Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM “THE LINK”
The LINK is a weekly meeting during which Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Jampal Norbu Namgyel, Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel or a senior student will present a talk on the Dharma or the culture and traditions of Mangala Shri Bhuti. There may be an opportunity for participants to ask questions near the end of the teachings. The LINK uses interactive conferencing software that requires an Internet connection. During the presentation portion of the meeting all participants will be muted so that environmental noise doesn’t diminish the sound quality. If a participant ‘raises their hand’ with the conferencing software they may be called upon to ask a question, at which time the moderator will un-mute that participant’s connection so that s/he may speak with the presenter. Through the LINK conferencing software we are attempting to make these teachings accessible to all across our growing community. As with any internet-based system, successful communication depends on many causes and conditions including your own computer and Internet connection. Given the complexity it would be a miracle if everyone were able to connect without a hitch. Please be patient and persistent as we work out the kinks in this shared system. Rest assured that a recording of each meeting will be made available online shortly after it takes place on the LINK website: http://link.mangalshribhuti.org.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THE URL FOR THE WEB CONFERENCE?
You should pre-register for the LINK at least 24hours before the call. Click the url on the LINK website and you will be sent to a registration page. After you click the register button you will receive an email with a url to the actual LINK teaching in it. In this email you will also see a telephone number and conference access code. IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR INDIVIDUAL TELEPHONE PIN UNTIL YOU LOG ON TO THE MEETING ON THE MORNING OF THE TEACHING. After registering, the software will also take you to a page where the same information that will come via email appears (minus the individual telephone PIN).

IS THIS URL THE SAME FOR ALL THE LINK TEACHINGS?
No, each week you will receive via email a new url for the upcoming teaching as well as a new telephone number, conference access code and individual PIN.

HOW DO I ATTEND THE MEETING WHEN THE TIME COMES?
30 minutes before the appointed teaching time (9:30 MT) click the link in the email. If prompted, click Yes, Grant or Trust to accept a download of ‘meeting software’ to your browser. Run the application if you are prompted to. You will see the meeting control panel appear on your desktop. The software download can take some time to install depending on your connection speed, so leave time for that. Please note that the meeting software is part of your browser once the download completes – it is not separate software.

HOW DOES THE AUDIO WORK ON MY COMPUTER?
We strongly suggest that our purchase and use a VoIP headset for these calls if you are not attending the teachings in a group setting. This reduces feedback on the call if you ask a question. You may not be allowed to interact on the call if you do not have a headset, as the presenter may not be able to hear you. Once you have joined the online portion of the meeting, audio information is provided in the Audio pane of your Control Panel. You can switch between using VoIP (Mic & Speakers) or your telephone. In the Audio pane at Audio Mode: click either Use Telephone or Use Mic & Speakers. If you use a telephone for the call, you may incur long distant charges. Your AUDIO PIN/PASSCODE for the telephone call appears in this window. Audio quality can vary based on your audio software/hardware manufacturer as well as your operating system. When using the Mic and Speakers option the following best practices are recommended: • For optimum sound quality, a headset is recommended, preferably a USB headset for ease of use. • If a headset is not available, a microphone and speakers are required, preferably a USB microphone for ease of use. • If using a microphone, it should be a distance of at least 1.5 feet away from any speakers that are built into or connected to your PC. • The use of a Webcam microphone is not recommended.
HOW DO I ASK A QUESTION IF THERE IS Q&A AFTER A TEACHING?
You will ask questions via the Meeting Control Panel that downloaded via your browser. There is a small panel on the left of the main panel (it may appear as a small tab attached to the top left of the main panel) with a Mute/UnMute icon and a ‘Raise Your Hand’ icon. Click the Raise Your Hand icon when you are ready to ask. This signals the moderator. She or he will then unmute your connection and indicate that you can ask your question. Again, headset use makes this run much, much better. Please do not use this feature to ask Tech Support questions.

IS THERE TECHNICAL SUPPORT AVAILABLE DURING THE CALLS? Yes, we’re providing live support via Yahoo! Messenger, just as we do during the streamed teachings. Our user name is msbquestions. Simply download Yahoo! Messenger and create an ID if you do not have one, then add msbquestions as one of your contacts. We’ll open the ‘line’ about 30 minutes before the call. If you have questions before then, write to link@mangalashribhuti.org. *Please note: we’re all new to this system and in the experimentation phase, so please be patient as we get the hang of it.

HOW DO I LEAVE THE CALL? You can leave the meeting at anytime. Just click “Exit - Leave Meeting.” If you are using a telephone, simply hang up.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LINK, LISTEN TO PAST LINKS AND SEE A SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING TEACHINGS? We will provide as much of this information as possible via the LINK website: http://link.mangalashribhuti.org. This page is under development, so please check back now and again.

HOW CAN I HELP IMPROVE THE CONFERENCE CALL SYSTEM? We value your feedback about the LINK listening experience. Please write to us at link@mangalashribhuti.org with your comments, questions and suggestions.