I find that technology largely remains a mystery to me. As I meander along my path to obsolescence, the devices and software just keep improving, changing, and evolving. It is both challenging and sometimes frustrating to keep up. There is a tendency to become technology resistant as time passes, but it is incumbent upon us to make those small, periodic adjustments lest we find ourselves behind the curve.
I was recently reminded of a friend who became enamored with a program called Picasa. It was introduced in the early 21st century and allowed some assistance with organizing, captioning, and viewing digital photographs. After investing significant time learning the program, Google discontinued support for it in about 2016. One might have thought the world had ended.
My friend had become so focused on using Picasa, that he could not envision a world without it. He was convinced that Google's withdrawal from supporting it would mean he could no longer access his photos. He was disappointed and frustrated. Nonetheless, his pictures remained right where he left them. They were on the same drive, same folder, and were as accessible as ever.
He had not understood that the program merely created folders, and those same folders were accessible through File Explorer. The folders had the same names he had seen in Picasa. The accessibility had not changed, and neither had the pictures. He had to learn a new process, but it was far from "the end of the world as we know it" (R.E.M., I.R.S. 1987).
Change is a constant. In 2020, we forced a change to telephonic mediation during the Great Panic. In retrospect, that was likely an overreaction, but there were many unknowns. In 2022, we evolved to Zoom mediation, and a new age was upon us. That meant virtual had become reality and its persistence was clear.
The signing of documents regarding mediation led us to various programs, and eventually, we subscribed to SignEasy to facilitate remote attendees. For the most part, that worked well and the public adapted to its premise despite some quirks and challenges. And, to keep things interesting, we evolved away from it in 2024 as the young and eager found new approaches. The paradigm of today is Adobe Acrobat. See If It Ain't Broke (July 2024).
In all, just another software transition. But, it caused me to have to learn about "whitelist." That is a term likely well-known to some and alien to others. Oxford Dictionary defines it as:
"a list of people or things considered to be acceptable or trustworthy," as in
"the software applies a blacklist of spammers and a whitelist of known good senders"
And creating one is critically important. It can make a difference in whether you do or do not receive documents from us. Some will remember Appropriate Service - A Reminder (April 2018). That recounts the outcome of Emerald Coast Utilities Auth. v. Bear Marcus Pointe, LLC, 227 So. 3d 752 (Fla. 1st DCA 2017), and a document mishandled by an email server. The lesson there was to whitelist those from whom such documents are expected (such as the OJCC and your eJCC documents).
This is as important regarding the emails that will come from Adobe about your mediation. When mediation concludes, the report is critical. It may memorialize some agreement or not. But either through closure (agreement) or signaling the assigned judge that the case will progress, the report needs to be returned and uploaded. Too many delay or ignore this, and that makes for extra work for everyone. Please return these within 24 hours (faster is better).
To ensure that you receive emails through the Adobe process, I encourage you to whitelist the following domains. This will ensure basic functionality and make life simpler:
The lesson remains from Emerald Coast. The lesson is about communication and simplicity.
Whitelist these today to ensure your functionality and avoid complications and challenges. Evolve with us. Small changes to make better functionality. Don't wait until there is a problem, a bigger evolution, and the Picasa-type frustration. Growing with technology, and evolving, is far easier and less stressful than large changes that could accumulate, fester, and frustrate.
The whitelist is easy. Google that ("how do I whitelist in ______) naming your email program ("how do I whitelist an email address in gmail"). You will find step-by-step instructions at your fingertips, as well as some AI help. Or, get your IT team to help.