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Chat Help

Chat Help Home :: How to Communicate

How do I start chatting?
  1. Go to Voice Chat at http://www.parkinsonprofile.com/chat/ and enter your Username and password.
  2. If you have multiple aliases, choose the one you want to use in this chat session.
  3. Select an area in which to begin chatting.
  4. Press the "LOGIN" button and type away!

Tip: Don't see any chatting on the screen? Make sure that you have enabled Java in your browser.


 

When I come to the chat page a grey box pops up asking "Do you want to install "host2.Glassroom....." What's happening?

This is harmless. Click yes to install our small chat program.  It installs the Glassroom Voice Control Active X into your computer

 

Are private messages written to any transcripts?

No. Private messages are kept private and can only be viewed by the users who send the message and their intended recipients.

 

Can private messages be viewed by anyone else not in the private session?

No. Private messages are kept private and can only be viewed by the users who send the message and their intended recipients. Please be advised that it's simply illegal for the administrator of the chat to keep a log of or to view the private messages, and the software does not keep any logs of these messages for this very same purpose.

 

How do I move from room to room on the Glassroom server?

To move from room to room, click on the "Rooms" tab on the right side of the Glassroom chat area. This will display a list of available rooms for you to move to. Double-click on a room name and your will move there.

The name of the room you are currently in always appears at the top of the rooms list in the Glassroom client.


 

I was in the Glassroom and then the chat window stopped updating. I can still hear the Glassroom audio, but the chat is dead. What can I do?

In rare circumstances, your connection to the Glassroom server can get broken. If this happens, you'll still be able to hear the audio stream but you won't see anything new in the chat window. To fix this, you have to quit out of Netscape or IE (not just minimize the window) and then log back into the chat server.

 

Can I get a virus by participating in a chat, like Glassroom?

It depends on the chat client. Some chat clients have the capability for others to see what's on your hard drive and share documents. Those clients absolutely open you to the possibility of picking up viruses. Most chat clients, such as the Glassroom client that we use, in no way open your machine up to viruses. We have never heard of an Glassroom client (or Java client, for that matter) downloading and installing viruses on the computer.

However be very careful when opening the files that are uploaded by other members. As a rule of thumb:

A. Only open files from the users you know.

B. Only open the graphic, audio and video files, such as ,GIF, .JPEG, RA, etc. These files can not possibly have a virus contained in them.

C. Never open an EXE, or DOC, HTML, or Java file!


 
How do I talk in a Voice Chat room?
When you are in a the chatroom, you'll see what other people are saying displayed in the main chat window. Below the main chat window, there is a line where you can type what you want to say in the room. Just hit the Enter key on your keyboard to say what you have typed on the line.

To change the color of your messages, click on the icon marked "A" on the top of the chat. The command for that color will be transferred to the chat line and the message you type will be displayed in that color.


 
How do I send a private message to someone?
If you are chatting in a room and want to talk privately with one of the other chatters, double-click on the person's name in the Chatters list. This will open up a private message (PM) box where you can communicate with this person.

 
How do I change rooms?
Click the "Rooms" button under Tools in the top-left corner of the chat window. The button will display the room list. When you find a room you like, just double-click on it and you will go straight there.

 
How do I create a room?
If you don't see a room that interests you, create your own room. Click on the button Rooms. at the bottom of the rooms you can find the link to create a new room called "Create"

When creating a room, you have 2 choices for the room type:

  • Public rooms are added to the User Rooms listing and allow anyone to enter.
  • Private rooms are listed in the User Rooms list, but people have to have a password to get in and join your conversation.

Once you have chosen a room type, name your room and type in a message that will greet your friends when they enter.

Clicking on the "Create My Room" button will open the room and take you right there.

If you want to make a PRIVATE room, make sure to enter a password in the password field.

Remember that user-created rooms are not permanent. If you are the only occupant of a room and you exit or change rooms, the room will automatically be deleted.


 
How do I ignore someone?
You can ignore a person if they are posting a lot of messages or sending you unwanted messages. If you ignore someone, you won't see what they say in the chat window and you won't receive private messages from them.

