It was 2019. I was hosting a Bible study in the home I was renting, but when we decided to purchase our first home, we had to move to a temporary location where I wouldn’t have the space or parking available to host people.
I had to either stop hosting or find another way.
At the same time, I was physically attending a different study that was going to be too far to travel to now that I was moving, and they offered an online meeting space for people in different countries or different cities to attend.
That meeting space was a software program called Zoom, and it was the first time I’d heard of It.
It was amazing that women from Africa, Belgium, England, and Miami could all meet simultaneously to discuss our faith.
Technology is amazing!
Fast forward to 2020, and a worldwide pandemic forced everyone to work from home and Zoom Zoomed…LOL
I’m dating myself here, but does anyone remember an old TV show called Zoom? If not, please check out this YouTube link of the show.
♪♪”You’ve got to Zoom, Zoom, Zooma Zoom… Come on and Zooma, Zooma, Zooma, Zoom.“♪♪
No? Just me?
Ok, never mind!
Back to 2020, everything went remote – work, church, bible studies, and birthday celebrations.
That year, we even celebrated Christmas via Zoom.
This is to say that Zoom has been a very helpful tool since before life got really difficult.
Today, Zoom is this month’s Feature of the Month!
It’s 2024, I started my own business a year ago, and I’m participating in remote meetings several times a week.
There are a few other platforms for remote meetings, which I have used and are very good, but my go-to has been Zoom since way before 2024, and I really like it.
Here are a few reasons why:
- Screen Sharing: Hosts can share their screens in real-time, making it easy to present documents, slides, or other content during a meeting or webinar.
- Breakout Rooms: Hosts can split participants into separate rooms, facilitating small group or one-on-one discussions. This feature is ideal for team collaborations, workshops, training sessions, and—my favorite—networking!
- Virtual Backgrounds and Filters: Zoom lets users change their background or apply filters during meetings, providing a more professional look or adding fun to the call.
- Meeting Recording: Hosts can record and save meetings locally or to the cloud. This is useful for recording important discussions, training sessions, or webinars.
- In-Meeting Chat: Zoom provides a text chat feature that allows participants to send messages to everyone or privately to specific individuals during a meeting, enhancing communication and engagement.
These features make Zoom a powerful tool for online meetings and virtual collaboration.
I encourage you to try out these features to make your meetings more engaging and productive.
Zoom has been a great way for me to stay in touch with clients, friends, and family, no matter where we are. It’s amazing how this tool brings people together across the world.
If you haven’t checked out all Zoom has to offer, now’s an excellent time to do so!
And if you ever feel stuck or need extra help with Zoom or any other tool, I’m here for you!
As your Virtual Assistant, I’d love to help you make the most of these digital tools to stay connected and organized.
Here’s to staying connected, one Zoom call at a time!