This pandemic has created mass isolation for many people and families, as well as pushed many people to work from home. With both of these instances, the number of those using web conference tools for both work and personal communication is growing to a staggering level. With that in mind, we wanted to give a quick tutorial about how to use these as safe as possible.
Firstly, you may be asking, which web conference tools should I be using?
There are many to choose from: Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, and Join.me are just a few. Each of these has its pros and cons and should be considered with the size of your group and the intended level of interaction. The question we want to answer is how can you use them safely?
1.) Do not click on links posted in a chat.
This comes with a caveat. If it is posted by someone you trust and is something you are expecting or have asked for. It is probably okay. The reality is there is a lot of bad things on the internet and a sure-fire way of getting an infected system is to click a bad link. If you’re not sure, don’t click it.
2.) Make the conference secure.
If you are the person in charge of starting the conference, put a password on it. This becomes much more difficult with a very large group but it is imperative if you want to avoid random people joining and taking over or posting inappropriate things. This is at best disruptive and is worth taking steps to avoid.
The password should be sent separately from the link, either via a separate email or by text if possible.
Don’t post your links publicly. It is very easy to post a link to your website and allow everyone in. This seems like a great fit for organizations like churches but is actually inviting trouble into your meeting. If you would like to invite the masses to view your meeting then live streaming via YouTube or recording and posting the video to your website is a much safer option.
3.) Turn off screen-sharing for participants
If you are so unlucky to have someone come into your video meeting unexpectedly, this can prevent them from disrupting you with inappropriate content. Most web conferencing tools have a security or settings tab that can allow you to do this.
As we’ve had to deal with incredible isolation from these unprecedented times, the great thing is that it has given us more room to intentionally connect with our loved ones. Remember to be safe and reach out when you are feeling lonely. We’re all in this together.
If you have any questions about the specific logistics of web conferencing or have safety concerns that we did not cover, then give us a call at 855-728-6824 or connect with us through Facebook or Instagram @pctouchup