# How-to BigBlueButton

Welcome!

For this event we are using an open source video conference tool called **BigBlueButton**, hosted on the server of [Constant](http://constantvzw.org).

You can use the platform in your browser, on your computer or mobile phone. If you use Safari as a browser, you might encounter some issues.

Here are some tips to start:

When you enter you will get this message: How do you want to participate? Choose the microphone and test your sound:

![Select whether you want to only listen, or maybe also use your microphone](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/how.png)

You will still be muted, so if you want to say something, click on the microphone:

![Find the unmute and switch on camera buttons in the middle bottom of the screen](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/mic.png)

Your camera will not be automatically shared. You can enable the camera with this button (you might need to accept multiple times):

![Confirm devices in popup screen](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/video.png)

If you want to make more space for the videos, you can minimize the presentation in the middle:

![Default BigBlueButton presentation, close at the right top corner](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/slide.png)

If available, you can select Closed Captions here:

![Closed captions button appears in left bottom corner](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/captions.png)

More about why you should consider BigBlueButton and other non-extractive platforms:
* [Infrastructure Solidarity](https://constantvzw.org/documents/bbb/Infrastructure_Solidarity.pdf) (column, 2021)
* [Dear student, teacher, worker in an educational institution,...](https://constantvzw.org/wefts/distant-elephant.en.html) (open letter, 2020)
* [There is an elephant in the room](https://constantvzw.org/wefts/distant-elephant.en.html) (open letter, 2019)