Hello to everyone who has been so kind, generous and incredibly patient with me as I wrestle with this Skype issue which is of crucial importance to me. Believe it or not, every comment, no matter how incidental, has helped. Yesterday, something important just clicked after rereading all; of the postings that all of you have sent to me. Now, at least, with 100 percent reliability, I can always get to the window where, as you VO up and down through your contacts, one can place a call in which the web camera is automatically on as soon as the other party answers.
So now, hopefully, with all of your ongoing help, not to mention your incredible patience, I'd like to continue working on solving the second crucial issue, i.e. turning on or off the video camera while a conversation is in progress. I believe, if nobody minds, I will write a step-by-step process for quickly getting to the initial window (the one where you can determine a person's status, quickly send text messages, etc.) so that others who went back to earlier Skype versions because of frustrations like my own, might be encouraged to "re-upgrade." So now, if anyone still is inclined to render assistance, could you help me figure out how the video camera can be turned on or off during a conversation that is already in progress? Most gratefully yours ... truly!!! Mike On 30,Mar,2011, at 5:17 AM, Zachary Kline wrote: > Hi Mike, > That's just it. The screen shouldn't appear only when you log on, it should > be a fairly constant companion throughout. Are you using the VO cursor to > explore the Skype window? If your version is the same as mine, you should > see a Source List on the left, a splitter, and then something on the right > which changes depending on the source selected on the left. If that source > is "Contacts", your offline and online contacts should show up on the right. > Note that the labels of online or offline only seem to appear when using the > VO cursor keys to navigate. You'll need to interact with the list, of course. > As I said, I'm not very familiar with video. I know it is possible to turn > it on and off during a call, as I've occasionally seen the options for doing > so, but am not sure of precisely where they are. I would investigate the > splitter suggestions made by others. > Best, > Zack. > On Mar 29, 2011, at 7:55 AM, Michael Busboom wrote: > >> Hello Zack, and thanks for responding. >> >> Right now, the only way I know of to get to the offline contacts is to do >> precisely what you suggested. I knew about this option, but logging off and >> then logging back on, just to get to all of one's contacts, seems arduous, >> to say the least. Then, there is also the issue of being able to reach >> someone during another call whose status is set to appear offline, though, >> in actuality, they are really online. >> >> In terms of interacting with the toolbar and the Conversation Menu, I have >> tried this but have not been successful. While it is possible to do many >> things from within the Conversation Menu, turning off and on the video >> camera is not one of them, nor can this be accomplished from the Toolbar. >> >> If you go into the Skype preferences, you will most definitely find an >> option for allowing your camera to automatically start when you place a >> call. However, this still doesn't give you the ability to turn on and off >> the video camera at will. In my particular situation, this is a show >> stopper. >> >> Back to the initial login screen: I really like it because it allows you to >> right arrow between possible actions for the individual whose Skype name is >> currently showing in the contact list. I am wondering if there is an >> approach to making this screen appear whenever the need arises, instead of >> just when one has logged on.. >> >> Thank you very much for your kind response, and my best to you. >> >> Mike >> >> On 28,Mar,2011, at 9:29 PM, Zachary Kline wrote: >> >>> Hi Mike, >>> I can answer at least some of your questions. There is a way to see your >>> entire contact list in Skype 5. Whenever I log in, the first thing which >>> appears is my entire list, offline and all. It is useful to think of the >>> Skype 5 layout as similar to the iTunes layout, as you have a list of >>> categories on the left and a dynamically changing list of options on the >>> right, depending on what you select on the left. I wouldn't mess with any >>> view options until you've gotten used to the default layout, which does >>> work quite well. >>> I don't use the web cam much, so I'm afraid I can't help with those >>> particular questions. All I can say is explore the window using the VO >>> cursor, and don't overlook the menu bar and particularly the conversation >>> menu. >>> Best, >>> Zack. >>> On Mar 28, 2011, at 11:43 AM, Michael Busboom wrote: >>> >>>> I am currently in a rather serious situation where using Skype and its >>>> video feature is a crucial need. Unfortunately, I recently downloaded >>>> Skype 5.1, and its user interface is very very different from earlier >>>> versions such as 2.8 which, I believe, was the prior stable version. >>>> >>>> Here are my questions and needs: >>>> >>>> 1. I can't find a way to navigate to contacts that aren't online. I've >>>> tried going through some of the view options, but the best I can do is >>>> either get a list of current online contacts or a history of recent >>>> contacts with whom I have had conversations. It is important for me to >>>> gain access to my entire Skype contact list. >>>> >>>> 2. I cannot find a way to easily turn on my web camera while conversing >>>> with someone on Skype. In previous versions, I could use the Voice Over >>>> Find command to get to the video button. In the current version of Skype, >>>> the option to turn on and off the video at random is visually there, but I >>>> have thus far been able to get Voice Over to go to it. I know that some >>>> people have had luck, but for me, it has been hit and miss--mostly miss. >>>> Unfortunately,use of the web camera is crucially important for me, and I >>>> am at a loss as to how to configure Skype 5.1 so that I can quickly turn >>>> on and off the web camera. Using the Skype preference of having the web >>>> camera automatically be turned on when I call someone is not always an >>>> option, so I need to be able to turn this feature on and off at will. >>>> >>>> 3. If it will be necessary for me to go back to an older version of >>>> Skype, where can I find it? >>>> >>>> If I sound desperate, I am. For professional reasons, I need these >>>> capabilities. >>>> >>>> My best to all, >>>> >>>> Mike >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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