Mikogo is a screen sharing software

Mikogo is a screen sharing software. Several people can be invited, to have a look, what is shown on a computer screen.

This is very convenient in combination with skype. It is possible to integrate Mikogo into Skype, but I think, it is better, to use it parallel. If the internet connection with Skype should collapse, then there is a chance, that Mikogo still works; at least it tries to connect again.

Mikogo-website:
http://www.mikogo.com

The software is free for download

• download the software from http://www.mikago.com; either the versions for Windows or the version for Mac. R egister; the user name and the password will be sent per email to you

• download the user guide, which is in pdf format, save it on your hard disk and study it.

• to start Mikogo: the button of Mikogo is shown in the tool button

• starting Mikogo

give in your user name (emailadress) and your pass word and your name
activate: load Mikogo at start up

• invite others

1. start Mikogo, by clicking on the tool button
2. in the Menu use: start meeting
3. a menu shows up: got to www.Mikogo.com and click on Join Meeting
   

• enter meeting ID

• enter your Name ( name of participant )

• click join meeting

These information must be sent to all participants per email, to invite them for the meeting. They must respond during 15 minutes. If they respond, they can see the computer screen of the invitor.

If a password has been used for the meeting, the participants must give in the password in a second window

Lock meeting: after all participants have arrived

4. end of meeting

click M in the tool button and select End Meeting

Skype must be opened independently from Mikogo.

5. other features of Mikogo

• pause: activate the M icon, select pause transmission; computer screen is not shown. Activate again by selecting Continue Transmissiowhiteboard: drawings can be made on the computer screen, on top of what is already shown
• closing the whiteboard, select x in the top right corner
• switch presenter: computer screen of a participant is shown, The participant must agre
• remote control: presenter can control the other screens, when he gets the permission.
• send files
• share applications: select application selection
• back monitor: shows a small screen of the presenters screen on his own screen for controllin
• recording of meetings
• end meeting: click x on the top right corner
• scheduler: can be started before the meeting. The same ID number can be used for future meeting
  

How to analyze problems

In general a problem is not well defined at the beginning of analyzing it, and at first the structure of the problem must get clarified, before a strategy can be developed, how to solve the problem.

There are available some well proven methods, to analyze problems, like:

• visual methods: concept maps, mind maps
• diagrams: cause-effect diagrams
• lists: classification of potential influences
  

The first step to analyze a problem is, to describe the problem as short as possible and list all factors, which could be important for the problem.

Thereafter several visual methods should be applied, to find the best graphical representation for the relations between these factors.

If there should be many factors, one should focus at first only onto the main factors, so that one understands the structure of the problem.

Thereafter the other factors can be added step by step.

The second step to solve a problem is, to collect all available information about it and structure them.

To get a good overview of the information and to see, where gaps exist, the best is, to prepare a concept map.

A concept map is just a visual representation of the facts and assumptions ( which are written into boxes) and the relations between them.

An excellent free software for preparing concept maps is CmapTools, which can be downloaded at:

http://cmap.ihmc.us/

The help file is quite detailed, so that it should be no big problem, to master the software after several hours.

Mindmaps are not so good to structure a problem, because they permit only to prepare a visual map with a radiant structure, which is excellent for writing an outline of a report or a book, but in general will not be a good representation for a problem.

• Overview of the Problem Solving Cycle

http://erc.msh.org/quality/psoview.cfm

• How to analyze business problems

http://www.requirementssolutions.com/Business_Systems_Problems.htmlhttp: //sfhelp.org/basics/analyze.htm

• Relationship problems in families

http://sfhelp.org/basics/analyze.htm

• How to analyze psychological problems

http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/ht/fxanalysis.htm

• Thinking about problems: Kepner-Tregoe

http://www.itsmsolutions.com/newsletters/DITYvol2iss24.htm

How to use the internet for global work-groups

The internet is ideal for the communication of global work-groups: In business life it is common practice, to arrange meetings to exchange information, find new ideas and distribute the tasks. The members meet in a room and use flip charts, beamers or overhead projectors.


