Alice Randall Writing Center Net Meeting

Instructions for Downloading/Updating Microsoft Windows NetMeeting 3.1

If you are scheduled for an on-line writing consultation, please complete this preparation at least one-half hour before your appointment to ensure that you're ready to go on-line with the consultant at the time your appointment is scheduled to start! Otherwise, you might waste your appointment time trying to resolve software issues.
To download or update Windows NetMeeting 3.1, you will first need to establish an Internet connection through your usual provider (AOL, Prodigy, etc.). Once you're on-line, type in the URL http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.asp
At the Windows home page, select the version of Windows appropriate to your computer under the "For Home Use" header.
Find and click on "Download NetMeeting 3.0."
Follow the download instructions.
Log off the Internet. You should now have a NetMeeting icon on your desktop or in your Programs list (Click on your Start button to find your Programs list). To activate NetMeeting, click on the icon. To connect to the Writing Center for your appointment, please refer to the "Instructions for On-Line Writing Consultations" handout you'll find below.

Client Instructions for On-Line Writing Consultations

Before you start:

The Writing Center is pleased to assist students with their writing on-line. You'll need to make an appointment with one of our consultants (594-7684/ wcenter@cnu.edu and specify that you would like to meet us on-line. Approximately 10 minutes before your consultation is scheduled to begin, you should begin the connecting process outlined in this handout.

Like all of our consultations, on-line Writing Center work will require you to be present and actively involved in the discussion of your essay. In essence, your computer will call our computer, where a consultant is waiting to chat with you. You will communicate with the consultant via a "chat" window, and transfer a copy of your essay to the consultant's computer screen via the "file transfer" function in the NetMeeting software. During the consultation, both you and the consultant should have a window that contains your essay, and a window that contains your "chat" conversation. You may want to have a printed copy of your essay on hand during the consultation, but you do need to have the essay on a computer disk in order to transfer it to the consultant.

In order to participate in an on-line writing consultation, you will need to make sure your computer is equipped with Windows NetMeeting 3.01 software and an Internet connection. To see if you have NetMeeting, look for the NetMeeting icon (it looks like a globe encircled by two arrows) on your desktop or search for it in your Programs list (click on your Start button, then click on Programs--make sure you check your entire Programs list; you may need to scroll to the bottom of it to find the software). If you do not have NetMeeting on your computer or you have an earlier version of it, you can download or update it free from Microsoft. Please consult the "Downloading NetMeeting" instruction sheet above for more details.

Calling the Writing Center in NetMeeting

Establish an on-line connection through your regular service provider (Prodigy, AOL, Compuserve etc.). Then minimize the screen so that the AOL/Prodigy/Compuserve material disappears from your screen, and click on the NetMeeting icon. The set up instructions are self-explanatory; your name and email address are the most important pieces of information for our purposes (feel free to click through the rest of the questions and sound checks; your automatic settings should suffice).
In the black space where the cursor is located, type the address of the Writing Center computer: 137.155.23.53 and click on the telephone button with the mouse. The Writing Center consultant will be waiting for your call; when the consultant answers, your name and his or hers will appear in the white window of this box.
Once you've placed the call, you may begin to "chat" with the consultant. A dialogue box may appear on your screen that looks like this (if the consultant activates it first); if you don't see one, click on the second button from the left at the bottom of the NetMeeting opening window. Your conversation with the consultant will appear in the top window; to type your messages, position your cursor in the "Message" box, type your message, and hit Return or click on the balloon button.
Once you've established this connection with the consultant, you'll need to send a copy of your essay to the consultant. Do this by clicking on the "File transfer" button in the main NetMeeting window (it's the button on the bottom right).
Click on the left top icon to select files to send. Then locate your document file on the appropriate drive/folder. When you find the essay, click on its name, then click "add"; the name of your document should appear in the NetMeeting File Transfer window. Once it does, click on the third icon from the left, the one that looks like a flying sheet of paper. "Sent" should appear in the status column of your screen. Once it does, close this window completely.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A HARD COPY OF YOUR PAPER HANDY TO REFER TO DURING THE SESSION, minimize your chat window momentarily and pull up another copy of your document on your screen so you can follow along with the Writing Consultant. Once you have your document in a window, click on your minimized "chat" to activate the Chat window. Now you can continue to talk with the consultant about the paper. Whenever you move back into the document window, your chat window will disappear; to reactivate the chat window, just click on the minimized bar that says "chat" at the bottom of your screen.
To end the session, say goodbye to the consultant and click "NetMeeting 1 Conn" on the minimize bar at the bottom of your screen to see the original NetMeeting screen. Click on the second icon on the right, the one that looks like a telephone receiver hanging up. Close all of your NetMeeting windows.
If you would like to save a transcript of your session to use in your revision, answer "Yes" to the prompt, "Save changes to chat?" when the program asks.