“hangout” sounds cool. It lets us get down there with the kids. Probably cool is the wrong word now, but you know what I mean. I was first introduced to hangouts while doing an online maths course where we were required to collaborate in groups. We oldies were lost. A charming teenager joined our group, instructed us in how to proceed, stayed long enough to make sure that we were OK, and then vanished. So kind. I just wish that I could remember what he taught us. We were mostly sharing documents rather than speaking face to face. Anyway, I too have similar bees.
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It’s in the diary. Sorry, but I shall be on the desktop PC, so that I shall be invisible. Imagine that I am nodding and waving my hands in the usual manner. Buy a camera for the desktop? Not a hope.
Sue
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Actually I’ve got one spare you could borrow but not much use at the moment of course as we’re all stuck at home now 
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Thank you, but…
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I shall aim to be there on Slack tomorrow - I’ve bought a second-hand tablet to help with working remotely etc & have put Slack on it, so we shall see 
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A quick reminder pawb about today’s #oxford-rhydychen-ssiw hangout starting in about 10 mins on Slack 
If you’re having problems getting in, post a message here - I’ll be trying to keep an eye on this thread as well
Sorry I can’t make this but hope to catch up with you all soon. Pob Lwc Bethan
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Helo pawb - after a rather mixed experience with Slack and Google Hangout on Wednesday, we’ll be trying out Zoom video conferencing for another virtual meetup tomorrow, Fri 27th
Sue and I experimented with Zoom today and after an initial glitch with my audio (hopefully now permanently resolved! ) it seemed to work quite well
The details you’ll need if you want to join in are below - hope you can make it and croesi bysedd pawb - what could possibly go wrong! 
Cofion gorau, John
John Williams is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
Topic: Oxford SSiW
Time: Mar 27, 2020 12:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 391 965 0662
One tap mobile
+442080806592,3919650662# United Kingdom
+443300885830,3919650662# United Kingdom
Dial by your location
+44 208 080 6592 United Kingdom
+44 330 088 5830 United Kingdom
+44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom
+44 203 481 5240 United Kingdom
+44 208 080 6591 United Kingdom
Meeting ID: 391 965 0662
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I was waiting until my day off today to try and set up Slack, so instead of that I’ve downloaded Zoom and it seems to work. The only thing is that my microphone seems very quiet, so we’ll have to see tomorrow if anyone can actually hear me!
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Hi @chris-roberts. On my laptop I too have a problem with the microphone. It works perfectly with Skype, but with both Slack and Zoom it is hopelessly quiet. If I turn both microphone and speakers up to maximum and yell at the microphone with my mouth almost touching it then it just about picks up something, but too quietly to hear properly. I hope that your problem is less extreme. I have explored every possible setting and followed all possible advice and hints, but nothing helped. I have “solved” the problem by using my desktop PC. Sound is fine, but there is no camera. I hope that you have better luck.
Sue
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Thanks Sue. I did actually have the same experience as you when testing - having to be shouting right next to it for the sound to be picked up, so that doesn’t bode well! I think I have a plug in microphone that might work or otherwise I could try with my phone or my ancient android tablet. Will have to experiment a bit.
Hi Sue. I’ve just noticed that my laptop doesn’t have an external microphone socket anyway. I’ve tried with a microphone that integrated with a pair of headphones, and that works but appears to be no louder than the one on the laptop. Also it turns out that my ancient tablet is too ancient to support Zoom.
I’ll see how it goes tomorrow, with the possibility of trying my phone as a last resort.
Hopefully you’ll be able to join us, if only as a disembodied voice!
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Hope you manage to connect tomorrow Chris!
You said you’d downloaded Zoom and it seemed to work - did the message saying that Zoom wasn’t supported come from the tablet or from Zoom itself? Can you remember how it was worded?
Hope you all manage to have a successful chat tomorrow. Life working from home with a 2 year old is interesting! Budget setting is now in full swing so I won’t be able to join you sadly. I hope to be able to catch up with you all in a week or two. By then you’ll all be pros with the technology! pob lwc
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Thanks, Ruth. Hope you had a good weekend in Rhiwlas!
Shame we won’t hear from you tomorrow Ruth! I’m set up for Zoom so hopefully will be able to join virtual meet up tomorrow! Edrych ymlaen i siarad gyda pawb! Diolch John. Hwyl Bethan
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Hi John. I got it working on my laptop but with what seems to be a very quiet microphone level, so I tried my tablet but that refused to download Zoom at all, saying that it’s not compatible.
I’ll try with the laptop tomorrow and see how it goes.
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There’s a bit of help with audio from Zoom in their FAQ’s here (hopefully these links work for all!) in case it helps :
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It was good thanks. Very lazy. Walk around Red Wharf Bay on the Saturday where it was very easy to keep distance from people on the giant sand flats. Sunday we stayed in the cottage just chilling out. Shame we didn’t do more toddler fun stuff on the Sunday but we’ll be back there again soon I’m sure.
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