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Contents
- How
To Get Started
- How
Does the System Work?
- How
Do I Make Contact with Other People?
- Your
computer should have the following specification
- Tips
- What
information can people see about you?
- People
using MDF site.
- Making
a 1-1 call with someone.
- Forming
a forum for group conversations
- Further
Help
How
To Get Started
This is MDF Aberdeen's chat room page.
From here it is possible to speak to other people
who are visiting these pages. To be able to take part
you will need to download
Fire Talk Software. 
How
Does the System Work?
After downloading the software the
following is possible (assuming that everyone has
Fire Talk loaded)
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To
talk to anyone using this site, |
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Have
a confidential conversation on a one-to-one basis
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Have
a conversation with a group of people in a forum
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Take
people on a web tour of your favourite sites
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Send
messages to other people who are online
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How
Do I Make Contact with Other People?
This is the difficult bit.
Obviously, if you have some personal
friends with access to the internet you could use
the 'Tell a Friend' button on the Fire Talk screen.
This will give then instructions on how to access
the system. When they have access, you can add them
to your contacts list.
For people who want to make use this
facility but can't find anyone to talk to. We will
collect Nicknames and/or Email addresses to
allow meetings to be arranged. Just giving your and
add you to the list below (Confidentiality will be
respected)
|
Nick Name
|
Interest
in MD |
Comment |
Add
to BLOCK List |
| Ian2 |
Carer
/ Support |
MDF
Aberdeen |
-
|
| GileanC |
Sufferer |
MDF
Aberdeen |
- |
| drumna |
Sufferer
/ Support |
MDF
Aberdeen |
- |
| StewartL |
Sufferer |
MDF
Aberdeen |
- |
| Manic
Man |
Diagnosed
in 1990
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Please
watch the space between Manic and Man, because
'ManicMan' is not an MD
Lives in the USA
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If you find anyone causes offence
and should be added to our BLOCK LIST drop us an Email
Add the list of Nick Names to your
contact list. When you want to speak to someone,
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select
some or all of your 'manic' contacts |
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right
click on one of the selected names |
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select
'send instant message' |
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complete
your message which could be something like:
"I will be on-line on Monday at 18:00, in
forum 'XYZ' with a password '123' Speak to you
then." |
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send
the message . . it will go to all the names
selected. |
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The
first person on-line at about that time should
create
the forum 'XYZ' and give it a password '123'.
Anyone who comes along later will then know where
to meet the group of people invited to join the
forum. |
Your
computer should have the following specification:
-Pentium 120Mhz
-16MB RAM
-Full Duplex Sound Card
-28.8 (minimum) Internet connection
-Windows95/98/NT4
-5MB free hard disk space
-Microphone and speakers
Firetalk requires a full-duplex sound card and computer-compatible
microphone. If you do not have the appropriate hardware,
you must purchase it and install it according to the
manufacturer's instructions.
PLEASE NOTE:
While any microphone designed
for a computer will work with Firetalk, you will get
the best results with a headphone-style set-up. Such
a set-up prevents your microphone from picking up
the voice of the person with whom you are talking
through your computer's speakers, which could create
an echo
Tips
-
Look at the FireTalk
help it has several useful options including:
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New
User Page - good to check your voice
levels and get any queries answered.
You don't need to say anything so it is
a good way to see how things work.
All participants are new users or helpline
staff, so its OK to make mistakes.
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New
User Guide - full details of how to
use the system
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Sound volume is a
common problem. Make sure you through all the
tests on the Tools Menu (this is done at installation
time; but can be repeated any time from the menu)
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Sound set-up
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Mic Test
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Volume Control
- make sure mic on/off box is selected if
it is available
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If your environment
has changed since the use of the program - check
the background noise level using the mic test
above
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A common problem
is distance from the mic - ideal is 1-2 inches
(25 - 50mm)
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When there are 7
or more people chatting together it is necessary
to press and hold the TALK button or a better
way is to press and hold either of the Ctrl keys.
Remember to release the keys when you have finished
talking.
If less than 7 people are involved, then from
Tools / Options menu on the General Tag - deselect
the 'use push to talk'. The system can then detect
who is speaking automatically. If 7 or more you
have no option but to 'push to talk'.
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A bubble should appear
next to the person speaking. If you can't see
who is speaking press the "S" header
next to the participant on the right side of the
screen. This should bring the active participants
to the top of the list.
What
information can people see about you?
You should check to see
what other people can see about you. To do this follow
these steps.
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If you are not
in a forum, join one. The safest one is 'New
Users'
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Find your Nickname
in your forum and right click on it.
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If you don't like
what you see, for instance your Email address,
you can change it from Tools / Options menu
/ Personal Info Tag.
Email addresses that are hidden appear as 'HIDDEN'.
Any other info can be changed, its up to you
where you use your correct name etc.
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People
using MDF site
The MDF Aberdeen site
is 'Fire Talk Enabled', this is it is possible talk
to anyone using the site if they have installed the
Fire Talk software. To do this just go to the MDF
Aberdeen pages using the Fire Talk window of your
browser, and a list of participants will appear. You
can then use Fire Talk in the normal way.
Making
a 1-1 call with someone
To have a private one-to-one
conversation with someone you will have to add their
details to your Contact List on the left side of the
screen. To make a call: select the contact from the
list and press the telephone symbol at the right hand
side.
Forming
a forum for group conversations
A forum is required to
speak to a group of people. See help on forums for
further details. Considering the sensitive nature
of the conversations. I would suggest that all forums
are password protected, to keep out unwelcome guests.
Further
Help
On line help is available
from the New Users Pages which are manned by helpline
staff for many hours a day. The helpline staff have
CS before their IDs, and appear at the top of the
list of participants. Don't be too embarrassed to
ask, all users who use this area are new. Remember
most of these people come from the States, and you
will not meet them, so you don't need to feel embarrassed.
If you would like more
private help drop me an Email.
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