Since Zoom limits us to only 40 minutes (unless I pay for the upgrade), I have created 3 back-to-back 30 minute meetings. This gives us an hour and a half to hang out. Toward the end of each meeting, we just have to bail and join the next meeting. It’s a rather janky way to do it, but… until we come up with something better.
Just click on the link that says, “Join Zoom Meeting” and it should take you right to the meeting.
Topic: Pam’s B2B Hang
Time: Jul 22, 2020 11:00 AM Arizona (Pacific time, USA)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 729 5906 7057
Passcode: 0fWH0J
Topic: Pam’s B2B Hang part 2
Time: Jul 22, 2020 11:30 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 717 0749 7164
Passcode: 3MH5EF
Topic: Pam’s B2B Hang Part 3
Time: Jul 22, 2020 12:00 PM Arizona
I wonder why everyone is so focused on Zoom these days.
I think creating a Skype group is way easier and much more comfortable. Once it has been created and people have joined, unlimited real-time chat and video calls with up to 50 people simultaneously are possible.
In addition the Screen Sharing feature is pretty neat.
Zoom is good for one-time meetings or online courses, when one doesn’t want to bother creating contact lists and adding contacts to a group, but can have people join a specific meeting by simply making the URL available to them.
For regular meetings with a group of colleagues, friends, or awesome bassists Skype is way better, IMO.
And it’s free, without a time limit on the calls.
Just log on, see who is online, and start to chat or video call. Additional participants can be added to the video call at any time.
You can download Skype here.
This will download Skype for Desktop, which is way better than the “new Skype” or the browser version.
You can download Zoom here.
Use the Zoom Client for Meetings button on that page to get the Desktop App, it’s way better than the browser version.
Whichever software you use, check for updates regularly, to avoid connectivity issues (especially with Skype Screen Sharing, which will only work if everyone has the same/latest version).
I have a very deep and intense hatred for Skype. It’s a personal issue, having to do with something they did to me long ago. They’ve changed ownership since then, but the hatred and bitterness lives on. I’ll spare you the details.
Hehe, I hear you. I am not their biggest fan either … anything owned by Microsoft, Apple or Google is to be avoided, if possible (which it nearly isn’t).
Maybe you can checkout Hangouts (ugh) or Viber, they offer free video calls, too.
Having to jump Zoom chats every 30 minutes sounds a bit tedious, hehe.
Then there is always Discord, of course, who have recently raised their maximum video call participants from 10 to 25 or so. There might even be forum plugins for video chat, not sure.
That looks pretty good, all you need is a Google account and a meeting link, Zoom style.
It supports up to 100 participants with the free version.
The only thing I don’t much like is that (at least for now) it doesn’t offer an installable app for PC, but relies on the web browser, which may result in not-very-impressive connection qualities. There are however installable apps for Android and iOS.
Definitely worth testing it, only takes a minute and a simple link creation … maximum meeting time is 24 hours until 30 Sep, after that 60 minutes with the free version.
I recommend Google Meet. I already used it in corporate environment, and now that they opened it to the public I use it for everything. And it’s super simple to use!
if you are using a free personal account there is a 60 minute time limit. However, that limit is not being enforced until September 30.
That’s the upside for me! No need of an app :p. AFAIK it shouldn’t make a difference in terms of connection quality.
I say lets talk about it at our hang on Wednesday, since I already have it setup in Zoom for this time. Maybe someone wants to give Google Meet a go and set something up?
Dedicated app always > browser plugin, unless everybody only has that one single browser tab open.
It’s less an issue of actual connection speed rather than a browser cache thing.
Yep, real-time testing is always the best, of course.
I didn’t mean to hijack your thread, Pam, with a lot of boring tech stuff, hehe, just thought some alternatives to having to switch rooms every 30 or 40 mins would be cool.
No worries @Gaius, this is a community effort. All help and advice is welcome. I only set it up on Zoom because that seems to be “the thing”. I’m an open minded person and always welcome different ideas.
It might be, and it makes sense. But I’m having weekly meetings with 30+ users without any problems. Not counting people talking over other people as an issue
Anyway, very nice initiative @PamPurrs! What do these bass hangs consist of? Is there an agenda?
Unfortunately, as I’m in the process of moving into a new home, I won’t be able to join this first edition. But I’ll definitely try to make time for the next one.
Not sure what mechanism Zoom has. But how do you control people talking over other people? You can mute other people and there’s an optional visual feedback glowing around those who’re talking/making noise (very useful to detect who has babies crying/dogs barking/trains passing in the background on someone that forgot to mute themselves, for example). But it’s always hard to keep order with 30+ people.
Also, you can record the session (there’s a recording interface overlay, so everyone knows the session is being recorded)
No agenda, it’s just a bunch of people hanging out having a chat about whatever comes up. When I did my hang with @T_dub a few days ago, we didn’t know what we were going to talk about. Next thing I knew, it was 90 minutes later and we chatted non-stop the whole time. It was great!
I really am not partial to any one video conferencing, and I do not. Have any known issues with any of the except FREE CONFERENCE CALL video app, it is just weak, and your screen does not focus on the person talking, and in gallery mode, it only shows the same 3 random people the whole time.
But I have been using Zoom daily to stay connected during the Covid lockdown, and take bass lessons with Josh on zoom, so it is the one I am familiar with, and the only reason I started this group vid conference around it
But @Gaius, Zoom DOES for a 100% fact have screen sharing
My last reply was written with only a brief browse over many recent posts, so I did not read much about the chats already scheduled.
I did not know the time limit was for more then 3 people, and thought it was that way no matter what, because when I set it up with 1 person, it still gave me a warning about the time limit, and would not let me set it longer then 30 min. Maybe I was dong something wrong as it was the first time I ever set up a meeting as a host, but it matters little now.
I am jazzed up, can’t wait til the 22ne, Thais will be cool, I hope the turnout is good, the more the merrier.
