Zoom,
GoToMeeting, Google Meet, everything around us is virtual. It was no surprise
when an annual conference I attend for work, decided to go virtual. After
receiving the notification, I immediately contacted my Human Resource manager
and indicated that I still wanted to participate. She said, “send me the
details.”
The next
email I sent the HR manager said, “will I still receive a meal allowance?”
She ignored
me...for a while. I guess asking for mileage was out of the question.
I appreciate
the opportunities I’ve had to continue to explore and navigate the waters of
virtual, but I’m still learning, and so is my family. We’ve scheduled out
Christmas gathering to meet by Zoom. Since the party is usually at my house, I’ve
taken the lead on instructing everyone on how to use Zoom. We’re in trouble.
It was at
mom’s house on Thanksgiving that we decided do a trial run on Zoom. My brother
and I were the only ones scheduled to be in-person; It was our attempt to be
safe in this time of COVID-19. After being there a little while, the doorbell
rang. We all looked at each other. I said, “whomever it is, don’t let them in,
we’re at capacity.”
It was my
uncle at the door, and he was wearing a mask, so he joined our small gathering.
As he settled in I announced, “hey, let’s practice using Zoom.” I sent the
link. We sat spaced around the living room, and this is what I heard.”
“I don’t see
the link. Did you send it to me?”
“I got an
error message.”
“I saw the
link, then it disappeared.”
Then there
was me, “all I know how to do is send it to you. I can’t troubleshoot. Maybe we
should have invited the kids.”
We eventually
got everyone connected. There were squeals of, “I can see Angie. There’s Norm
on the couch.”
Then came
echoes and loud background noises. “Um, I think some of you need to leave the
room. We can’t all be in the same location, it causes feedback.”
My family is
almost ready for the Christmas gathering.
How are you
coping in the virtual world? Have you had any funny experiences?
