Virtual Water Cooler

I realized earlier today that I keep watching the "when is it time to panic" thread not because I'm worried, but it's interesting to hear people's stories and stuff of what's going on in their respective worlds.  Several folks have commented to stop looking at the post and decrease the anxiety (there's some validity in that), but I realized that a number of the posts were more of the "guess what I saw at my local grocery" type of things.  Basically, stuff you'd chat about with a co-worker at the water cooler.  Since a number of us are working from home now, a number that will probably increase, I figured setting up a virtual one might be a good idea.

Heck, if nothing else, so as not to have us posting in a thread with "Panic" in the title.  This is NOT intended to be another COVID-19 thread and I think that should continue on for health updates and stuff.  Instead, it could be things kinda related, but not things to worry about.   I'll start.

Our company instituted a WFH plan as of late yesterday afternoon.  For most of us, we were working from home a couple of days a week, anyway.  But, in our leadership discussion this morning, our VP recommended asking everyone to turn on their cameras.  While I kinda get that idea to make us all feel like we're "together" I don't want to see any of my dev's in their PJ's or see the random crap in their homes.  Personally, I'm in shorts and a t-shirt today with a cap (on backwards so my headphone mike doesn't hit it) and my laptop is below my face so everyone can look up my nose.....  So I'm doing a silent protest and claiming camera issues for now.

Anyone know if you can change backgrounds or add silly facial stuff to Google Hangouts? 

Or, how fun would it be if someone was one of those "deep state" video experts and I could attend meetings as a Tom Hanks or something?

-Rob

That would be fun! I think you can change the background using Zoom, not sure on Google Hangouts. For smaller meetings, we put on our cameras.......but basically shoulders up. Hell our director, she oversee's all ~100 tech writers, typically is on camera with crazy bed head and such. 

For larger meetings, we have the cameras on during the few minutes of chit-chat and "kudos," which I hate but that's another discussion, then turn them off the rest of the meeting. 

z31maniac said:

That would be fun! I think you can change the background using Zoom, not sure on Google Hangouts. For smaller meetings, we put on our cameras.......but basically shoulders up. Hell our director, she oversee's all ~100 tech writers, typically is on camera with crazy bed head and such. 

For larger meetings, we have the cameras on during the few minutes of chit-chat and "kudos," which I hate but that's another discussion, then turn them off the rest of the meeting. 

 

I wonder if Zoom will stand up to the load of traffic it is about to get.

I am a fan of cameras when doing remote meetings.  I do many with and many without.  Those with cameras feel much more engaged.  I can think of a few reasons:

1. Its easier to lip-read.  I work with people all over the world and some have accents that I have difficulty understanding.  Being able to see their face when the talk is better.
2. It encourages focus.  As a participant I can watch the person talking.  When discussing something with no screen activity, if there is no view of the person talking, my eyes wander.  I know this happens to others as well.  In many a conference call I have had GRM up on my other monitor and others are often reading email or looking at their phones.
3. It reduces the amount of people-talking over each other.  Visual cues as to who is talking/is about to talk/has a question are helpful.

Get a good camera, put it somewhere where it isn't looking up your nose.

Oh, very much anti-camera personally.  I don't really want to see other folks, and I really don't want anyone to notice that I haven't showered, shaved, or, uh, put on clothing.

TheGloriousW said:

z31maniac said:

That would be fun! I think you can change the background using Zoom, not sure on Google Hangouts. For smaller meetings, we put on our cameras.......but basically shoulders up. Hell our director, she oversee's all ~100 tech writers, typically is on camera with crazy bed head and such. 

For larger meetings, we have the cameras on during the few minutes of chit-chat and "kudos," which I hate but that's another discussion, then turn them off the rest of the meeting. 

 

I wonder if Zoom will stand up to the load of traffic it is about to get.

I'm sure it will. We routinely have meetings/webinars with hundreds of people involved. 

If it's a big presentation from the higher ups or something, they just use the Oracle TV or whatever our internal service for web presentations is.

Pornhub is giving Italy free premium access for the rest of March in order to help with quarantine and social distancing.

So there's that!

In reply to Duke :

Haha!

Duke said:

Pornhub is giving Italy free premium access for the rest of March in order to help with quarantine and social distancing.

So there's that!

 

The number of VPN's wanting to be out of Italy just skyrocketed.

How do you set up a green screen so you can look like you are working in your  home office  but are outside by the pool  :)

ProDarwin said:

I am a fan of cameras when doing remote meetings.  I do many with and many without.  Those with cameras feel much more engaged.  I can think of a few reasons:

1. Its easier to lip-read.  I work with people all over the world and some have accents that I have difficulty understanding.  Being able to see their face when the talk is better.
2. It encourages focus.  As a participant I can watch the person talking.  When discussing something with no screen activity, if there is no view of the person talking, my eyes wander.  I know this happens to others as well.  In many a conference call I have had GRM up on my other monitor and others are often reading email or looking at their phones.
3. It reduces the amount of people-talking over each other.  Visual cues as to who is talking/is about to talk/has a question are helpful.

Get a good camera, put it somewhere where it isn't looking up your nose.

I respect your perspective, but disagree with it entirely. 
 

I have massively reduced productivity when the other person has an expectation that I'm gonna sit and stare at a screen with a picture of them on it. 
 

Maybe it's different for those of you who work sitting at desks, but I move around a jobsite continuously.  I make about 50 calls a day (plus about 50 emails) while holding the phone under my chin, and waking around a jobsite with my hands busy.  I do safety reports, photo documentation, quality control, and production management all at the same time.  My step counter logs about 20,000 steps almost every day.  I can't do that with a camera turned on.
 

