How much would it cost to set up a line on which forum members can talk via voice?

[CCitizen]

Please explain. I do not know if it is possible. I am a total newbie in all things related to video conferencing.

[Jophiel]

Video or voice? For voice, you could just make a Discord channel for free.

Discord | Your Place to Talk and Hang Out

[CCitizen]

@Jophiel

Video or voice? For voice, you could just make a Discord channel for free.

https://discordapp.com/

Thanks. Learning Discord. I have one friend there already.

[Chronos]

And for video, most folks nowadays are using Zoom, which can also be used for free (there’s a paid version with extra features, but you probably don’t need them).

[CCitizen]

@Chronos

And for video, most folks nowadays are using Zoom, which can also be used for free (there’s a paid version with extra features, but you probably don’t need them).

Is it only for classes? Can I just talk to people on Zoom?

[Telemark]

@CCitizen

Can I just talk to people on Zoom?

Yup. You can also use Facetime, Facebook messenger, WebEx, and a half dozen other platforms.

[Chronos]

Zoom is for “meetings”. One person involved has to set up the meeting, and then send an ID code to everyone else (via phone, text, email, whatever). Everyone else then uses that ID code to join that meeting.

The “meeting” could be a class (in which case it’s probably set up by the teacher), or it could be just friends chatting, and set up by whichever one of them wants to set it up. My extended family had a big Zoom meeting on Easter, set up by one of the cousins who happened to have the paid version (I think that allowed a larger number of people in the meeting-- My family is very large).

[PastTense]

Also Skype:

Skype (/skaɪp/) is a telecommunications application that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices, the Xbox One console, and smartwatches over the Internet. Skype also provides instant messaging services. Users may transmit text, video, audio and images. Skype allows video conference calls…

Skype allows users to communicate over the Internet by voice, using a microphone, by video using a webcam, and by instant messaging. Skype implements a freemium business model. Skype-to-Skype calls are free of charge, while calls to landline telephones and mobile phones (over traditional telephone networks) are charged via a debit-based user account system called Skype Credit.

Skype

[Dewey_Finn]

@Chronos

The “meeting” could be a class (in which case it’s probably set up by the teacher), or it could be just friends chatting, and set up by whichever one of them wants to set it up. My extended family had a big Zoom meeting on Easter, set up by one of the cousins who happened to have the paid version (I think that allowed a larger number of people in the meeting-- My family is very large).

My friend is a college professor, so he used the academic license for Zoom to host a Passover seder. But because his license was associated with his class, it appeared in the class schedule and a couple of the TAs crashed the virtual seder.

[puzzlegal]

My friends mostly use Google Hangouts. That only allows about 10 people at a time if you are doing video, though. My family and bridge group have been using Zoom, but if you want to include more than 2 people or more than 40 minutes, someone needs to pay for a license. It’s about $15/month and only one person in the group needs it. Discord is harder to set up, but it’s free and does good video or voice or screen sharing. At work I’m using Microsoft Skype and Teams, but I think those require paid software these days.

If you want something like Zoom but free, where groups of people can gather in the breakout room of their choice (video only in the breakout rooms, text in the entry-way) you could try the MIT media labs (free) Unhangouts.
https://unhangout.media.mit.edu/
But it only works with the latest version of Chrome and one other browser (I forget which, but I had a lot of trouble getting into it because I was using an older version of Chrome.)

What’s your goal? Do you just want a place for members of this board to hang out.

[CCitizen]

@Telemark

Yup. You can also use Facetime, Facebook messenger, WebEx, and a half dozen other platforms.

Thanks. Which is the easiest to learn in your opinion?

[CCitizen]

@puzzlegal

My friends mostly use Google Hangouts. That only allows about 10 people at a time if you are doing video, though. My family and bridge group have been using Zoom, but if you want to include more than 2 people or more than 40 minutes, someone needs to pay for a license. It’s about $15/month and only one person in the group needs it. Discord is harder to set up, but it’s free and does good video or voice or screen sharing. At work I’m using Microsoft Skype and Teams, but I think those require paid software these days.

If you want something like Zoom but free, where groups of people can gather in the breakout room of their choice (video only in the breakout rooms, text in the entry-way) you could try the MIT media labs (free) Unhangouts.
https://unhangout.media.mit.edu/
But it only works with the latest version of Chrome and one other browser (I forget which, but I had a lot of trouble getting into it because I was using an older version of Chrome.)

What’s your goal? Do you just want a place for members of this board to hang out.

Thanks. Indeed, I must learn Zoom.

[CCitizen]

@Chronos

Zoom is for “meetings”. One person involved has to set up the meeting, and then send an ID code to everyone else (via phone, text, email, whatever). Everyone else then uses that ID code to join that meeting.

The “meeting” could be a class (in which case it’s probably set up by the teacher), or it could be just friends chatting, and set up by whichever one of them wants to set it up. My extended family had a big Zoom meeting on Easter, set up by one of the cousins who happened to have the paid version (I think that allowed a larger number of people in the meeting-- My family is very large).

Thanks. I will learn Zoom.

[puzzlegal]

A paid subscription to zoom is something like $15/month, but it’s extremely easy to use, and I haven’t seen a real failure yet (where a failure is someone who wants to join and isn’t able to.)

[CCitizen]

@Dewey_Finn

My friend is a college professor, so he used the academic license for Zoom to host a Passover seder. But because his license was associated with his class, it appeared in the class schedule and a couple of the TAs crashed the virtual seder.

Thanks. I am also Jewish.

[CCitizen]

@puzzlegal

A paid subscription to zoom is something like $15/month, but it’s extremely easy to use, and I haven’t seen a real failure yet (where a failure is someone who wants to join and isn’t able to.)

Sadly, I am stuck with Forums – Internet of the year 2000 CE. I will learn Zoom.

[Telemark]

@CCitizen

Thanks. Which is the easiest to learn in your opinion?

They’re all pretty easy to use for the basic service. If your group is on Facebook, then Messenger is probably the easiest. But Zoom and Skype are pretty straightforward.

[puzzlegal]

@Dewey_Finn

My friend is a college professor, so he used the academic license for Zoom to host a Passover seder. But because his license was associated with his class, it appeared in the class schedule and a couple of the TAs crashed the virtual seder.

:lol:

I’ve been using an academic zoom license for some stuff (although we used my brother’s license for Passover) but thankfully, it’s just associated with the university, not with any particular class.

[PastTense]

Shopiwave reported for spam.

[Chronos]

Quoth puzzlegal:

My family and bridge group have been using Zoom, but if you want to include more than 2 people or more than 40 minutes, someone needs to pay for a license.

I think that was true a few weeks ago, but with so many people using it, they’ve expanded what you can do with the free version. As of April 4th, I had a meeting of an hour and 15 minutes, that I set up using the free version.