Ignore someone by clicking on their name ONCE on the chat screen itself, and checking the "Ignore" box.

To take someone off your Ignore List while they are still in the chat room with you, simply highlight their name in the Chatters box and then click "Ignore" box once more.


 
How do I view someone's profile?
To view the profile of someone in your chat room, click on their name. Then click on the profile icon. The profile of the person will show up in the main chat window.

If the person whose profile you want to see is offline, you can always go directly to the profiles section of the site to search for them.


 
How do I change fonts?
You can change the type and size of the font used for the messages in chat. You'll find these settings under the "Preferences" button above the chat message line.

Click "Preferences," choose the font and size from the two menus, and then click "Save."

Note: The recommended font size for normal vision is between 10 and 14.


 
How do I start voice chat?
If your computer has the required hardware and software, when you enter a chat room an icon appears on the corner of your name in the chat window that indicates that the voice feature is active. The Talk button in the Voice bar at the bottom of chat window will also turn green. To turn the voice ON, click on the Green button.

If the button remains gray and does not respond to mouse clicks, the voice feature has not been activated because the room will not support voice, there is a problem with your computer's sound system, or there is a problem communicating with the voice server. You should see a Voice Error message displayed in the chat window which identifies the problem.


 
How do I talk in a chat room?
If you have a microphone connected to your computer, push and hold down the Talk button. When you are finished speaking, release the button. When your voice is being transmitted to the voice server, you will see the level of your voice displayed on the input level meter (the meter on the left).

You may speak at any time, but others in the room will only hear you if no one else is speaking at the same time, so wait for a pause in the conversation before speaking. You may interrupt the person that is speaking, but only that person will hear you and only if no one else is trying to interrupt at the same time.


 
How do I know when someone is talking?
As soon as the voice feature is activated, you should be able to hear others in the chat room as they speak. When someone is speaking, you will see a microphone displayed on their name and the output level meter (the rightmost sound level meter) displays the fluctuating sound level of the speaker's voice.

If you do not hear anyone speaking, but see names being displayed on the Voice bar, please see "Why can't I hear anyone?"

Adjust the output volume using the slider at the right end of the Voice bar. To temporarily mute the audio output, click the mute button. While the output is muted, you will not hear someone speaking, but their name will still be displayed.


 
How do I mute another person's voice?
If you do not wish to hear a particular person, mute them by using the Ignore feature. Simply click on that person's name in the Chatters list and press the Ignore button.

If you ignore someone, you will not see their text messages or hear their voice. Others in the room who have not ignored the person will continue to hear them, however. To un-mute someone you have muted, select their name from the Chatters list and press the Ignore button.


 
Using AOL
AOL users need version 4.0 or higher of the AOL software to use Voice Chat. To find out which version you have, open your browser's "Help" menu and choose "About America Online." If you don't have version 3.0, upgrade to the latest version free of charge. Simply go into AOL and choose keyword "Upgrade."

If you have version 4.0 or higher and Windows 95/98/NT or a Macintosh, simply click on "Start Chat" to enter Chat.

If your AOL browser is compatible and you still can't run the Java software, make sure that your settings are correct.

AOL 3.0

  1. Select "Preferences" from the "Members" menu in America Online.
  2. Click on the "WWW" button, and then select the "Security" tab.
  3. Make sure that there is a checkmark in the "Enable Java programs" box.
  4. Also, make sure that compressed graphics are turned off. To do this, click the "Web Graphics" tab and uncheck the "Use Compressed Graphics" box.
  5. Click "OK" when you are finished.

AOL 4.0:

  1. Click "My AOL" and then choose "Preferences."
  2. Click the "WWW" icon, and click the "Web Graphics" tab.
  3. Make sure that you are not using compressed graphics. To do this, uncheck the box next to "Use Compressed Graphics."
  4. Click "OK" when you are finished.

For further help with AOL settings and features, please contact AOL online help directly.

Please Note: Although we have done our best to make it compatible, our software does not work perfectly with AOL. We apologize for any problems or delays you experience.


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