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How To Use This Site

Welcome Palo Alto High School 1961 classmates!

If this is your first visit, read below to see how to get started. Make your profile page and personalize it by adding pictures, YouTube Videos, and Playlists. Discover how to do it all right on this page!

As time goes on, please remember to keep your profile up-to-date with current contact information, and enjoy using this site as a portal to reconnect with old friends between graduating years. Click on a link below.

 

How do I get verified?

Why do I need to be verified?

Can I join the site even if I don’t plan to attend a reunion?

Married Couples - Sharing the same email address for login

Getting started

Don't let our emails go into your junk folder

Forgotten Password

What is "Remember Me"?

Trouble with email and password login

Change of email or snail mail address

Using the website

Homepage

Questions

How to upload pictures to your profile

How to delete a photo from your profile

How to put a YouTube video on your profile page

How to put a playlist on your profile page

Member Functions

Forum Etiquette

Live Chat

Instant Messaging

What Screen Resolution is recommended for Instant Messaging?

Private Chat

Changing your Instant Message status

Can I turn off my Instant Messaging (IM) feature temporarily?

Disable Instant Messaging

Can the IM window be moved?

Can I start more than ONE (1) Private Chat?

Will IM work on my IPhone or SmartPhone?

 

How do I get verified? When you register and save your Classmate profile, an email alert is sent to the Site Administrator.  As soon as the administrator receives it, they may send you an email with several questions for you to select from to validate that you were in fact a member of Palo Alto High School.  If you do not know the answers to any of them, do not fret, but simply send them back a message that you do not know the answer.  They will have several more questions that they can send back as alternate questions. After you reply with the correct information, they will then verify your account and notify you via email of your activation into the system.   If all else fails, someone will call you to verify your account. 

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Why do I need to be verified? We want a website home where people feel more comfortable participating without fear of search engines accessing their information or 'trollers' pretending that they are a classmate when in fact they are not - which does happen on some of the other sites.  So, although this may be somewhat time consuming or cause a bit of a delay, our hope is you will see the value in it for us all of us.

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 Can I join the site even if I don't plan attend a reunion?  Yes. Even if you do not plan to attend a reunion, it is hoped that there are old friends on this site that you would like to reconnect to and for that purpose you can still join the site.

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Married Couples - Sharing the same email address for login:  Married couples who share the same email address: Make sure you each have unique passwords for your logins. This is how the website differentiates you.

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GETTING STARTED: Please take a few minutes of your time to create your Classmate Profile. Click the Classmate Profiles tab in the top left navigation. You will be taken to a listing of the GBHS class of 1975. Click on your name and follow the instructions to create your login.  If you cannot find your name on the Classmate Profiles page, please use the Contact Us page to have your name added. Once you create a profile, you will also be able to see the profiles of your fellow classmates and interact with them. You don't have to finish your profile all at once. Come back whenever you want to add to or update your information, or add more photos.

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DON'T LET OUR EMAILS GO INTO YOUR JUNK FOLDER: Please add (or allow) the following email address to your "Safe Senders" list so that your spam blocker will allow emails notifications from this website: noreply@Classcreator.net

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FORGOTTEN PASSWORD: If you forget your password, just click on the "Forgot Password?" retrieval feature under the login feature, and it will be emailed to you.

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WHAT IS "REMEMBER ME"?: If you click "Remember Me" when you log in, you will not need to log in next time you go to the site. You can log in from computers other than your home computer but you will need to enter your password. On computers that you're planning on using in public places such as libraries, do not check this.

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TROUBLE WITH EMAIL AND PASSWORD LOG IN: Your computer is not retaining cookies.  A cookie is a little piece of data stored on your hard drive and is used by Class Creator to maintain the login system. Although cookie problems are rare, when they do occur you have several resolutions. Try any of the following:

  • Make sure you are logged into your web site.
  • Upgrade your browser to the most recent browser.
  • Switch browsers. For instance if you are using Internet Explorer, try Firefox.
  • Clear your Temporary Internet Files (cache) and clear your current cookies so you are starting fresh. Click here for instructions for clearing browser cookies.
  • Make sure you are doing nothing to block cookies on the web site. Our login system depends on cookies working. If you are blocking cookies in general, you need to at least permit them for this web site so you can log in.
  • Reboot your computer.

Aren't cookies bad? Answer: No. The "cookie scare" of the late 1990s was largely based on misconceptions that cookies stored on your computer's hard drive somehow violated privacy. Erroneous information regarding cookies has long since been corrected, and cookies are a common programming practice used today by some of the Internet's largest websites. There is nothing that our website does with cookies that will in any way jeopardize your privacy, store personal information about you, or submit your personal information to other websites.

