BuddySpace Quick Start & Tours


Quick Setup Guide


Overview presentation about BuddySpace (8 minutes)

 

Tours (downloadable video files)

The movie files below can be launched directly in your browser (click on the 'size', e.g.' 7.8MB', to launch), or save to your hard disk (right-click or CMD-Click on Mac, and select 'Save Target As...').

Title

QuickTime

AVI


Flash
Generic Overview Tour
How To Download (optional*)
How To Unzip (optional*)
How To Launch And login
Using BuddySpace Groupchat

*optional movies show the full manual download/unzip sequence
for 'Do-It-Yourself' users; these steps are unnecessary if you have
obtained the full 'easy-install' Windows or Mac versions

Quick Start: Get it, launch it, set login & prefs

1. Get it

  • Windows users: use the .exe easy-install download option from the Full Download choice on the downloads page, and locate the double-clickable icons to launch BuddySpace. During the installation, you will be offered the option of placing a shortcut/alias into your system startup folder (called simply 'Launch BuddySpace when Windows starts?'... highly recommended!
  • Mac OS X users: Use the .sit easy-install download option from the Full Download choice on the downloads page. This will create a 'disk image' on your desktop called BS2.1.1 which will have a folder called 'BuddySpace' inside: drag that BuddySpace folder into a new location/folder of your own choice. Also drag the BuddySpace application icon into your System Preferences... Login Items so that it auto-launches when you start up/login.
  • For Do-It-Yourself users (all platforms): unzip your download (files can be stored anywhere), then find and run (or double-click) the file buddyspace.bat (PC) or buddyspace.sh (Unix/Linux/Mac). Mac OS X (10.1 or newer) users may have to open the Terminal program, found in the Applications_Utilities folder, and re-type the command line string found within buddyspace.sh (see a typical tutorial for advice on how to get this Terminal program 'Command Line Interface' running).

2. Launch it (double-click desktop icon or .bat file as above)

3. Login details (when launching, or via leftmost toolbar button)

Login: my.name%myorganization.com (note % instead of @!!!)
Password: **** (get first or new: buddyspace.org/webAdmin)
Resource: BuddySpace2.5.1pro (arbitrary text string)
Host: buddyspace.org (or jabber.open.ac.uk for pre-Feb-2004 groups*)
Port: 5223 (or 5222 if not using SSL)
[X] Use SSL connection (recommended)


[*Non-OU users of jabber.open.ac.uk change password here]

OR use a public server, make up your own details and tick 'New User'

4. Spend 3 minutes browsing Preferences

  • Follow the menu sequence: Jabber... Preferences...
  • Double-check 'login' tab (details as above)
  • Visit 'Conference', 'Views', and 'Alerts' tabs
    (Conference server = conference.buddyspace.org or
    jabber-conference.open.ac.uk for OU users,
    others: follow settings for numerous Jabber Public Servers)

5. Add contacts (see full User Guide for more)