There are a lot of common issues than can come up when running a virtual activity, and many of them are easily anticipated.
- Choose a platform.
- If you’re not running an SCA business meeting, you can use whatever platform you’d like.
- Have a central place with session info
- This will make it easier for participants, speakers, and you to find session details
- Things to consider including:
- speaker lists
- duration time
- link(s) to live stream
- link to the platform
- links to additional resources (slides, handouts, etc)
- links to recording(s)
- Include platform instructions on your event page (calendar item, facebook group, facebook event, web page)
- This helps new people and people who need a refresher
- If you’re using multiple platforms, include instructions for each
- Send out reminders to attendees, support staff, and speakers the day before the activity
- This can help mitigate low or late attendance
- Common ways to make announcements include:
- Website blog posts (recommended)
- Automatic reminders configured via google calendar
- Facebook event/group/page discussion posts
- Email reminders
- Arrange to have a “Host” for your meeting
- This is someone other than the speaker who can provide technical support
- Their job is to keep an eye out for questions; help with technical issues, and moderate the session
- Decide how you want to handle questions
- Solicit them in advance, answer live, or answer after the fact
- Remember there can be 30s-1m delays in typed questions; allow time for people to think and type
- Decide if your class/activity will be live or pre-recorded
- Live allows for more audience participation
- Pre-recorded allows for speaker narration/pauses for comments
- There are benefits to either
- Record your class, if you can
- Recording a class allows for re-watch, replay, re-use for attendees or speakers
- Knowing a class is recorded can also help cut down on “noise”
- Small things make a big difference. Things to consider doing:
- Mute attendees on entry
- Disable attendee screen share
- Disable attendee recording
- Disable attendee annotation
- These will help reduce digital “clutter” and “noise” during your meeting; Hosts can help with this
- Decide if you want to do surveys
- Can give you feedback on likes/dislikes, how discussions went, things to include next time
- Other considerations
- Time Zones
- Do your speakers need training/practice with the platform?
- Do you want to have attendees share their background/experiences?
- This could be as formal as requiring participants to fill out their Ansteorran Wiki Page
- Could be ice-breaker chat questions
- Could be an around the room with names
- How will you react to unexpected delays, changes, or announcements?
WebEx Platform Details
First-Time Setup | Video Tutorials |
Barony Accounts? | No, must use personal account or borrow one |
Requires Individual Invites to be sent? | No, can use room-specific link |
Video Capable? | Yes |
Screen Share? | Yes |
Audio Capable? | Yes |
Multiple People Streaming Video? | Yes |
Multiple People Using Audio? | Yes |
Broadcast Duration Limits? | Yes |
Free? | Yes** |
Can be used for SCA Business Mtgs? | Yes |
** WebEx has a 50 minute limit for new/free accounts; 200 people
Zoom Platform Details
First-Time Setup | Video Walkthroughs |
Barony Accounts? | No, use free version or borrow an account |
Requires Individual Invites to be sent? | No, can use meeting-specific link |
Video Capable? | Yes |
Voice Capable? | Yes |
Screen Sharing? | Yes |
Multiple People Streaming Video? | Yes |
Multiple People Using Audio? | Yes |
Broadcast Duration Limits? | Yes |
Free? | Yes** |
Can be used for SCA Business Mtgs? | Yes |
** Zoom has a 45 minute limit for new/free accounts
Google Meet Platform Details
First-Time Setup | About Hangouts/Meet Hangouts Overview Hangouts/Meet Guides Starting Meetings |
Barony Accounts? | No |
Requires Individual Invites to be sent? | Yes, email addresses |
Video Capable? | Yes |
Screen Share? | Yes |
Voice Capable? | Yes |
Multiple People Streaming Video? | Yes |
Multiple People Using Audio? | Yes |
Broadcast Duration Limits? | No |
Free? | Yes |
Can be used for SCA Business Mtgs? | Yes |
Facebook Live Platform Details
First-Time Setup | Basic How-To Tips for Use Video Walkthrough |
Barony Accounts? | No |
Requires Individual Invites to be sent? | No, participants use link to join |
Video Capable? | Yes |
Screen Share? | Yes |
Voice Capable? | Streamer only |
Multiple People Streaming Video? | No |
Multiple People Using Audio? | No |
Broadcast Duration Limits? | No |
Free? | Yes |
Can be used for SCA Business Mtgs? | No |