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 CHANGE OF EMAIL OR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS: Please change your contact information when you get a new internet provider or move ... we don't want to lose you. We keep our Class List current by downloading your contact information from this website.

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USING THE WEBSITE

 

Homepage: This is where the main information and announcements are made. Your admins will email you when there is a new Survey or new Poll. Please participate.

 

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Questions: Just click on the "Contact Us" button and we'll reply within 24 hours if at all possible.

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How to upload pictures to your profile:

  1. You can upload .jpg, .gif, .bmp and .png files, but not .tif. An editing feature is within the software to help you edit your pictures. You can crop out anything you don't like. 
  2. When you are ready to add your picture to your personal web page, make sure you are logged in from the Home Page.
  3. In the links under the "person" icon, click on the link: Edit Profile
  4. The Photos for (your name) page will appear and you’ll see a box at the top titled: Upload New Photo. Click on it and you will be at the Upload page.
  5. Click on the box Add Files. A dialog box with a list of folders on your computer will appear. Locate (browse to) the folder that holds the picture you want to add. For most classmates this will be the My Pictures folder located in the My Documents folder. If you are in the icon view, change your view button (at the top) to show icons as pictures. This makes it easier to find the specific picture you want to upload.
  6. Click the Upload button to add the picture to your photos. You will now be back at the page Photos for (your name). The next step is to Sort your photos and add a Caption.
  7. Sort: The Sort number controls the order in which photos display on your page. There are 99999 sort numbers. If you assign Sort numbers 7, 45, 99999, 1, 300, your pictures will show in this order: 1, 7, 45, 300, 99999.
  8. Add a Caption: Caption is the description you write for your picture.
  9. If you want to choose one of your pictures to be your Master Photo, click in the Master Photo circle for that picture. Your Master Photo will appear in your emails and forum posts.
  10. Click the SAVE CHANGES button.
  11. Now go to your Profile page (Click on Classmate Profiles in the left navigation bar) and look for your picture and caption.
  12. If your photos are really large on your profile page and you would like them smaller, it’s easy to do. Go back to Edit/Upload Photos. Scroll down to the photo you want to resize. Click on the Resize button underneath the photo. A box will pop up. There will be a slider bar at the top of the box. Drag it to the left to make your photo smaller. When it’s the size you want, click Save. Return to Classmate Profiles and your profile page. If the photo isn’t smaller, click the Reload button on your browser (the button that looks like an arrow or arrows going in a circle) and it should reload and be a smaller size.

Shortcut for multiple pictures: If you are uploading several pictures that are in different folders, you can copy them to your desktop, then delete them later. Make sure you COPY, not move, your pictures, so you won’t delete the originals.

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How to delete a photo from your profile:  

  1. Choose EDIT/UPLOAD PHOTOS under MEMBER FUNCTIONS from the left-hand navigation column. All the photos on your profile page will be displayed.
  2. Click in the DELETE box above the picture(s) you wish to zap.
  3. Choose SAVE ALL CHANGES. A pop-up box will ask, "Do you really want to delete this 1 photo."
  4. Click "OK" and the photo(s) will be removed from your Profile Page.

If you are still having problems, please Contact Us.

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How to put a YouTube video on your profile page:

(Please note that if you know html, you can add videos and photos to any part of your profile page.)  

On the YouTube website, make sure your video is showing in the play box.

Example: you want to put "Graduation Day By The Four Freshmen" video on your site. (If you want to follow along, the URL is  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOVOllNHSis.) 

To the right of the video you’ll see a gray box, and near the bottom of this box is the grayed word “Embed.” To the right of "Embed" is a horizontal white box that contains the code for the video. When this code is placed  in the Video box on your Edit Profile page, the video player with your video will appear and classmates can view it from your page.

 

 Here are the steps to get the code on your page:

  1. With your mouse, left click once on the white window that contains the code. It should turn blue. (Alternately, you can move your mouse across the box until all the code turns blue.)
  2. On your keyboard hold down the CONTROL key (Ctrl) and press the  letter "C" key. This copies the code.
  3. On your Edit Profile page, locate the box "Videos."
  4. Place your cursor inside the box and left click with your mouse.
  5. Now press the CONTROL key and the letter "V" key on your keyboard. The Embed code will now appear in your box. The code should look like this:
    <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/OOVOllNHSis&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/OOVOllNHSis&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
  6. In the Video Description box just below, enter a name for your video or something about your video, like: “Remember Graduation Day?” This will appear just below your video.
  7. Now click the Save button and go view your page.

