MHAA Zoom Guide

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic MHAA switched (temporarily?) to using Zoom for on-line meetings and even star parties.   Using Zoom is easy, and you do not have to be a member of MHAA or have a Zoom account to participate in our public meetings.   Here are some simple guidelines for how to get started, how to join our meetings, and some suggestions for participation.

Getting Started

First, if you don't already have Zoom, you should download and install their client software.  To do so, visit https://zoom.us/, and pull down the "Resources" tab in the upper right corner to "Download Zoom Client".   Then find the file that was downloaded (probably in your Downloads folder) and double-click on it to install the software.

Joining a Meeting or Star Party

Once you have Zoom installed, you should be able to join our meetings just by clicking on the web link we will send out for the meeting.   If you have a problem with that link, you can join by starting the Zoom application (or going to https://zoom.us/ ) and entering the 10 or 11 digit meeting number and the event password.  Both the meeting number and password will also be distributed to everyone who signs up for the event on http://midhudsonastro.org  (which is our page on Meetup.com). 

During a Meeting or Star Party

With lots of people in a Meeting or at a Star Party it will help if you turn off both your audio and video when you are not talking.  If you'd like to ask a question or say something then you can turn on your video and raise your hand so that the person running the meeting can call on you.   (There is a "raise your hand" button for this, but turning on your video is likely to work better.)   If you don't want to turn on your video, you can also type your question or comment in the Chat window.   During on-line events we always have someone monitoring the Chat, and they will relay your question or comment to whoever is running the meeting.

Comments