坚果下載
Our First Online Chapter Meeting with Zoom
by John Shenot
Because of our publication schedule, all the articles in the Ptarmigan are written weeks before you read them. As I write this, Colorado is facing a mandatory stay-at-home order until at least April 26. Even if the order is not extended, I expect public health officials will continue to recommend social distancing well into May, and probably beyond. In the face of this uncertainty and the underlying public health emergency, the FCAS Board decided to take the unusual step of converting our normal May chapter meeting into an online meeting using a tool called Zoom. Our guest speaker, Bryan Guarente, agreed to offer his presentation online instead of in person.
If youve never used Zoom before, I hope you wont be intimidated. Its free, and basically all you have to do is enter the website address on Page 1 of this newsletter (http://us02web.zoom.us/j/207880802) into your web browser at or slightly before the appointed time. From there, youll have the option of either downloading a Zoom application to your computer (if you havent already done so), or simply joining the meeting from your web browser. Youll be able to see your host (me) and watch Bryans presentation on your screen and use your computer audio or a phone to listen. I will offer further instructions to attendees at the start of the meeting.
Please understand that the only realistic alternative to scheduling an online meeting was to cancel the meeting altogether. The Board fully understands that some of our members dont have the right technology to attend an online meeting or may be intimidated by the format. We also realize an online meeting is not as social a gathering as our society would like. And since weve never done an online meeting before, it is quite possible that things will not go smoothly. Nevertheless, the Board decided that it is better to use an online format than to cancel the May program. It may not work for everyone, and were sorry about that, but it will hopefully work for most.