25 Working From Home Questions - Answered

1. How do I set up my new camera and microphone before a meeting?

Most Windows laptops and most Macs will already have a webcam and microphone installed on them, with a few exceptions. If you already have a webcam built into your computer, there is no setup needed. All you need to do is allow access to the webcam through the program you are using. Your security software might get hung up on this, though. Everyone’s dealt with an overactive security system, and accessing your camera is a serious breach of privacy unless you’re intentionally allowing it. You can usually open the security program you’re using, go to Settings, and enable webcam/microphone use. You should also do this when you’re setting up a new webcam. Many built-in cameras have the option to manually disable the camera. If it is disabled, the camera will not display anything. To set up a new camera on your Windows computer, you need to plug it in with a USB cord. Usually, that’s all you need! Before you get in a meeting, though, you’ll want to take it for a test drive. If you want to check to make sure it’s installed properly, open up Settings. Navigate to ‘Bluetooth & other devices’, where you should see your mouse and keyboard listed. Scroll down, and you’ll see your webcam listed. You might need to go to the ‘Privacy’ tab for your settings to enable your webcam on specific applications. This might include Skype, Hangouts, or GoToMeeting. Whenever you open that program, it will likely prompt you to provide permission. Once you’re on the Privacy tab, you need to find ‘Camera.’ It’s located on the left-hand sidebar. You’ll need to provide permission for apps to access your camera. Then, double-check to make sure the specific program you want has permission to access that camera. If you’re still having trouble, make sure you’ve provided permission for desktop apps to access your camera. If that’s enabled, you should be good to go.

2. How do I tell if an extension like Grammarly or Netflix Party is safe before I download it?

If you’re worried about extensions, you’re not alone! Many people are worried about viruses and other issues getting on their devices. On the Chrome Web Store, extensions are developed by Google or third-party developers. A great way to tell if an extension is safe or not is to do a little investigation. How many reviews does it have? What do those reviewers say? Is the extension recommended by Google? Popular apps by big companies, like Zoom or Ad Block, have been consistently used and updated. This helps build their volume of user reviews and shows that the company backs the app. Another way to determine extension safety is to look at the number of downloads it has. For instance, there are multiple ad blockers available. You’ve narrowed it down to two, but which one is more reliable? One might have 1000 reviews and downloads. The other has 50 million downloads. Between those two choices, it’s safe to say that the extension with 50 million extensions is more used and reliable.

3. How do I save a Google Doc?

It’s happened to all of us. You’re typing up an important document and putting the finishing touches on it. All of a sudden, your computer freezes up. By the time you get it restarted, your document has vanished. It’s nowhere to be found, and you have to start from scratch. With Google Docs, you don’t have to worry about it! If you’re connected to the Internet, Google Docs has an autosave function. It automatically saves your work, in intervals of ten seconds or five minutes. You can adjust this if you’d like. This will save your work to the cloud, which means you can access it anywhere if you have a WiFi connection. Of course, once you’re done, you can also save a hard copy of your document in a particular format. Look at the top left of your document, underneath the title field. Click on the File tab. A drop-down menu will appear. Hover over the Download option, and a variety of formats will pop up. Click on the one you’d like, whether that’s a Microsoft Word document or a PDF. It will download and be saved to your computer in your Downloads folder.

4. How do I share a Google Doc?

The ease of sharing your work with others is a primary reason to use Google Docs. If you’re collaborating with coworkers or looking for another set of eyes on your work, Google Docs is a great way to do it. To share a Google Doc, open up the file you’re working on. In the upper right-hand corner, you’ll see a rectangular blue button that says Share. This will pull up a box with two options. You can get a shareable link, or you can type someone’s email address into the appropriate field. If you share it with someone, you can type in their email address and include a note about what you’d like them to do with that document. You can also adjust your permissions when you share it with them. They can view, edit, or comment on it. If you’d just like them to read it, without changing anything, view or comment would be a great choice. If you get a shareable link, this will let you copy and paste the link. Then, you can text or email it to them. You’ll also need to adjust the permissions, so they can view, edit, or comment.

5. Would Microsoft OneDrive work on Apple devices?

Yes! It would work, provided you have the OneDrive app. You can find this in the App Store. If you’ve signed into the OneDrive account that has your file, and you have the app download, you’ll be able to use it on an Apple device.

