You will be provided with a link and a password for each meeting. These are single use only. Please do not try to use the link for a previous meeting. You can join on a laptop, desktop computer, tablet or internet enabled mobile phone. You do need to have inbuilt or external speakers in order to hear. Unless your device is very old, there should be no problem. If whatever you are reading this on makes a noise, it should work. If you want us to see you (pleasant but not essential), you also need a webcam, many devices will have these inbuilt. Occasionally, if your internet signal is very poor, or if others in your household are also online, you may have to turn your video off to improve the sound quality but you will still be able to see us. The procedure is slightly different on a phone but all you should need to do on another device is click on the link provided, click to join Zoom meetings and wait at least ten seconds. You will get a ‘if nothing happens click here’ message but you probably won’t need to do this – something should happen! Then it will ask if you want to join with computer audio – you do. Unless you are using a phone, there should be no need for you to download the Zoom software/app. You may or may not be asked for the meeting password. There will be a short wait while the host admits you to the room.
You can click on the link at any time to practice. It will just say that the host has not yet started the meeting.
There are a few things to be aware of. If your camera is on, we can see behind you. Do warn others in your household not to pass by in a state of undress. Please do not have a television/radio/loud washing machine/noisy child on in the background. If two of you are sharing a device, please remember that we can all hear what you are saying to each other immediately you enter the room. You will be muted by the host during the presentation itself but be prepared to turn your microphone off during the questions if there is external noise in your room. If two people in the same household wish to join on different devices, please could you sit in different rooms; this is to avoid problems with feedback, alternatively, one of you will need to join without audio (just being muted doesn’t work).
Please do not be afraid of the Zoom platform. You may have seen some adverse publicity but be assured that reported untoward incidents were either those that took place before a major upgrade of the software to fix the security issues, or because the host had not put security measures in place. Our meetings are password protected. The links are not publicly advertised, only the speaker is allowed to share their screen and no recording of the meeting is allowed. There will be a host monitoring the proceedings and they are able to remove anyone from the room at any time.
Many thanks to the Devon Family History Society who prepared this guide, and who have allowed us to share it, as it makes perfect sense and there is no need for us to “reinvent the wheel” !