Kim Avery Coaching

Share Your Screen for Free

by | 4 comments

JoinMe-LogoSometimes I just shake my head and wonder how companies can offer the amazing services that they do for free. Free conference call lines and all things Google come to mind first, but I have recently started using something that really boggles my mind. It is a service called Join.Me.

Join.Me allows you to share your screen with others – for free. And it is easy – I’d say it was so easy a caveman could do it, but I don’t know any to try it with.

Like many other services, Join.Me has a free service and a paid/pro service. For free you can have up to 10 meeting participants, a chat room, the ability to share files, and you can even share control of the screen.

The pro version (lowest price is $13/month if you pay for a whole year) allows you to have up to 250 participants and several other premium features. The exciting thing is that they now have the ability to record the whole thing! That feature is currently in beta testing, and will be released soon, which means that you can hold and record webinars for less than a mani-pedi or an afternoon of bowling.

So other than webinars, what can you do with Join.Me? I’ve found two uses that help me help my clients.

First, I use it for training. Most of my clients use WordPress, and when they need to learn how to do something, I can easily show them and they can follow along.

And second, I use it for troubleshooting. When I have a client who has a problem, they can easily share their screen with me and I can help them find a solution.

If you are ready to try Join.Me with your Virtual Assistant or your clients, and you want to use it for free, go to http://join.me and click the orange Start Meeting arrow. If this is your first time using the program, you will be prompted to download a utility. The people you want to share with will have to do that, too — but all webinar programs require you download something, and this one is much quicker and easier.

Once it downloads, open the program. It will present you with an opportunity to buy, but down at the bottom you will see an orange link that says, “no, thanks, I’ll use basic for free.” Click that , and you will get a little “toolbar” up at the top of your screen with a nine-digit number. By now your “partner(s)” should have the Join.Me screen up. Give them the nine-digit number, and when they enter the number on their screen and click the green arrow, you will see a notice that they have joined, and they will be able to see your screen.

It is quick and easy and fun. And full of possibilities. What would you like to share?

4 Comments

  1. Pam Taylor

    Susan, this was so great last week when you helped me with a dreaded ERROR message for my antivirus protection. I always panic when something like that happens. But we did it together using Join.Me. It was great. You could see my screen and I did the tasks under your direction. A week later, I got the same message and I was able to do the task alone (well, not really alone. I was praying like crazy…scared. But you taught me well. Thank you!) What a great tool! What a blessing!

    • Susan Fleming

      Thanks Pam – it did work well for us. That’s one of the reasons I decided to write about it!

  2. Pam Taylor

    Susan, this was so great last week when you helped me with a dreaded ERROR message for my antivirus protection. I always panic when something like that happens. But we did it together using Join.Me. It was great. You could see my screen and I did the tasks under your direction. A week later, I got the same message and I was able to do the task alone (well, not really alone. I was praying like crazy…scared. But you taught me well. Thank you!) What a great tool! What a blessing!

    • Susan Fleming

      Thanks Pam – it did work well for us. That’s one of the reasons I decided to write about it!