How to get best results from Videoconferencing?

                       How to get best results from Videoconferencing?

Most of us would have participated in videoconferences on Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco etc, especially in recent months. Many are new these platforms and do not know how to get best experience out of such events. I want to suggest a few workarounds when you may face difficulties.

You may not be able to get connected to the meeting. Reasons could be poor internet connection. In your mobile there may be space clogging due to unwanted stuff not deleted. Just by making space by deleting large files you can make enough space. The meeting ID could be wrong. Emptying cache might help.  Unable to see shared screen may be tackled by changing internet connection from one Wi-Fi to another, as nowadays many households have multiple access to Internet.

It is possible for the host to connect two monitors – this will ensure checking if screen share is working properly. Some users from mobile won’t hear properly as sound volume is low from mobile phones. You may try connecting a USB or Bluetooth based external speaker.

Some participants find it difficult to focus themselves in the centre of the screen when they use mobile. You can place the mobile in a mobile- holder to keep it stationary for capturing via camera. One has to ensure that the background is dark and the face is lighted.

The host can choose not to show on screen those who have not switched on their cameras. This will accommodate more people with video on. Participants can use icons, reaction emoticons, raise hand facility to communicate during the meeting.

There are free screen capturing video recording applications available. They may be downloaded and started before joining the videoconference. You can have complete record of the proceedings that you may run later, in case you happen to miss some parts. If you want to share the URL of a video recording and indicate only the portion relevant to the recipient, this also can be done by adding start and end parameters to the link you send. 

I hope you get enhanced user participation and enjoy full powers of videoconferencing by adopting relevant suggestions mentioned herein.

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Comparison of Free Version of Google Meet and Zoom

  

Comparison of Free Version of Google Meet and Zoom

Here is a quick comparison of free version of Google Meet and Zoom for Video conferencing and meetings.

I use both zoom and Google Meet as a host but prefer zoom as a participant! The 40 mts limitation of zoom is overcome by taking a break for five minutes and re-joining. The host can use Personal Meeting ID so that he need not schedule a meeting every time and circulate the link / URL every time. There are lot more things that may be compared. However, some deciding factors like:  whether you are hosting a simple lecture where people listen to, whether it is an interactive participative event; level of familiarity among your audience with the platform, or using the microphone, speaker or video etc; whether they are joining from mobile or laptop etc have to be taken onto account.  Anyway, happy videoconferencing – a thing that has become the new normal which we have to contend with for some more time.

 

SN	Feature	Google Meet	Zoom
1	Available on platforms	Web, Android, iOS	macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
2	Ease of Access	Via Web, Gmail	Via Zoom App
3	Duration*	60 mts up to March 2021	40 mts
4	Video quality	Grainy – poor	Good
5	Host control – mic	No	Yes
6	Local Recording	No	Yes
7	Host re-assign	No	Yes
8	Screen sharing	Yes	Yes
9	Real time captions	Yes	Yes
10	Numb of participants	100	100
11	Numb of tiles on screen	16	49
12	Tiles on screen- size	Uneven sized	Evenly sized
13	Background noise control	No	?
14	Security	AES 256 bit GCM  ??	IETF / DTLS claimed to be Better
15	Calendar Integration	Yes	Yes
16	Familiarity among MY friends	Not much	Yes

 Note: A few items may change over time. Please check at the time of use in case of doubt.

                                                     ========================

Why should you mute yourself during webinars?

 

Why should you mute yourself during webinars?

 It is very annoying to all participants when the speaker’s presentation is interfered with extraneous noise. So, you must keep your mike muted and switch it on only when you have something to speak, and perhaps after raising your hand and getting permission to do so. Some reasons why you should mute yourself, just to make you aware of probable local interferences, are listed below:

1.      1.      Some Window shutter may be banging / curtain movements due to wild wind
2.      Some construction or repair work going on nearby
3.      Vendors in the street on their way (nowadays they use loud speakers)
4.      Noisy kitchen nearby – frying, grinding masala etc
5.      TV running in the hall, perhaps a fight of foolish actors
6.      Some body knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell
7.      Landline or Mobile callers
8.      Stray / street dogs chasing and barking
9.      Mom / wife / children yelling at you or at each other among themselves
10.  Servants and your family members in loud chatter
11.  Someone sleeping and snorting away
12.  Yourself yawning unmindfully and unmanageably out of shear boredom
13.  An alarm for the motor pump set or egg timer on its job
14.  Water running in the bathroom
15.  Yourself farting aloud involuntarily

You might be wondering why I am listing silly causes of continual disturbances.  But believe me, most of these, I have experienced my self and are not purely out my imagination. So, beware: mute yourself for your sake and for the sake of others, please. 

