How to Butter: A Participant's Guide

How to Butter: A Participant's Guide

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Hi there! This is a quick guide on how to get set up right and make sure you have a great time as a participant on Butter.

1. Get started right

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We recommend to join using our Desktop app, from a Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser to experience the best version of Butter.

If you're joining a session through your browser, all you need to do is click on the link and join! 🔗

If you want to join in using the Desktop app, then you can download it here. 💻

If you’re on Mobile, you can download our Android or iOS apps here 📱

1.1 Joining your first session on Butter

Joining a session on Butter is very straightforward.

First, click the link that you’ve been sent, if you’re on the browser. If you’re on the Desktop or Mobile app, copy the link and insert it into the “Join” field.

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Test your audio and video If you want to test out your setup before the session, you can use http://app.butter.us/troubleshoot(everyone will thank you for it 😉)

1.2 Permissions: Allow access to your mic and camera

Make sure you give Butter permission to access your camera and microphone. Mr. Bolt is there to guide you! 😉

If you're using a browser: Make sure to have permissions enabled for camera and microphone in your browser. Here's how to do it on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.

Firstly click Request Permissions and then click Allow in the upper left hand side to make sure you allow the browser to access your camera and microphone. If you accidentally click block, you can reallow by clicking the 🔒 next to the URL in the upper left hand side.

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1.3 The Waiting Room: Adjusting your settings

When you given permissions, you will land in the waiting room that the facilitator has created! Sit back, relax and enjoy the music!

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Use headphones to avoid the pesky echoes that you hear in some calls!

Once you're in the waiting room, enter your name, test your mic and camera and perhaps select an avatar before joining the session.

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Testing your mic & camera can save you time - click the “Test Now” button in the lower part of the screen to test.

You can choose whether you want to enter the room with video and/or microphone on/off by clicking the red/green video or microphone buttons next to your image

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You can also click the Edit settings button to set a custom background, change your avatar (or snap a selfie to use as avatar!), or change your microphone or camera settings.

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Once you’re ready to join, click the big Send Join Request button to ask the host of the session to let you in.

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You will not be able to request to join before the facilitator has started the session.

Once the facilitator lets you in, you will enter the session!

1.4 Joining the session

Once you’ve been allowed into the session, you will join in directly with the settings that you chose in your waiting room (video and audio on/off, your avatar, etc.).

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If you want to change the settings in your session, you can always click the little ⚙️ icon on the upper right hand side.

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Use keyboard shortcut 'V' to toggle video on/off, ‘M’ to mute and unmute and ‘H’ to hide yourself from the view.

2. Butter features

Here are the key features in Butter that help make your online workshops better than physical ones!

2.1 React with emojis 🎉

It's so easy to feel bored and distant in virtual workshops. To get the energy up in the room, use the Reactions while others are speaking — it gives them instant feedback and encouragement when you let them know that you 😍 the topic or are 🤷‍♂️ about the presentation.

To use the reactions, click on the "React" icon and select the expression that suits the moment best.

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Use R + (the reaction number from 0-9) for quick keyboard shortcuts!

2.2 Raise your hand 🙋‍♀️

In virtual workshops, things can get messy when people talk on top of each other during discussions or when they don't know how to get a question in during Q&As.

To use the queue, click the Queue icon on the left hand panel to share an idea, comment or question — and wait until you get selected. You can also use the keyboard shortcut ‘Q + (the queue number from 1-3)to open the menu.

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Remember to unmute yourself first when you’ve got the word and are selected to speak! Select ‘I’m done’ when you’ve said your piece to remove yourself from the Queue.

2.3 Chat: Interact with facilitators and participants 💬

Using the Chat during workshops allows you to share your thoughts or questions without interrupting the flow.

Access the chat from the left hand panel or by clicking 'C' on your keyboard.

In the chat, you can:

  • react to messages
  • reply in messaging threads
  • send GIFs, images and emojis
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You can also send a direct message to the facilitator or any participant in the session. Click the bar in the top of the chat window to select who you want to send your message to.

2.4 Notepad: Jot down your thoughts directly in the session ✏️

Butter has a built in Notepad that you can use during the session. We’ve got two types of notes:

  1. Shared notes (that everyone in the session can add to and see)
  2. Private notes (that only you can see)

To access the shared notes, click the Notes button on the left hand side. You’ll see the shared notepad, and will be able to add notes to the session.

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You can access your private notes by opening the notepad and clicking the little arrow next to the “shared notes” text.

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If you want to save your notes, be sure to input your email at the bottom to get your notes sent to you after the session! We will not store your email. 🙏  If you are logged in to your Butter account during the session, then the Notes will automatically get saved in your Session Recaps.
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3. Other frequently asked questions

3.1 Video-related

"The video seems pixelated..."

