by Sarah Rossey

To join an AirMeet event, simply click the link provided on our calendar from a desktop or laptop computer. Read on to learn more!

From writer’s meetings to author events; readings to craft sessions, Watershed Books has a lot of activities coming up in the next few months. Be sure to check out our Events Calendar, follow us on Facebook and sign up for our email list to keep up with all of our goings on. While we are very excited about having a space at Watershed Books to facilitate these events, we are keeping a close eye on the CDC and Governor Wolf to make sure we are following guidelines and recommendations and doing our part to slow the spread.

For now, our events are all online.

However, we have been working hard to adapt to the times and provide an immersive experience to keep our at-home participants engaged and heard. This winter, we will be using an amazing tool called Airmeet to facilitate our events and we are excited about the capabilities for multi-level interactions it offers.

What You’ll Need

• Desktop or laptop computer with a microphone and/or webcam. Currently Airmeet is not able to be used on tablets or phones.
• The right browser – Google Chrome, Firefox or Internet Edge (not Safari).

What to Expect

The best part of tuning in from home on Airmeet is that there are all kinds of ways for you to interact with the live event and the other people participating remotely. You’ll be able to participate in many ways before, during and after the event.

Before the Events Begin

When you first log into Airmeet, you will be in what is called the Lobby. This is a hangout area before the Session begins. Here you’ll find virtual Tables that you can join and video chat with other remote participants. Simply click an open seat and join in the conversation until the Session from the event location begins.

You can return to the Lobby anytime during session breaks.

When the Events Begin

When we go live from the event venue, you’ll see at 15-second countdown and then be taken to the main session. You’ll then be able to see the feed from the Watershed Books store event. Your camera will not be on – so feel free to cook dinner, relax on the couch, enjoy a glass of wine. However, there are several ways that you can interact during the session:

Interacting During the Events

On the right hand of the screen you’ll see a menu starting with a list of Sessions. Here’s the main options:

• Raise hand (not pictured above, will show up under “Sessions”)
  During the writer’s group meetings, we will invite both people attending live and those tuning in from home to share their work. If you would like to be put in the queue to read for the group, click “Raise Hand” and we will see that you are ready to read. We will switch between people at the store and people at home. When it is your turn to read, your video will show up next to the store video and everyone will be able to see and hear you.
• Chat
  Click here to take part in a streaming text chat with others remotely participating.
• Questions
  If you have a question for the reader, you can post them here so we can ask them while while it’s still their turn to share. Answered questions can be marked as such so you always know what questions are live.

Troubleshooting & Resources

If you run into trouble, make sure that you are using the correct browser and refresh your screen. You can use the invite link as many times as you need. Email us in an emergency.

More Resources

• A step-by-step guide to use Airmeet: For participants (just note that you won’t have to register for our Airmeet events so you can skip this part)
• Airmeet FAQ
• Airmeet vs Zoom