So here we are in quarantine. Since we are unable to meet with folks in ways that have been “normal” to us, we are having to adapt to the “abnormal” online meetings. While there are several ways to do this, I am going to focus on ZOOM, not because it is my favorite as it isn’t, rather because this is what so many people are choosing to use.

Safety Notes

First, a word about safety using ZOOM. Your safety/cyber security is ultimately in the hands of the person that is managing the ZOOM meeting. Choose “private” meetings whenever possible and find out if anyone is recording the meeting. If the meetings are recorded, make sure that the recording are not stored online unless they are in a safe venue. Recordings of these meetings should not be posted to websites that are open to the public UNLESS ALL PARTICIPANTS agree to such usage.

The Whole Ball of Wax

The bulk of the control/responsibility for a ZOOM meeting is in the hands of the host/manager of the meeting. ZOOM provides a wealth of materials that provide information about the whole process of the meetings that predominately address those things important to the host/manager but not to the average participant who may not have much knowledge of ZOOM. Here are a couple of sources of this information.

• Watch Recorded Training Sessions
• Live Training Webinars
• How to use Zoom on your computer or mobile device — a quick guide for video meeting basics
• How to get started with Zoom

For those wishing to participate

A bit more basic version of the above can be found at The complete Zoom guide: From basic help to advanced tricks from ZDNet.

As is my usual habit, I wondered if these were providing just too much information for the novice user (of which I am one) so I went looking for other options to “empower” myself.

Several universities and individuals provide much more basic information that is suitable for the beginning user. I really hate that YouTube has incorporated so many ads, but those set at the beginning of a video provide me with time to get a cup of coffee:)

One of these simpler versions is the Zoom: Guide for Participants that the University of Washington provides for students. Just ignore the parts about logging in with the UW account and set up your own if you want to practice.

In fact, let me recommend to you that you get together with a handful of friends and start using ZOOM on your own. The “screen sharing” option is great for showing others how to do things and you will all be better prepared for those “big meetings” that you need to attend as participants and to start having those types of meetings for yourself or your organization.

Later on I’ll talk about my personal favorite “Free Conference Call” which does just about everything ZOOM does but for now, ZOOM seems to be where everyone is going.

Some FAQ Sources, Tips & Tricks, and Guides

• Zoom – FAQ from University of Colorado Boulder – Office of Information Technology
• Everything You Need to Know About Using Zoom
• 10 Tips and Tricks for Zoom
• Zoom tips and tricks: 13 hidden features to try
• What is Zoom and how does it work? Plus tips and tricks
• How to Participate in a Zoom Meeting Using the “Attendee Controls”