If an expert is logged in to the system, it may be possible to request a live consultation with them. The expert can of course choose to accept or decline your request, but if they accept it then the live consultation will take place immediately without your having to post a question up on the system.

To request a live consultation you should enter a title or subject matter of the live consultation (so that the expert can decide whether or not they are able to help you), and you may also want to enter further notes to the expert, possibly giving more details about what you are looking for or perhaps how long you anticipate the live consultation will go on for; clicking on the "Submit" button will then actually submit your request.

While we alert the expert that you have requested a live consultation with them, you should just wait for them to arrive. The page will be automatically updated by the system every minute, so that you will be ready to begin as soon as they arrive.

Once the expert has arrived, you are ready to begin the live consultation. If your system supports it, your NetMeeting client software will be started automatically as an ActiveX control embedded in the web site. Otherwise, you will need to start your client software manually. In both cases, you should click on the following buttons:

	Begin Live Consultation If your client software is the NetMeeting ActiveX control mentioned above, click on this button to call the expert. Otherwise, follow the instructions on screen to call the expert and then click on this button to indicate that the live consultation has begun.
	End Live Consultation At the end of the live consultation, click on this button to hangup and properly terminate the live consultation.

If your client software is the NetMeeting ActiveX control mentioned above, you can check that it is configured to send and receive video by right-clicking on the video window and selecting "Properties" from the menu; you should then see a dialog box - choose the 'Video' tab, and make sure both the 'Sending and receive video' checkboxes are selected. In addition, during the live consultation you will see buttons for each of the available tools as follows:

	Application Sharing - You can work easily with the expert by sharing programmes. Only one computer needs to have the programme, and both of you can work on the document simultaneously. Control of the shared programme remains with the person who shared it - and you can stop sharing immediately by pressing the 'Esc' key.
	Text Chat - Use this button to start a chat window. At the top is the chat history, which updates whenever either of you types a message, and below that is a box into which you should type messages you want to send. You can save a chat session by going to the chat menu and choosing 'File->Save'.
	White Board - This tool allows both of you to draw and share diagrams, type text, and to use a highlight pen. To share a pre-prepared picture, go to the whiteboard menu and choose 'Tools->Select Area' or 'Tools->Select Window' - NetMeeting will then paste the picture onto the whiteboard. You can save a whiteboard session by going to the whiteboard menu and choosing 'File->Save'.
	File Transfer - This allows you to send a file on your computer to the expert. Usually you will send material not suited to the whiteboard or other tools, or documents to be worked on using the application sharing tool.