If your video looks pixelated, it may be due to your connection. There are several things that can cause this:

  • Just a bad network signal
  • Being too far away from wifi
  • Restricted bandwidth (for example, cellular network)
  • VPN

You can check under the Settings menu on Butter to see if your network strength is good.

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If it’s good and you still encountered issues, leave us some feedback after the session so we can look into it.

"The camera froze while I was talking!"

This is common when your network has issues uploading your video packet. Try turning your video on and off in the left hand menu bar to refresh it.

Also, if you are facing issues with video transmission, we recommend turning off video and just using audio.

"I can't see the videos of other people in the call, I just see black tiles."

The black boxes or avatars appear (instead of videos) when you have a bad connection. You can check under the Settings menu on Butter to see if you network strength is good.

If it is, then try turning your video on and off in the left hand menu bar to refresh it.

3.2 Audio-related

"I hear echo, what can I do?"

Not having headphones on during a session usually causes an echo — using one should solve it.

“Why can’t I hear some of the people in the call?”

This can be either due to your network connection strength or the permissions you’ve enabled for your sessions.

To see if it is a network issue, you can check under the Settings menu on Butter to see if your connection is good.

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If your network strength is good but the issue still persists, then it might be due to the hardware or permissions. You can do the following to check:

  • If you’re using the desktop app: Click Audio / Video settings, check to see if you have any devices listed in the dropdown menu.
  • If you’re using a browser:
    • Check the right-most of the address bar. Does the camera/mic icon have a red circle with a cross inside it? If it does, that means the browser has denied permission. Make sure to have permissions enabled for camera and microphone in your browser. Here's how to do it on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.
    • Check the left-most of the address bar. Click on the lock and see if the permissions are set to Allow.

If you still encounter issues after following these steps, leave us some feedback after the session so we can look into it.

“I can hear other people, but they can’t hear me!”

This can be either due to your network connection strength or the permissions you’ve enabled for your sessions.

To see if it is a network issue, you can check under the Settings menu on Butter to see if your connection is good.

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If your network strength is good but the issue still persists, then it might be due to the hardware or permissions. You can do the following to check:

  • If you’re using the desktop app: Click Audio / Video settings, check to see if you have any devices listed in the dropdown menu.
  • If you’re using a browser:
    • Check the right-most of the address bar. Does the camera/mic icon have a red circle with a cross inside it? If it does, that means the browser has denied permission. Make sure to have permissions enabled for camera and microphone in your browser. Here's how to do it on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.
    • Check the left-most of the address bar. Click on the lock and see if the permissions are set to Allow.

If you still encounter issues after following these steps, leave us some feedback after the session so we can look into it.

3.3 Camera- or mic-related

"My audio & video didn't work once I joined the call!"

Here are a list of things you can try to solve it:

  • If you’re using the desktop app: Click Audio / Video settings, check to see if you have any devices listed in the dropdown menu. If it’s not listed, then you might not have granted permission to access your mic and camera during setup.
  • If you’re using a browser: Make sure to have permissions enabled for camera and microphone in your browser. Here's how to do it on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.

If it still doesn’t work, then check your devices to see if it works on OS apps like Camera app on Windows or PhotoBooth in MacOS. If it doesn't work, you might need to restart your computer.

3.4 System load-related

"The app is slowing my computer down."

It may either be a network or CPU-related issue.

To see if it is a network issue, you can check under the Settings menu on Butter to see if your connection is good.

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If it is good but you are still having issues, then do check if your device are within our supported minimum system requirements.

3.5 Browser- or firewall-related

"I used Firefox/Brave/Mighty and it wasn't working well."

Butter works best on Google Chrome at the moment. We'd recommend using that or using our desktop app instead!

"I couldn't see the Miro or Google presentation the host was showing..."

There are a few things which cause these integrations to not work:

  • Having third party cookies blocked on the browser (via adblockers) or having incognito mode on will cause Miro/Google Drive to not work on Butter. We suggest turning both off while in a session that requires you to work on Miro or Google.
  • Check if you are authorised to access the documents.
  • Click on the refresh button on the integration and see if it works (top-right beside on the X button).
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3.6 Other FAQs

"Do you have a Desktop app?"

We now have a Desktop app! 💃 Download it here: https://butter.us/download.

"I want to use virtual filters! Is this something you have?"

This is something we're looking into for the future but in the meantime, we can recommend to use Snapcam to add virtual filters in Butter.

“Do you have mobile or tablet support?

You can download our mobile app for iOS and Android on https://butter.us/mobile