Google Meet

Important note for live Google Meet conferences:

When hosting a live web conference, Google Meet will display the face of the person speaking. It determines who's speaking based on whose microphone pics up sound. If a dog barks in the background or someone coughs, it is assumed they are speaking, and their image wil be flashed on the screen. This can result in unnecessary people being displayed on the screen, potentially distracting attention away from the speaker. As a result, it is best to have everyone mute their microphone unless they need to speak. The meeting host (the person who started the meeting) can mute anyone's microphone by clicking the mic icon next to the participant's name in the participant list. For privacy, only the participant can un-mute their mic.

This becomes very important when recording Google Meet conferences for later viewing.

Ways to start a Google Meet

Meets can use either a "nickname" or a Meeting ID. Only dallaschristian.com users can access meetings via nicknames. External (non-DC) users must use the Meeting ID. Meeting IDs are in the form "xxx-xxxx-xxx" and can be found in the meeting URL (http://meet.google.com/xxx-xxxx-xxx.) Anyone, including non-DC users, can use Meeting IDs to join a meeting - nicknames are simply easier to use and remember.

1. For an impromptu meeting, simply visit http://meet.google.com and click the JOIN OR START MEETING button. When prompted, you can enter a "nickname" that can be used by anyone that wants to join this video conference. It's not case-sensitive, and any spaces will be deleted (so "Todds Place" will be converted to "toddsplace",) so keep it simple and use all lowercase and no spaces. Every conference gets a unique ID that can be seen when you connect to the conference, but the nickname is easier to remember.

2. Create a unique link / URL using a "nickname": http://g.co/meet/{nickname}. Dallas Christian participants can connect to the meeting using the nickname or the URL. External (non-DC) users can still connect to the meeting URL using the Meeting ID.

3. Create a calendar appointment and include CONFERENCING. This will create a valid link at that time that can be shared with the participants in advance. There is no way to use a nickname in conjunction with scheduling an event using the calendar.