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General => The Stay Safe Board => Topic started by: trystan on Monday 23 March 20 14:59 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
Here is a good article on how to set up video calls, so you can keep in touch with people that you know:
Link:
How to make video calls to stay connected (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to-make-video-calls-to-stay-connected-in-the-coronavirus-crisis-cj02fs95f?shareToken=215472705dc6ab3e4f5613bb6f7c8805)
It includes three different methods to do it, and it's step-by-step.
Have fun!
Trystan
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There doesn't appear to be anything attached to provide info.
Pheno
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Click on the link (line 3).
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Thanks for posting this, Trystan. It is exactly what I have been looking for.
William
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Oh sorry, I am used to links showing up in different font/colour/underlined so didn't hover.
Pheno
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It doesn't happen automatically on RootsChat postings. When you create a link you have to put in the underline yourself.
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Thanks Trystan, needed this. Brother just asked me to set something up so he can chat with our mum in her nursing home. Whilst I think I'm reasonably computer savvy, I haven't done any video calling, so this is a big help. :)
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thank you
xin
:)
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Thanks Trystan, needed this. Brother just asked me to set something up so he can chat with our mum in her nursing home. Whilst I think I'm reasonably computer savvy, I haven't done any video calling, so this is a big help. :)
Set it up yesterday - all working perfectly! Thanks again. :)
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excellent advice Trystan.
On a lighter note its a friend's 58th birthday today. I was having a text conversation with her this morning and she told me:
Just got what I think was supposed to be a video message from Mum and Dad but the camera was pointing at the carpet, was mostly them arguing about whether it was on or not and ended by them deciding they’d call later.
So they need to practise a bit but they'll get there, we can't always get things right first time :-)
Boo
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Just tried the link, but was apparently too late to read it. The Times message informed me that it had been free for a limited time, but if I wanted to read it now I would have to subscribe to the paper.
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Just tried the link, but was apparently too late to read it. The Times message informed me that it had been free for a limited time, but if I wanted to read it now I would have to subscribe to the paper.
See Step-by-step guide: How to video call your family
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51968122
Stan
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Thank you Stan, that's most helpful. My choir uses Zoom for meetings, but I'm a little nervous about security on Zoom - lots of scare stories about that at present.
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our local U3A had a trial yesterday of a service by jitsi
https://meet.jit.si/
Worked quite well. I used a laptop but at least one of the people used a smart phone.
I have now set up a virtual meeting room for our gardening group. Very easy to do. The hardest bit will be persuading the members to try using it. As well as seeing and talking to the people in the "room" you can share items on your desktop, so you can show photos, documents, power points to everyone.
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I have used Skype very often and very successfully in the past.
We use Facetime to see our Daughter and Grandkids.
On Wednesday we used Zoom very successfully to hold a meeting of our U3A Ukulele Group.
This is the main system you see on the TV video clips, for private use it is free.
Simply Register on the website, (do make a written record of the details you use and do not allow the Computer to remember these details).
Then Download and install the App.
If you are holding the meeting click on hold and it gives you a Meeting Reference Number and a Password, pass these to the people who you want to join the meeting. At the appointed time start up the meeting and accept those who have asked to join.
To join a meeting, click on Join, enter the Meeting Reference Number and click to Join.
Then enter Password and wait for the host to accept you.
Chat away.
There are controls in Settings (gearwheel symbol) in the App to test out your Video and Audio before you join the meeting and once live you can turn on and off video and audio if required by a click on the icons at bottom left of the window.
For our U3A Ukulele Group we chatted and when ready to play we would all mute our sound so that the instructor took the lead, set the tempo and sang and we all played along and sang at our homes. We had to do it this way because there is a slight lag in speech and video which is not noticed when just talking but playing an instrument in time with others and the lag soon makes itself known.
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When I looked into using Zoom, I'm sure it said you only got 40 mins free. If you wanted a longer meeting you had to pay quite a hefty subscription.
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When I looked into using Zoom, I'm sure it said you only got 40 mins free. If you wanted a longer meeting you had to pay quite a hefty subscription.
We used it for an hour without a problem but yes 40 minutes is the listed freebie period.
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My granddaughter (6) read "The tiger who came to tea" for me on Whereby yesterday. I think that her parents also use Whereby for business video conferencing, but it worked very well and simply for our conversation. Simplicity is essential for me!
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A weekly family quiz has become a regular event via Zoom; one of our tech-savvy daughters set it up. Good way to include grandchildren (our youngest being 8), 5 questions per team, weekly theme (next week food and drink). Last Sun we exceeded the free 40 minutes but were allowed to finish free. Teams dress up in costumes of their choice to reflect the theme. Great fun!
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Simply Register on the website, (do make a written record of the details you use and do not allow the Computer to remember these details).
Then Download and install the App.
If you are holding the meeting click on hold and it gives you a Meeting Reference Number and a Password, pass these to the people who you want to join the meeting. At the appointed time start up the meeting and accept those who have asked to join.
Tried this, but when I pressed hold meeting all I got was a real time picture of me. There was no information on reference number or passwords to give to people to join meeting. Also I did not see how I could do anything other than start a meeting straight away, there did not seem to be any facility to put in a date and time for a meeting. The schedule meeting dialog didn't seem to work - just froze up.
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There are plenty of How To videos on Youtube.
This is just one on using Zoom.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3Y_9FLgc4
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I am using Zoom for various different reasons..
Re the question of cost: My understanding is that a one to one is not subject to the 40 minutes restriction. This is one unit (as in iPad) to another unit there could be two or more of you on that unit.
It is only when it is multiple units connecting, that the 40 minutes applies - or the licence fee is paid, in which case no time restriction.
We had a Memorial talk for a friend who sadly died just before lockdown. Friends from all over, including US and Australia were able to link in. Once you've tried it a couple of times you wonder what we did without it! I have friends in their late 80s using it! (Very useful for keeping in touch with those who have been shielding too)
FS
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Hi
We had to miss our reunion for a friends special birthday but we arranged a time for a face time party as we grandly called it with our cakes and drinks in our various houses
We had a hilarious couple of hours of chat and fun with a memory quiz mostly guess the person or event or place etc with clues including photos and clue Reminder items shown or mentioned such as a pot cat
As we met when we started work you can imagine it was soMehta hilarious. We also sang Happy Birthday and had a birthday candle and pets and new homes and hobbies and music were swapped
A bit of fun among trying times
Take care
Emms