The Very Beginner’s Guide for Using Zoom to Stay Connected
Wait, what? We can’t leave the house! How can we stay in touch?
I recommend Zoom.
Here’s why – it’s the easiest way to connect with more than one person at the same time. Have you tried to use FaceTime with more than one person? It’s a nightmare…
What do I need?
A computer, phone or tablet & a connection to the Internet
I got invited to a Zoom call. What do I do?
It’s simple, if you received an email or text with a Zoom link, simply click the link. If you have not used Zoom before, you will see this window pop up:
If you press ‘click here‘, Zoom will launch the meeting and allow you to connect to the meeting using your browser – Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, etc. You do not need to download the app for the Zoom meeting to work.
Or you could choose to ‘download and run Zoom‘. This link will begin a download of the Zoom application. Once it is downloaded, it will begin the install process. Once it is installed, it will connect you to the meeting. Zoom is a small application and will not take much space on your computer.
PLEASE NOTE – the Zoom meeting invitation also includes a telephone number so if you cannot join with the video portion of the meeting, you certainly can call into the meeting to participate.
I’m connected, now what??
Once you are connected to the meeting, you will see a screen similar to the one below.
There is a toolbar at the bottom of the screen that allows you to change the settings for audio, video, participants, share a screen, chat, and record. If you are not the host (leader) of the meeting, not all of these buttons will be listed or clickable.
You will want to click on the ^ next to the Mute to turn the audio on or off, the same is true for the video. I find these features useful when you have a dog barking in the background that you might not want everyone on the call to hear!!! LOL
How do I see everyone on the call??
At the top of the screen, you will see the participants lined up like the image below.
If you want to change this to a gallery view, click on the Gallery View button in the top right hand corner of your screen.
Whomever is talking is who will be showing up in the large center area of the screen. If someone is leading the meeting, they may ask that the participants mute themselves so they will remain the focus of the meeting.
How do I leave a meeting?
Once the meeting is over, the meeting host will stop the meeting and you will be disconnected, you simply close that tab in your browser or close the Zoom app.
If you need to leave the meeting before it is over, if you go to the bottom of your screen (where the toolbar is), there will be a Leave Meeting red button on the bottom right hand side, this will disconnect you from the meeting.
What if I want to host a meeting? How do I get an account? Is it free?
Visit www.zoom.us & click on Sign Up for Free
On the free account, you can host a meeting for less than 3 people an unlimited amount of time. If you want to connect with more than 3 people, you are limited to a 40min call.
My suggestion – if you’re only going to meet a few people for 30 min, use the free one. If you want to meet with more people or have longer meetings, get the monthly subscription. See below for pricing options.
So, I got My Account! How do I set up a meeting?
There are two ways to setup a meeting. #1 – if you downloaded the Zoom app, you can open that & use the next few steps to schedule your meeting. #2 – you can schedule a meeting via your browser, that is my preferred way to do it & those steps are listed as well.
Method 1 – Schedule with your Zoom app, open Zoom and this is the first screen you will see.
You’ll want to click on the Meetings tab, and you will see this screen.
To schedule a meeting click on the + sign near the top of the screen, you will then get a screen that will allow you to set the topic, time, etc. (see example below) – when finished click Schedule. PLEASE NOTE: It is recommended that you put a password on your meetings to ensure no one else is able to join it.
Method 2 – Schedule your meeting via a browser – go to www.zoom.us & click on the Schedule a Meeting link at the top of the page. You will see this page.
You can fill in the details of the meeting, the name, the description, the duration, etc. Be mindful of other people’s timezones when you schedule. There is a section to turn on video for yourself and your participants – make sure you click On for each of those options – that’s kind of the point, right?? On the audio choice, click on Both — this will allow someone to join with the audio microphone on their computer or if they are on a phone, they can connect that way. We want everyone to hear and be heard!!!
Once you have your options selected, click on Save. Then you will see this.
This is a confirmation of your meeting and most importantly, the link you need to send your participants – Join URL. Stay on this page for the next step.
How do I invite people to join??
Click on the Copy the Invitation icon. You will see the following pop up.
Click the Copy Meeting Invitation button at the bottom of this pop up. This copies the whole invitation so you can paste it into an email.
Now go to your mail program, start a new email, & paste the information you just copied into the body of that email. Go to the TO portion of your email & add your participants emails there & then Send it off.
Now… meet!
Need Help?
I’m here to help! I can help you set up Zoom for sure BUT I can also help you with many of your IT needs such as:
- setting up a new computer
- figuring out where to store your data
- email challenges
- building/updating a website
You get the point, whatever you need, I’m here…
Give me a call for personalized service.
For more information on all of the services I can assist with, please go to http://www.exhaletechnologysolutions.com/
