Voice chat problems

Hello friends,

I'm trying to set up for voice chat. The mike on my iMac is ok, since I can use Skype. I go into preferences, and choose Voice Chat, then I enable voice chat. Then trouble. I have set the toggle key, but I dont "get it". I get the idea that in one style I hold down the toggle to talk, while in another I touch the toggle to turn the mike on or off. What is the difference between 'toggle mode' and 'push to talk mode'? And how do I turn these on or off?

Does voice chat interact with Audio & Video? Or do Audio & Video and Voice Chat interact and confuse each other? Exactly what is "streamng music" and "streaming media". And what does "automatically play media" mean?

One more little issue. I occasionally get an invite to a 'voice chat session' (don't recall the exact terminology) and I'd like to know how to send and prepare for such a session, once I know how to activate voice chat.

Like a good little dummy I am trying to grasp the hover messages over the little icons in the lower right hand corner of my SL screen, but they can be cryptic for a non-techie.

I am intelligent, but I am also dumb. If anyone can help me with basics I will be able to generalize pretty readily. And of course, I will be profoundly grateful.

You are absolutely right about the difference between Push to Talk and Toggle Mode.
First you should set a Hot Key to use. Open the Voice Chat tab under Preferences. Click on the Set Hot Key button then push what ever keyboard key you would like to use as your Hot Key. I use the End key because it’s a key that I never use for anything else in SL. Hit OK or Apply to close Preferences. You will know if it works by looking at the Talk button at the bottom right of your screen. When that button is glowing, your mic is open. You can also click that Talk button instead of using a hot key but make sure its not locked. The Lock button is a tiny little button inside the Talk button.
To use Push to Talk, hold down the hot key while talking. When you are not holding the key down, your mic is off. To use Toggle mode, push once to turn on the mic, push again to turn the mic off. Using Push to Talk is good to prevent inadvertent open mic syndrome. That’s where you forget the mic is open while you sit on the toilet screaming at your kids and chewing a stick of celery for all in SL to hear.
There is no real conflict between voice and the other media streams and all three can work at the same time. Use the master volume control to set each to your preference.
See this link for more detailed info on what streaming music and media is all about:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Play_media
To start a Voice Chat session in IM, just click on the Call button at the top of an active IM window or from your Friends list. If the person you are calling has voice set up they will answer the call and start speaking with you. That is if they know you or want to talk in voice with you.
It’s always best to ask in text if the person will take a voice call. The same rules apply in IM. If the Talk button is glowing then your mic is open. When someone sends you an invite to a IM voice call all you do is accept and you will be taken out of open voice and put in a private call just like it is with text IM.
Be conscience of when you are talking in IM and when you are talking in open chat for all to hear. Confusing the two can have some interesting results. If you see the green bars radiating above your head then you are speaking in local chat and anyone with voice activated and on can hear you. .
Like most things, using voice is easy once you’ve done it a few times. Practice with a friend or politely ask someone to test it with you. You can also search Voice Mentors under Group and ask for help.