This is a summary of Zoom posts I have blogged about over the past few weeks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are working from home using Zoom for video/audio conferencing. If you take some time, you can make the video meeting a smooth experience for all participants. The host of the Zoom meeting has the responsiblity to setup and run the meeting. By exploring the following blog posts, you can achieve your goal of hosting a successful meeting, making it easy for the participants to join the video conference and keeping the Zoom troll attacks at a minimum.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Following are my blog links for a Zoom video/audio meeting:
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Internet trolls are crashing Zoom video conferences and flooding them with inappropriate content. Here are some ways to stablize your meetings and keep Zoom running smoothly.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
opyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
1. Close All Running Apps
Before you start your video conference call or join the on-line meeting, save your work and close all running apps. Too many open apps will slow down your computer while you’re on a video call. This is because the call requires a lot of resources, especially if you’re on a lightweight laptop.
2. Check the Speed of Your Browser
Before your call, use a speed test tool, like Fast.com or Speedtest.net, to test your internet speed. If you’re not getting enough speed, move closer to your Wi-Fi router or try some other tips to boost your Wi-Fi signal. You can also use one of these tools to speed up your internet connection. Minimum bandwidth is 600 Kbps (up/down) and recommended is 1.5 Mbps (up/down). You may need to call your internet service provider and/or upgrade your equipment, which would be the best choice, if your equipment does not meet the minimum.
If you run both programs, you will notice a signifance difference in the speed test. This is due to the time of day you run the test, servers they are using and its location. Hopefully, your equipment exceeds the minimum speed for a Zoom meeting.
Below are my results in running Speedtest for Windows (Note that I greatly exceed the minimum):
Results in running SpeedTest on my browser
3. Test Your Audio and Video
You can also launch a test Zoom meeting anytime at zoom.us/test. This will launch a meeting where you are the only participant (you can invite others). This option lets you test your audio and video even if you don’t have the Zoom app installed.
See the article Joining A Test Meeting in the Zoom Help Center for more information about using the using the Zoom Test Meeting feature.
4. Mute Yourself When Not Speaking
When you’re in a video meeting with a lot of participants, it’s best to keep yourself muted. Only unmute yourself when you need to speak.
This eliminates any background noise on your end. Also, if anyone walks in the room and starts talking while you’re on a call, you won’t have to rush to find the mute button.
5. Never Use Your Personal Meeting ID
Each Zoom user has a personal meeting ID; think of it as your Zoom phone number. When creating a meeting, you can use your personal ID or generate a random one. You should always generate a random meeting ID.
If your personal meeting ID is leaked to the web, Zoom trolls are free to harass you with calls whenever they please.
6. Always Use a Meeting Password
For a video meeting other than a large classroom, town hall or lecture meeting, passwords should be turned on.
Make sure the password is kept safe. Zoom sends meeting passwords out to all invitees when invitations are sent. If you’re worried that someone unwanted may get the password, create the meeting without one set, update the meeting to add a password and send it out to invitees in a separate email or via another form of communication.
7. Set Join the Waiting Room Option
When you enable the waiting room for a Zoom meeting, each user who connects is put in a queue that the meeting host has to approve. If you don’t recognize someone in the waiting room, simply don’t let them in.
To enable this feature, navigate to Settings > In Meeting (Advanced), scroll down till you see the following option and toggle it to the On position. See below image:
Setting Join Waiting Room option
8. Set Meeting Options
Under Meetings > Schedule a Meeting, set the following options:
Video > Host to On
Video > Participant to Off especially if your participates are using older equipment
Audio set to Both
Meeting Options set Emable waiting room to On. Set Record the meeting automatically on the local computer should only be set to On for the host. You don’t want each particpant to be recording and viewing at the same time. If a participate wants a recording, the host can send the video via email or some other form of communication.
Always Save you changes. Refer to following image:
Setting other options
9.Turn Off Screen Sharing
Zoom trolls need to be able to visually take over a meeting to be effective. Preventing anyone from sharing their screen aside from the meeting host stops them from being able to go on the attack.
Under Settings > In Meeting (Basic), scroll down till you see the Show Zoom windows during screen share and set the following options:
Screen sharing, toggle to On
Who can share, toggle Host Only to On
Who can share when someone else is sharing, toggle Host Only to On
Always Save your changes. Refer to below image:
Setting screen share option
I Would Like to Hear from You
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
If you don’t want to see your own face during a Zoom video meeting, here’s how to hide, unhide and tweak your video settings.