Nowadays, they use also their laptops. A well prepared meeting with disciplined and motivated participants is a very efficient communication method. This method can now be used by every internet user.


It is possible, to form global work-groups, which can cooporate as if all members would sit in a meeting room. The work-group is different from a chat room or a news group, because it works, to get results, in a limited time and up to a specified dead line.

Therefore, the meetings must be carefully planned and moderated. In global internet work-groups the participants can be from different countries, and they communicate, using video conferencing via phone lines or the internet. Different languages and cultural backgrounds can cause some minor problems, but the advantages are greater.

The members save much time and money, which otherwise they would have to spend for traveling to the meeting location. Why should people travel, for instance, from Europe and Asia to USA, to take part at a meeting ? For many meetings, it is not needed, that people come together for a face to face meeting. Managers, with whom I now and then discuss the advantages of global work-groups, in general argue, that personally meetings are needed, and that it is impossible to get the same results with an online work-group.

However, I doubt that. It may take some time, to get accustomed to it, like it needed time for people to use emails.

Global workgroups have several other advantages:

• the members can give better support to each other, because they can meet online at any convenient time with one or several other members.

• because of the different cultural background of its members, a global work-group finds more new ideas, using brainstorming or other heuristic idea finding methods.

• using mind mapping software, the meeting can get structured and documented during the meeting. The meeting report will need only some modifications, which saves the time of the moderator.

An online meeting must be more carefully prepared than a personal meeting. Before an online meeting can be arranged, the moderator has to check, if all participants have the same tools available and know, how to use them. All these tools must be tested with every new member, before the meeting can start.

Needed tools are:

• Internet phoning and video conferencing like Skype

• Plug-ins for Skype, above all screen sharing software like Mikogo ( can be downloaded from Skype)

• Mind mapping software like MindManager or ConceptDraw MindMap

• And the common office suites, like Microsoft Office.

• Camcorder, if objects like production machines shall be shown. Meetings without a good preparation are a waste of time for all. And with online meetings this is even truer.

• Documents should be sent early enough to all meeting members, so that they can study them carefully

• For the discussion in the meeting the moderator should prepare a mind map of the document.

The moderator should then invite all participants to the online meeting, agree the time and the length of the meeting with them and send everybody an outline, what shall be discussed. During the meeting, the use of mind maps is helpful, to keep the members focused.

For problems with feed back loops, concept-mapping software should be used, because mind maps with their radial, linear structure are not a good representation for these problems.

Some templates of mind maps should be prepared offline before the meeting, so that the moderator has a collection of standard template mind maps available, how to structure the meeting, how to present the information and the work after the meeting.

During the meeting each mind map should be developed online and the members should take active part in it. If after some time all members agree, that the mind map is more or less finished, the moderator should save it and go on to the next topic.

After the meeting, the moderator should check all mind maps, restructure them, if needed and send them to all members for approval.

Based on the mind maps, the reports are written, including the mind map at the beginning of the report. To avoid problems with the formatting, the reports should be transferred into the pdf format. The Acrobat Reader is free for download and each member should have installed the latest version on his computer.

For the internet online meeting a safe communication can be important, if for instance, secret information is discussed, like inventions, which are not yet patented or financial figures of companies.

The total communication process must be carefully checked:

• the computers of all participants must be checked against viruses, Trojan horses, phishing software etc.

• only encrypted email providers should be used, like hushmail

• all sent documents must be encrypted, which can be done with Pdf-Writer

• Skype itself encrypts the spoken words and should therefore be safe.

• Mindjet offers an online MindManager web site, which uses encrypted communication lines with a 128 bit key.

• change all passwords after some time and use only strong passwords, with a combination of small and big letters and numbers and a length of more than about 10 letters.

If all these precautions are taken, then a safe communication is possible. If all members use Skype, they can phone or use video conferencing. For private purposes and with few members only, it is free. Companies, which use many members in a video conference have to pay.

A useful plug-in for Skype is a screen sharing software like Mikogo, which can be downloaded from Skype. Documents can be shown on the screen of a member and all the others can see it.

links
Skype http://www.skype.com
MindManager http://www.mindjet.com
encrypted emails https://www. hushmail.com