Headless Video Chat

The Experience
A  group of seers are meeting online via video chat. (It's not exactly the same group each week.) We use tokbox.com which is free. At the moment we are in the early stages of exploring this new medium. So far we haven't had a structure - we simply meet, see Who we are, and chat. Sometimes there are short periods of silence where we just See, and are capacity for what is happening - everyone who is in the meeting is aware of their no-face and is putting this awareness into practice in their daily lives. So, this video chat is more practice time, so to speak, with friends. In other words, we don't have to talk the whole time. The meeting is one hour. Currently we have been meeting on Wednesdays at 3PM London time. There is no ongoing commitment necessary.

To join, you need to subscribe to tokbox. Then contact Richard and he will get back to you and invite you to be a Friend.

This is a new medium for people, so there are often minor technical problems which have to be ironed out.

Technical Stuff etc.
Here are some technical 'ground rules', I suppose you might call them, to ensure a smooth session, plus other information.

The following is worth knowing about, but Tokbox are now experimenting with technology that means you don't need headphones. However, obviously you need speakers, mike and webcam.

1. Headset (mike and earphones) mandatory. And, obviously, a webcam.
2. Speakers must be turned off (figure out how to do this before the session).
If you don't wear headphones and have your speakers on, everyone else hears an echo - they hear themselves again through your speakers. So, this is important.
3. Participants can adjust the volume of each of the other attendees by clicking on the right of each image and moving the volume slider that appears.
4. You also need a reasonably fast broadband connection.

At the time of the video chat, you need to be available on tokbox. (Richard, or whoever is hosting, will see a green light next to your name.) Do not call Richard - let him know beforehand that you want to join and he will invite you in to the conference. To repeat, don't call him. He won't answer! :-) If you need to contact him before you get into the video chat, email him, or whoever is hosting that session.

Once you are in the video chat, there is also a text chat box, under the video boxes.

Test It Beforehand!
It is important to test this out with someone before you join the video chat, so that you know how it works - more or less. You can test this out with Richard, if you can arrange the time to do it. Or test it with someone else who is already familiar with tokbox.

Other Stuff
We can have up to 20 people together in the conference... And since only one person can speak at once, and occasionally there is a slight time lag...

Usually Richard hosts the video chat and is therefore the person who will invite you in, if you are on his Friends list. Occasionally someone else will host it and you will have to be on their Friends list to be invited in - so check at the bottom of this page to see when someone else is hosting, or contact Richard.

Dates Not Hosted by Richard

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Any questions about any of this, contact Richard.