It occurred to us that people might feel intimidated by Zoom, the technology we are using for most of our online programs. Although it was new to most of us, we’ve been using it for staff meetings since we went online on March 13. Even our resident technophobe, Librarian Frank Connelly, has figured it out, so we decided he would be the best person to write instructions. They are included below. Also, we have Zoom Practice sessions every Wednesday at 4pm. We think it will be a no pressure way to get acquainted with this free software. You can attend the meeting, and say hello. Then you’ll know you’ve got it down. You can even fiddle with the controls to see how they work. We’ve already had several such meeting and attendees found it helpful. Zoom is free for you to use, but you do need to be invited to attend a meeting. Go to our Monthly Schedule and click on the Zoom Practice that is convenient for you. There will be a link to page where you can enter your email. We’ll send you an invitation the day before.
As promised, here are Frank’s instructions:
Getting Started with Zoom
- It’s a good idea to start about ten minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. You’ll get an email with “Zoom” in the subject heading. Click on that, then click on the highlighted address , the URL, under “Join Zoom Meeting.” If this is your first time using Zoom it’ll take to the app which you’ll need to download. Don’t worry, it will walk you through step by step.
- The next window will have the word “Launching” in the center. This is your opportunity to download the app, or open the meeting. A new window will ask for your name. Think of it as your name tag for the meeting. Then click “Join the meeting. Off we go.
- Okay, you’ve moved to a new window, where you’ll be asked to allow Zoom to open video and audio features. This is how you join the meeting and will be able to see, hear and talk to the others. Click to activate the features. “Join with Video” and “Join with Computer Audio.”
- You’re in the meeting now. If everyone has followed the instructions as well as you have, you should be able to see and hear the others in their own thumbnail windows. The person speaking gets the big screen.