Can I share my computer screen with conference participants?

Q: Can I share my computer screen with conference participants?
A: Yes! A conference participant logged into ZipDX.com using the Chrome web browser can share their screen to the rest of the conference participants.

ZipDX offers web sharing with every conference. Access to the web-sharing session follows our “no-codes” model. The Host and Participants all log in to ZipDX.com, and choose the Web Share link associated with their active conference.

To be a Presenter in a WebShare session you MUST use Google’s Chrome web browser. Chrome is free and available for Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

Participants viewing the WebShare may use any browser on any type of computer, tablet, or even mobile phone.

Use this Feature

Enabling a WebShare Presentation

Access to the WebShare function is controlled by the conference template. Every ZipDX conference organizer has a default template called “Meeting.” Within the template there’s a “Meeting Type” setting.

The Meeting Type may be set to:

  • Audio+WebShare – (default) Allows telephone access and web access to view the presentation.
  • WebShare Only – Restricts participant access to only viewing the presentation via the web.
  • Audio – Disables the WebShare feature, providing only voice conferencing.

The primary reason to disable the WebShare feature is to simplify what is shown to participants connecting via the web. when WebSharing is disabled they will not see the WebShare icon offered for the in-progress conference.

Starting a WebShare Presentation

Once the host has initiated the audio conference, the host and participants must all log in to ZipDX.com. On the home tab, look for the current conference under In Progress Conferences.  You may need to refresh your ZipDX home page to see your “In Progress Conferences. ”

To launch the web-sharing session and make the host’s screen available for viewing, the host clicks on the start WebShare link. This will open a new browser window to manage the WebShare session.

Click on the blue Share Screen button in the upper left corner of the window. This will open a prompt for selection of exactly what should be shared. It’s possible to share an entire screen,  a single application window or a specific browser tab. Note that if the Presenter’s computer has multiple monitors any one of them can be shared.

Once the source to be shared has been selected the ZipDX WebShare window will display a small proxy of the window or screen being shared. It’s at this point that participants viewing the WebShare start to see the shared content.

WebShare-Presenter-Proxy

The green highlight around the WebShare proxy image is a crop tool. This can be adjusted to reduce the amount of screen or window being shared.

In general, reducing the size of the shared region reduces the bandwidth required for the WebShare. There’s little point in sharing all of a high-resolution screen if the item under consideration is only a small portion of that screen.

Pausing The WebShare

The current Presenter can momentarily Pause the Webshare. This keeps the WebShare session alive but suspends sending updates to the viewing participants. Once paused, the button toggles to Resume, which allows the WebShare to continue. 

Ending The WebShare

Ending the WebShare disconnects all viewing participants without ending the conference call.

A Host can end the WebShare from the End WebShare button on the ZipDX web portal.

If the current Presenter is also a call Host they can end the WebShare via a large blue End WebShare button in the WebShare Controller window.

Note that the WebShare session ends automatically when the conference call ends. 

Changing Presenter

Only a conference Host can initially invoke the WebShare tool. Under the proxy for the shared screen the Presenter’s WebShare window includes a list of participants viewing the WebShare.

WebShare-Can-Share

The list of names includes a status for Can Share based upon which browser each participant is using. Those using the Chrome browser are indicated by a link that invites the participant to share their screen.

If they accept that invitation their browser will load the WebShare extension and offer them a Share Screen button. Clicking on this button, they will be prompted to the select the screen or window they wish to share, as described previously.

The original presenter’s screen remains shared to the call until the new Presenter has selected the screen or application that they wish to share. At that point the original Presenter’s WebShare window changes to show the new Presenter’s screen.

The new Presenter’s WebShare window now has the proxy display and list of viewing participants. They can later pass the role of Presenter to someone else.

Viewing A WebShare Presentation

Those participants who are logged-in to www.zipdx.com can go to their In-Progress Conferences and click on the Join WebShare link. No additional codes are required; however, participants do need to be “registered” at ZipDX.com.

If your call was created using a conference code you can also accommodate guests who are not registered with ZipDX. Instruct your guests to visit http://www.zipdx.com/Guest where they enter the conference code and their name.

webshare-guest-access

Participants can view the WebShare using any web browser, on any kind of device, including iPads, iPhones, Android tablets & phones.

Viewer Display Mode

The participant’s view of the presentation can be adjusted to best accommodate the device that they are using and the nature of the content being shared. A blue button in the upper right corner of the WebShare window toggles the display mode between; Actual Scale, Fit-To-Width and Fit-To-Height.

webshare-display-modes

When choosing Fit-To-Width or Height bear in mind that the shared presentation may scroll beyond the edge of your display. When this occurs a scroll bar will appear allowing you to navigate around the page.

Changing The WebShare Source Screen or Window

When the Presenter clicks on the Share Screen button they are prompted to select a screen or window as a source. Once a source is selected Chrome displays a small notice that screen sharing has begun.

Chrome-Screen-Share-Status-Strip

The presenter can select a different source to share by clicking on the Stop sharing button on this notice strip. This will cause the ZipDX WebShare Controller window to return to offering the initial Share Screen button, beginning the WebShare startup process anew.

If the strip has been hidden it can be returned to view using the alt+tab keystroke to see the list of open windows.