Thursday, September 30, 2010

Windows Meeting Space

Posted by OurTech Team | Thursday, September 30, 2010 | Category: |



Imagine that you and four of your colleagues are traveling to Hawaii for a conference where you will give a presentation to your company’s top brass. As you wait in the airport, you’d all like to work together (or collaborate) on the slides for the presentation.



Everybody’s got their two cents to add. Rather than having all of them leaning over your shoulder, you can use Windows Meeting Space to set up a collaboration session. Everyone can see and make changes to the slides on their own laptop and everyone always has an up-to-date copy of the slides. When you’re done editing the slides, you can do a practice run-through of your presentation using the presentation feature in Windows Meeting Space. With all the time you’ve saved, you’ll be able to head for the beach a lot sooner!

Starting off

To set up a collaboration session (or meeting), you’ll need a network. Don’t have one? No problem. If no network exists, Windows Meeting Space automatically sets up an ad hoc network—a temporary network to be used for the duration of the meeting. You can collaborate anywhere—even at the beach (unless the light's too bright to see your laptop screen).
A couple of notes before you start:

  • Make sure all the laptops have network connectivity or wireless network adapters .
  • If any of the laptops are connected to a domain, start the meeting on one of those laptops. Not sure if your laptop is connected to a domain? Follow these steps:
    1. Open System by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking System.
    2. Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, you will see either "Workgroup" or "Domain," followed by the name.


  1. Open Windows Meeting Space by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking All Programs, and then clicking Windows Meeting Space.
    If this is the first time you've opened Windows Meeting Space, you'll be asked to turn on some services and sign in to People Near Me. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. To learn more, see People Near Me: frequently asked questions.
  2. Click Start a new meeting, type a name and password for the meeting, and then click the green arrow Picture of the arrow button.
  3. If you don’t have a network, on the opening screen after you click Start a new meeting, click Options, and then select the Create a private ad hoc wireless network check box.
  4. If you want to change visibility or network options for the meeting, click Options.
Picture of the Windows Meeting Space windowTo start a meeting, type a meeting name and a password
Okay, you’ve set up the meeting. Next comes the fun part—having everyone else join the meeting so you can start collaborating on the presentation.
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Joining a meeting

To join the meeting you set up, all your co-workers need to know is the meeting name and the password. To join a meeting:
  1. Open Windows Meeting Space by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking All Programs, and then clicking Windows Meeting Space.
  2. Click Join a meeting near me, select the meeting you want to join, type the password for the meeting, and then click the green arrow  Picture of the arrow button. (If your co-workers are not all in the same location, you can also invite them to your meeting by clicking Invite people in the Windows Meeting Space window.)
Picture of the screen on which you join a meetingTo join a meeting, just select it from the list of meetings
Now that everyone has joined the meeting, let’s talk about some of the features you can use to work on the presentation together.
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The bells and whistles

To start working on the presentation, drag it into the Handouts area in the lower right corner of the Windows Meeting Space window. Everyone in the meeting can edit and save it, and everyone gets an updated copy of it. This is a great way to work together on a document or presentation without getting confused over which changes are the most recent.
Picture of the Handouts areaShare a document by dragging it to the Handouts area
Need to talk to someone in the meeting one-on-one? You can send a quick private note. Under Participants, right-click the person’s name, and then click Send a note. For a text note, just type it and click Send. For a quick sketch, click Ink, make your sketch, and then click Send.
Picture of the Send a note windowIt’s easy to send a quick note to someone else
When you’ve made all the changes you want, it’s time to run through the presentation. In the Windows Meeting Space window, click Share a program or your desktop. Other people in the meeting can now see your desktop. Click Browse for a file to open and share, and then select your presentation.
Picture of the window where you can select something to share or browse for a fileSelect something to share, or browse for a file
A new window opens showing your presentation, with a menu bar at the very top of your screen.
Picture showing the menu bar at the top of the screenUse the menu bar at the top of your screen to select more options
The menu bar gives you some additional options, such as connecting to a network projector if one is available, or pausing your sharing session. For example, if you are practicing the presentation and it's someone else’s turn to speak, click Give Control to give control of the presentation to that person. When you give control to someone else, they are in charge of the presentation and can advance the slides. If someone is too long-winded, you can just take back control. (Too bad we don’t have a control like this in our daily lives!)
Picture showing the Give Control option

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