Activate Alert screen:
- From New Content menu in the admin bar, tap or click the "Alert" menu item:
- From the Dashboard menu, tap on or hover over the "Dashboard" menu item, then tap on or click the "Activate Alert" menu item:
Both options leads to the Activate Alert screen, described next, where you can send a new Alert to your Crisis Response Teams.
💡 Consider using your device's bookmark (or "Add to Home screen") features to access this screen more quickly, in one tap or click instead of several. Read Using Buoy on a smartphone or tablet for more information.
The Activate Alert screen is used for sending new Alerts to your Team(s). The following screenshot annotates the positions of the buttons for the various alert types, described next.
There are several different kinds of alerts you can send. These include:
- Immediate alerts, for when you have only enough time to press a single button,
- Contextual alerts, for when you can type a short description of the situation, and,
- Timed alerts, for when you want to schedule an alert to be sent sometime in the future as a "safety call" in case something you're planning to do goes badly.
Each type is described in more detail below.
An "immediate alert" uses whatever previously entered settings you configured ahead of time. An immediate alert always:
- sends the alert to your default Team(s)
- using your profile's crisis message
- at the current time (i.e., immediately).
The Immediate alert button is the largest button on the Activate Alert screen, has an icon of a life preserver on it, and is positioned near the bottom of the screen stretched across its entire width. Tapping on or clicking this button immediately collects your device's current physical location (GPS coordinates) and sends an Alert to all your default Teams, as shown here:
Use this button when you're facing a situation in which you only have enough time to press a single button to call for help.
A "contextual alert" gives you an opportunity to send a customized message to whatever Team(s) you choose. It is slower to activate than immediate alerts because it requires pressing at least two buttons instead of just one, but gives you an opportunity to contextualize your crisis so responders can better assist you.
The Contextual alert button has an icon of a chat bubble on it, and is positioned near the top-right of the Activate Alert screen. Tapping on or clicking this button will display the Message to my team dialogue box, which asks you for a custom alert message and allows you to select which Team or Teams you want the alert sent to:
Once you have typed your alert message and chosen which Teams you want to send the alert to, press the Send button to actually deliver your alert to your crisis support Team(s). Use the contextual alert button when you're facing a situation that does not immediately require your full physical attention, or when you have a buddy present who can deal with any urgent matters while you call for backup.
ℹ️ Some Buoys do not support Timed Alerts. If you do not see the Timed Alert button on the Activate Alert screen, your Buoy may not support scheduling alerts. Consider asking the website administrator to explore what's required to enable Timed Alerts.
A "timed alert" lets you schedule the alert to be sent at a specific time in the future. The Timed Alert button has an icon of a clock on it and is positioned near the top-left of the Activate Alert screen. Tapping on or clicking this button will display the Schedule a timed alert dialogue box, which asks you to enter details for the timed alert.
Like Contextual Alerts, you can choose a custom alert message and one or more Teams to send the Alert to. To schedule a timed alert, you must also enter a date and time. You can either type the date, or tap into the Send alert at field to choose a date and time from a date picker, as shown below:
Once you choose a time to send the alert, the message to send, and the Teams to send the alert to, press the Schedule alert button to create the Timed Alert. After it's scheduled, you can return to Buoy to cancel the timed alert any time before the alert is scheduled to be sent. Use the timed alert button when you want to call your crisis support Teams for help in the event that you are unable to cancel the alert, such as when you're planning on crossing a border, going out on a date, or feel the need to have a safe call in case something goes wrong.
Each pending Timed Alert you schedule will be listed in the Active Alerts menu. To cancel a Timed Alert you previously scheduled, tap on or click the "Cancel scheduled alert for DATE" menu item. "DATE" will be the date and time for which the timed alert is scheduled.
🚧 TK-TODO: Finish documenting the Active Alerts menu's features.
The Active Alerts menu shows a list of all alerts you're currently involved in. It groups:
- Alerts you sent
- Alerts you responded to
- Alerts you scheduled
🚧 TK-TODO