Online Meeting Etiquette

Online troop meetings during the “Coronavirus Era”

If you are unfamiliar with online/web-meetings, here are a few helpful things for you to know:  

  • There are two links in the meeting invites that we send out each week. The first link is a direct connection into the meeting. The second link below the first will allow you to test your computer (download a small plug-in) and make sure it is ready before meeting time. Everyone’s computer is different. Yours might have a microphone, (speaker or headset) and even a video camera. Don’t worry if you do not have all. While it’s nice to see you in video, we only need to listen and speak.   
  • Some of you may have slower bandwidth, and video can make your connection sound even worse if you don’t have a faster connection. You do not have to use video, and in the meeting, you’ll see an option to turn it off/on. If you notice your audio is breaking up or the experience just isn’t working, turn off your video.  
  • Keep your mic MUTED while you are not speaking to avoid adding too much noise to the conversation. The computer microphone is very sensitive. It will pick up noise and talking even from others in another room. Find a quiet spot in the house and mute your mic until you need to speak. Please be courteous and and focused on the meeting for the short time we will be meeting. There’s a red microphone/button to mute and unmute while in the meeting.   
  • If you know the bandwidth in your household is slow, it is advised to not do multiple connections to the meeting. For example (dad in one room, and Johnny in the other) as this would double the amount of bandwidth needed for the meeting for you. That said, the meeting will still be catering to the boys, so while parents are welcome, they are encouraged to sit with their scout and share the same connection to the meeting.  
  • If your computer doesn’t have a microphone at all. Not a problem. There is a call-in number associated with each meeting invite. You can dial it on your phone and enter the meeting code (also below) to dial into the meeting. You can STILL click the link below to connect your computer and view any presentations (yes, we could have presentation materials that we can show).  

That is all for now, if anyone has any questions or problems, just let us know. We’ll work to improve through your feedback. We do encourage everyone to click the second link in the meeting invites to ensure their computer set up ahead of time so we can work towards the smoothest experience come meeting time.