We hope this will answer some of the questions not answered in the announcement and invitation.
Q. Who can attend this meeting?
Q. What will happen at the meeting?
Q. What do I need to have to attend?
Q. I have an older computer. What about me?
Q. What if I can't make it at that time, or don't have the right equipment?
Q. Does it cost anything to attend?
Q. Is there still time to register? Is there room for me?
Q. How can I submit questions to be answered during the meeting?
Q. How do I join the meeting on Sunday night? 
New!
Q. Who can attend this meeting?
This meeting is open to both Broad Universe members and non-members.
Q. When is the meeting?
A. August 14, 2011, at 7pm Eastern Time (US). To convert this time to your local time, try this calculator: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Q. Where is the meeting?
A. On the web!
Prior to 2011, Broad Universe held its annual meeting at WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention held in Madison, Wisconsin. We moved it to a virtual location to make it possible for more members to attend.
Q. What will happen at the meeting?
New president Trisha Wooldridge will chair the meeting, which starts with a message from our outgoing president, Phoebe Wray. Other members of the Motherboard will describe what we've been doing this past year, and all will talk about our plans for the future. Our treasurer will tell you what we've been doing with the money. At the end, we'll answer questions that have been submitted.
Q. What do I need to have to attend?
A. You need a computer and access to the internet. You do not need a microphone or headset to join. You can join through the chat room only, typing in your questions, and by telephone. You must log in using their web site first, though, and it will download software for the meeting.
The meeting will use GoToWebinar software for the event. You can find out more about attending a webinar using this software at http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar/webinar_support .
In particular, look at the following topics under Attending a Webinar:
Q: How do I join a webinar?
Q: Do I need a GoToWebinar account to attend a webinar?
Q: What are the system requirements for attending a webinar?
Q: Can I view presentations in full-screen format?
The following information is taken from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar/webinar_support :
On a PC
- Internet Explorer® 7.0 or newer, Mozilla® Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
- Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
- Cable modem, DSL or better Internet connection
- Minimum of Pentium® class 1GHz CPU with 512 MB of RAM (recommended) (2 GB of RAM for Windows® Vista)
Participants wishing to connect to audio using VoIP will need a fast Internet connection, a microphone and speakers. (A USB headset is recommended.)
On a Mac®
- Safari™ 3.0 or newer, Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
- Mac OS® X 10.5 – Leopard® or newer
- Intel processor (512 MB of RAM or better recommended)
- Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
Participants wishing to connect to audio using VoIP will need a fast Internet connection, a microphone and speakers (A USB headset is recommended).
Q. I have an older computer. What about me?
A few people have asked about the computer requirements for attending the Virtual Annual Meeting. We're aware that not everyone has the most up-to-date equipment, the Windows operating system, or the desire to jump through hoops. We're trying to make it as inclusive as possible and as easy as possible, but there are technological and budget limitations.
Prior to 2011, Broad Universe held its annual meeting at WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention held in Madison, Wisconsin. We moved it to a virtual location to make it possible for more members to attend. We realize that still doesn't help everyone (especially those in different time zones), but we are moving forward. We hope that next year we'll come even closer.
Q. What if I can't make it at that time, or don't have the right equipment?
We are hoping to record the meeting and make the recording available as a file on the web and also as a podcast. We will announce details when the file is ready.
Q. Does it cost anything to attend?
We are not charging for this event, but there might be some commuications charges, depending on your situation.
- Cost of the software -- We are using Go To Webinar for this event, which must download some software for you to attend the meeting. The software that Go To Webinar downloads when you join the meeting is free. That is, you do not need to pay for it. (By the way, Go to Webinar is a product owned by Citrix, a respected software vendor in the business world, so we expect that the software is safe to download and use.)
- Cost of phoning in -- The phone number for dialing in, if you choose to use a telephone, is NOT a toll-free number. That means that if you do not have free long-distance and IF you dial in, you have to pay for the call.
Note that you can avoid the cost of phoning in if you have a microphone and speakers (or a headset) on your computer.
Q. How do I register?
If you are a member, you will receive an invitation by email. All of the emails have now been sent, so if you do not see one in your email inbox, look in your spam, junk, or bulk email folder. If you still haven't received an email and you're sure you're a current member, use the contact form to let us know.
Follow the instructions in the email to register. If you have problems or questions, first go to http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar/webinar_support and look at the topics under Attending a Webinar. You must register in advance of the meeting. That is, don't wait until the meeting starts.
If you are not a member, watch our Yahoo Group, our Facebook page, and our LiveJournal page for instructions. There is a limit to the number of attendees, so we're inviting paid members first.
If you still haven't registered, follow this link:
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/970047478
Q. Is there still time to register? Is there room for me?
Yes. As of Friday, August 12, 2011, there were still slots left. If in doubt, try.
Q. How can I submit questions to be answered during the meeting?
Email your questions to prez@broaduniverse.org.
Q. How do I join the meeting on Sunday night?
You must register in advance. Please try to register no later than an hour before the meeting starts to make sure that your registration can be processed.
When you register, you receive a confirmation email. In that email you should see a large JOIN WEBINAR button and a link in step 1 where it says "Click here to join". Click either the button or the link.
The confirmation email contains the access code and webinar ID.
Check out our Facebook page
Join the discussion with our Yahoo! Group
Read and comment on our LiveJournal Blog