You will receive your free NeurIPS 2021 registration after your attend one of the training sessions.
1) Code of Conduct: Before you can access any conference materials, including RocketChat, you need to accept the code of conduct.
2) Join the NeurIPS2021Vol Slack Workspace
- Verify that you can see the #announcements, #helpdesk, #volunteer-questions channels
3) Conference format:
Communication Channels
- GoogleSheet is used to report website issues
- #HelpDesk RocketChat channel: This is where most attendees will report problems
- helpdesk@neurips.cc email group. All volunteers will be added to this list. This is how participants who are having issues with RocketChat will be asking questions. Please, add a filter (whitelist) helpdesk@neurips.cc in your mail server, so that those emails don’t go to the Spam for you.
- NeurIPS2021Vol Slack Workspace
- To request support post in the #helpdesk Slack channel
- #Volunteers RocketChat channel: for volunteer communication
Time Zones:
- Each can attendee can set their time zone
- Switch your timezone in your NeurIPS.cc profile or on the NeurIPS 2021 virtual website by clicking in the menu under your name in the top right corner.
Calendar
- Bookmark all the NeurIPS events you want to attend by clicking the events green flag or the green bookmark text next to the events date-time
- To view your bookmarks click your name in the top right of the virtual site menu and select MyBookmarks. You can then subscribe to the calendar or download it and import it in your calendar.
Other
- Even when you are not on duty we ask that you report Code of Conduct violations and be willing to assist attendees.
- You may be asked to shift your volunteer session.
- If a Code of Conduct violation occurs email NeurIPShotline@gmail.com or use this Form and explain the situation, provide as much detail as you can.
- in RocketChat
- If there is a user that you feel needs to be reported and something more needs to happen, please click on the message submenu (the three vertical dots) and choose 'Report'. You can report the message with your comments, please include that you are a moderator (volunteer) in the comments.
- Once you’ve reported the user, write in the channel that Code of Conduct has to be respected and that participants who don’t respect it, will be removed from the channel.
- To remove or mute the user: click on the user's icon, then on the three vertical dots, then Mute user or Remove from the room. If you don’t see that option report the issue in the NeurIPS2021Vol #helpdesk Slack channel.
- In Zoom:
- If the Code of Conduct is violated in the zoom session, remove the person from the session immediately.
- Volunteers assigned to website testing will be notified in Slack. Before you start testing make sure you’ve set up you can connect to RocketChat. Report all the issues that you find, report in this GoogleSheet.
- Accounts: As a volunteer you may also see things differently because you have more access than participants. You can use the following accounts to check:
- unregistered@neurips.cc account (password to be provided separately) for users who have an NeurIPS.cc account, but haven’t registered for NeurIPS 2021.
- registered@neurips.cc account (password to be provided separately) for users who have registered for NeurIPS 2021 conference.
- make sure to log out of NeurIPS.cc if user doesn’t have account at all
- Browser: We encourage you to also test from the phone or the browser you have installed but you don’t use often.
- Navigation: make sure to click on all the menu links to look into general functionalities of the website such as papers selection, bookmarking and ordering on Papers page, profile and help information. An ordinary attendee should never see a Zoom link for an Oral, Invited Talk.
- Getting Started Page
- Schedule
- Help
- Unregistered user, login into https://neurips.cc as unregistered@neurips.cc and go through the whole website to see if there are any errors. Unregistered user should see the Getting Started page, Schedule, and similar informative pages, but shouldn’t be able to access actual content, such as videos, sponsor halls, expo and similar. In case they click on those links, they should be forwarded to the page that asks them to register. They should be able to watch the Invited Talks, Panel, and Tutorials but they should not have access RocketChat
- Featured
- Workshops: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/events/workshop, make sure the workshops contain title, owners names, time and appropriate abstract. Then, click on the workshop link and make sure the links on the landing page work well. There should be a workshop schedule which start and end time match that on the previous page, schedule should be meaningfully ordered. Check that RocketChat box exists and can be easily joined. Some workshops will have links to Zoom, others will have links to the GatherTown. Whichever it is, make sure you test it.
- Tutorials: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/events/tutorial, make sure the tutorials contain title, owners names, time and appropriate abstract. Then, click on the tutorial link and make sure the links on the landing page work well. There should be a tutorial schedule which start and end time match that on the previous page, schedule should be meaningfully ordered. Check that RocketChat box exists and can be easily joined. If there are other videos or links, test that as well.
- Main Conference
- Invited Talks: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/events/Invited%20Talk make sure the boxes for invited talks contain title, owners names, time, invited speakers picture, and appropriate abstract. Then, click on each invited talks link and make sure the links on the landing page work well. Check if start and end time match that on the previous page. Check that RocketChat box exists and can be easily joined. Check if invited talk is uploaded and video works well.
- Orals page: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/events/oral, make sure the boxes for orals contain title, owners names, time and appropriate abstract. Make sure there is some picture as well (if the authors didn’t upload a picture, then it should be the NeurIPS logo). Then, click on the orals link and make sure the links on the landing page work well, RocketChat channel exists and can be easily joined. Check if time matches that on the previous page and that video exists and plays well.
