Overly complicated MCPS information distribution

[Anonymous]

We got an email recently, subject line: Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series. The entire email contents: “Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series next hosting on 12/3. Learn more at: [bit.ly link].”

I click the link. It opens ParentSquare. ParentSquare opens Bitly. Bitly waits a bit, then forwards me to a one page pdf file on google drive. The document shows the dates and times of 4 sessions, with 4 more unclickable bit.ly links, plus QR codes (that I guess I’m supposed to scan with my…other phone?)

Just…why?? Why not include the dates, times, titles, and links to the sessions in the email? What am I missing about the advantages of requiring multiple steps and platforms to access simple information?? My husband has no problem with this sort of thing and so perhaps it’s just me that this bothers. Is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got an email recently, subject line: Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series. The entire email contents: “Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series next hosting on 12/3. Learn more at: [bit.ly link].”

I click the link. It opens ParentSquare. ParentSquare opens Bitly. Bitly waits a bit, then forwards me to a one page pdf file on google drive. The document shows the dates and times of 4 sessions, with 4 more unclickable bit.ly links, plus QR codes (that I guess I’m supposed to scan with my…other phone?)

Just…why?? Why not include the dates, times, titles, and links to the sessions in the email? What am I missing about the advantages of requiring multiple steps and platforms to access simple information?? My husband has no problem with this sort of thing and so perhaps it’s just me that this bothers. Is it?

Each company is getting a cut of mcps operating budget cash.

[Anonymous]

I just ignore most of it now. If it's important enough, I'll hear of it eventually. Hint: the "enrichment" is BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got an email recently, subject line: Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series. The entire email contents: “Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series next hosting on 12/3. Learn more at: [bit.ly link].”

I click the link. It opens ParentSquare. ParentSquare opens Bitly. Bitly waits a bit, then forwards me to a one page pdf file on google drive. The document shows the dates and times of 4 sessions, with 4 more unclickable bit.ly links, plus QR codes (that I guess I’m supposed to scan with my…other phone?)

Just…why?? Why not include the dates, times, titles, and links to the sessions in the email? What am I missing about the advantages of requiring multiple steps and platforms to access simple information?? My husband has no problem with this sort of thing and so perhaps it’s just me that this bothers. Is it?

Each company is getting a cut of mcps operating budget cash.

That certainly seems clear, but what is MCPS getting in return? What is being sold here other than hassle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got an email recently, subject line: Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series. The entire email contents: “Enrichment in Grades K-12 Virtual Series next hosting on 12/3. Learn more at: [bit.ly link].”

I click the link. It opens ParentSquare. ParentSquare opens Bitly. Bitly waits a bit, then forwards me to a one page pdf file on google drive. The document shows the dates and times of 4 sessions, with 4 more unclickable bit.ly links, plus QR codes (that I guess I’m supposed to scan with my…other phone?)

Just…why?? Why not include the dates, times, titles, and links to the sessions in the email? What am I missing about the advantages of requiring multiple steps and platforms to access simple information?? My husband has no problem with this sort of thing and so perhaps it’s just me that this bothers. Is it?

Each company is getting a cut of mcps operating budget cash.

That certainly seems clear, but what is MCPS getting in return? What is being sold here other than hassle?

Lunches, trips to conferences, dinners, gifts

[Anonymous]

MCPS is grossly incompetent, inefficient and unstrategic when it comes to communication.

[Anonymous]

They have been bombarding us with emails and texts about so many things. It is too much and completely ineffectual

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just ignore most of it now. If it's important enough, I'll hear of it eventually. Hint: the "enrichment" is BS.

Sssshhhh

[Anonymous]

Every important email gets a thread here

You don't need to read school emails

[Anonymous]

So stupid. And the “enrichment” is BS anyway.
Mcps wastes so much money on their multiple platforms. It’s a headache for families and teachers.
But mcps leadership loves to waste tax payers dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So stupid. And the “enrichment” is BS anyway.
Mcps wastes so much money on their multiple platforms. It’s a headache for families and teachers.
But mcps leadership loves to waste tax payers dollars.

Some MCPS problems are difficult to fix. But the multiple platform issue makes understanding what is going on so difficult for parents (particularly new ones) and could be fixed relatively easily

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So stupid. And the “enrichment” is BS anyway.
Mcps wastes so much money on their multiple platforms. It’s a headache for families and teachers.
But mcps leadership loves to waste tax payers dollars.

Some MCPS problems are difficult to fix. But the multiple platform issue makes understanding what is going on so difficult for parents (particularly new ones) and could be fixed relatively easily

+100

[Anonymous]

I think it's just MCPS silos and lack of thoughtfulness about the parent experience, not kickbacks to companies or anything. Like, I think the Google doc (with all it's flaws, although FWIW the links in it were clickable for me in the past) was built by the AEI department without any central MCPS guidance on "how to design communications for families." Then they probably sent it to someone in the comms department and said "send out this doc" and the comms person was like "well, I've been told that we in comms must now always send things out on ParentSquare, guess the way to do that is send a bitly link to this doc they gave me, and also this next webinar is on the 3rd so I guess I should mention it, but I:m not gonna rewrite the whole text because AEI said they wanted it in PDF form.". And then your ParentSquare notifications were set to email so you got it through email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's just MCPS silos and lack of thoughtfulness about the parent experience, not kickbacks to companies or anything. Like, I think the Google doc (with all it's flaws, although FWIW the links in it were clickable for me in the past) was built by the AEI department without any central MCPS guidance on "how to design communications for families." Then they probably sent it to someone in the comms department and said "send out this doc" and the comms person was like "well, I've been told that we in comms must now always send things out on ParentSquare, guess the way to do that is send a bitly link to this doc they gave me, and also this next webinar is on the 3rd so I guess I should mention it, but I:m not gonna rewrite the whole text because AEI said they wanted it in PDF form.". And then your ParentSquare notifications were set to email so you got it through email.

Yes, this sounds like it to me too.

[Anonymous]

Mcps is run by morons. You can't expect to have a pleasant experience with anything.