Zoom - Chats

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Overview

Zoom is a fully featured online collaboration tool.  The Zoom Client is an easy to use application, that can reliably manage group and individual chat sessions, as well as audio and video conferencing.  The client is also cross platform, and available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Downloading and Installing Zoom

The Zoom client can be downloaded from www.zoom.us/download.  There is no cost or sign in required to download this software.

Double click on the ZoomInstaller.exe to start the installation.  There are no special options or check boxes for the install.

Signing in to Zoom

When you try and open the Zoom app for the first time, you will be presented with a login screen.  To sign in with your MyNIC account, you will need to select the “Sign In with SSO” option.

In the Sign in with SSO window, enter nic in the field so that the address is nic.zoom.us, then click continue.  This will open a browser and take you to an NIC login page.  Enter your MyNIC credentials to authenticate and open Zoom.   

If you’re unsure what your MyNIC credentials are, please contact the IT Help Desk at (208) 769-3280.

Zoom Chat

The Zoom client has a built-in chat system, which can allow you to send messages and other content to contacts in the directory.  The chat client is built to be intuitive, and supports many features that are available in other modern chat clients.  Below are some short descriptions of the features within Zoom chat.

Sending New Messages:

1. Sign in to the Zoom Client, then click on Contacts.
2. In the search box at the top right, type in the name of the person you want to send a message to, then click on the user that’s found.
   • If the person you want to message isn’t appearing, they may need to sign into Zoom using the SSO option.
3. Type in your message, then press enter to send.

Replying to Messages:

1. Sign in to the Zoom client, then click on Chat.
2. Hover over the specific message you want to reply to.
3. Click the chat bubble icon.
4. Type in your response, then press Enter to post the reply.
   • Replies to messages don’t always have to be a text response.Replies in Zoom can include reactions, screenshots, files, and emoji’s.
   • Messages and replies can be Starred, so that they can be more.

Editing your message:

1. Sign into the Zoom client, then click on Chat.
2. Hover your mouse over the message you want to edit, then click the “…” button and select Edit.
   • You can only edit messages that you have posted.Messages posted by other people cannot be edited.
   • Your messages can also be deleted, starred, and shared.If a message has been changed, there will be a “Editted” note next to the timestamp.

Zoom Channels (Group Messaging)

Zoom channels allow you to easily create private or public groups, send group chats, files, screen captures, image, and meetings (with or without video).  Below are some short descriptions on how to find and use Zoom Channel features.

Creating a Channel:

1. Sign in to the Zoom client, then click on Contacts.
2. Click on Channels to see a list of channels you currently belong to.
3. Click the + icon, then click Create a Channel.
4. Enter a display name for the channel, invite members, and make the channel public or private.
   • To invite members to the channel, they must have already signed into zoom using SSO so that the NIC zoom account gets created.
   • Always make the channel private, unless there’s a specific need for it to be public.Public channels are available for anyone within the organization to view/join.

Notifications for Unread Channel Messages:

1. Sign in to the Zoom client, then click on Contacts at the top right.
2. Click Channels.
3. Hover your mouse over the channel and click the “…” button.
4. Under Notifications, check the box for Show unread messages badge.

Using Chat Mentions:

1. Sign in to the Zoom client, then click Chat.
2. Open a Channel.
3. Type the @ symbol in the new message box, then select the person’s name.
4. When the message is posted, that user will then get a push notification on their device as well as the message.

Meet with all Channel Members:

1. Sign in to the Zoom client.
2. Click Chat at the top of the Zoom window.
3. Hover your mouse over the Channel name, click the down arrow, then click Meet with Video or Meet Without Video.

Meet with Individual Channel Members:

1. Sign in to the Zoom Client.
2. Click Chat at the top of the Zoom Window, then click on your channel.
3. Click the More Info icon at the top right of the window, then click on the Members Arrow.
4. Hover your mouse over the individual you want to meet with, click the “…” button, then click Meet with Video or Meet Without Video.

Troubleshooting

1. I’m not able to find the contact I want to message in Zoom.
   • The person you want to talk to likely hasn’t signed into Zoom yet, so their account has not been created.Ask them to sign with their MyNIC credentials using SSO.
2. Can I clear the chat history in my chats or channels?
   • Yes, you are able to clear the chat history.To clear the chat history, open the chat or channel, click the More Info button at the top right, click More Options, then click Clear Chat History.Clearing the history will only affect how the chat appears on your computer, it won’t clear the history for others.
3. How can I tell if someone is online or available?
   • The Zoom client provides status icons next to the contact name.Below is an image of each status icon, along with a short description.

Icon	Status	Description
	Offline	Contact is not signed in to the Zoom desktop client or mobile app
	Online (desktop)	Contact is signed in to the Zoom desktop client  Note: If the contact is also signed in to the Zoom mobile app, this status overrides the mobile client status
	Online (mobile)	Contact is signed in to the Zoom mobile client only
	Away	Contact is sign in to the Zoom desktop client but their computer is inactive or they manually set their status to Away
	Do not disturb	Contact manually set their status to Do not disturb and won't receive pop-up notifications for chat or Zoom Phone calls in the Zoom desktop client or mobile app
	In a Zoom meeting	Contact has started or joined a Zoom meeting using the Zoom desktop client or mobile app
	Presenting	Contact is sharing their screen while in a Zoom meeting
	On a call	Contact is on a Zoom Phone call using the Zoom desktop client or mobile app
	In a calendar event	Contact is in a calendar event (from a synced calendar) but hasn't joined a Zoom meeting using the desktop client or mobile app
	Chat error	Chat message failed to send (also applies to files and images)

 

Additional Information

• NIC IT Zoom Manual - https://nic.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1783/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=56749.
• Zoom Support Page – https://support.zoom.com.
• For any addition questions or issues, feel free to contact the IT Help Desk at (208) 769-3280 or helpdesk@nic.edu.