Sharing Information in a Meeting

Due to the limitations within the Macintosh Silverlight Client for Lync Server, the only type of sharing that it can participate in is whiteboard sharing. You can click Share and then New Whiteboard to create a new whiteboard. If one has been previously used and the Stage is shown, you can use the drop-down menu called Content List in the upper right to select a previously populated whiteboard. This is especially useful if a meeting is broken up into several parts and participants want to quickly pick up where they left off. The whiteboard interface includes the following buttons:

• Laser Pointer

• Select and Type

• Line

• Color

• Pen

• Arrow Stamp

• Insert Image

• Additional Tools

• Save with Annotations

• Full Screen

The Laser Pointer function enables the person who currently controls the meeting to create and move a pointer. By clicking in the whiteboard and moving the pointer around with the mouse or a touch pen, you can point to objects in the whiteboard while speaking to call attention to them. This is meant to mimic the use of a traditional laser pointer in a presentation where you can point to an object to call attention to it.

The option of Select and Type, which includes a submenu for font and font size, enables the user to create a text box and type text into it. This is meant to mimic the most common use of a physical whiteboard, which is to write notes onto it.

The Line button enables the user to create lines, arrows, ovals, and rectangles. These are often used to either enclose information on a whiteboard or can serve as the basis for basic sketches or diagrams within a conference session. For the creation of shapes, select a shape, click into the whiteboard, drag the mouse to the end of the shape, and release it.

The Color button enables you to alter the color of objects. For example, you can make a line in the default black and then decide to change the color for subsequent lines to show that they are different things. This mimics the multiple colors of whiteboard pens often used when whiteboarding.

The Pen enables you to draw freehand with the mouse. Clicking into the submenu of Pen, you can select different colors of pens or define the pen as a highlighter. Using a highlighter pen results in not overwriting existing lines. This can be helpful when calling attention to text because it won’t obscure the original text.

The Arrow Stamp button, which also enables you to choose a Check stamp or an X stamp, enables you to place an arrow onto the whiteboard. The easiest way is to click into the whiteboard, drag the mouse to where you want to place the object, and then release the mouse.

The Insert Image button enables you to search the system for image files to paste into the whiteboard.

The Additional Tools button includes the typical undo/redo functions, allows for cut/copy/paste functionality, and enables you to delete selected annotations or all annotations.

The Save with Annotations button enables the user to save the whiteboard as a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image. You are prompted to choose a location to save the image.

The Full Screen button expands the whiteboard to fill the entire screen. During this full-screen mode, you are not able to see the normal interface for Lync, text that is typed into the conversation pane, nor the status change for other participants. To exit full-screen mode, either click the left bar’s arrow labeled Show Conversation or press the escape key (ESC).