FAQ about tekom Meetups

What are the tekom Meetups?

tekom Meetups is a platform for people working in the broad field of technical communication to exchange experiences. 

Who can participate in the tekom Meetups? 

tekom Meetups is intended at anyone who wants to participate in the exchange of experiences in the broad field of technical communication - both tekom members and non-members.

How can I join a Meetup group?

• First you have to be logged in. 
• tekom members use their usual login data to log in.  
• Non-members have to register in advance. 

Can I join more than one tekom Meetup group? 

Yes, you can join as many tekom Meetup groups as you like. Only the internal tekom groups that deal with internal work packages are limited - here, usually only a dedicated group of participants is allowed.

Are the events always online?

No, the events are not always online. There are Meetup groups and events that meet online, and other that meet in person on site. You will find a note to that effect at each event.

What languages do Meetup group events take place in? 

That's up to the group admin and the group's moderators. Meetup groups themselves are possible in various languages (e.g. tekom Europe-based Meetup groups will always be in English). It can also be the case that the language of events of one specific Meetup group varies depending on the moderator and speaker. You will find a note to this effect in each Meetup group and at each scheduled event.

How do online events work?

For online meetings we use BigBlueButton (BBB). Detailed FAQs about BBB can be found below. 
To join the online meeting, click on the event in the Meetup group. The access link will be visible 15 minutes before the event starts. If no moderator is present yet, participants will be waiting in a virtual waiting room.

Can I start a Meetup group myself? 

Yes, tekom members and non-members can start Meetup groups themselves.

• Log in first. 
• Hover over the "Login" field to go to the Quick access.
• From Quick access, select "Establish Meetup Group" and fill out the form. Remember to include your motivation text so our admins can understand your reason for starting a group.
• Click on "Send request for new Meetup Group.".Please be patient while the admins activate your new group. This may take 1-2 days and is only possible on business days. 
• After the admins have activated your new Meetup Group: Done! Now you can define more details for your new Meetup Group and set it to "live" so that it will be visible to other users.

Can I delete my user account at tekom Meetups? 

Yes, you can delete your tekom Meetups user account at any time. If you are a tekom member, you will remain a tekom member with this process. If you are not a tekom-member, your data will be deleted completely.

FAQ about BigBlueButton (BBB)

Online meetings take place in virtual video rooms of the platform "BigBlueButton". Here you will find the most frequently asked questions about using BBB.

General 

How can I familiarize myself with BBB? 

The test account of BigBlueButton is very helpful. Here you can test live how the access works and familiarize yourself with the use of the text and tutorials.  

Which internet connection is sufficient to participate in a BigBlueButton conference? 

You can test your internet connection with the help of Chip's speed test. The values for "Download" should be at least 1 MBit/s (Ideal 5 MBit/s) and "Upload" at least 0.5 MBit/s (Ideal 1 MBit/s). "Ping" and "Jitter" should reach as small values as possible. To be on the safe side, we recommend connecting your laptop directly to the LAN cable and the router. 

Which browser is best suited? 

Basically BBB can be used with all browsers. However, it is possible that individual functions are not available or not available in the same way under Firefox and Safari. We therefore recommend the use of a Chromium-based browser Google Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge. In case of problems, please change browsers.

Are there any access problems from company computers?

In case of error 1007 - settings of firewall in companies necessary. The following ports must be released: 

• OUT, TCP port 80 (http) and TCP port 443 (https). 
• OUT, UDP ports 16384 to 32768 (audio and video communication).

Can I participate with a mobile phone or tablet? 

Yes. BBB is a web application. It will work in any current browser. Please note that at this point, you can view the presenter's screen on mobile devices, but you cannot share the mobile screen.

Can I change the display language? 

Yes. Click the three dots in the top right corner. Then go to "Settings". There you can select the display language. 

I am in the breakout room and can't reach the organizer. What can I do?

You can send a message to the organizer or the moderator. Your breakout room has been opened in another browser tab in addition to the main room. Select the tab with the main room and write a message to the moderator there.  

As a participant, how do I raise my hand if I have a question/comment? 

Use the status function hidden behind your icon next to your name. There you can choose from several emoticons the hand as a sign. 

