Office Communicator: Use Desktop Sharing like a pro

Hopefully many of you have at least tried Office Communicator. It is more than just an instant messaging tool and can provide a very efficient way of sharing information.

The Desktop Sharing feature allows you view another user’s desktop (with their permission, of course) or share your’s with another user. You can even grant control of your desktop to the other user. This is a great tool for sharing a slide presentation, computer troubleshooting, or remote collaboration.

Here’s how to start and use a Desktop Sharing session:

1. At any point in the conversation, click the Sharing icon and select one of the sharing options (desktop, main monitor, or second monitor). NOTE: If you have two monitors, you may want to select just one of them to share. It can be very hard to see a shared desktop when both screens are shared.
   
2. Your monitor will now have a green border and a box at the top as shown below:
   
3. The other user will see this in the conversation window:
   
4. When the other user accepts the invitation, the box at the top of the window will now show who is in control of your screen:
   
   The other user can now see everything on your screen. It will appear as a part of their conversation window.
5. To share control with another user, click on the box and select a user:
   
6. To discontinue the sharing session, click the red X on the right side of the box.