Adobe® ConnectNow gives you access to a secure, personal online meeting room. Use your meeting room to collaborate with others on the web in real time. With ConnectNow, you can share and annotate your computer screen, send chat messages, and communicate using integrated audio. You can also broadcast live video, share files, capture meeting notes, and control an attendee’s computer remotely.

ConnectNow meeting rooms contain display panels called pods, each with its own function. The pods are Screen Sharing, Chat, Shared Notes, Webcam, Files, Whiteboard, and Attendees. As the host, you can customize the size and arrangement of the pods in the room for each meeting.

Meeting room overview

A.

Menu bar

B.

Screen Sharing pod

C.

Attendee List

D.

Invite Participants

E.

Share Screen

F.

Upload A File

G.

Share Webcam

H.

Share Microphone

I.

Set Up Phone Conferencing

J.

Webcam pod

K.

Chat pod

L.

Shared Notes pod

You can access meeting room features in different ways. For example, use the menus and icons on the menu bar or click the arrow icon on a pod title bar to view a menu. You can also right-click on some pods to display a menu.

Your meeting room is available 24 hours a day. As a host, you can hold scheduled or spontaneous meetings.

Follow these few steps to host your first ConnectNow meeting:

1. Log in to your meeting.

   Open your web browser and type your meeting room URL. (When you set up an Acrobat.com account, Adobe sends an e-mail message containing information about your account, including the meeting room URL.) Alternatively, while in Adobe® Buzzword® or the Acrobat.com Organizer, click the Meet button. In Adobe® Acrobat® 9 or Adobe® Reader®, click the Collaborate button in the toolbar and select Share My Screen. You can also enter your meeting room by navigating to http://www.adobe.com/go/acrobat_com_en and clicking the ConnectNow panel.

2. Invite attendees.

   In your meeting room, click Invite Participants . The URL for your meeting room is displayed. Send an invitation by clicking Compose E-mail, or cut and paste the URL into an e-mail message or instant message. When people receive the invitation, they can join the meeting by clicking the URL. (Remember, as the host, you must be logged into your room before others can enter.) If you use Microsoft® Outlook® 2007, you can easily insert the URL to your personal ConnectNow meeting room in your e-mail messages or calendar meeting invitations with the click of a button. For information on using the Acrobat Add-in for Outlook to invite participants to your meeting, see Share files using Microsoft Outlook.

3. Share your screen.

   Click the Share My Computer Screen button to share information on your screen, such as a document or spreadsheet. You can share windows, applications, or your entire desktop with participants in a meeting.

As a host or presenter in a meeting, you can share windows, applications, or your entire desktop with participants in a meeting. When you share your screen, attendees see everything that happens on your computer screen, including pointer movement and all visible windows and applications. You can use the Annotate feature to pause screen sharing and draw on the screen. While another attendee is screen sharing, you can request control of that person’s computer.

When you first enter the room, the large area in the center, called the Screen Sharing pod, shows the Share My Computer Screen button. When you are ready to share, click the button. If you do not have a supported version of the ConnectNow Add-in, a dialog box asks you to install the add-in. The ConnectNow Add-in is a version of Flash® Player with additional features that enable hosts and participants to share their screen. Click Yes to download the ConnectNow Add-in. After the add-in is installed, click Share in the confirmation dialog box that appears.

Note: Consider closing your e-mail and instant messaging programs before sharing your screen so others do not see private information.

What you see when you share your screen (left), and what others see (right).

When you share your screen, you control the meeting from the Screen Sharing palette, which is always available when you are sharing. The palette shows the Attendee List, Chat pod, Shared Notes pod, Webcam pod, and Annotate feature. You can minimize the palette so it is not in your way as you share your screen. When you are sharing, attendees see your screen in the Screen Sharing pod of the meeting room. Attendees can zoom to increase the shared document, follow the presenter’s mouse movements, or scroll independently to areas of interest. Attendees also continue to see the other features in the meeting room, such as pods and menus. Attendees do not see the Sharing palette. For more information about screen adjustments, see Zoom a shared screen or expand to full screen.

The Screen Sharing palette lets you control the meeting while sharing your screen.

When the host or participant sharing their screen is using Microsoft® Windows® the Sharing palette is invisible to attendees. In Mac OS®, the palette appears as a white box with gray lines. To stop screen sharing, click the red Stop Screen Sharing button near the top of the Sharing palette. (If you have minimized the Sharing palette, open it again so you can click the Stop button.)

In a meeting room, hosts and participants can share their screens. All attendees can collaborate regardless of differences in operating system or installed software. In your room, you can chat with others, distribute files, take notes, and draw on a document together. You can also share your webcam, set up a phone conference, or use the voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for voice communication over the web.

Use the whiteboard

Hosts and participants use the virtual whiteboard just like a physical whiteboard by drawing flowcharts, organizational charts, and any other type of diagram or information. A variety of whiteboard drawing options are available, including the highlighter pen, shapes, arrows, and text. See Draw on the screen using the whiteboard.

Roles are a way of assigning permissions and determining the activities attendees can carry out during a meeting. Hosts have the highest level of permissions. There are three roles for meeting room attendees: