Virtual gatherings provide us with invaluable opportunities to connect with familiar faces and provide fellowship and support from wherever we are. Of course, learning new technology comes with its own set of challenges, and we continue to be inspired by so many members of the WUU community who are working hard to become familiar with new applications and make the most of our online experience. We thank John Trindle for the following online-meeting tips and tricks that will help us enjoy our virtual gatherings even more!
- We want to see your lovely faces! Please turn on a light, or open a curtain, that is in front of you. Please close the curtains behind you, and turn off any lights that might shine into the web camera. You can preview your lighting in Zoom’s log-in screen before you connect with video and/or sound. If you speak during the service or in a breakout room after the service, being well lit will help people read your lips and facial expressions.
- Sometimes you will be unmuted during services so that you can participate in the call-and-response readings. If you are in a noisy environment, you can re-mute yourself during these periods to minimize noise and feedback.
- Please maintain a quiet environment when you are not muted. Fans, other conversations, and even sounds from another room can unintentionally trigger the Zoom microphone.
- Wearing headphones or earbuds prevents your microphone from picking up the audio from the service. If everyone does this, we can eliminate feedback completely!
- If you have the choice, use a computer instead of a tablet or phone. This will let you access the text chat function and the mute/unmute button more easily.
- If you need to cough, sneeze, scratch, or leave the room for a bit, you can temporarily turn off your video.
There are three components of our online services and virtual social hours.
- If you are attending the worship service via Zoom, you will be in the main Zoom meeting room prior to the start of the service. Many people take this opportunity to talk with each other. There are well over 100 people attending online services via Zoom, and they can all hear what you are saying. Be very aware of privacy concerns. It would be similar to addressing the whole congregation in the Main Sanctuary before a meeting.
- We are also streaming the video and audio of the Zoom service to YouTube for those who cannot participate during real time, or who can only access an audio stream. The latter is much like the audio stream we send from traditional Sunday services at WUU. This should be treated as a public space, and personal information (e.g. personal phone numbers, personal health information, travel plans) should not be shared. To ensure a clean start to the service, your audio will be muted before the service beings, and there will be a moment of silence and contemplation after the last participant is muted, when the video and audio streams will be turned on.
- For virtual social hour, we are placing participants in separate Zoom breakout rooms. These are sharing groups and can be considered private spaces. Your audio and video will NOT be shared on the internet, and you can see all the participants in your room. This is your turn to talk freely, and to listen to and support those in the breakout room with you.
For additional online resources and our calendar of events, please visit the WUU Online Hub. See you in a Zoom room soon!