Boomalang Guidelines

How do I register and enroll in my course? 

• Visit www.boomalang.co and click “SIGN-IN” at the top right.
• Complete your profile information.
• At the enrollment screen, enter the 6-letter Invite Number provided by your instructor.
• Complete payment. If your school is covering the cost or if you’ve purchased a Redemption Code, you may enter it in lieu of payment.  

NOTE: If you don’t use all of your conversation minutes during your course, you will keep them in your account. You cannot however receive refunds for unused conversation minutes, nor discounted access for future courses, as each course has a minimum payment to join.

How do I reserve a conversation? 

• Each time you reserve, you’ll select from any speaker in the team. You can search availability by speaker and date. Click Profile Details to read more about them. (Times are always displayed in your own local time zone. Pay attention to whether you selected AM or PM.)
• After clicking Reserve, you’ll see details of the upcoming conversation, in addition to the Conversation Topic(s) that will be included - these are created by your instructor and are shared with your Boomalang speaker. You may select Change if for any reason you need to change the order in which you complete your conversations per your instructor’s direction. (You can always do a conversation more than once, but a reminder that it will count towards the amount of conversation minutes purchased.)
• You can schedule conversations up to 7 days out (or as soon as 12 hours ahead).  Do not wait until the last minute to schedule your calls.

Can I cancel a reserved conversation? 

• Yes, with 12+ hour notice. You can click JOIN from the home screen, then Cancel Conversation. While rare, your speaker might cancel (with 24+ hour’s notice). In either case, you're alerted and your minutes are returned to your account immediately.

How do I prepare for the conversation? 

• When you click JOIN from the home screen, then Compatibility, you’ll see a series of tests to check your computer settings (and microphone/speakers) as well as internet/bandwidth. We recommend running each test at least 1 hour before your conversation. 
• If you struggle to pass the tests successfully, please try the troubleshooting tips provided by the tests. If issues persist, message our support team in the HELP icon.
• Preparing a few questions for your speakers is always helpful, though they will “lead” discussion through the topics submitted by your instructor. Take some deep breaths beforehand if you’re nervous, but you are not alone! After the first minute or two, you’ll likely settle in and have fun with your speaking partner.
• Just remember that it isn’t about not making mistakes. Instead, take some chances! It’s a judgment-free space and the speakers are experienced to help you feel more comfortable.  

How do I join the call?

• When you click JOIN from the home screen, the PLEASE WAIT button on the right will change to purple and flash to read READY! when it’s time to start. If the button isn’t showing READY! after two minutes past the reserved time, please message us in Menu > Help and the support team will assist you.    
• Clicking READY! will open a new window, and the conversation will begin with you and the speaker.
• Occasionally (<1% of the time), you might enter a conversation with a Boomalang speaker other than the one with whom you reserved. If this happens, you’ll be notified and will receive the minutes back, in case you’d like to reserve a different time with the originally reserved speaker. If you’d prefer however, you may of course proceed with the replacement speaker. 
• Your speaker will not wait for you if you haven’t clicked READY! after 5 minutes past the reserved time.  

Oops I missed my conversation, or it’s too late to cancel and I can’t make it on time. What now?

• You’ll see that you can purchase discounted make-up minutes ($5 for a 15-min. conversation and $7 for a 30-min. conversation).  

There was a connection issue during the conversation and it couldn’t work. What now?

• The first instance that your conversation is marked "Tech Issue," Boomalang will add the minutes back to your account at no charge. For any additional instances, you can always purchase discounted make-up minutes ($5 for a 15-min. conversation and $7 for a 30-min. conversation). Before you reserve any future conversations, it’s imperative to pass all of the Compatibility tests. You can also message us in the HELP icon to make sure your system is fit. 

Will my instructor automatically see my participation?

• Yes, your instructor will automatically see your reserved conversations, completed, canceled, missed, and those marked as “Tech Issue” (connection issues), as well as the dates in which each action occurred. The complete audio of each conversation is automatically archived, which is available to both you and your instructor. 

Code of Conduct 

As a student engaging in conversation with Boomalang’s team of international speakers, I will always: 

• Be in a quiet area, where a strong Internet connection with great bandwidth is most likely. Anytime I would like to try a new area from which to take a Boomalang session, I’ll be sure to perform the test links at least 1 hour prior to my scheduled call.
• Dress appropriately for my conversations, as if I were in class.  
• Feel encouraged to share my opinions if and when I’d like, and will always be respectful of the speaker’s culture and opinions. The use of obscene words or expressions that could be interpreted offensively will be avoided, especially any form of hate speech directed at religion, gender identity, ethnicity or nationality, which is not tolerated by the Boomalang community.   
• Be responsible for my own conversations and not have a friend/helper translating or doing the work for me.
• Not participate in sexual harassment of any type.
• Not continue with the conversation if I feel offended or that my safety is compromised.   
• Not pressure my speaker into engaging in any communication outside of Boomalang, whether in the form of social media, email, or other messaging platform.
• Try my best to not use any English, but rather use what I can as mistakes are embraced!   

For any questions orconcerns, always feel free to message us in the HELP icon.