Muting

People's mastery, or lack of mastery, of their own hardware and software can become painfully obvious in Skypeland. It is very common to encounter someone who leaves their microphone on by accident, so that everyone in Skypeland can eavesdrop on their phone calls, their private conversations with their families, listen to their dogs barking and listen to them typing on their very noisy keyboards. However, most people will quickly mute their microphones when they are alerted of this and apologize.

Once in a while someone comes to Skypeland who does not understand how to mute their microphone, and does not know how to test their microphone to see if it is transmitting sound or not. There is a button on the Skype console that allows Skype participants to mute their microphones, and most microphones also have hardware buttons or switches on tham that mute them. Most computers also have a separate set of controls for muting microphones, and if worse comes to worst, the microphone can be unplugged. Skype also allows one to monitor the sound being tranistted over Skype from the microphone and many computers also offer this capability as well.

However, today we spent a good 30 minutes trying to get someone to mute their microphone. The exchange went something like this:

M1: B, mute your microphone.

B: (background noise from his children, etc)

M1: B, mute your microphone.

B: (background noise from his children, etc)

This continued on in the same fashion for another 10 iterations or so, until finally B, said:

B: M1, can't you hear me? Let me adjust it. There, can you hear me now?

M1: B, I said, please mute your microphone. We are hearing too much of you.

B: Dude, can you hear me now?

M1: B, please mute your microphone. We are hearing your kids.

B: How about this? Can you hear me now?

M1: B, the problem is not that we cannot hear you. The problem is that you have a hot microphone and we are hearing your kids and your house and all kinds of background noise.

B: M1, how about this now? Is this better? Can you hear me?

M1: Can you mute your microphone B? Do you know how to mute your microphone?

B: Of course I know how to mute my microphone. My microphone is muted.

M1: We can still hear you B, Your microphone is not muted.

B: My microphone is muted now. There.

M2: No B, your microphone is not muted.

B: How about this? Is my microphone muted?

M2: No.

B: How about this? Is my microphone muted?

M2: No.

B: How about this? Is my microphone muted?

M2: No.

This continued on for about another 20 iterations, with B thinking that he has muted his microphone and then being told over and over and over that he had not muted his microphone.

M3: B, do you know how to use your Skype? Do you know when you are broadcasting?

B: Don't talk to me man. You don't speak English. I can't understand you.

M3: B do you know how to tell if you are broadcasting? How do you know you are muted?

B: I cant understand blah blah blah. Speak English.

This went on and on and on in a similar fashion. Until finally I just gave up. Oh brother.