Course materials reserved for participants

A trainer runs a two-day workshop on bookkeeping for freelancers. Her materials (slides, Excel templates, videos) are in a shared folder. She wants participants to reach them easily, but not the link to spread freely on social media.

A short link, a password

She creates a /bookkeeping-workshop link to the folder and gives it a password. On day one, she shows the QR code on screen and writes the password on the board.

For participants:

1. They scan the QR or type the short address.
2. A simple page asks for the password.
3. Once entered, they land on the folder. For 24 hours, they won't need to type it again on that device.

The password is stored hashed: even Bref cannot read it back. And if someone shares the link without the password, it leads nowhere.

A new password for each session

Next session starts in a month? Change the password: devices already unlocked will need the new one. The materials haven't moved, nor has the QR on the slides.

Closing access at the end

Add an end date to the link, say a month after the workshop. After that, the link can show an expiry page, or redirect to the sign-up page for the next session. An elegant way to turn past participants into new customers.

Knowing whether the materials are used

The link's analytics show how often the materials are opened, and when. Lots of visits the night before the exam? Maybe it's time to offer a revision session.

A password on a link is not a safe: it prevents accidental sharing. For truly confidential documents, keep access rights on the folder itself too.