Latest News
09/29/2011 - Version 1.01 of our app has been approved by Apple, and should be in the App Store by the time you read this.
09/26/2011 - We've discovered a rare and minor bug that sometimes causes timers to disappear when you tap on an iAd. This usually happens when you have many apps open and are running low on memory on your device. We submitted a fix today to Apple (version 1.01). This bug only pops up occasionally, but if you want to be completely safe, do not tap on the ad banner during your meeting until you download the update.
09/25/2011 - We have a new Facebook Fan Page! Please "like" our page to learn more about new releases as they become available, as well as using our page to ask questions, request features, post tips, etc!
09/23/2011 - Version 1.0 goes live in the Apple iTunes App Store! Click here to download!
Description and Instructions
We've all been in those meetings when we wonder just how much time people contribute to the discussion, particularly those who "monopolize" the meeting. Now you can easily find out using the Meeting Monopolizer Monitor App!
Here's how it works - just add a timer for each person in the meeting. This is as easy as typing each person's first name. When the meeting starts with someone speaking, just tap that person's timer to start the timer and the meeting. As different people take turns speaking, just tap their timer. This causes the last running timer to pause while simultaneously starting the tapped timer. Tapping a running timer pauses that timer as well as the meeting.
When the meeting is finished, tap the "End Meeting" button to generate a report showing the total amount of time contributed by each participant as well as the percent of the total discussion time each person took. A nice pie chart helps visualize just how much each person contributes.
The Meeting Monopolizer Monitor currently supports up to 18 timers. These are quickly accessible, and if you find that your most active participants are spread out on the screen, just shake the app and watch the timers "magically" shuffle themselves into order based on the timers - the most active people rise to the top!
Despite the witty name of this app, it actually can be used for anything that requires quick and easy access to multiple timers. Perhaps you might find it useful in timing a relay race, a debate, or a science experiment! You also are not limited to meetings - take this app with you when you hang out with your friends to see who is the chattiest among you!
Hints, Tips, and FYIs
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Meeting Monopolizer Monitor:
- When you are finished adding new timers, just tap "return" with the name blank empty to slide away the "Add Timer" screen.
- You can add more timers while the meeting is in progress!
- If your device supports multitasking, you can switch between apps and Meeting Monopolizer Monitor will keep tracking time for the current active timer.
- Don't pause a timer just because the speaker pauses to take a breath or think, otherwise you'll be distracted by the app. Let the timer run for as long as the current speaker "has the floor", and tap on the new speaker's timer when someone else takes a turn.
- Remember, you can shake your iPhone to shuffle the most active speakers to the top of the timer list, as many times as you want!
- The "shake to sort" feature can be turned off in the main settings menu.
- You can change the name of the "on air" signs used to indicate which timer is active via the main settings menu.
- You are currently limited to 18 timers, so if you have a meeting with more than 18 people, add those who are most likely to participate first.
- The timer display is in "hour:minutes:seconds" format, but internally it tracks fractions of a second. This is why the total time displayed at the top may be slightly more than what you get by adding up the timers.
- Meeting Monopolizer Monitor doesn't track "dead air" time - time when nobody is speaking. Pausing an active timer pauses the entire meeting. If you need to track this, you can add one or more timers for this specific purpose. For example, a "Video" timer, a "Break" timer, a "Silence" timer, etc.
- If you typically meet with the same group of people, choose "Zero Timers" when done with the current meeting in order to save those timers for the next time. (Note - this depends on having a multitasking iOS, and even then the app may be reset if you run low on memory.)
- We plan on providing email capability in a future release, but in the meantime, you can use the built-in screenshot feature to take snapshots of the timers and the report. Just press the power button and the home button at the same time on your device. A screenshot will be saved to your photos, and from there you can email the pictures to your coworkers and friends if you'd like.
- Remember, you can use this app for more than meetings! Visit our Facebook Page (coming soon) to see how others are using the app.
Where To Buy
Meeting Monopolizer Monitor is available in the Apple iTunes store for just 99 cents! It is designed to run on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it also works fine on the iPad as well. If you own more than one of these devices, you only need to purchase the app once - you will be able to put it on up to 5 devices if they are under the same iTunes account! Remember, once you've purchased "Meeting Monopolizer Monitor", you'll receive all upgrades free-of-charge!
Feedback And Support
If you are experiencing problems or have a suggestion, please feel free to email us at support@surratech.com. We also encourage you to rate Meeting Monopolizer Monitor and perhaps even write a review for Apple's App Store if you really enjoy the program.
A Note About Ads
Because we make this app available for just 99 cents, we incorporate a small ad banner at the bottom of the app to help compensate for the great price we give our customers. This ad banner doesn't take away from the functionality of the app, and in fact, if someone is "monopolizing" the meeting, you may want to look at some ads instead of doodling! We do understand, however, that some customers feel strongly that paid apps should not also have advertisements. Because of this, we give you the option in the main settings menu to turn off the ad banner.
If the ads do not bother you, then please leave them on, as the extra revenue is important for us to be able to bring you future improvements and new & exciting great apps!
A Final Note About The Name
We picked the name "Meeting Monopolizer Monitor" as a humorous tongue-in-cheek (and tongue-twisting) way of describing our app, though it is technically a "Meeting Participation Monitor", and even more than that, it's a sophisticated multi-timer time-tracking system. The goal of this app is not to humilate or offend people, so please use wisdom when sharing the results from a meeting. It should also be noted that time doesn't always equate to quality in a discussion, so keep that in mind when reviewing the results.
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