A lot of us used to working in offices have found ourselves working at home due to the outbreak of theCoronavirus and that means a lot of virtual meetings. Users new to Zoom’s desktop app may find it a bit odd when their face appears while speaking. If you want to hide your own video, adjust it so you don’t take over the screen or bring it back once it’s hidden, then this post is for you.
There are several options for hiding and unhiding videos during a Zoom meeting, both for yourself and other. Lets get started.
This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Accessing Zoom Settings
First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. From here, click on the Settings option. See below image:
Accessomg the Settings option
The Video Settings
Once you click on the Settings option, the Settings dialog window will be revealed. Now, click on the Video tab. The below image only shows some of the settings.
Note!The black area on the below screens would show your online video image.
The Video tab part one
The Video tab has numerous options for configuring video in meetings that will change the way Zoom handles all videos in a meeting. The below image shows the rest of the settings.
The Video tab part two
Hide/Unhide a Video
During a meeting, if you wish to hide your video from your own screen to make room for other participants, just right-click on your video and choose Hide Myself. If you want to bring your own video back onto your screen, just right-click on any other user and select Show Myself.
Note! This won’t disable your video from showing up for other participants; only from from your screen.
To disable your own video completely, you can select the checkbox in the Video Settings screen shown above that says Turn off my video when joining a meeting to disable it, or click the Stop Video button in a meeting to temporary turn it off for the video session.
I Would Like to Hear from You
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
There is a way to have a Zoom web client meeting without the participates having to install the Zoom app. We are going to learn how to enable this option to make digital meetings even easier.
Zoom’s web client based system has many of the same features as the desktop app, but for users only needing to join meetings as participants it’s very useful. All a attendee has to do is click on the meeting invite link from the host and the web client will do the rest of the work.
There is a sticky problem in doing this type of meeting. The participtes joining a meeting without the app is not enabled by default. The host needs to turn this default on.
If you want your meeting attendees to be able to use the Zoom web client based system, you’ll have to start by logging into your Zoom account on Zoom’s website.
Note! We are NOT using the Zoom app; rather the Zoom web site program.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Sign in or Sign up to Zoom
Open your browser and click here to sign in or sign up for Zoom. If the link does not work, with your browser open, type in https://zoom.us/signin in the search field. You will see the following screen for sign in or sign up. For my example, I have already signed up.
Sign in to Zoom web based client program
Once you’ve logged in, you should see your Profile screen:
Your Profile screen
Access the Settings Menu
Click on the Settings menu option. Refer to below image:
Accessing the Setttings
Now, click on In Meeting (Advanced) menu option. Refer to below screen:
Chosing the In Meeting settings option
Join Using Your Browser
Then scroll down until you see the following screen displayed. Look for the option labeled Show a “Join From Your Browser” link.
The Join a Meeting option
Now click the toggle switch to the On position. See below image:
Enabling Join a Meeting option
Schedule a Meeting
If you want to schedule a meeting at this time, click on the link SCHEDULE MEETING in the top menu bar. If you perfer to schedule a meeting later, you may want to set the following options as displayed on the next three screens. Refer to following image:
Selecting Schedule a Meeting option
Options for Scheduling a Meeting
There are two options you may want to enable. Select Schedule A Meeting>Meetings>My Meetings and scroll down till you see the option Video>Host which allows you to record a video of the meeting. Also, at the bottom, checkmark the option Record the meeting automatically on the local computer. You have the option to let the parcipates also record the meeting as well. It is recommended not to enable this option in order to save bandwidth during the on-line meeting. See following image:
Two Options to enable
Additionally, under the In Meeting (Basic) menu option, you can turn on a sound when particpates either join or leave a meeting by enabling the Play sound when participates join or leave toggle. See below image:
The Sound option to enable
Invitation to Join a Meeting
When a meeting attendee clicks on your invitation link to join a meeting they’ll have the option to download and install Zoom or Start From Your Browser. Tell your attendees to select the latter option, install the plugin for your browser and follow the on-screen instructions. Refer to below image:
The participate invitation to Join a Meeting screen
There are fewer options, buttons and clicks required to join a meeting using the web client based Zoom, so hopefully it will eliminate some of the confusion that comes with using Zoom. Remember you are using your web browser to join a Zoom meeting, NOT the Zoom app on a smartdevice or the Zoom program on a PC or Mac.
I Would Like to Hear from You
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Why take notes during a Zoom meeting when you can refer back to a recording of the entire call? Here’s how to record a Zoom meeting, whether you’re the host or not.
Important meetings need good records, and anyone who has taken notes knows that some details can be missed. The best way to preserve a record of a meeting is to have a video recording.
That goes doubly for remote meetings, where distractions, tech issues and other problems can lead to you missing out on essential information.
If you are using an Enterprise account to host a meeting, you may not be able to record a Zoom meeting unless your IT team has given you permission. Be sure to check with your administrator before the meeting to grant you access if you don’t have it.
If using a PC or Mac, be sure your computer has a microphone and/or camera to use Zoom to its fullest. You may also use your smartphone to record the meeting.
This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Accessing Zoom Settings
First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. See below image:
Zoom dialog Options window
Recording a Zoom Meeting
Next, click on the Settings option. The Settings options will be displayed. The Record video during screen sharing option should be checkmarked. Also, at the top of the screen is the location where your video will be stored upon completion. This folder was created when you installed Zoom. Refer to below image:
Settings options for recording a video
By default, only the meeting host can record the meeting, but it’s easy to grant other participants the ability to do so. The meeting host can do so by clicking on Participants while in a meeting, looking for the More button next to an individual’s name and selecting Allow Record.
Once in a meeting, those wanting to record only need to click the Record button to start capture, at which point the Record button will change into two buttons: One to Pause the recording and one to Stop recording.
When you’re done recording video, Zoom stores it temporarily in the location mentioned above. The video is encoded into MP4 format once the meeting has ended.
I Would Like to Hear from You
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Is your business using Zoom for collaboration during the Coronavirus outbreak? Zoom has become a key tool for working at home and a top choice for vittual meetings. Zoom is free for one-on-one calls that last as long as you like. For three or more people, your calls are limited to 40 minutes. Zoom also has a paid version for an enterprise; it can handle 1000 people.There’s also a plan for small and medium businesses that supports up to 300 participates per call..
Zoom Meeting’s free account is generous. You can host up to 100 people on a call for free and you can see as many as 49 people on an active call in a gallery-style view. There’s no limit on how many meetings you can host.
So, how do we setup our contacts with coworkers using Zoom? In this post we offer insight on how to do this.
This post is for Windows 7 or greater, iPhone or iPad with iOS 7 or later, Android 4 or greater, Web browsers, Macs and the Zoom app or program
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Before you Begin
Of course, you have already setup the app. Linking to other people in Zoom is necessary before you can call them. A person has to be added to your Zoom contacts list and they have to add you before a call is made.
Zoom contacts are separate from Outlook and other contacts list.
Zoom links people by matching email addresses. Some people have multiple email addresses; for example, personal and work or different ones for different purposes or multiple old email addresses.
Which Email Address to Use?
Before adding a person to your contacts list it’s a good idea to check with them on which email address they use to login to Zoom.
To check, they can click on their Zoom Profile in the top right where their name and address is displayed. Refer to below image:
Locate the correct email address
Invite a Contact
To link with someone, in the Zoom app, go to the Contacts section, then click the plus “+ “symbol. See following image:
Linking a Zoom contact
Enter the email address of the contact you want to add to Zoom. See below image:
Adding a Zoom contact
Then you have two options:
Add Contact – sends a contact request to that person’s Zoom account.
Copy Invitation – copies to your clipboard with web link. Paste that into an email or instant message.
Refer to below image:
Web address for the Zoom contact
There is no need to paste the entire text, change it to suit you. The web link is the important part to pass along. Make sure you include the whole web link; it’s a long link using multiple lines.
Accept a Contact Request
If a participate adds you to their Zoom contact list, you’ll see a pop-up alert. See following image:
Pop-up box for a contact request
Or open your Zoom app/web page. Under Contacts look at Contact Requests. The request will be displayed with options to Accept or Decline. Refer to below image:
Accept or Decline a contact request
As you can see above, the Contact Requests you’ve made will also appear with their current status.
What to Do Next?
Now that you’ve linked with someone on Zoom, you can call them (voice, video, text, etc). If someone wants to invite you into a Zoom meeting, give them you Zoom linked email address.
That’s it on setting up your Zoom contacts. Try it out.
I Would Like to Hear from You
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