6. How do I make Zoom calls safer?

Lately, there’s been a lot of concern about Zoom calls being safe for everyone to participate in. If you’re worried about strangers accessing your Zoom calls, then you’re not alone! Everyone wants to know how to communicate safely. To make these calls safer, you can implement certain functions to keep things running smoothly. One great trick is using a randomly generated Meeting ID. That makes yours unique and hard to hack into. You can also create a password requirement when you create and schedule your Zoom call. That means that anyone who tries to access your call has to input the password. That keeps the entry information for your meeting secure. There’s also a waiting room function in the settings. That way, you can keep people out of your meeting until the host approves them. Then, they can join the meeting room with everyone else.

7. How many team members are allowed on Basecamp?

Basecamp Personal is free but is limited. You can only have three projects with 20 users and only 1 gigabyte of storage. You only have access to these three features with Basecamp Personal. However, with Basecamp Business, it is a $99 per month flat fee. It allows you unlimited projects. With an unlimited amount of users available to you, you can invite anyone in your entire organization. It also comes with 500 gigabytes of storage. You have access to an unlimited amount of clients, team projects, and templates. Also, you will have access to Basecamp’s support team.

8. How do I comment on someone’s document in Google Docs?

In order to comment on someone’s document in Google Docs, they will first need to share it with you. They can share it in a couple of ways: view, comment, or edit. If they’ve selected view, you can’t comment on it. You can only look at their document. If you have comment or edit permissions, you can comment. You can highlight the text you want to comment on with your cursor. When you do, a text bubble with a plus sign in the center will appear to the right of your page. Click on that plus sign. A comment will appear on the right-hand side of the document. You can type your text in, and click Comment.

9. Can I record a Zoom meeting?

You can record a Zoom meeting by going to the ‘Record’ button on the bottom of your screen. Once you start recording, you will see a red indicator on the top left of your screen. The recording will stop when you end the call or click the Stop Recording button. The recording’s video file will be saved in your documents as a Zoom folder.

10. How do I track changes in Microsoft Word?

To turn on Track Changes, go to the Review ribbon on the top bar. Next, go to the tracking group and click “Track Changes”. When you make changes, they will be indicated in the document text.

11. What’s a good rule of thumb for how many Mbps you need per person in your household?

To understand data plans for service, you need to know that Mbps stands for megabits per second. Normally, plans come in gigabytes. There are 1000 megabits in one gigabyte. To put that in perspective, an average 90-minutes movie is about 850 megabits. That is why unlimited data is more efficient. It might cost a little more, of course. As far as the Internet speed goes, a good rule of thumb is 25 Mbps per household member. If you have a few people in your house, in order to stream video content and use multiple devices, the speed of 200-500 Mbps is ideal. This will help your Internet connection stay strong, with no lag or service drops.

12. How do I scan a document with an Android device?

Android does not come with a scanning app. These days, taking a picture of a document with your smartphone is often an acceptable substitute. If you have good lighting and take the time to zero in on the document, it’s often just as good. But if you have to scan a document, there are a few great options. Some apps let you scan a document on your Android device, and you can find them in the Google Play Store. A few of these apps include Camscanner and Microsoft Lens. You can also use the Google Drive app to scan documents straight to your Google Drive.

13. How do I add a new user to my Slack workspace?

To add someone to your Slack workspace, you first have to be signed into the designated workspace. Then, on the top left, you will see an area with your name. Click on the small arrow and then a menu will appear. There is a button near the bottom of the menu that says “Invite people”. After you click on it, there is a small form you will need to fill out to add the person to the workspace. Usually, the owner of the Slack workspace will need to approve users. Sometimes, though, if all the emails are the same (for instance, all of our employee emails end in groovytek.com) Slack will approve it automatically.

14. How can I make a group on Google Hangouts?

On the right-hand side of all the emails in your inbox, you’ll see a list of Hangouts contacts. It will likely display contact information and snippets of conversation history. At the top of this sidebar on the left is a plus sign. Click on it, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click Create New Group, and add the contacts you’d like.

15. How do I search for old messages in Google Hangouts?

Log into your Gmail account. This will take you to the main page for your inbox. At the top of that page, you’ll see a search bar. Type :chats into that search bar, followed by whatever phrase you’d like to find. That will filter the search down by Hangouts messages, and allow you to find what you’re looking for.

