Televent Information - Please Read

[Kev]

Hello,

Our first TELEVENT with guest speaker Vic Rothman, is scheduled for April 27th (Monday) at 8:30pm (Eastern).

In order to attend the event, members must have an account with Skype, a free download program that allows conference calls with 26 people at once. Since there will be a moderator, and the guest speaker, this leaves 24 openings for members to attend the event. We will take 30 requests to attend in the order in which they are received, with the last 6 requests as standby, should a member that requested within the first 24 not be able to attend.

Once you have downloaded Skype and have your contact name, go to your profile here and under "Forum Profile Information", add your Skype contact name. Once this is done, go to Kev's profile and click on his Skype link and send a request to be added as a contact.  Kev's Skype profile is being used as the portal for these events. It is via these contacts being added to this Skype profile, that we will be able to call you for the TELEVENT.

(IF YOU WISH TO INTERACT WITH OTHER MEMBERS AND THE GUEST SPEAKER DURING THE EVENT, YOU MUST HAVE A MICROPHONE - I bought mine at Walmart for $7.00. Anyplace that sells computer equipment will have them.).

Skype Download Site: www.skype.com

Look for the sign up thread.

If you plan on attending the event, simply reply stating your desire to attend. From the first 24 replies, we will compose the call list for the event. The remaining requests will be on standby and should be present at the time of the event, in case another member is not able to attend. Standby requests will be called in the order in which they are posted.

If you have any questions in regards to loading Skype or setting up the account, please direct them to Kev, Denise, Alan, Diane, and we will assist you.

Looking forward to seeing you at the event!

AOG Team

[Amber]

I'm trying to put the puzzle pieces together, I'm far from being a technology compatible person *. So If I want to talk to Vic I have to go and download a new program and buy a mic? Is that the only option to be involved or is there an alternative to those who want to 'watch/listen' to the program? Basically I'm not one or signing up to alot of things, hence if I say anything in the chat block it's always with the blank anonymous slot, and though I'd like to be aware of the interview I can't see myself buying microphones and getting on this program list to ask questions. As I see it I asked my two questions allready in type format in one of the topics here and I'm lost as to how I can follow this interview from a viewers perspective without a bunch of extra stuff happening. HELP?

[Kev]

You can participate without a mic, by listening only, though you will not be able to ask any questions or add any comments, as this is a teleconference and is completely transmitted vocally.

To join the conference, you do need to sign up and install the Skype program. Without it there is no way to connect you to the conference. The program is free, there are no costs to you at all, and it's very easy to install and sign up. When not in use, you can set it so you do not receive any calls from other members..you set the  controls as to how you want to use it.

We decided to go this route with our events as time is a premium for many people, and the time spent typing out questions and responses would severely limit the information that could be passed on during the event. While listening to the event, you can take notes of points of interest to you.

In my opinion, to get the most out of the experience, a mic would be beneficial, though not absolutely necessary if you have no plans of interacting during the event.