When opening BBM for the first time, you will be prompted to set up your profile. Your Display Name will be how you show up to other people, so be sure to make it something identifiable. You can also choose a picture to represent yourself. If you click on the picture icon, you will be given the choice of pictures on your Blackberry or to take a new one. You can change this information at any time by clicking on your own name at the top of the BBM screen.

The main screen shows all your contacts, any groups you may have set up, and any pending invitations.

For each person you want to communicate with, you will need to add them as a contact. Hit the menu button on the Blackberry and choose Invite Contact, then choose to invite by PIN, type in the or the name of someone in your contacts who has a PIN listed, and send the invite.

Each person you invite will then need to accept your initiation. When someone else invites you, you will see a notification icon that looks like the icon you get when someone sends you a message. When you go to BBM, you will see a new request. Clicking on the name will allow you to Accept or Decline the invitation and assign it to a category, if you have them.

Once you have collected a few contacts, you may want to organize them into groups. The menu allows you to create and rename categories and move contacts into them multiperson chats.

You can also start multiperson chats through this menu. Now that you are set up and have some contacts, start sending some messages and you will quickly learn how to use Blackberry Messenger for confidential, dependable communication. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask your Systems Administrators.

Surprisingly, using a Polycom videoconference unit is less difficult than it appears. As long as your Polycom unit has been setup properly (ask your HouseCall system administrator if you’re not sure) you can begin your videoconference in just five easy steps (For calls originating from Congress):

1. Make sure the television and Polycom unit are turned on.
2. Select the correct input on the television. This will depend on your television unit, but most TV remotes have an “input” button or several input options to chose from. You may need to press the “input” button several times for the view from the Polycom camera to appear.
3. To rotate the camera, press the maroon arrow buttons. The zoom buttons control the camera’s depth.
4. Press the green “call” button to make a conference call. You can only make outgoing calls, not receive incoming calls for security purposes. You will need to know their IP address.
5. Enter their IP address by typing it in with the number pad on the remote, and pressing the green “call” button.

Of course, any HouseCall system administrator would be happy to assist in getting your videoconference running smoothly.

If you do not currently have videoconferencing equipment and are interested in seeing what is available, contact your HouseCall system administrator for options and quotes. You can also browse the Polycom website to see what solutions are available.