You usually join a meeting from an e-mail invitation. Live Meeting e-mail invitations contain a link that you click to open the Join Meeting page, where you can enter the necessary information to join a meeting. The following steps guide you through the process of joining a meeting.

• Join a meeting from an e-mail invitation
• Install the Live Meeting console
• Join the phone conference

Join a meeting from an e-mail invitation

When you receive an e-mail invitation to a meeting, the invitation contains the information that you need to get access to the meeting and to connect to the audio portion of the meeting. The invitation may be for a future (scheduled) meeting, or it may be for an informal Meet Now meeting, where someone has just sent you an invitation to meet in a virtual workspace.

To join a meeting from an e-mail invitation

1. In the e-mail invitation, click the Click Here to Join Live Meeting link to go to the Live Meeting Join Meeting page.
2. At the Join Meeting page, you may be required to enter the following information:
• In the Your Name box, type the name you want to display in the Live Meeting console for other participants to identify you during the meeting.
• In the Meeting ID box, type the ID of the meeting that you are joining. If the meeting organizer requires a meeting key, type it in the Meeting Key box. The meeting ID and the meeting key, if required, are contained in the e-mail invitation that you received for the meeting.
3. Review the notice about the Live Meeting recording function that states that you may be recorded at any time while participating in the meeting.
4. If you agree to potentially being recording, click Join Meeting.

Install the Live Meeting console

You use the Live Meeting console to view and participate in meetings. If this is the first time you will be using Live Meeting, you can begin the installation process for the Live Meeting console from within the e-mail invitation.

To install the Live Meeting Console from an e-mail invitation

1. In the e-mail invitation that you receive to join a Live Meeting session, next to First-time users, click Click here.
2. On the Install Live Meeting 2005 Windows-based Meeting Console page, read the instructions and requirements, and then click Install the Windows-based Live Meeting Console.
3. In the File Download dialog box, click Run. If you are running Windows XP SP2, you may notice that nothing happens. If this is the case, you will see an Information Bar message across the top of the page. Click the Information Bar, and then click Download File.
4. If you are running Windows XP SP2, click Run again at the Internet Explorer Security Warning dialog box to start the Live Meeting setup program.

When installation is complete, Live Meeting will start the console and add you to the meeting.

When you attempt to join a meeting and you either have not installed the Live Meeting console or your console is out of date, the Meeting Entry page will redirect to the Installation Page. The Installation Page contains links to console installation options. If you are using a computer running Microsoft Windows, click Install the Windows-based Live Meeting Console. This is a one-time installation that will set up the full-featured Live Meeting Windows-based console on your computer.

To join a Live Meeting with ActiveX settings locked down

The Live Meeting console does not require that your browser be enabled to install and run ActiveX controls. If your Web browser is configured to prevent you from downloading signed ActiveX controls or from initializing and scripting ActiveX controls marked as safe, you will see an interim Meeting Entry page, followed by the Installation Page.

1. On the Meeting Entry page, click Join Live Meeting.
2. Then, on the Installation Page, do one of the following:
   • Click Install and Join if you do not have the console installed.
   • Or, click Use Web Console.

Join the phone conference

Most meetings involve a phone conference in addition to the content that is displayed or shared in the Live Meeting console. With Live Meeting, you can:

• Join the phone conference manually by calling the conference call phone number provided in your e-mail invitation. If the meeting organizer has set up a phone conference for the meeting, the phone conference information, including the conference call number and the participant passcode, are included in the meeting invitation. In addition, Live Meeting displays the conference call information by default.
• Allow Live Meeting to call you and automatically add you to the phone conference. If the meeting organizer has set up integrated audio conferencing for the meeting, you can instruct Live Meeting to call you at a phone number that you provide. When you answer the call, Live Meeting automatically adds you to the phone conference. You do not have to remember conference call information, such as access phone numbers and participant codes.
• Join a conference that uses Internet Audio Broadcasting. If the meeting organizer has chosen to broadcast one-way audio for the meeting using the Internet, you can connect to the broadcast and listen to it through your PC.

To join a phone conference by calling the conference call number

1. Join the meeting by using the procedures described earlier in this topic.
2. In the Audio and Recording Setup dialog box, view the Phone Conferencing information for the meeting. This information is also contained in your e-mail invitation for the meeting.
3. Using your phone, call the conference call number and then supply the participant passcode when prompted by the conference calling service.

To join a phone conference by having Live Meeting call you

1. Join the meeting by using the procedures described earlier in this topic.
2. In the Audio and Recording Setup dialog box, in the Call me at box, enter the phone number where the service can reach you.
3. Click Join Conference. Live Meeting integrated audio will call the phone number you specified. When you pick up the phone, the conference calling service will have already added you to the conference call, and it will ask you to supply your name so it can announce your arrival in the meeting.

Note  This feature may not be available if the meeting organizer did not enable it.

To join a phone conference that uses Internet Audio Broadcasting

• If Internet Audio Broadcasting is enabled for a meeting, you should see a the audio status as playing in the Audio and Recording Setup dialog when you first enter the meeting in the Live Meeting console. Optionally, if the Audio and Recording Setup window is not shown, you can connect to the Internet broadcast manually. To do so, on the Audio menu, click Listen to Internet Audio Broadcast.

What to do if you experience problems while joining a conference call

In some cases you will experience problems connecting to a conference call, perhaps because a wrong number is supplied in the invitation or because the information is simply missing. A good way to resolve conference call problems at meeting time is to join the meeting and then open a chat session in the Live Meeting console to communicate with the meeting organizer.