- Community
- Affinity Events: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/affinity_events. make sure the boxes for affinity events contain title, owners names, and appropriate abstract. Then, click on the affinity link and make sure the links on the landing page work well, RocketChat channel exists and can be easily joined. Some socials will have links to Zoom, others will have links to the GatherTown. Whichever it is, make sure you test it. Check if time matches that on the previous page.
- Socials: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/community?show=socials, make sure the boxes for socials contain title, owners names, picture and appropriate abstract. Then, click on the socials link and make sure the links on the landing page work well, RocketChat channel exists and can be easily joined. Some socials will have links to Zoom, others will have links to the GatherTown. Whichever it is, make sure you test it. Check if time matches that on the previous page.
- Papers: https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/papers.html?filter=titles. See if papers are rendering, try searching by title, author, session and check if appropriate papers appear. Shuffle by different options and check if it works well. Try bookmarking papers. Make sure the visited check-mark is shown after visiting the paper's page. Try a mini, compact and detailed view and make sure all of them render well. Then go to the visualization tab and try different functionalities as described on the page. Check if time matches that on the previous page.
- Spot check some individual papers: Check that the Abstract, Open Review, and Poster links work and that they match the paper. Check that the pre-recordered video works and the video and slides match the paper. Check Rocket Chat.
- Monitor #HelpDesk channel on RocketChat and the helpdesk@neurips.cc email group and answer attendees questions.
- When you start your helpdesk task, write in the #Volunteers channel “I am starting my helpdesk watch”.
- When you are done, before leaving write “I am leaving my helpdesk watch”.
- Most common questions are already answered in the Getting Started page, so please read it. Besides that, participants may have some of the following problems. The list will be extended during the conference:
- Sometimes the error is related to their equipment such as wi-fi or browser. In this case, ask them to try one of the things: clearing the cookies, changing the browser, restarting the device, changing the device and finally trying accessing through a VPN.
- However, you may also see things differently because you have more access than participants. To mitigate this, you can use the following accounts in a different browser or a private tab to test:
- unregistered@neurips.cc account (password to be provided separately) for users who have an NeurIPS.cc account, but haven’t registered for NeurIPS 2021.
- registered@neurips.cc account (password to be provided separately) for users who have registered for NeurIPS 2021 conference.
- log out of NeurIPS.cc if user doesn’t have account at all
- If you are unable to solve the problem post the details in the NeurIPS2021Vol #helpdesk Slack channel. Make sure to fill in the urgency level. if it is a personal problem (such as a person can’t login), make sure to write the full name and email they used for the conference registration.
- Accessing certain services (RocketChat, SlidesLive) from a certain country, browser or internet provider. Ask them to try one of the things: try to log out and then log in; clearing the cookies, changing the browser, restarting the device, changing the device and finally trying accessing through a VPN.
- Can’t login into their NeurIPS.cc account. Ask them to use the Forgot password link on the login page to change the password and then retry to login. If this doesn’t work ask them to open a ticket neurips.cc/Help/Contact?select=Technical and add it to the Volunteer Slack #HelpDesk channel.
- Can’t login or see RocketChat as a full screen. They just need to go to some paper/event page on the NeurIPS 2021 virtual website and click on the Full link in the top right corner of RocketChat box.
- They want to use a RocketChat desktop client. It can be downloaded here. The server to connect to is https://chat.neurips.cc.
- They didn’t receive a registration email. As long as they are registered, they can access the conference at https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/index.html even if they didn’t receive registration email. They will need to accept code of conduct on neurips.cc profile though.
- Presenters or Moderators don’t know what to do. They will need to join the Zoom for their session. Have them go to the session they are going to present and they should see the Zoom login information at the top of the page. If they don't, then it is likely that they are logged in with the wrong account. Post the user's email, title of talk and session in the NeurIPS2021Vol #helpdesk Slack channel and we will investigate.
- Arrive at you session at least 15 min before it starts so you are ready to go when the session starts
- Monitor the session's RocketChat:
- Monitor for problems
- Code of Conduct violations (the instructions are at the top of this page)
- Assist attendees.
- For Workshop, Social, Affinity volunteers contact the organizers and ask them for your schedule and any additional tasks
- Announce your session:
- When you start your session write in the #Volunteers RocketChat channel “I am starting my Session-Name watch”.
- When you are done, before leaving write “I am leaving my Session-Name watch”.
- Zoom:
- Join the Zoom session: and announce that you are a volunteer. As a volunteer you will be able to see the Join Zoom link at the top of the sessions page. This is not visible to attendees. Don’t share the login credentials with anyone, except the session organizers.
- You will be able talk with SlidesLive, the moderator and authors.
- Starting Zoom: SlidesLive will start zoom
- Some sessions will use “Webinar” mode of the zoom, when a participant first joins, they are not able to present, speak or share screen. They must be promoted to a panelist before they're allowed to unmute their mic or share their screen.
- If the Session moderator does not show up
- Report the issue In the NeurIPS2021Vol #helpdesk Slack channel