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It’s Time to Hold Your Meetings Online
By Hewie Poplock
Like most members of Computer & Technology Us-
er Groups, I am in the high-risk group for corona-
virus COVID-19. Many user groups are losing
meeting places due to the disease. All clubs have
many members who are reluctant to attend meet-
ings.
Since we are technology users, whether beginners
or gurus, there are ways for our groups to serve the
members. Many groups have already used Zoom to
have APCUG Speakers’ Bureau presentations.
Skype is another service for remote presentations.
You can test using Zoom for free.
The free account can accommodate
100 users (including the owner and
any presenters) for 40 minutes. The
Pro plan is $15 per month ($180 per
year) for 100 participants and up to a
24-hour meeting. One member is the owner or host
of the account and must sign in for others to partici- even use Zoom for your Board of Directors meetings.
pate. Zoom is quite easy to use and requires a very
small file to download and use.
Participants can join a Zoom meeting using any of
the following: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android,
iOS, & more. You can connect with a phone for just
audio or use a phone for the audio portion and your
computer for the video.
If your group is not a member of APCUG, it is time
to join. Member benefits include the Speakers’ Bu-
reau, https://apcug2.org/speakers-bureau/ . The
Speakers Bureau features almost 100 Webinar
presentations in 20+ categories. Be sure to scroll to
the bottom of the page for an overview of what
many of the speakers present.
To have a member of the
Speakers Bureau present to
your group, your group may not
need to have their own Zoom
account. Using Zoom is free to
the participant, with up to 100
people online. If you want your
members to present and to hold question and an-
swer sessions, you will need a group account and
plan. All that is needed is a device, a microphone
and speakers (a headset is best), and internet ac-
cess.
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If you are hesitant to do your own presentation, you
can have your usual business meeting, q & a, and
then play a YouTube video, perhaps one of the over
180 APCUG Virtual Conference presentations on the
APCUG YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/
user/APCUGVideos .
If your group has not presented with Zoom or has not
used the service, I suggest that you try the free ver-
sion with a small group to get the feel of it. You can
There is ample help available through APCUG and
many of us who use Zoom. There are many YouTube
videos to help with understanding Zoom should you
need it. There is even a YouTube Zoom Channel
at https://www.youtube.com/user/ZoomMeetings/
featured .
Another benefit of holding an online meeting is that
you can record the meeting and then upload the re-
cording to YouTube, for members who were not able
to attend at the original time can still see the meeting
and presentation. Your group can create its own
channel on YouTube to store your recordings in one
place. You have the ability to make your recordings
private, so you do not have to share your board meet-
ings with the rest of the world.
During this time when group meetings are being
banned or canceled and your members will not attend
a meeting due to the dangers, it is an opportunity for
your group to try using online meetings. Test it first
and have a few members become familiar with Zoom
or whatever service that you decide upon. Each of
your attendees can be at home and still get the bene-
fits of your group.