How to share your computer screen (or someone else’s)

If you have ever tried to help others with their computer over the phone you know how hard it can be. You can’t see the screen. So even though you think you are telling them the right things to do, you may not be. As they say, a picture (or a video) is worth a thousand words (or something like that).

Screen sharing

This is where a screen sharing program comes to the rescue. I have used GoToMeeting for this purpose for quite a few years. It has always seemed to be just a little bit easier to use than the competition (WebEx and others). And it is so much easier to help others with their computers when you can actually see their screens. We use it at the OSBA to assist members in using our various online products (Website/Casemaker/OSBA Report Online/OhioDocs/etc.) and also to provide remote training.

join.me

join.me is a website that offers the ability to share your screen with up to 200 people via their computer screens. This program is free and very quick and easy to use. You just direct the other parties to the website, http://join.me, which is very easy to remember and type. The biggest decision is who is going to share his or her screen and who is going to watch.

The program is simple to use. If I am going to share my screen then I choose that option from the main screen and a temporary program quickly downloads and launches. Once it is running it shows you the meeting ID number that you will share with the folks who will be watching (and click the play button to share your screen). Tell the other parties what that meeting ID number is, and they can enter it in the Join box on the main web page. Prefer to see their screen? Have them click on the Share button at the join.me website and wait to receive the meeting id number from them. It is really great for the improptu screen sharing opportunities that can come up.

Attorneys can use this in their practices to share a document remotely with a client, so that the client does not need to come into the office. You can make changes to the document as they watch on their own computer screen and everyone is literally on the same page. Your clients can even use their mobile devices (iPhone/iPad/Android phone) to watch your computer screen using downloadable apps. This makes it very easy to share your computer screen with your clients wherever they may be.

Providing computer assistance to friends and family

If you find yourself providing computing assistance to friends and family, I would encourage you to take advantage of the join.me system. It can allow you to take control of their computer (with their help), and it is always easier to assist when you can see their screen and drive the keyboard and mouse for them.

Another great option is logmein.com, and I think it can be an even better option.  If you find that you need to help family members or friends on a regular basis, I suggest installing logmein.com free to their machines (it works on Windows and Macs). This will allow you to access their machines at any time (as long as it is on and connected to the Internet). They don’t need to do anything. You just login to the logmein.com website and pick their computer off the list of computers that you can remote control. This way you are able to help them even if they are not able to get something like join.me connected for you.

Logmein.com has options that have a monthly fee but the free version is plenty powerful for what you need to support friends and family. Think about installing this software on your next visit to their house. You will be glad you did.

Of course this same software is a great way to access your own computer remotely from anywhere. This can be a real help for those times you forgot to bring that important file and you just want to email it to yourself. There is even an iPad app that will let you drive the remote computer from your iPad. Talk about convenient.