 

Advantages of Online Webinars and meetings

                           Advantages of Online Webinars and meetings

Covid situation has imposed on all of us to conduct or attend all our meetings online. Whether it is a small meeting of 5-10 members of a Managing Committee of an Association or a webinar where hundreds participate or online classes for regular students, video conferencing has come to stay. Hardly a year ago skype meetings were a luxury meant only for the sophisticated! When something becomes common, we tend to take it for granted and go about without appreciating the plus points. Let me try listing out benefits of online meetings so that we feel blessed.

 

1.      For organisers or host it is simple, easy and almost free of many charges. No rentals of the meeting hall, refreshments, honorarium / bouquets / mementos to speakers are involved.

2.      Participants avoid travel, pollution and save time and effort to attend meetings

3.      Participant can feign attendance by placing a placard / cut out etc on the chair or have a good photo on his google account which is shown when camera is off.

4.      You can switch off camera at will and have coffee, tea or snacks or go for a break without embarrassment or disturbing others seated next to you.

5.      You can avoid the embarrassment of having to sit next to someone with foul breadth or body odour - even coming from yourself.

6.      You can chat selectively and privately without disturbing anyone

7.      You (the host mostly, others in some platforms) can record a dance, song or speech locally on some systems

8.      You may watch / observe others(womenfolk!) with impunity, without getting caught

9.      You may note the event in (Google) calendar and get reminded automatically

10.  You can read the list of all participants in one go; At times in a physical meeting, if you are in the front row, you need to be turning back every now and then to see if anyone you want has come.

11.  You may place positive comments and appreciation about topic, speaker etc without waiting to write the same in the register at the end of the meeting.

12.  Many meetings offer a recorded version when meeting is over. You may watch this in case you have missed some portions.

13.  Generally online meetings close following the time booked during scheduling it. You can budget your time accordingly.

14.  You may leave without being noticed after you have heard your favourite speaker

15.  You may attend to email or make a phone call after muting your mike or switching off the camera.

     

==============================================================

Observing Participants in Videoconferencing and Online Meetings

 

Observing participants in Videoconferencing and online meetings

 

Like many of you, I also participate in a good number of online meetings, webinars and video conferences. I use platforms like Zoom and Google Meet extensively. Lesser used platforms are Cisco, Skype, GoToMeeting etc.  When the speaker is not inspiring (read: boring to death!), I observe participants who dare to expose themselves via their cameras. Very interesting questions and answers come up but I shall share with you only the questions and not the answers. Here we go with a select set of dirty dozen questions!

 

1.      By looking at the ceiling fan, can you guess whose house it is?

2.      Whose wife prepares different snacks for her hubby in every meeting?

3.      Who is the participant that braves presenting himself in cut banian?

4.      Who is the guy feigning attendance by placing a card board cut out on his chair?

5.      Whom would you select as “the widest yawning member”?

6.      Who is the one who manages to sneak in during Vote of Thanks?

7.      Who is the one who focuses his mobile to the screen making you sit alert & straight?

8.      Who is the one who refuses to mute his mike by switching it back again and again?

9.      Who is the one that has an unmanageable external camera that frustrates him?

10.  Who is the one that allows his pet dog to overrule him?

11.  Who are those participants interested in showing hairy nose, donkey ears, dirty hands, bald head etc instead of their faces?

12.  Who is the one that lazes in his “undone bed” in slouching “Sriman Narayana” posture?  

 

What is your take on this topic? Let us have some fun! I am sure you are equally experienced.  I admit I am also the answer to some questions listed above!  

 

 

Image Credit: Mohammed Hassan