IBM Lotus Sametime Meetings
Although there are many differences between an IBM® Lotus® Sametime® meeting and a face-to-face meeting, the same principles apply to both. Everyone in the meeting needs to:
- Prepare for the meeting.
- Ensure that the meeting is effective.
- Complete any necessary tasks after the meeting has ended.
The Sametime Meetings Help lets you ensure that your online meeting is easy to conduct and as effective as a face-to-face meeting.
Preparing for a Meeting
Before using Lotus Sametime for the first time, you should:
- Make sure your computer includes the required hardware and software. For more information on these requirements, see the Sametime® Server Installation.
- Be sure your browser works with Lotus Sametime.
- Register to use Lotus Sametime, if necessary.
- Review information about logging in to Lotus Sametime and working with passwords.
- Attend a test meeting to make sure that Lotus Sametime is working properly. If you have audio or video equipment, you should test it during the test meeting.
- Review the information about working with Lotus Sametime meetings.
Having an Effective Meeting
Most meetings have a leader who conducts the meeting and makes sure it goes smoothly. Others in the meeting are usually observers who occasionally contribute to the meeting through conversation or presentations. The meeting leader and the participants play different roles in ensuring an effective meeting.
The leader of a meeting is known as the chair. The chair is responsible for conducting the meeting and sending information to the participants. See Chairing a Meeting for more information about a chair's tasks and responsibilities.
Everyone else in a meeting is a participant. Participants might contribute to the meeting by using the available tools in the meeting to interact with the other participants. For example, participants can draw with the annotation tools on the whiteboard (a blank board that allows you to sketch designs) or use screen sharing (a feature that allows you to share your screen or a program on your computer). See Participating in a Meeting, Presenting Information in a Meeting, and Communicating in a Meeting for more information.
Finishing a Meeting
The necessary tasks for finishing a meeting depend on the choices that were available for the meeting. For example, you might want to save a whiteboard drawing from the meeting. After the meeting is over, you might be able to view a recording of the meeting or listen to a recorded telephone conference call.