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How to put a playlist on your profile page:

The Playlist will also be placed in your Playlist box on your Edit Profile page. 

  1. Go to www.playlist.com and create an account, then start building your playlist by choosing songs or artists you like.
  2. Select and copy the code (Control/C) for your playlist at Playlist.com. Use "Get the code for any other social network" choice.
  3. Click in your Playlist and paste in the code (Control/V).
  4. Save your page. You should now be able to view it and hear the music play.
  5. If you stay logged in to Playlist.com and you find a song you like on someone else's playlist, you can click the add+ sign to add the song to your own playlist. Now enjoy listening to your favorite music.

For an example of a playlist you can look at the following profile

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MEMBER FUNCTIONS:

Member Functions: Edit Contact Info

Choosing this feature will allow you to view all of the contact information you entered into your contact information page. You can change your contact info anytime it is necessary.

Be sure to click the SAVE CHANGES tab at the bottom of the page when you have finished.

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Member Functions: Message Center

This feature lists all the emails you have received (IN BOX) as well as those you have sent (OUT BOX) through this web site. Your messages will remain in their respective boxes until you delete them.

A KEY at the top of both the IN BOX and OUT BOX shows symbols representing the status of an email. You will find one of these symbols to the left of each email listed.

Each listed email shows: (1). A box to check, (2). Its status; (3). Either who sent it to you (IN BOX) or who you sent it to (OUT BOX), (4). Subject and date of email, and (5). A red "X."

In both the IN BOX and OUT BOX settings, clicking on sender's name brings up that person's profile page and clicking on the subject brings up the actual email.

Clicking inside the box on the far left or on the red "X" on the far right, will turn the background red. This means that the email can be deleted by choosing the tab at the bottom of the page that says DELETE CHECKED THREAD.
 

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Member Functions: Edit Contact Info

Choosing this feature will allow you to view all of the contact information you entered into your contact information page. You can change your contact info anytime it is necessary.

 

Required fields of entry are:

1.    First Name

2.    Last/Maiden Name

3.    Primary Email. Enter email address. Email address also serves as site
login address.

 

Optional fields are:

 

1.    Alternate Email(s). Enter 1 or more email addresses, if you would like to receive duplicate copies of emails sent through the web site. If you only want 1 copy, leave these fields blank. Please note, only your primary email address can be used to log into the web site.

 

2.    Street Address. Your street address is visible only to the Site Administrator and is hidden from your Classmates unless you specifically choose to share this information in your Profile area.

 

3.    Street Address 2. Same street address privacy rules above apply to this field.

 

4.    City

 

5.    State/Province

 

6.    Country

 

7.    Zip/Postal Code

 

8.    Telephone. NNN-NNN-NNNN

 

9.    Cell Phone. NNN-NNN-NNNN

 

10. Birthday

 

11. Receive Emails

 

Note that we will never use personal information for anything other than contacting you regarding issues directly related to the Great Bend High School Class Of 1975 web site.


Be sure to click the SAVE CHANGES tab at the bottom of the page when you have finished. 

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Member Functions:  Edit Profile

Choosing this feature will allow you to change the information that shows on your profile page. Be sure to click the SAVE CHANGES tab at the bottom of the page when you have finished. You have the following controls over your profile:

 

Profile Visibility: Allow only fellow Classmates to view my Profile details. This will block the public and search engines from accessing your Profile. Leave this box unchecked if you wish to allow the public (friends, co-workers, family members, etc.) to view your Profile details.

Contact Details: Allow Classmates to see my address and phone number (this information is hidden from your Classmates unless you check this box).

Birthday: Allow Classmates to view my Birthday. This option allows Classmates to see your Date of Birth in your Profile and on the home page 30 days prior to your Birthday.

Classmate Comments: Allow Classmates to enter comments under my Profile. (Most users opt to leave this feature on. You have the ability to edit or delete any comments left under your Profile.) 

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Member Functions: Edit/Upload Photos

To add photos to your profile you must be able to locate exactly where the picture is on your computer. Most of the time, it will be in the folder titled MY PICTURES. Follow the directions further up on this page for adding, deleting, and editing photos. 

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Member Functions: Post Announcement

When you have information you think would be of interest to classmates, you can create your own announcement. The announcement will be forwarded to the administrator who will make it go live on the Home Page. 

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Member Functions: Profile Subscriptions

Place a checkmark next to each Classmate you wish to keep track of. When the Classmates you have selected update their profiles you will be notified via email. It's a great way to keep track of your friends

 

You can also subscribe to Classmates who have not yet joined the site, which will generate an email to you when the Classmate joins.

 

Subscribing to Profiles will also notify you when a Classmate has an upcoming Birthday. 

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Member Functions:  Change Password

If you wish to change your password, click on CHANGE PASSWORD under Member Functions. A page with 3 sections for you to fill in will appear.

  1. Type in your PRESENT password.
  2. Type in your NEW password.
  3. Type in your NEW password a second time.
  4. Click on SAVE button

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Member Functions: Log Out

The majority of our users select the "stay logged in" option when they log in. Therefore, they will always be logged onto the site until they click the LOG OUT link under Member Functions.
When somebody selects the option to stay logged in, our system allows the user to bypass the login screen when they come back to the site. If you LOG OUT, the next time you will need to enter your email address and password to get into the site. Also, if you access the site from a different computer (for example a laptop), you will need to reenter your email address and password next time you use your main computer.

If you forget your password, click on the forgot password below your log-in email name, and it will be emailed to you. 

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FORUM ETIQUETTE:
Forums are intended for reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, sharing memories and stories, as well as current interests. So let’s be courteous to everyone on our website. 

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Instant Messaging (IM)

In order to participate in Instant Messaging the only requirement is that you have the latest version of the Adobe Flash player. If anyone you're attempting to chat with is having trouble with the Instant Messaging feature, they should go to www.adobe.com and upgrade to the latest version of the Flash player.

The Members Online panel is positioned to the lower right of the web site. It can be expanded by clicking anywhere in the title (top bar) area. Clicking the title area again will minimize the window. To chat privately with a fellow member simply click his or her name in the Members panel. Each Member's name you click on will spawn a private messaging window as seen below. You can open up to 4 private messaging windows at any 1 time.

 

 

Chatting with another member is simple: Click your mouse anywhere in the bottom region of the window to enter your message then press your <Enter> key to send the message. That's all there is to it — you can now easily chat with fellow members as you browse the site.

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SCREEN RESOLUTION: For best results use a screen resolution with width of 1280 pixels or greater. Any of today's wide screen monitors will have at least a 1280 resolution. At this size the Members panel will never cover any site content. If you are using a smaller screen resolution the Members panel will cover site content, but it can be easily minimized or closed completely by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

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YOUR PHOTO: Your "Master Photo" is displayed at the top of the Members panel. All messages in the chat window are also preceded by your Master Photo. If you have no Master Photo you will see a default image. Your Master Photo cannot be set from within the Instant Messaging interface. To set your Master Photo click on the Edit/Upload Photos link on the web site and follow the directions on screen.

 

 

SEARCH FOR MEMBERS: If there are many members logged in at the same time, you can quickly search for members by clicking "Search for members" in the Members Panel and entering the first few letters of the member's name.

 

 

SOUNDS: A sound will be heard whenever a new member logs into the web site. Another sound will be heard every time a member sends you an instant message through the web site. Sounds can be disabled by clicking the speaker icon in the Members panel. 

 

ICONS

 Online

 Has not typed anything for 5 or more minutes

  Member is currently typing

Should you forget what the icons mean, hover your mouse pointer over them and the member's status will expand like this:

                                               

TIP: Hovering over a member's name will pop up a window allowing you to quickly jump to the member's Profile page.

TOOL BAR: The icons on the tool bar allow you to insert emoticons, bold and/or italicize your text, change font color, and quickly jump to these help instructions. You can also start a Private Chat session.  

PRIVATE CHAT: Clicking the "Private Chat" button in the tool bar allows you to jump to a larger private chat environment that allows the sharing of photos, webcam feeds, and YouTube videos. You can also invite additional members to the private chat. You can start as many Private Chat sessions as you'd like (as long as you can keep up)!

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CHANGING YOUR STATUS: At times you may not wish for members to see you online. In the Members Panel you can change your status to any of the following:

Online:   You are currently available and accepting Instant Messages.

Away:   You are online, but not currently at your computer.

Do Not Disturb:   You are online but wish to block incoming Instant Messages.

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Can I turn off my Instant Messaging (IM) feature temporarily? Yes. Click on the ‘X’ in the upper right hand corner of the IM Member online. You will get a pop-up saying: “You are about to turn off the Instant Messaging Feature. If you wish to turn it back on, simply close your browser and come back to our website.”  Once you come back to our website, you might have to log back in.

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 DISABLE INSTANT MESSAGING: If you wish to completely turn off the Instant Messaging feature you can do so by clicking on the Edit Profile link and deselecting "Allow other members to send me Instant Messages through the web site." If you disable the Instant Messaging feature your status will automatically be set to Invisible, no other members will see you online, and you will also no longer see any other members currently logged into the web site.

