Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Hybrid Zoom Meetings - Need Help

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Nov 11, 2023, at 8:46 AM, Philip Dowds <rpdowds [at] comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> At Wolf Creek, do you allow participants to leave their cameras off?

I also wonder about this. When people have their cameras off most show a still 
image, usually a headshot, or Zoom shows the name they signed in by. At first, 
people would only turn off their cameras during breaks. But more people have 
started doing this. One concern is that we don’t really know if they are there 
(counting toward quorum) or paying attention. I don’t like looking at myself 
during the whole meeting so leaving the video off is tempting. I don’t have any 
evidence that people not listening — sometimes they are cooking or taking care 
of children. But I play solitaire which is pretty much the same thing.

The bigger problem is that I can’t always tell who is speaking if I can’t see 
their lips moving. This is a problem with hybrid meetings, too, because the 
camera doesn’t focus on the person speaking. The image of all the people in the 
room is as small as one person on the screen.

We have higher attendance with Zoom meetings than in-person meetings and people 
who are away do often tune into meetings, as well as prospective buyers. I 
don’t like rules that say people have to do this or that to prove this or that 
because it usually doesn’t. If people are required to sit in front of the 
computer and be visible as a talking head will they pass up the meeting? I 
would rather have a headshot than no person.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org