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We do our best to make our space easy to access for our members and those who sign up to our send outs.

It can be a little overwhelming to try and get a grip on technology while settling into a new community at the same time.

Help is always available, to those who ask for it, in one-on-one tech help sessions and here are some general tips to help you get started:

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Artificial intelligence

A reflection on a new resource - C.A.T.H.Y
The Rev'd Jamee Callard
October 13, 2024
Joining in on Zoom
A few tips to help
  • If joining in from a desktop computer, you can download Zoom ahead of clicking the link to join which will make it faster to join (Downloading the Zoom desktop client and mobile app – Zoom Support) or you can join from your browser. 
  • Here is a Video which offers step by step instructions on how to join: Joining a Zoom Meeting 
  • Here are some more details on how to join Zoom meetings: Joining a Zoom meeting – Zoom Support
  • If you are joining from a mobile device, like a smart phone or tablet, you can download the app to your device ahead of time. 
  • If you run into issues (it could be that your bandwidth is low and internet connection unstable) it can help to turn off your camera when you are joining a Zoom space as that often helps simplify what your internet is trying to manage.
Zooming from a phone, mobile or landline:
You can join Zoom from a phone, landline or mobile to listen and speak via audio.
  • To do this, first find your local number to dial in, on this page: Zoom International Dial-in Numbers - Zoom
  • After you have dialed your local number into your telephone, listen to the prompts which will invite you to key in the Meeting ID number and Passcode (both of which are supplied in the HHO send outs).
  • To leave the meeting you can simply hang up the phone.
Extra Zooming tips:
  • Make sure that you are joining from a safe place (i.e. you can join on Zoom from anywhere, but be sure that you are going to be safe while your attention is held by the gathering and not on what is going on around you).
  • If you are joining from a loud environment the use of headphones can be extremely helpful.
  • It is completely up to you if you would like to appear on screen by sharing your video with the gathering, or if you would prefer to remain off camera.
  • Think about what your camera/video feed will share with others in the gathering (i.e. are you fully dressed, is there anything behind you which you would rather not share?)
  • If you are going to make use of the Chat function while you are in Zoom be sure to check out the Safeguarding page which offers some guidance around community communications.

Digital Backgrounds:

You may like to use a digital background which celebrates the theme or church calendar season in our gatherings. You don't need a green screen to use them either! Just go to your Zoom settings, select Background and Effects and use the plus button (+) to add images from your files to set a picture as your new background.

Here is a detailed how to if you run into difficulties: Changing your Virtual Background image - Zoom Support

Using the HHO app

You can download our HHO app by visiting this link: https://tithely.app.link/holy-hermits-online 

Here are some Video Tutorials for using our HHO app including how to download, navigate and make use of the prayer wall.

Communicating with HHO

HHO will communicate with community members via email send outs, providing Zoom links and details of how to participate, faith-based resources and ways of how to make an offering or donation using a variety of giving methods (featured on the Give page).    

HHO will never: 

  • Send you a link to a bank site for you to log into.
  • Request that you reset your banking passwords in order to make a donation.
  • Ask you to contact a person who is not identified on our website as a HHO leader.
  • Ask what your log in credentials and passwords are to your email address, Zoom account, HHO app profile, bank account or any other platforms.   

If you receive an email that looks like it is from us, but seems off in any way, please do not reply, and email Rev’d Jamee or the team directly using the email addresses and contact forms provided on the Website.    

Managing our Emails
We recommend sending our emails to a special folder in your inbox so that our send outs remain life-giving

We know that inboxes can be hectic places, where there are just too many things asking for attention to keep on top of.

We also know that recieving 2 emails from us every week might add to feelings of overwhelm and lead folk to unsubscribe only to wish to re-subscribe in another season.

That's why we recommend making use of the folder system that most email services offer and creating rules, or sweeping the things that come from us into your special "HHO" folder, so you can look at them when it serves you.

For Outlook users: Create a folder in Outlook - Microsoft Support; Manage email messages by using rules - Microsoft Support 

For Gmail users: Create rules to filter your emails - Gmail Help (google.com)

What to do if HHO emails stop arriving!
Sometimes our emails might all of a sudden disappear and you haven't unsubscribed - check your junk!

Although Tithe.ly is a secure system for our database and email send outs, from time to time your email providor might filter our messages to the trash/junk/spam folder of your account.

To fix it, and make sure that they don't keep going to that folder, here are some help pages for different inboxes:

Manage unwanted messages in Gmail - Google Workspace Learning Center

Label a message as "junk" or "not junk" - Microsoft Support

how do I mark an email NOT JUNK in iCloud… - Apple Community

If you check your junk and the emails aren't there either - get in touch with us to let us know so we can fix it!

 

Online Safety
We take the safety of our members very seriously and undertake to make being part of community as safe as possible.

Personal info

Our members are encouraged not to give personal information away in Virtual reality or on Zoom - even when we are gathered with other members we know well. We must remember that being online is still a public space even if we are connecting from home or other places that feel safe for us.   

First names only

Members are encouraged to think carefully about using their full names when they join spaces. Whenever a community member is mentioned in send-outs, on the liturgy screens or in other communications, only their first name will be used.

Be aware

Being part of any online activity represents some risk. Although we do our best to create a safe space, we must live with the reality that being online can expose us to scams, unwanted and uninvited content and varied behaviours from others also participating as well as those who seek to gain access to intentionally take advantage or disrupt the space.    

Be responsible

Online safety is the main reason signing-up is necessary to get the Zoom links for worship and gatherings, and why we don't have them listed on our website. By ensuring that those who have signed up are genuinely wanting to connect in or become part of the community, we have less risk of internet 'trolls' or 'bots' gaining access and disrupting our space.

Members are welcome to share Zoom links to join with family members and friends, who they might like to invite to try HHO out, but are asked not to post the links on social media or in public forums.

All member data and information for those on our send out list is kept securely through the Tithe.ly ChMs system.  

Other tips from our community

Some of the apps we use to make Church easier