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Last week I posted a tweet that caused quite a stir. I suggested that white, privileged men were being delayed in their journey through discernment within the Church of England and illustrated it with a screen grab of someone who was going through that particular journey. I tagged on the end of that tweet that LGBTQi folks were experiencing an acceleration in their journeys. 

The tweet was inelegant, blunt and did not marry with the experiences of many LGBTQi people who have been through the discernment path of late. My comments were in no way meant as a denial of anyones experiences, but an attempt to demonstrate that the process is riven with bias – unconscious and conscious – for many groups. However, that point was lost in the outrage that (quite rightly) people felt.

In the real world, face to face I could have corrected the assumption, got across my wider point in a more helpful way. Heat could have been taken out of the conversation and a helpful one could have ensued – but in the world of Twitter the heat got worse and I hardly helped myself – adding petrol to the fire in several sarcastic and unhelpful responses.

Bruised (as indeed others were), I retreated from Twitter and left things alone for 24 hours. I woke the morning after and checked my messages to discover that a kind soul felt that I should take myself off with my shotgun and ‘do the honourable thing’. Another message expressed a desire that I would die horribly and painfully of cancer. 

I am deeply sorry that my tweet caused upset and even more so for any pain that it may have caused – but I wasn’t prepared for those messages and – after prayer and a night’s sleep – I decided to deactivate my Twitter account altogether.

Interestingly, this led to a few people being upset that I had unfollowed them because I disagreed with them, fortunately a good friend let people know what was going on and the upset turned to concern (for the most part). I also received a number of supportive and loving messages from others in that 24 hours.

So, what now? Well, as I counsel my clients when this happens – retreat from the platform for the moment. I’ve re-activated my Twitter in the last 48 hours and protected my account. I’m not tweeting, checking messages or responding to conversations. I’ve deleted the app on my phone/tablet/computer and will take a good period of time away from the platform. I’ve been on Twitter for 13 years – it’s not something I’m happy to leave behind in a fit of pique because I’ve been stupid and because others have been unkind. A good chunk of my life is recorded on Twitter in photos, videos and tweets. All the good, all the bad, all the ugly. All of who I have been since 2006. 

Thank you for your support and kind words. Thank you for the correction. Thank you for your prayers. 

I write here about a range of things; a loose collection of posts and reviews about things that I am passionate about. For the most part that means you’ll see lots of posts about my faith and about Jesus’ ministry through me here at St. Luke’s. Milber and St. John’s, Bovey Tracey with Heathfield.  You can also find any sermons or broadcasts I may have delivered (although I’m not entirely consistent in posting them).

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What did I want? I wanted a Skype virtual number that worked with the Skype client on my iPhone, my laptop and importantly – with a desktop phone that would function without the need to be plugged into my computer.

Easy. Google Skype desktop phone and you’re presented with an array of options. But here’s the rub. They don’t work. Skype – the consumer version – is just not wired to work properly with a stand alone desktop phone (VoIP) – so you’re going to have to try something else. I now have a virtual Skype number that calls through on my various devices as well as a desktop phone – this is how I managed it – it took me the better part of two weeks of on-and-off work to get this up and running – there is so much contrary information on various websites that I hope this offers a clear path for new users.

1 – Skype wont work for you.

The personal version of Skype is not up to this task. Yes, you can buy a USB phone for your computer but it’s barely better than a bluetooth headset and it still requires your computer to be up and running and signed in. You need Skype For Business. It’s designed to work with more robust VoIP systems and will integrate with a number of desktop phones – most easily with this range from Polycom. Be aware you need a very specific version of the Polycom phones that come with the relevant firmware pre-installed. This is important. Without that firmware the upgrade process for these devices is a pain – a REAL pain. I know.

2 – It wont work with JUST Skype for Business

Skype for Business is an awesome stand-alone tool. It’ll ring your devices, is far more robust than the personal version and offers good value for money. You could stop right here with a simple subscription and forget the desktop phone idea.

3 – I really want a desktop phone

This is where things get hugely confusing. In order to use a desktop phone you are going to need a full-on VoIP server, a PBX server and a phone plan of some kind. What does that mean in practice? It means you need a Microsoft Office Enterprise Licence. The easiest way to get up and running is to sign up for an Office 365 E5 Licence. This gives you everything you need to be up and running with a desktop phone – including the Cloud PBX service for Skype For Business. You’ll just need to add a domestic calling plan. So now you have:

• Office Enterprise Licence
• Cloud PBX (included in E5, needs to be added for other enterprise licences)
• Calling plan

You are set to go – you need ALL of these things. Skype For Business will not work on a desktop phone without this set up.

4 – What’s the cost?

An office E5 licence sets you back £25 per month. But for that you get the entire Office suite of apps and a bunch of other things that made it worth while for me.

Cloud PBX is £5 per month (but is included in the E5 licence)

Domestic call plan is about £7 per month – but can vary depending on your Office Licence.

You can chop and change these licences depending on your needs as long as you have the three items listed above in some form or another.

5 – Setting up the phone

Buy a Polycom phone. It arrives with the firmware installed and you just log in via the web interface, insert your Skype For Business credentials and it just works – honestly, this was the easiest part of the whole thing. There’s a bunch of help online if you get stuck – but it really is straight forward. My phone calls just like a real phone, it receives calls easily and as Skype For Business becomes more integrated into the Office suite of tools it becomes ever more useful as a desktop device – contacts, calendar, diverting and transferring to other members of my team etc.

6 – Do you really need a desktop phone?

If you really need a desktop phone this painful path is worth it – because you’re essentially setting up a small commercial set up with Microsoft. It works really well once set up but a lot of it is for IT pros and not for the likes of you and me. If you don’t really need a phone, you may well find the cost and set up just too much – stick with your iPhone and a bluetooth hand-held for your desk.

7 – It works REALLY well

Now I’m set up I have incredibly robust email, access to Microsofts Office Enterprise tools and software and integration across all of those tools. I can easily manage my own email server and my own phone server. This is such a good tool.

It’s been a blast getting this far – I’m holed up in a hotel for the day whilst a tummy irritation sorts itself out so I’ve taken the opportunity to get all the photos of the journey so far together – here they all are!