16. How do I set a profile picture on Zoom?

On your phone, launch the Zoom app. Go to the “Settings” icon and press it. From there, select the avatar of your initials. That’s Zoom’s default display of your profile picture if you haven’t uploaded one yet. Once you’ve selected that avatar, choose “Profile Photo.” From there, click “Take A Photo” or “Choose Photo.” You can snap a selfie right now and upload it. If you’ve already got the perfect photo on your computer, you can click “Choose Photo.” This will let you upload a preexisting image. Then, if you’re logged into the Zoom website, you can click Change. This should change your avatar from your initials to the picture you uploaded.

17. How do I change my name on Zoom?

If you don’t have an account, you can type in your name when you enter the meeting. You can review and change your name after each meeting, even though it will likely pull whatever name is associated with your email. If you have an account, it will present the name from your Zoom account.

18. How do I make sure my camera and microphone are on or off?

Check the microphone and camera icons. These are usually located at the bottom of your screen when you have a call going. If there’s a red line slashed over these icons, you’re muted and your camera is off. If not, then both are presenting audio and video material to everyone else in the call.

19. How do I present something on GoToMeeting?

First, log in to your GoToMeeting account. Next, click settings on the left menu followed by “New Experience”. Check the “Updated meeting design” box and then click Save. Now you are set up to run the new GoToMeeting. The People pane displays all your meeting participants and gives you access to GoToMeeting controls. Click the Arrow icon next to any participant's name to see all participants. This is where you can promote someone to a presenter role or a co-organizer.

20. How do I share my screen on Google Hangouts?

When you’re on a Hangouts call, presenting is relatively simple. In the lower right-hand corner, you’ll see an option that says Present Now. Click on it, and you can select which window you’d like to share with other call participants. If that doesn’t work, you may need to enable screen sharing permissions. To do that on an Apple device, go to System Preferences. Click on Security and Privacy, and then click Screen Recording. Add Chrome to the list of applications that are allowed to record your screen. On a Windows device, you’ll need to start a Google Hangouts call. You don’t have to wait till your meeting to get set up, though. You can start an empty call with yourself, that way you can work out any glitches before you need everything to work properly. Within the call, there is a set of 3 dots in a vertical line. This is located in the top right corner of the call. If you click it, you will see the Share Screen option listed. After you click it, you will have the option of selecting which screen you want to share. The sharing will start after you click on the share button. Then, you can stop the sharing at any time by pressing the stop button on the top of the call window.

21. Why doesn’t my device work well when it’s directly above my router?

Picture a mushroom cloud. A router emits its’ signal in that type of cloud pattern. If your device is directly above the router, it’s at the narrow ‘base’ of that cloud, where the signal isn’t strongest. Giving it some space may help solve any WiFi signal issues you’re having.

22. Do I need an account to participate in a Zoom call?

You don’t need an account. If you’re hosting a meeting, you’ll need one. But as long as you have a valid email, you can participate in any Zoom calls. If you’re going to be using Zoom in the future, it’s a good idea to set up an account. This will make it easier when you want to create your own meetings in the future to connect with colleagues or family members.

23. Can I save chat sessions in GoToMeeting?

Yes! When you access the GoToMeeting Menu, click Save Chat Log. This works if you’re on an Apple device. If you’re on an Android or Windows device, click Preferences, and then General. You’ll see a Chat Logs box, with the option to check it. Once you do, it will automatically save chat session logs to your computer after that meeting.

24. How do I add contacts on Google Hangouts?

Pull up your favorite web browser. Since you’re accessing a Google application, Chrome will work best. Go to www.hangouts.google.com. At the top of the screen, click or tap New conversation. Tap a name, phone number, or email address into this field. Click or tap on the right person when they come up, and send an invitation. Once they accept your invitation, you can start a conversation. That will add them to your contacts, so you can have a call with them at any time.

25. How do I share files on Google Hangouts?

Whether you’re on a mobile device or on your computer, the process is largely the same. Tap on one of your contacts, and your past conversation history will pull up. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a blank field that says Write A Message. Below that, there will be different icons. From left to right, these are Emoticon, Image, Photo, Video, and Sticker. By clicking on Image, you can share any image-related files. If you’d rather share a file, you can copy-paste the link into the Write A Message field. This works if you’re sending a link to a Google Doc. If it’s a PDF, for instance, you can drag and drop it into that message field. If it’s too large, though, email might be a better option.