Working over remote video means we face many new problems in human interaction. The invisibility of the audience – the quasi-intimacy of a group call, the difficulty of blending in, the loss of social norms experienced by going online. In this introductory episode we get our bearings, find our feet and set the stage for things to come.
How do we reassure our meeting hosts that we can see and hear them? Do people know about chat? Is the presenter looking at chat? What is the difference between live streaming and hosting a big Zoom call?
When someone asks “Can you see my screen?” on a large call, flip on your camera and give them a thumbs-up
Zoom tip from Ivanka
We both want to get better at this but it’s difficult to apply the presentation real world skills to a video call. How do you project authority? How do you make people sit up and pay attention? What’s the difference between UNIX chat and backchannel chat on a Zoom call or stream?
What about all the technical problems? What if your sound is muted? There is so much uncertainty in this new space.
How much of the real world stuff should be transferred to remote calls? And what streaming conventions can be applied? What about authority dynamics? What if you’re the boss, how does this change things?
Twitch, Discord, gamer platforms, ways of dealing with different situations and features that don’t exist on different platforms.
Switching between platforms is a necessary overhead. Where’s the chat button in Google Meet?
Just remember, it’s not you. People are making you use tools that don’t work very well. There’s a load of stuff that we need to get our heads around.
Michael
What about microphones, cameras, technology! What do you need to buy? Even the best laptops have terrible mics and cameras. What if you’ve got a good mic but you’re self-conscious about using it because you’ll look too “fancy”!
How can somebody teach music remotely if the student’s mic is terrible?
So many questions. Is this a trailer? Kinda.