Are you having a virtual event but you still want your audience to benefit from the same types of presentations and meetings they'd have face-to-face? Pair this with the Session Discussions feature and in-app networking tools, and you'll have a more engaged audience than at a traditional in-person event!
Zoom Integration
We’ve made incorporating Zoom meetings into your sessions and custom list items even easier! Key points to keep in mind with our Zoom integration:
- You must be a licensed Zoom member; it cannot be used with a free license
- Zoom meetings and webinars that require pre-registration will not function with the Zoom Integration
Our Zoom integration is exclusive to Guidebook Web. Mobile users will be directed to the Zoom app.
Zoom integration will not work on Guidebook Web through Safari. Google Chrome is recommended for best performance.
To set up a Zoom integration, you will need to have a Zoom meeting link. Once you have created or scheduled a meeting through Zoom, you can access the link from the meeting details.
To add the Zoom meeting to the session or custom list item, open the Schedule or Custom List in Builder. Select a session or Custom List item, then click on the Videos tab. Here, you will be able to add a new video by entering the URL.
The meeting link includes the passcode that has been set, so users will not need to enter the passcode to access the meeting. However, if you would like an extra layer of security and would like to require users to enter a password, you should toggle “Requires Password”. Toggling this option will strip the automatic password from the URL you entered, forcing the user to enter the password in order to join the Zoom meeting. You cannot revert this choice. If you’d like to use the link without requiring attendees to enter a passcode, you will need to add a new video.
The meeting will appear at the top of your session or Custom List item and users can participate while also engaging in session discussion! On Guidebook Web, users will be prompted to log in to their Guidebook account before they can access the Zoom meeting.
As a host, when it comes time for your meeting, you will need to start the meeting and manage the waiting room, if applicable, through Zoom. If the meeting has not started or has been ended, attendees will encounter a Zoom system error message. Once the meeting has started, attendees can refresh.
Currently, Zoom meetings cannot be docked, like other videos linked on the Videos tab (this means users cannot navigate around Guidebook Web while watching the meeting).
Protip: Attendees can watch the Zoom meeting in Full Screen on Guidebook Web and participate in the session discussion on the mobile guide!
YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch
The Video linking tab allows you to link to videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or Twitch in your mobile guide or Guidebook Web. Doing so allows the videos to be beautifully embedded in your Guidebook Web page and it helps to keep your virtual audience in one location. Note that YouTube, Vimeo and Twitch videos can be docked, allowing users to navigate the Guidebook Web page while still viewing the video.
To add a video link, open the Schedule or Custom List in Builder. Select a session or Custom List item, then click on the Videos tab. Here, you will be able to add a new video by entering the URL. Zoom, YouTube, Twitch, and Vimeo are supported, with more options on the way!
Many virtual meeting platforms have ways to create a YouTube or Vimeo live stream link for a meeting, which would allow it to be embedded in the Guidebook Web page using this method. See the “By Platform” and “FAQs” sections below for more details.
You can also synchronize the data for the video from this tab. Syncing the data will update the video to have the most current title as well as the start and end time (for live videos). If the video is currently active, the Guidebook Web page will display a “Live” badge. If the video has a start time but is not yet active, the video will display an “Upcoming” badge.
Webex
Webex meetings often require additional information beyond a URL link like a meeting number, meeting password, or dial-in audio options. Adding this information directly to a schedule session's description (or a custom list item) is a great option. Make sure to set the link to open in the device's native browser for the best compatibility across devices.
If you'd like to have the video embedded in your Guidebook Web page and keep viewers there rather than joining in the Webex software, you can live stream to YouTube and link that URL on the Videos tab of your session.
Teams
Microsoft Teams meetings have a single URL to join the meeting. The URL can be linked directly in the description field.
When hyperlinking, make sure to set the URL to open in the device's native browser. This will allow the link to open the Teams app on the mobile device for full functionality. On Guidebook Web, this link will open in a new tab, so the user continues to have access to the Guidebook Web page.
GoToMeeting
If you are using GoToMeeting, you may have a meeting ID or password for participants to join. In this case, you can add the hyperlink and meeting details directly to the description field of an item or session so they are easily available to attendees.
Hyperlinks in Descriptions
Virtual meetings held through platforms like Microsoft Teams, Webex, GoToMeeting, and Google Meet often include a URL link as well as additional information like a meeting ID or passcode to enable members to join the meeting. We recommend adding meeting or webinar information directly to a schedule session or custom list item's description field.
When creating the hyperlink, make sure to check the option to open the link in the device's native browser. This will redirect mobile users to the proper app for a smooth transition to the meeting. On Guidebook Web, it will open the link in a new browser tab, allowing the user to keep their Guidebook Web page tab.
This is a great option if you want to push the audience into the specific software (Teams, Webex, Meets, etc.) so that they have the full functionality offered there. The Guidebook Web page will act as the home page for the event where all of the meeting links for sessions can be accessed.
If you have a large number of links to add to descriptions, you may prefer to import them with a custom list item template or schedule session template. To ensure the links open in a new tab, your HTML should look like this: <a href="URL" target="_blank">Text that is hyperlinked<a>. Additional HTML assistance can be found in this support article or by emailing us at support@guidebook.com.
Linking Tab
If you have a large number of videos that do not require a passcode or any additional information, you can manually add a URL link from a schedule session or custom list item's “Links” tab or quickly import the links using a linking template. This will display the link in a separate area below the description field.
This works well for web resources or video that isn't on a supported platform, but we recommend using links within the description field that opens in a new tab for any webinar or meeting links. The only exception is Zoom, due to our specific Zoom integration.
To add a web resource or video that isn't hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or Twitch, open a custom list item or schedule session in Builder. Click on the “Links” tab and then choose the URL button. Paste the link and save.
FAQs
What if I want to link to a platform that you don't support in the Videos links tab?
The Videos tab within a Schedule session supports YouTube, Twitch, and Vimeo, with more options on the way. If you want to use another service, feel free to link to it as a URL on the Links tab of a session or custom list item, or within the description field. When linking to other services, we suggest checking the box to have the link open in the device's native browser, which is only available when hyperlinking inside the description box.