1.  How to send John text questions for the next online meeting.

We've found that using text messages to ask questions or make reports to John is difficult for him to follow, and distracting to everybody.  We had hoped it would be a way for those without microphone to participate, but it just does not serve.  Because of this, John will not be accepting questions or reports by text message during the meeting anymore.  Instead, you can email your questions and reports to John during the week before the meeting, and if you are online using the name you used in your email, John will speak to you during the meeting.

If you do not have a headset, please email your question or report at least 2 days in advance to online@riverganga.org and let John know what meeting you will be attending.  John will set aside some time during each meeting to respond to emails. He will only respond to your email if you are present at the meeting, so make sure you state your name, city and country in your email, and also when you sign in to the meeting.

2.  Now, begin with the initial setup of your computer and the software.  Please take a minute now to go over the instructions, even if you have connected before.  We sometimes find new technical tricks to make the meetings work better for all.

Click here for detailed Windows instructions.

Click here for detailed Mac instructions

The meeting room is always open and unmoderated for you to use in the time between meetings.  Please use it to test your setup and equipment. Feel free to meet with each other there to work together on setting up, or for any other purpose that has to do with Ramana's self-inquiry.

Here are some suggestions from our experience that will help you make the most of these meetings.  It's best to get all the technical considerations settled and out of the way before you join the meeting.

Please review the instructions even if you have connected to our Online Worldwide Meetings before.

• Carla will be in the meeting room about an hour before the scheduled time, and she can help you test your microphone. Fifteen minutes before the meeting begins, voice discussions will be disabled in the room. Carla will tell you when it happens.
  
  
• When John enters the room, you will see his name show up at the top of the list.
  
  
• John will speak for a while and then ask for questions, reports and any other conversation you might want to bring to him.
  
  
• When you want to speak with John, if you are on a Windows computer, click on the "Self" menu, and then on "Request Voice".  Carla will be attending to these requests and will introduce you to John when it is your turn. All Voice requests must be sent to Carla, not to John.
  
  
• If you are on a Mac and want to speak with John, you will have to send a text message to Carla since there is no "Request Voice" option in the Mac TeamSpeex software. Click to highlight Carla's name from the list, and go to the Player menu and choose Send Text Message To Player from the drop-down options.
  
  
• The option "Request Voice" is greyed out normally. It is only available during the meetings, when the room is placed under moderation.
  
  
• The "Voice Send Method" must be set to "Push To Talk" in Windows, and "HotKey" for a Mac. On a PC, set your "Push To Talk" key to CTRL and, on a Mac, choose the CMD key to be your "Hotkey". Do not use a letter key such as a, b, y, w, etc. To do this, you press the Ctrl key and, while holding it down, click on the SET button with your mouse.
  
  
• On some Windows systems, you might need to click on SET first, and then select the Ctrl key.
  
  
• You should RELEASE the Push to Talk/Hotkey key when John is speaking. This will ensure that his voice from the speakers you are listening to is not broadcast to the entire meeting causing feedback and other problems.  We are really grateful for your willingness to pay close attention to this detail.
  
  
• If you wish to ask a question, or give a report to John, we strongly advise that you invest in a headset, which will improve the overall quality of the meeting. 
  
  
• During the meetings, please close all unnecessary programs that might be running on your computer (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, your email program, any VOIP program such as Google Talk, Skype, Windows Messenger, etc.). Doing this will free up resources on your computer and may improve the quality of the audio.
  
  

• Headsets with microphone are available in a wide price range at electronics stores and several stores online. We've found that USB headset/mics are best, you can Google "usb headset", or email us for some suggestions. Basic headsets with microphones that are perfectly good for this purpose can be found for $10 - $30.
  
  
• Please make sure your speakers are turned off and there is no sound anywhere but in your headset. If your microphone picks up the sound coming from your speakers, this creates a very loud feedback noise that can be heard by everybody.
  

Click here for detailed Windows instructions.

Click here for detailed Mac instructions