Lync is an instant messaging solution that gives you the ability to be able to quickly communicate with other teachers or staff at yours or other schools or even the IT department if you are having an issue with your computer.

First 5 minutes: Sign in and get started

If you’re already logged on to the network, signing in is as easy as starting Microsoft® Lync™ 2010.

1 On the Start menu, click All Programs, click Microsoft Lync, and then click Microsoft Lync 2010.

2 Click your presence status if you want to change it, or click Reset Status to let Lync 2010 set your status automatically based on your activity or Microsoft® Outlook calendar.

3 Set a location to let people know where you are today.

4 Let them know what you’re up to by clicking What’s happening today? and typing a note.

What does your presence state mean?

PRESENCE STATUS DESCRIPTION

Available You are online and available to be contacted.

Busy You are in a Microsoft Lync 2010 call or, according to your Outlook calendar, you are in a meeting, so you shouldn’t be interrupted.

Do not Disturb You don’t want to be disturbed and will see conversation alerts only if they are sent by your Workgroup contacts.

Be right back You are away briefly and will return shortly.

Away Your computer has been idle for a period of time (15 minutes by default).

Off Work You are not working and are not available to contact.

Offline You are not signed in. If you have blocked individuals from seeing your presence, you’ll appear offline to them.

Unknown Your presence is not known. If others are not using Lync 2010 as their instant messaging program, then your presence might appear unknown to them.

Find the right person

Just start typing a person’s name in the search box, and results will appear below the box. If you see who you’re looking for, double-click the person’s name to send an instant message.

If you’re not sure you’ve found the right person, the contact card gives more information and shows where the person fits into the organizational tree.

· To display the contact card, point to the person’s picture.

· For a full version, click the down arrow in the lower right corner. Then, to see his or her organization, click the Organization tab.

Build your Contacts list

Add people to your Contacts list if you'll be contacting them often or if you just want to keep track of them.

1 In the search box, type the person’s name or email address.

2 In the search results, right-click the person, and then do one of the following:

· If you’ll be contacting them often, click Pin to Frequent Contacts.

· Add them to a group by clicking Add to Contact List and then clicking the group name.

· If you haven’t created groups yet, click Add to New Group, and give the group a name. You can add more contacts to this group later.

(Optional) To make sure you know when someone becomes available, right-click the contact’s name, and then click Tag for Status Change Alerts.

Send an instant message

1 In your Contacts list, double-click a contact.

2 Type a message in the message input area at the bottom of the message box, and then press Enter.

3 (Optional) To add an emoticon, click the emoticon (smile face) button.

4 (Optional) To customize the font, such as type or size, click the letter A next to the emoticon button.

Receive an instant message

When someone sends you an instant message, an instant message alert appears in the lower-right corner of your computer screen. Do one of the following:

· To accept the invitation, click the alert.

· To redirect the invitation, click Redirect.

· To decline the invitation, click Ignore.