AlphaPlus: Using screen sharing tools at board meetings
The AlphaPlus board members had been searching for an easy-to-use, affordable option to share the screen during their meetings. Luckily, our Executive Director, Michael Coteau, received an email from join.me, inviting him to try out their software, which he promptly shared with me.
Having tried a number of different screen sharing options in the past, including Google Docs and Skype, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how accessible and user-friendly join.me was. It is simply a matter of saving and running the join.me file, which promptly opens up a join.me interface on the presenter’s computer screen. The small window interface provides a 9-digit number, which you share with the meeting participants via email or over the phone.
Once they receive the number, the participants go to the join.me website, enter the number into the ‘join’ field and are immediately given access to the presenter’s screen. They do not have to register or download anything to participate. In addition to sharing the screen, the presenter can also give a participant (one at a time) control of his/her screen.
Explore Join.me – free and easy-to-use screen sharing tools to learn more about join.me features.
What really caught our attention was how amazingly simple join.me was to use. The control panel was very clearly marked and the user tools were basic and easy to understand. There were no glitches or hiccups like we usually encounter when trying out new software
After my first trial with join.me, in which two board members accessed our screen remotely during a governance meeting, I sent the link to my colleague Monika who tried it out and was amazed at how user-friendly it was. With all her experience and knowledge of other tools, she was quick to say that join.me was the best one she’s tried so far.
She started using join.me to supplement her quick phone meetings and to provide technical support and guidance to her friends and colleagues in the field. She absolutely loves this tool!
Join.me gives our board the tools to share a screen, review documentation and actively participate in online meetings.
Although it provides free conferencing service, the number to dial is in the United States which means we would need to pay long distance charges. However, we found a way around this too. We simply use a phone if the group is small or connect via Skype for audio connection. It is a great and effective way to meet for all of us!
And the best part…join.me is free!
Ylana Harel is an Executive Assistant at AlphaPlus. She is actively involved in supporting our Executive Director and the Board in their daily activities and special initiatives.