How can I open a private chat with another participant?   

Click with the left mouse button on the icon of the person in the participant overview with whom you want to start a private chat. Then select "Start a private chat". 

Video and audio

How can I select another webcam / microphone? 

• Audio: Select "No" at the end of the echo test. Then you can select another audio source. If you are already connected, disconnect and reconnect the audio. 
• Webcam: Disconnect the webcam and reconnect it. Then you can select an alternative webcam from the drop-down list. 

Can I change the webcam, mic and audio output? 

These settings are controlled by the browser, so they depend on which browser is being used. 

• Chrome and Edge display a dialog when you first connect to ask for the input source for audio and video, respectively. There you can select the preferred microphone or webcam. 
• If you clicked on "Remember this setting" during a previous visit, you can undo this preselection in the settings of your browser. The audio output, on the other hand, is controlled by your operating system and can be adjusted in its settings. 
• While participating in a meeting, you can no longer change the sources. To do this, you have to log out, change the settings in the browser or in the audio settings of the operating system and reconnect. 

I clicked "listen only" and cannot unmute my microphone during the meeting. What do I do now? 

Click on the headset/headphone icon at the bottom and stop audio participation. Then click on the now appearing icon with the crossed out telephone handset to join the conference again. However, now select "Microphone".

I'm having trouble turning on the microphone or camera. What do I do now?

Please run the echo test in BigBlueButton to test the functionality of the microphone and headset. Under certain circumstances, there may be problems negotiating the connection due to your local settings and the software and hardware you are using. To fix the problem, you can check/test the following: 

• Update your browser. Safari and Firefox cannot be recommended at the moment.
• If you are using Safari or Firefox, try an alternative browser (Edge, Chrome) to check.  
• Check the sharing settings for the browser.

Why can't other participants hear me? 

Check whether your microphone is on "Mute". If it's not and other participants still cannot hear you, the browser probably has the wrong microphone selected on your computer. You can click the phone icon twice - once to log out and a second time to reconnect - to try reconnecting the sound. If you see the echo test and can't hear yourself, click "No" and select a different microphone.

When I switch from a breakout room to the main room, I have to reconnect my audio. Is this normal?

Yes, this is normal. You will then also have to do the echo test again by clicking two times on the phone. If the audio is still not established, you will have to log out of the session and log back in.

Is it possible to turn my audio on and off whenever I want? 

Before the BigBlueButton conference starts, the system will ask you if you want to allow access to the microphone and camera. You must confirm this before the start. During the presentation, you cannot change your mind unless you do an audio test again (click the phone two times) and then select "microphone". Once you have allowed access, you can mute and unmute your microphone as needed during the presentation. 

Why don't I see a microphone icon on my screen that I can turn on and off?

If you don't see a microphone, there are two possibilities why this is the case. 

• You have clicked on "Listen only" before starting the presentation and therefore cannot say anything (how to change this, see previous question). 
• You have neither an internal nor an external microphone that BigBlueButton can use.
   

Screen sharing / presentation

Why is my screen sharing not working? 

• If you are using a mobile device with Android or iOS, please switch to a laptop/PC. Sharing the desktop/screen is currently not possible from a mobile device. 
• Please check if you have the rights to share. Only organizers and moderators can share by themselves. The moderator must first give you the right to share.
• If you are using macOS Safari and cannot share or see the screen, please use Chrome (or Firefox) instead. Safari does not currently support all the features of BBB. 

How do I know that I have screen sharing permissions? 

You can tell if you have screen sharing permissions by the icon in your profile avatar: If the icon is square, you have moderator permissions. If the icon is round, you have participant rights.

In my case the presentation is only visible in the foreground. Is there a way to resize it to see cameras? 

To see other images on your desktop or to vary the size of the presentation, you can click on the minus symbol in the presentation. This will hide the presentation. There is also the possibility to drag the presentation larger or smaller at the top edge. 

How do I share my screen? 

To share your screen, you will be asked by the browser which views you want to share after clicking the button that appears in the middle at the bottom. You have 3 options to choose from. Here you have to select your preferred option. 

