Ruch 9:03 Video Meeting!!

Hi all.  This post is to provide some instructions and best-practices for participating in the new COVID19-era version of the famous and historical “Ruch 9:03.”  If you don’t know what this means, no worries.  If, however, the 9:03 has been an important part of your life, then read on…

The meeting will take place at 9:03 every Saturday, but via Zoom video conferencing (until further notice).

Zoom is free and runs on your phone, tablet, or computer.  You don’t even need to make an account or provide any of your information to join the meeting.  Download the Zoom software here. If you have the meeting ID URL already, then just click on that, and you’ll (likely) be prompted to install the software automatically.

I’m not going to publish the meeting ID# here, but you can get it from someone who regularly attends the 9:03. Once you’ve installed the software and have the link, please join us at the meeting time!

If you’re the type who likes to read instructions :-)), there are a number of guides for using Zoom on Mac or Windows or on iPhone or Android.

For all joining the meeting, I’ll briefly list a couple of tips and best practices for using zoom conferences, and for participating in large video meetings in general.

• Right before you enter the video meeting, there is a little dialog asking you to give yourself a username. PLEASE Enter Something here, ideally your first name and last initial. Otherwise we’ll end up with dozens of people named “iPhone” or “Username.”  It looks like this on an iPhone:

• Next you might (especially on mobile) be asked if you want to use internet audio or connect via a “Dial In” phone call.  If you’re connected to internet ( WiFi network), then select InternetAudio.  That looks like this on iPhone:

• If you opt for “Dial In” then it will use your cell phone to make a call into the meeting.  Although I’ve used it, I’m not as familiar with this, so you’ll have to figure it out.  The Zoom app might ask you to allow it to have access to your microphone.  If you want to talk or share, then you must allow this access.

• Once you’re in the meeting, there are some critical controls that you should use.  One selects whether you share video or not.  It’s pretty fun to see everyone, that’s up to you. 

• • • NOTE:  If you’re on Mobile, or have data caps on your Internet Service plan, please be aware that videoconferencing uses bandwidth and data.  Video is especially thirsty.  It is Strongly Advised that you use WiFi rather than your Cell data, and if you have data caps, you not share Video.

• Another control mutes and unmutes your microphone.  PLEASE MUTE YOUR MIC unless you’re talking.  Video meetings can quickly turn into disasters when people are cooking, making smoothies, flushing toilets, yelling at children, etc. with their audio unmuted.  The video and Audio/Mic mute controls are located in the lower left of your screen (you might need to mouse roll over them or click near there to make them show up).

• Also, if at all possible, WEAR HEADPHONES (or earbuds/earpiece for mobile).  If you want to share, you’ll have to unmute your mic, and that can cause horrible feedback.

• If you are on a computer, you can momentarily unmute your mic by simply holding down the space bar.  This is good for quickly saying “Hi P-Ray” or “Thanks P-Ray” or other, and releasing the space bar automatically re-mutes your mic.

• One control in the upper right lets you display the conference “Full Screen.”  Another control in the upper right allows you to select “Speaker View” (the person speaking shows up large, with all others showing up as a set of smaller tiles (one important reason that everyone should mute their mic if they’re not talking), or “Gallery View” (everyone shows up in equal-size tiles).

• Other functions along the bottom include Chat, which we can use to help others get their tech sorted out.  The temptation to, uh, well chat, in that channel is quite high, but let’s leave Chat relatively quiet during the meeting, OK?

• If the audio/video breaks up during your session, or your computer tells you “your internet connection is unstable,” try turning off the feed of your video (Stop Video in lower left of screen), and of course muting your mic.

• There are other items and issues that I’m likely forgetting here, I might add to this list as time goes on, but this should get you started.  Please ask others who seem to have figured it out to help you out if you’re having trouble.  We’re  all here to help each other.

I hope this new meeting format allows us to get together, check in, and basically do what we know is good for us to do.  We’re all “Trudging this Road” together, no matter how strange the path may get.  And we can do it so much better when we stay connected.

Love you all,

P-Ray

(PS:  Thoughts and Love go out to Peter and his family)