Zoom is an on-line video chat session for multiple people.  You can create a zoom account for free and set up Zoom meetings which give you a link to share with your friends.  You can setup a free zoom account here.

When you go to your first Zoom session, Zoom will install a piece of software onto your computer.  It will then open a zoom window. 

• A computer or smart phone: Zoom will run on both computers (PC & Mac) and smart phones (iPhones & Android).  All you need is the link for the zoom session on the device you want to use.
• Webcam:  If you have a web camera people will be able to see a live video stream of you on their zoom session and you will be able to see all of theirs.  Most modern laptops and smart phones have web cams already built into the laptop.  If you don’t have a web cam, you can still join a zoom without one, but no one will be able to see your video.  You will still be able to see other people video and they will be able to hear you like on a phone call.  Web cams can be hard to find sometimes due to demand, but you can check out the most popular webcams here.
• Internet: You must have access to the internet on the device you want to use.  The better the internet connection the better your experience will be.  Most modern internet connections will have enough speed to handle zoom sessions, but if you have a poor signal on your phone, or your computer has poor Wi-Fi strength then you may have issues.  If using a laptop or computer, you will get much better results if you can plug it into your router using an Ethernet cable.
• Space:  If you are going to be folk dancing during the session, take a few minutes and clear off some space to dance.  It’s worth the time to prevent tripping over something.

• The instructor’s video freezes or is jittery or pixelated.  This is the most common problem on zoom session.  This is most likely a problem on your end and not the instructor.  While both people have to have good connections to the internet, if you are the only one having issues, then the problem is with getting the instructors video stream down to your computer/smart phone.  If everyone on the zoom session is having the problem, then it’s the instructors internet connection.  The most common ways to resolve the problem is to move to a location closer to your Wi-Fi router in your house, or if you are using a computer, then you can also use a Ethernet cable to plug directly into your router.  Be sure to purchase an Ethernet cable long enough to reach from your router to where you want watch your zoom sessions.
• The music is coming through too soft: You may need to turn up your speaker volume on your laptop or computer. 
• The instructor’s voice is coming through too soft:  If you can hear the music clearly, but the instructor’s voice is too soft, then the instructor needs to be either closer to his computer when talking or they need to get a wireless microphone.  There is nothing you can do on your end.

Main Window

• Mute/Unmute: This works just like your phone.  The mute/unmute button is a toggle. When you click on mute, no one can hear you talking until you click on unmute.
• Start/Stop Video: This works just like the mute/unmute, but only works for your video.  When you click on start video, people will be able to see you.  Stop turns the video of you off.  Note: you must have a webcam for people to see you.
• Participants: This will show you a list of everyone on the zoom call on the right side of the screen.  This button is also a toggle.
• Chat: This will open a chat window on the right side of the screen.  There you can type messages to everyone on the zoom chat.  Chatting with everyone is the default.  You can also select an individual name in the chat window which will allow you to only chat with that person. When in the chat window, always pay attention to what is listed after the “To:” label to ensure you are typing your messages to the audience you want.
• Changing your profile picture:  When you don’t have your zoom video playing, zoom can show a profile picture for you instead.  Some people use this as an actual picture of themselves, while others use funny pictures or pictures of their favorite sports team etc.  You can change your profile picture but clicking on Participants, then hovering over your own name, then selecting “More >”, and Add/Edit a profile picture.

• Changing your profile name: You can change the name that is displayed on the screen but doing the same options above for “changing your profile picture”, but instead click on “Rename”.
• Zoom backgrounds:  Zoom can place a background picture behind your video so it looks like you are in another location. You can do this by clicking on the up arrow next to the “Start/Stop Video” button and selecting “Choose Virtual Background”. Zoom provides a few backgrounds for you to select from when it is installed.  You can easily install more zoom backgrounds.  Full instructions are here.