• If the "Share your screen" button is still grey, you have to click on one of the views displayed in the window. 
• After that, the button "Share your screen" will be enabled. 
• In order to be able to share the entire screen, the displayed window must also be clicked here. Only after that the "Share your screen" button will be unlocked. 

I have problems to share my screen in FireFox. What do I do?

It can happen that error messages appear in the FireFox (FF) browser when sharing the screen. This can be triggered by the following steps: 

• Click on "Share your screen" as a presenter. 
• You will be asked by the browser which window to share. If you want to cancel at this point and now click on "Not now", you may get error messages. 
• This error message repeats itself every time you click on "Share screen". 

Solution 

• Firefox blocks screen sharing by clicking on "Not now". So the solution is not in BBB, but in the FF browser. 
• Hint for the error: crossbar above the sharing icon 
• To unlock your screen, click on the locked screen icon or on the lock in FF 
• The settings for the permissions will open. Please click on the X next to "Temporarily blocked".  
• Refresh your browser by F5 or by clicking on the reload icon.   

Now the presenter has to give you the screen sharing rights again.

For presenter and moderator

What rights do I have as a presenter or moderator?

• As a presenter you can use the functions "Upload a presentation", "Share an external video" or the navigation of the existing presentation.
• As a moderator, you can furthermore manage the rights of other participants and upgrade other participants to presenters.
• Moderators can be recognized by the avatar, which is that their name symbol in the participant list is a square. As for presenters, their avatar in the participant list remains round, but an icon of a screen is added to the name symbol.

How do I open a breakout room as a presenter?

By clicking on the little gear wheel next to the participants list, you can click on "create breakout rooms" where you create any number of breakout rooms and manually assign your participants to these rooms. A new room will open in a new tab for the participants. Point out to your participants that the new room does not automatically return to the original room and they need to switch tabs to do so. Breakout rooms can be closed by facilitators at any time. 

As a presenter, how do I switch from a running breakout room to another breakout room? 
When you open a breakout room, a new tab is opened. Then you have a tab open in the "Start Room" and a tab open in "BreakOut Room X". In the main conference tab, you can choose between two options (listening mode only or join room) and click on the chosen option to leave. Alternatively, you can close the tab with the breakout room and you are out (slightly delayed).

How do I start a poll?

With the function "Start a pool", you can add polls to the conversation. Use this function to involve the participants in what is happening or to get feedback on the presentation or aspects. To start a poll, on the "+" sign at the bottom left corner and then on "Start a poll".

Why do I get an error message when uploading a presentation?

• The upload limit for a presentation is 25 MB. If you can't compress the presentation or want to split it into multiple files, use screen sharing as a workaround. 
• If your presentation is smaller than 25 MB but still cannot be uploaded, this may also be due to a failed conversion. In this case, save the presentation as a PDF file and try uploading again. 
• If the file name of the presentation contains special characters, remove them before uploading. 

Why does the uploaded file look different (e.g. fonts are not correct, illustrations have errors)?  

Uploading a presentation in a format other than PDF is not reliable: when uploading a file of a format other than PDF, a conversion is performed by BBB: fonts, symbols and drawings may be changed, animations will not be applied.

Please export your presentation from the program to a PDF file and check the result before using the file. Then upload the checked and, if necessary, corrected PDF file to the BBB room.

Why can't my participants click on links in the presentation? 

This is not possible. If you want to provide links to all participants, you can write them in the public chat or in the shared notes. 

How can I save results (chat/whiteboard/shared notes)? 

• Chat: In the chat options, select "Save" on the right. There you can save a text document. 
• Whiteboard: A backup can only be made via a screenshot. 
• Shared notes: Click the donwload button on the right and export to the destination format of your choice.

How can I share a video? 

To do this, use the "Share an external video" option by clicking on the "+" icon at the bottom left corner. Then, by clicking on "Share an external video", it is possible to display links to providers such as YouTube or Vimeo directly. 

How can I remove a participant from a room?

To do this, left-click on the icon of the person you want to remove in the participant overview. Then select "Remove user".

How can I make a participant a presenter?

Click with the left mouse button on the symbol of the person in the participant overview whom you would like to make a presenter. Then select "Make presenter". To give the user not only presenter rights, but to give moderator rights, click on "Promote to moderator".