Usually, you will receive an email from the person hosting the Zoom meeting. The body of the email text will look similar to this:
This reads [with comments in italic]:
Martin Fisk is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Martin Fisk’s Zoom Meeting
[where the host may set their own meeting name]
Time: Apr 20, 2020 11:00 AM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77451430052?pwd=OHU4UFR4bTdpU2h2UDV6b2JPdUpCdz09
[Just click this hyperlink in the invite AT THE MEETING TIME to join]
Meeting ID: 774 5143 0052
Password: 2yyUfu
[The meeting id and password are provided in case the hyperlink fails – you can then use these to join the meeting manually. You can usually ignore these]
Click on the long link starting https://, and Zoom will ask you to open the application:
Your name is how everyone in the videoconference will see you identified, so best for U3A purposes to enter your full name (you can change this easily if you are John Smith in U3A, but Uncle Jack in the family). Please do not leave this as the default device name, such as ‘iPad’ or ‘Fred’s iPad’.
You are now asked ‘“Zoom” Would like to access your microphone’. It is important to click ‘OK’. There is a later setting that allows you to switch this on and off for individual meetings:
The next question asks ‘”Zoom” Would Like to Send you Notifications’. Unless you particularly wish to be notified of events, we suggest you select the ‘Don’t Allow’ option:
You can see that you can change settings subsequently.
You should now see a message of this form:
This means the meeting has started and you are in a waiting room. The host is aware that you are there and can admit you to the meeting. This is a simple security measure to prevent mischievous interlopers.
You may now be asked to join with your Computer audio:
Click “Call using Internet Audio” in the middle of the window. You can always change this later.
You are now taken to the videoconferencing screen. You will see at the top of the screen a set of commands. On the right there is a microphone symbol allowing you to turn it on or off using Mute/Unmute options; next to that there is a video symbol – normally when you start this will show red, and be crossed through, meaning that your camera is not switched on, click on this symbol if red, but please note that you can switch off video if you are not ready, e.g. having a bath! (Silly as it seems, people have been known to take a shower in a videoconference!)
Zoom Controls
Congratulations – you have joined your first Zoom videoconference.