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Online vs. in-person meetings and events: do you have a preference?
Early in the pandemic, I predicted we would become a lot more reliant on Zoom – – and it’s come true! In fact, I really enjoy using it – – and wrote about it in this column.
“Zooming Past My Previous Predictions”
Seems that the coronavirus created a digital world where everyone can host or attend video conferences, webinars, support groups, and family meet-ups. I was able to “virtually attend” many more events than I had before the pandemic began. So, lately, I’ve been feeling that even when things get back to normal, I still want the option to attend an event online.
Have you been more active online now than before the pandemic? Do you prefer future events to return to being in-person only, or offer a choice to attend online? Are ALS support groups better for you in-person, or online?
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3 Replies
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Hi Dagmar, Zoom has been great for me. I chair our rural Parish Council (don’t know the US equivalent, but in England it’s the base level of representative democracy where local people elect local people). Zoom is better than face-to-face: participants are all muted and have to signal that they want to talk. It gives me such POWER! And members of the public can join, so they see how it works and what we do.
Every Tuesday our community choir meets on Zoom too. I’m the only one with gigabit internet though, so the other Luddites suffer from massive out-of-sync.
I also attended the ALS TDI virtual conference last Friday on Zoom. A great opportunity. Particpants joined from all around the world. No way could we all have travelled to the US, so I’ve suggested next year they live stream using Zoom.
I use WhatsApp, MS Teams, Twitter, YouTube and, if I have to, Facebook to keep in touch with friends too.
Oh, and it gives one the facility to record conversations. And a tip I heard – use headphones and a mic and you might find conversation better.
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I think there should still be the option to attend events online when things get back to normal, whenever that is. It might not be for a long time still. Sometimes if people are far away from each other there is not even the option of doing in-person appointments. I have only done zoom one time but I personally didn’t like it. I prefer in-person appointments.
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Kathy, I actually feel as you do. I would much rather attend an event or function in person. While most people I know, including my family, enjoy zoom, I’m just not comfortable participating. I was forced to have many of my doctors’ appointments done virtually and I just never liked them. I guess if I could just watch and listen to what other participants had to say, and not be on video myself, I’d eventually get used to it. This is all probably just due to my discomfort with it and my lack of expertise as far as technology goes. Plus I do like talking to people in person best
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Hi, folks!! I must admit to being a bit of a predeluvian dinosaur when it comes to things digital. Nonetheless, Zoom has proven to be of nearly incalculable help when keeping groups of folks together. However, I can not wait until we can meet with folks face-to-face again. With that having been said, I also give thanks that the room in which our support group meets is at our regional health network (the same network that hosts our ALS clinic). The conference room in which we meet has an internet connection, as well as a huge monitor for display to the entire room. I believe that, when we get back together, some folks who are considerably less mobile than I might be able to join our “live” meeting by means of Zoom.
My main “fear” right now is that I am about to “host” a Zoom meeting for our Parish (Church governing board, not the UK equivalent of a county). I have yet to be able to do anything approaching a reasonable job hosting on Zoom. However, I do love a challenge, and I’m certain this task is not insurmountable.
Just an observation from an old mind… For decades, health professionals have been advising us to sneeze into our elbows to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses. Now, in the age of COVID, the health professions are recommending that we greet one another with “elbow bumps” …. REALLY??????
John
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