Social distancing and CoVID-19 has seen a huge uptake in online conferencing platforms like House Party and Zoom. Zoom is free to use for 2 people with out a time limit. There is a  time limit on larger groups of 40 minutes. Zoom creates virtual meeting rooms where you can see and hear other people who are also in the room, using your webcam or phone/tablet camera. Many of these have faced scrutiny over their security record. Zoom in particular has suffered from people disrupting meets, posting hate, or using terrorising behaviour. I thought it would be worth me mentioning a few ways in which you can use Zoom and avoid many of these “invasions” with a few simple tips.

Zoom Hosts

  • When you set up your meeting there are several settings that can be changed to make your meeting more secure.  These include setting a password to enter the meeting, which should be emailed directly to participants (not posted on social media).
  • You can mute attendees on joining and disable screen sharing. This means an attendee cannot take over the meeting with out first being granted permission by you. Some of these settings are now enabled automatically.
  • If someone uninvited attends, or becomes unrulily you can remove an attendee, by clicking on the “manage participants button”.
  • When setting up a zoom meeting, do not share the meeting code or link in public social media. Pranksters are constantly searching for these with the sole intention of causing havoc.
  • Once all your attendees are present you can Lock the Meeting, much like locking the virtual door, so not one else can enter the room, even if they have the correct password.

Zoom Attendees

  • Assume that Zoom is not private. If you send a private message to another attendee, this can be seen by the Host if they are recording the meeting. You should treat zoom like any other public forum and not post personally identifiable information with anyone.
  • Don’t forget you can turn off your video and microphone when you are not using them. This not only prevents inadvertent conversations being recorded, it is good practise as it keeps noise levels to a minimum.
  • When you join into the zoom meeting you can change your display name. Removing your last name will preserve some of your personal details.
  • Remember you are on video. There have already been a number of embarrassing situations caught and shared on social media: People being naked, or even on the toilet when in a zoom social meeting. It is easy to forget you are being watched especially if you are using a laptop where the webcam doesn’t have an “on” light.

Don’t let these precautions deter you. Zoom has been a fantastic tool to bring communities together, to allow personal trainers like JJ, therapists, like Caroline Brundrit and even the government to continue communicating face to face. I have been using Zoom myself to conduct online computer lessons.