Since the corona crisis, the popularity of video conferencing apps has risen sharply. Zoom, in particular, is widely used these days to consult with colleagues or chat with friends. Zoom offers many options for setting up a video conference. We explain how the service works.
Especially when you are working from home, it is very practical to discuss matters via a video conference. A kind of meeting, but at home. Of course, Microsoft's Skype is the obvious choice for video calling. If you are tied to your mobile, you can even use WhatsApp for this. But there are also other alternatives. Zoom is also a handy alternative if you quickly want to speak to someone one-on-one, or if you just want to spar with your entire team.
Controversy surrounding Zoom
The video calling app came under fire a few days ago for privacy concerns. It was discovered that the company secretly sent data to Facebook. This happened through the iOS version of the app. Unsolicited, data such as provider and screen size were stolen via the 'Log in via Facebook' function. Zoom has indicated that the privacy of its users is of paramount importance and has announced that this shortcoming has been resolved.
However, the company once again came under fire. The New York chief prosecutor will investigate the extent to which the free app is resistant to hackers. Since many people now use this app because they work from home, the video calling program comes under a magnifying glass. Zoom is not detecting security vulnerabilities fast enough. The increase in users would be bad for the security system.
Your Windows 10 password is also not secure. Via the app you can share links with each other that could grant access to your password. When you click on a link that goes to a file on your computer, the password is automatically sent to the recipient(s). Do not click on links with Windows in the name or links that refer to, for example, the C drive.
Always try to use the most recent version of Zoom. No solution has yet been published for this last problem. Apple has already rolled out an update for macOS to fix the aforementioned privacy issues. A good alternative that handles user privacy better is Jitsi.
What is Zoom?
Zoom has several programs that you can use. For one-on-one conversations, Zoom is simply free and unlimited. In addition, with a limit of 40 minutes you can let up to 100 people participate in your conversation. The advantage of Zoom is that your participants do not need to have a Zoom account to participate. You simply share a link in advance that the participant can click on at the agreed time.
Of course, Zoom also has packages that you have to pay for. But whether you really need this is a fair question.
You can easily use Zoom from your desktop or laptop, but there are also apps available for your smartphone and tablet.
Host a meeting
Planning and hosting a meeting starts with creating an account. You do this by clicking on the top right Sign up to click. Once you have an account, you will see links in your profile My meetings to stand. This is the overview of all your conversations and here you can also schedule a new meeting.
Choose a name and description for your video call, then select the date and time for the meeting to take place. Make sure you select the correct time zone! Because Zoom is a US company, everything is automatically set to US standards. It is better to choose CET+1 here, the central European time zone where we are located.
Better video calls with these five tips.
Specify a meeting
A video call is of course not a video call without an image. Zoom, of course, offers the option of communicating only via audio. In addition, you can set whether all parties should enable their video or not.
If you only want to talk to each other without a picture, you can also dial in with your phone. Make sure that you select the correct country. In this way you will automatically receive the correct telephone number in the invitation that you send.
When you have all the settings for your meeting correct, you can save the meeting. You will receive an overview of the specifications and a URL that you can share with the participants. Copy the invitation and mail it to everyone.
Check out our article on the best work from home tips and tools.
Join the meeting
When the time has come for your video call, either go to your account and click below My meetings at the scheduled meeting and then press Start this meeting. In addition, you can also click on the link that you have sent to your participants.
A new screen will open automatically in your browser. You and/or your participants may need to install a small software program before the conversation can begin. Zoom Meetings is an app that supports the conversation. As soon as everyone meets the requirements, you automatically end up in the same conference call.
Zoom is also available for Android, iOS and iPadOS, making it easy to join a video call anytime, anywhere.
More tips
Have you used Zoom a few times and could you still use some extra tips? In this article, we'll explain how to see who has joined the Zoom meeting, how to record a meeting, and how to create a waiting room or poll.
