A to Z(ed) blogging Challenge - (my) Life in the TIme of CoVid-19
Z is for Zoom
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| I missed more than one zoom meeting because I didn't take timezone into account |
Prior to March 15, 2020 I had never heard of Zoom. Well, I had heard of the word zoom, and I have been known to zoom around doing this and that, but Zoom as a platform for virtual meetings was an unknown.
How quickly all that changed. My Sunday morning WW meeting quickly went to zoom, as did my Saturday morning CoDA group. Even my Thursday evening Knit Group started Zooming until the better weather allowed us to meet outside (socially distanced of course).
I found myself over the course of the last year joining a number of Zoom virtual meetings. Some in Australia, some in Colorado, some in Toronto, and most recently Alaska.
It is an amazing tool to keep us connected during a time when in person connection isn't possible.
I have a love/hate relationship to zoom. The video freezes, the sound kicks in (and out), and when I speak it appears that once I have finished talking it takes quite a few seconds before the other members in the meeting acknowledge that I have been heard. It is eerie to finish speaking and be met with blank stares and silence. And then, just as I give up hope that my sound was working, there are nods and laughter, agreement and feedback.
I had the opportunity to teach via the Zoom platform but I declined. I couldn't bear the thought of the stress of my sound/video being intermittent. Zoom often tells me "Your internet connection is unstable", and it isn't. I am sitting literally six feet from the router and my internet provider tells me I have a strong/excellent connection! I see/hear others who have the same issue, but in this case misery does not love the company.
I get anxious whenever it is my turn to talk, and I certainly talk less in zoom meetings then I would if I was there in person. I push through the anxiety though, because if I didn't take advantage of these Zoom connection I would quite likely lose my mind.
My logbook is filled with zoom meeting ids and passcodes. There is usually also a note about time zone because often the host is not local to me.
I have heard that if you worked for Zoom you are now quite wealthy, and if you had stock prior to March 2020 then you did quite well. Not me in either case.
How about it readers? How have you stayed connected? Zoom or another platform? Do tell!
So there we have it. The A to Z(ed) Challenge can be put to rest, and now my logbook can go on the shelf with my other completed (or half completed) journals.
I have started a new one.
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| Also from free store on the little island |
It seems fitting that the first page was the planning for this A to Z(ed) challenge.
Are you a zoomer? Do you love it, or hate it?
Congrats on completing the A-Z challenge! I only used Zoom a few times but we have been using a similar program for weekly team meetings at work.
ReplyDeleteSean
Sean
I hated Zoom for the very reasons you discussed, but my skills have improved and I have just completed a week's teaching over Zoom, that went surprisingly well and I was able to do so many more things than I could have imagined last year!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing the A-Z challenge. I actually like Zoom. It kept me connected to people. Plus I have had new opportunities. I am taking a songwriting class and I belong to a play reading group. Since I live alone (well, semi alone now since I am foster mommy for a cat), it's so nice to be able to have this opportunity for connection.
ReplyDeleteIf you’d done this A-Z pre-Zoom I wonder what you’d have picked for Z. Zoom has been popular for me too. I have found that depending whether I use my laptop, desktop, phone or iPad I have various degrees of success. With my laptop which is very old I have the most issues and sometimes find I get the lagging. If I switch to my iPad or desktop PC I never experience issues. My husband who is a computer nerd says to check if when you watch YouTube the videos play ok and smoothly with no issues, if you find they buffer or sound gets out of sync with lips then it could be whatever you are using needs a tune up (clearing space, perhaps an update of software or replacing a part). If you get the same issues on zoom on multiple devices then you can do speed tests yourself of the speed you are getting or could be your meetings fall at a time when there’s a big demand on the zoom servers. But trying some other devices may identify if there’s someone you could do to make the meetings more comfortable for you to join in.
ReplyDeleteZoom has become a part of our worklife. WFH is great, yet it sucks at times. Congratulations on finishing the challenge and being ready for another one.
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