From the category archives:
iChat
Audio and Video with iChat
Audio and Video with iChat
Mac Tip #279/07-March-2007
While Instant Messaging chat works well by typing messages, that’s not the only way to use it. Depending on your computer hardware and your Internet connection you may also chat by voice, using only audio, or with both audio and video.
Typing works well for people on slow or dubious Internet connections, and of course in public places such as Internet cafes, libraries or open-plan offices. It’s also good for very quick messages, or conversations where both parties are also doing other things such as checking emails, feeding the puppies or working on a document.
For example, in 2006 Maria Langer and I co-wrote a book called WordPress 2: Visual Quickstart Guide. Maria lives in Arizona and I’m in Wellington. We have never met. Several times we chatted, by text or by video, either to quickly clarify points about the book, or just to get better acquainted. Chat is an invaluable work tool, as well as a great social activity.
If you have a broadband Internet connection, and you have both a microphone and speakers in your computer (or a way to plug them in), then an audio or video chat could be a good choice.
Most recent Macs include both a built-in microphone (even if you can’t see it) and speakers, and many include an iSight camera.
Start up iChat and make sure your Buddy List is visible (Window menu). Set your Status to Available (as explained in a previous Tip), and you should see a list of online Buddies.
Audio chat
If a buddy has a telephone icon next to their name, then you can chat with them by voice. If they have an icon of a video camera, then you can chat by video.
To initiate an audio chat click on the phone icon, rather than just the person’s name. When you do that a window opens up on your screen letting you know that iChat has called on your Buddy and is “Waiting for reply…”.
Note: the screenshots below represent both sides of audio and video chats.
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On your Buddy’s computer a window pops up, inviting them to an audio chat, and also a phone ringing sound alerts them to your call (provided they don’t have their speakers muted).
To respond to a Buddy’s call, click on the Invitation window and choose to respond by text (this starts a text chat session), or click Decline or Accept. If you Decline, your Buddy is told you have declined the chat.
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If you Accept, each person sees a small window with a Volume slider and green bars to indicate volume. Now take turns talking.
Click the microphone icon to Mute — for example, you may sneeze or cough and wish to briefly stop transmitting sound.
Once you’ve finished chatting, close the chat window. A message appears that you have “ended the conference”.
Video chat
Video chatting works in almost exactly the same way, but you need to click on the video camera icon. While chatting, you see your Buddy in a window, with an inset of what they’re seeing (which will probably be you).
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The picture here is a little odd, in that I’m chatting with someone who has their camera pointed out the window, rather than at themself. That’s because I was actually chatting with the Mac that hosts my webcam, operating it by remote control.
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There’s more you can do with chat, such as having multi-person conferences, but these Tips should be enough to get you started. From here, explore the menus and most of all, have fun chatting with friends, family and colleagues.
You can sometimes find me available for chat (with video) at mirazmac@aim.com.
Popularity: 23% [?]
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Chat with iChat
Chat with iChat
Mac Tip #278/28-Feb-2007
After the last couple of Tips you should be ready to chat. Connect to the Internet and open iChat.
iChat should automatically log in when you start it up, but if it does not then click on “Offline” in the Status Menu in the Buddy window, just below your username. Choose Available from the drop-down.
If the Buddy List isn’t visible choose it from the Window menu. Once you’re connected to the chat server any buddies who have their chat software running and are online show up in the Buddy List in dark text. Offline buddies may be displayed in light grey text. Look under the View menu for display options.
Double click a buddy’s name in the list, and then type a short message. Press Return to send it.
The intended recipient will see a small window with your message. Once they accept the invitation by clicking on your message, typing a response and clicking Accept, the chat is on. A chat window opens, displaying your comments on one side and theirs on the other.
Type your side of the conversation into the text area at the bottom of the window and press Return to send. Send files, such as photos or other files by dragging them into the text area and pressing Return.
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In my experiments, photos and PDFs tended to be displayed in the chat window, while other files appeared as a message containing the filename.
When the recipient clicked on that message a window popped-up, showing the file was being transferred.
To end a chat close the chat window.
That should get you started, but there are a few more tips yet about chatting. More next week.
You can sometimes find me available on iChat as mirazmac@aim.com.
I’d like to thank Tips reader Jo Fothergill for agreeing to chat with me so I could make some of the screenshots available in the online archive. Jo writes a blog called ‘out and about in aotearoa‘.
Popularity: 28% [?]
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Set up iChat
Set up iChat
Mac Tip #277/21-Feb-2007
If you followed last week’s Tip and signed up for an AOL screen name you’re ready to chat. Every new Mac comes with iChat in the Applications folder.
Start up iChat. If you’ve never used it before a Setup Assistant appears to help you through the set up process. Read the information and click Continue. On the next screen enter your name, choose AIM as the Account Type, enter the screen name you signed up for and the password you chose, then click Continue.
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Unless you know what Jabber is, ignore that screen for now and click Continue.
Bonjour messaging is useful if you have other computers nearby, as the next screen explains. Make a choice and click Continue.
If you have a modern Mac with an iSight camera above the monitor then the next screen may take you by surprise as you should suddenly see yourself. A green light beside the camera will be lit too.
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A final screen tells you how you can get underway and how to change the settings you’ve just chosen. Click Done to quit the Setup Assistant.
Two windows appear: the Bonjour window shows computers nearby that have chat available, while the Buddy List shows a list of people whose chat address you have saved on the Instant Messaging server.
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To add a new buddy make sure the Buddy List window is active (click on it once, if necessary) then go to the Buddies… menu and choose Add Buddy…. A window into your Mac’s Address Book appears.
If your new buddy is already in your Mac’s Address Book select their name from the Address Book list. Otherwise, click New Person, choose their Account Type, enter their screen name, then click Add. Their screen name is added to your Buddy List. The name is dimmed in your Buddy list if they’re not online, or are online but don’t have their chat software running.
If they come online and start up their Chat software their screen name will appear in black in the Buddy List. Double click their name and you can start chatting.
You can sometimes find me available on iChat as mirazmac@aim.com.
Coming soon: How to actually chat with iChat.
Popularity: 100% [?]
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is jointly authored by Miraz Jordan and Maria Langer.