Getting Started
To access the Publisher Portal, you need:
-
An invitation from your congregation's account owner or administrator —
you cannot self-register. An admin will invite you by email.
-
Publisher Portal permission —
your admin must grant you Publisher Portal access (Read/Write) in User Management.
-
A Google or Microsoft account —
use the same email address that was used for your invitation to sign in.
Signing In:
Visit the OCLM Software website and sign in with your Google or Microsoft account.
After signing in, the Publisher Portal will appear in your main menu
if you have been granted access.
Viewing Your Schedules
Once you sign in, the My Schedules page shows all your upcoming schedules organized into sections:
-
Midweek Meeting —
Our Christian Life and Ministry meeting schedules
-
Weekend Meeting —
Public Talk and Watchtower Study schedules
-
Custom Schedules —
Any additional congregation schedules (e.g., Cleaning, Attendants, Audio/Video)
that your admin has enabled for the portal
Good to know:
- Only the current week and future schedules are shown — past weeks are hidden
- Only weeks that have been scheduled (not empty) are displayed
- Custom schedules only appear if your admin has enabled them for the portal when creating or editing the Custom Schedule
Assignment Indicators
On the schedule list page, a gold star icon
appears next to any date where you have an assignment. This makes it easy to quickly spot
your upcoming parts at a glance.
Monday, January 13, 2025
View
= You have an assignment this week
Dates where you have an assignment are also displayed in bold text
for additional emphasis.
Viewing Schedule Details
Click the View button next to any schedule date to open the full schedule detail page.
The detail page shows the complete meeting schedule with all participants' names, and
your assignments are clearly highlighted with a colored border and a
"Your Assignment" label.
What you'll see:
- The full meeting schedule in an easy-to-read HTML format
- All participants' names (no contact information is shown for privacy)
- Your own assignments highlighted with a special background color and border
- A "Back to Schedules" link to return to the schedule list
Midweek Meeting Detail
The Midweek Meeting detail page displays the full Our Christian Life and Ministry
meeting schedule, organized into the following sections:
- Chairman and Opening/Closing Prayer
-
Treasures From God's Word —
Talk, Spiritual Gems, Bible Reading
-
Apply Yourself to the Field Ministry —
Student assignments (Initial Call, Return Visit, Bible Study, Talk, etc.)
-
Living as Christians —
Talks, Discussions, Local Needs, Congregation Bible Study
If you have an assignment in any of these sections, it will be highlighted with a
colored background and a icon so you can
easily find your part.
Weekend Meeting Detail
The Weekend Meeting detail page shows the full schedule for the public meeting, including:
- Chairman and Opening/Closing Prayer
- Public Talk — Speaker name and talk title/number
- Watchtower Study — Conductor and Reader
- Additional assignments such as Hospitality and if set Translator
As with the midweek meeting, your assignments are clearly highlighted so you can
quickly see your parts.
Custom Schedule Detail
Custom schedules are additional congregation schedules created by your admin, such as:
- Cleaning schedules
- Attendant schedules
- Audio/Video assignments
- Lawn maintenance
- Any other congregation-specific schedule
Custom schedule details display in a table format showing all the assignments.
Your name is highlighted wherever you appear in the schedule.
Note:
Only custom schedules that your admin has enabled for the Publisher Portal will appear.
If you don't see a particular custom schedule, ask your admin to enable it.
Special Events
Some weeks may have special events that affect the regular meeting schedule. These are shown
with a special badge on the schedule list:
- Circuit Assembly — No regular meeting this week
- Regional Convention — No regular meeting this week
- No Meeting — Meeting cancelled for this week
- Memorial — Special Memorial week
During special event weeks, the View button may not be available since there is
no regular schedule to display.
Managing Your Profile
The My Profile page allows you to view and update your personal information.
Editable Fields
| Field |
Editable |
Notes |
| First Name |
Yes |
Required. Used for matching your assignments. |
| Last Name |
Yes |
Required. Used for matching your assignments. |
| Email |
No |
Display only. This is the email you used to register. |
| Mobile |
Yes |
Optional. Your mobile phone number. |
| WhatsApp |
Yes |
Optional. Your WhatsApp contact number. |
Important — Name Matching:
Your First Name and Last Name are used to match you to your
schedule assignments. Make sure your name matches exactly how it appears on the schedules
(the match is case-insensitive). If you change your name, your assignments will be matched
using your new name going forward.
Name Uniqueness:
Your First Name and Last Name combination must be unique within your congregation.
If you receive an error saying the name is already in use, please contact your
account administrator.
How Assignment Matching Works
The Publisher Portal matches you to your schedule assignments using your
First Name + Last Name combination. Here's how it works:
- The system compares your profile name with the names listed in the schedules
- Matching is case-insensitive (e.g., "john smith" matches "John Smith")
- Your name must match exactly as it appears on the schedule (no partial matches)
- The match is scoped to your congregation only
Example:
If your profile name is John Smith and the schedule shows
"John Smith" as the Bible Reading student, you will see a
star on that week and your part will
be highlighted on the detail page.
Troubleshooting
I can't see the Publisher Portal
- Make sure you have been invited and accepted the invitation
- Your admin must grant you Publisher Portal permission in User Management
- Try logging out and logging back in
My assignments are not showing up
- Check that your First Name and Last Name in your profile match exactly how they appear on the schedules
- Go to My Profile and verify your name is correct
- Ask the brother scheduling to confirm how your name is entered on the schedules
- Remember: matching is case-insensitive but the full name must match
I don't see a particular custom schedule
- Custom schedules only appear if your admin has enabled them for the portal using the "Show on Portal" option when creating or editing custom schedules
- Ask your admin to check the custom schedule settings
I get an error when updating my profile
- Make sure First Name and Last Name are filled in (both are required)
- If you see a "name already in use" error, someone else in your congregation may already have that name combination. Contact your admin for assistance.
- Phone number fields (Mobile, WhatsApp) must be in a valid format if provided
The schedule shows "No schedules available"
- This means no schedules have been created for the current or future weeks yet
- Your scheduler may not have generated the schedules yet
- Check back later or ask your scheduler when schedules will be available
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a subscription to use the Publisher Portal?
No. Only the account owner needs a paid subscription. As an invited publisher, you access
the portal through the owner's subscription at no additional cost.
Can I edit the schedules?
No. The Publisher Portal is read-only. Only schedulers and administrators can create and
edit schedules. You can only view schedules and manage your own profile.
Can other publishers see my contact information?
No. The schedules only show names. Your mobile number, WhatsApp, and email are
private and are not visible to other publishers.
How far in advance can I see my assignments?
You can see all schedules from the current week onward, as long as your scheduler has
created them. There is no limit on how far ahead you can view — it depends on how
far in advance your scheduler generates the schedules.
Can I view past schedules?
No. The Publisher Portal only shows the current week and future schedules. Past weeks
are automatically hidden.
What if my name has changed?
Update your name in My Profile. Your new name will be used for matching
going forward. Ask your scheduler to also update your name on future schedules.
How do I get access to the Publisher Portal?
Ask your congregation's account owner or administrator to invite you through
User Management. They will send you an invitation email with
a link and a security code to accept the invitation.
Summary
The Publisher Portal makes it easy to stay on top of your meeting assignments.
Key points to remember:
- Access the portal by signing in and clicking Publisher Portal from the menu
- See all upcoming assignments with indicators
- Click View on any date to see the full schedule with your parts highlighted
- Keep your profile name accurate so assignments match correctly
- Only names are shown on schedules — your contact information stays private
- The portal is read-only — you can view schedules but not edit them
If you have questions not covered in this guide, please contact us at:
info@oclmsoftware.com