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Can the IM window be moved? No. It works best along the bottom of the screen. You can launch up to 4 IM windows at any one time. Although these windows do pop up in front of site content, they can be easily minimized or closed. You have full control over what IM windows appear and when.

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Can I start more than ONE (1) Private Chat? Sure you can. You can be in unlimited simultaneous Private Chats; if you can keep up with it.

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Will IM work on my iPhone or Smartphone? No. Most don't support Flash to this day. At least for the moment, if you want to IM you'll need to use a regular computer. We are working on a non flash version.

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Live Chat

 

LIVE CHAT INSTRUCTIONS

In order to participate in this Live Chat the only requirement is that you have the latest version of the Adobe Flash player. If anyone you're attempting to chat with is having trouble loading the Live chat, they should go to www.adobe.com and upgrade to the latest version of the Flash player.

PANELS DESCRIPTION

LEFT PANEL:

This is where conversation occurs. At the bottom of this panel is the Control Bar. The Control Bar is used for controlling various elements of your chat. Messages can be entered under the Control Bar. Pressing the Enter Key or clicking the Send button makes your message visible to all participants.

All messages in the conversation window are preceded by your "Master Photo". If you have no Master Photo you will see a default image. Your Master Photo cannot be set from within the Live Chat interface. To set your Master Photo click on the Edit/Upload Photos link on the web site and follow the directions on screen.

NOTE: New members joining the chat room will see the last 20 entries made by other participants, allowing them to quickly see the current conversation and begin participating.


UPPER RIGHT PANEL:

This is the "Media Window." Members in the chat room can use this window to share photos, YouTube videos, and live webcam feeds. These items can be shared by using the Control Bar.


LOWER RIGHT PANEL:

The Members panel shows who is in the chat room. To the right of each member's name you might see any of the following icons:

Currently participating
Has not typed anything for 5 or more minutes

Should you forget what the icons mean, hover your mouse pointer over them and the member's status will expand like this:

Member is currently typing.
Member is sharing a webcam.
Member is currently watching your webcam.

NOTE: All member names are clickable to their Profile pages. If you want to know more about the person you're chatting with, click on their name and their Profile will launch in a separate window.

 



USING THE CONTROL BAR

The Control Bar is used for sharing media and adjusting font, font size, and font color.

  Insert emoticons.
 
   
  Share a YouTube video with fellow members. To share a video, open YouTube in a separate browser window or tab. Find and play the video you wish to share. While watching the video select and copy the web address in your browser's address bar. You can also copy the "embed code" YouTube provides for sharing videos on other web sites. Return to the Live Chat window, roll over the YouTube icon, and paste the YouTube address into the white box. Click "Share" or press your Enter key to share your video with all participants in the chat room.
     
  Share a picture. You can enter the web address for any picture online you wish to share, or you can upload a picture from your own computer to share with fellow members.
 
   
 

Click the webcam icon to allow other participants to see you. If you want members to also hear you simply plug in a microphone. Whenever a participant shares a webcam, a webcam icon will appear next to their name in the Members panel. Click the icon to watch the feed. Click the webcam icon next to a different member's name to switch to a different feed. If you wish to turn your webcam off, click the "Stop Sharing" button on the monitoring window (if it's not currently open you may have to click the webcam icon on the Task Bar to open it again).

IMPORTANT: There is no 3 way or voice conferencing abilities in this Live Chat application. You can only watch 1 member's webcam feed at a time. Likewise each member can only watch 1 other member's webcam feed at a time. If you want a member to see and/or hear you, and you also want to see and/or hear that member, you must monitor the member's webcam feed, and the member must monitor your webcam feed. Pay attention to the watching icon () so you know when other members are watching your webcam feed.

Is there a way for 1 person to share audio and video with the entire chat room at once? There is. If one person (let's call this person The Presenter) wants to address the entire group of chat members, then all parties in the chat room should click on The Presenter's webcam icon. While all participants would be able to see and hear The Presenter simultaneously, everyone would need to type their responses back to the Presenter, because at most The Presenter could only see and hear one other person (because The Presenter too can only monitor one feed at a time like any other chat participant).

If you have your webcam monitoring window open while chatting you will see this symbol followed by the number of people who are currently watching your webcam.

NOTE: The webcam icon will only appear next to members' names who are sharing a webcam. If a user has not enabled a webcam, no webcam icon will be present.

     
     
    Use these font tools to select font, font size, bold, italic, and font color.
     
  Click the help icon at any time to return to these live chat instructions.

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