Video conferencing is a nightmare for my productivity.  My wife can sit for 45 minutes staring at a screen talking to someone.  There's a lot I could do in that time.  I feel tied down after about 5 minutes. 
 

Yes, if you call me, I'm probably doing something else at the same time. 

This whole board is my virtual water cooler. I don't see or interact with co workers much. Every couple of days. But im with members day in and day out.....

SVreX said:

 

I have massively reduced productivity when the other person has an expectation that I'm gonna sit and stare at a screen with a picture of them on it. 
 

Maybe it's different for those of you who work sitting at desks, but I move around a jobsite continuously.  I make about 50 calls a day (plus about 50 emails) while holding the phone under my chin, and waking around a jobsite with my hands busy.  I do safety reports, photo documentation, quality control, and production management all at the same time.  My step counter logs about 20,000 steps almost every day.  I can't do that with a camera turned on.
 

Video conferencing is a nightmare for my productivity.  My wife can sit for 45 minutes staring at a screen talking to someone.  There's a lot I could do in that time.  I feel tied down after about 5 minutes. 
 

Yes, if you call me, I'm probably doing something else at the same time. 

I understand all of this.  I work in a different environment.  I am an engineer.  My web meetings are used when face to face meetings are not possible.  All of these meetings also involve screen-sharing or other video content - they are not just phone calls.  In my case I want to remain focused on the meeting, and I want those in it to be focused on it.  Lets have our discussion, get it done, end the meeting and move on.

I would imagine those who work from home probably use these web meetings in a similar capacity.  In your case obviously video calls would not be useful.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I didn't mean to be quite so specific about my own work patterns. 
 

On a more general level, I question other people's productivity.  There are a lot of things that can be accomplished through voice, and by viewing the work in progress. Some people seem to lose productivity when they add the need to see someone's face. 

SVreX said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I didn't mean to be quite so specific about my own work patterns. 
 

On a more general level, I question other people's productivity.  There are a lot of things that can be accomplished through voice, and by viewing the work in progress. Some people seem to lose productivity when they add the need to see someone's face. 

No need to question productivity. It's very obvious who is and isn't getting stuff done and whether your meeting your deadlines at a high-level of quality. And the people who use "working from home" as an excuse to screw around and not get things done...................they get E36 M3 canned.

The other nice thing about it is you don't have to be dependent on the office being open. And if you need to run some errands during the day, you can make it up that evening or log on earlier in the morning. 

This morning I took the Mazda to get the oil changed and tires rotated..........logged on to their WiFi and kept working, then drove back home when they finished. That type of flexibility is life changing. And the vast majority of people who get themselves into positions like this, myself for example where we already work from home 2-3 days per week, work hard to make sure we don't lose the priviledge. 

z31maniac said:

TheGloriousW said:

z31maniac said:

That would be fun! I think you can change the background using Zoom, not sure on Google Hangouts. For smaller meetings, we put on our cameras.......but basically shoulders up. Hell our director, she oversee's all ~100 tech writers, typically is on camera with crazy bed head and such. 

For larger meetings, we have the cameras on during the few minutes of chit-chat and "kudos," which I hate but that's another discussion, then turn them off the rest of the meeting. 

 

I wonder if Zoom will stand up to the load of traffic it is about to get.

I'm sure it will. We routinely have meetings/webinars with hundreds of people involved. 

If it's a big presentation from the higher ups or something, they just use the Oracle TV or whatever our internal service for web presentations is.

How about hundreds of universities now using it for online classes all at the same time on top of that?

TheGloriousW said:

z31maniac said:

TheGloriousW said:

z31maniac said:

That would be fun! I think you can change the background using Zoom, not sure on Google Hangouts. For smaller meetings, we put on our cameras.......but basically shoulders up. Hell our director, she oversee's all ~100 tech writers, typically is on camera with crazy bed head and such. 

For larger meetings, we have the cameras on during the few minutes of chit-chat and "kudos," which I hate but that's another discussion, then turn them off the rest of the meeting. 

 

I wonder if Zoom will stand up to the load of traffic it is about to get.

I'm sure it will. We routinely have meetings/webinars with hundreds of people involved. 

If it's a big presentation from the higher ups or something, they just use the Oracle TV or whatever our internal service for web presentations is.

How about hundreds of universities now using it for online classes all at the same time on top of that?

No idea. My girlfriend already attends OK STATE remotely and they don't use ZOOM. They are prerecorded lectures available to watch online. I suspect they will do the same for the other students now that classes are "all online" at basically every college here. 

Ask ZOOM, I guess? 

So, for colleges and university's that are going to virtual classes and (in some cases) telling students to totally leave campus, are they going to refund the dorm/meal plan costs?  I can't even think about those kids who might not have anyplace TO go if they can't stay in the dorm. 

-Rob

In reply to rob_lewis :

My kid's school is especially generous. They are refunding a portion of the meal and board plan, they will help cover airline change fees for those in need, work study students in need will be paid the rest of the semester, those who would go home to financial hardship or a class2/3 COVID-19 country can stay. They just need to lower the population density enough to take care of the students who HAVE to stay. It won't be fun though. They are all going to be given boxed meals to eat in their rooms alone.

My 8th grader, whose small private school is going remote as of today, just got a description of how the remote thing will go.  Basically, there will be an email at 8:00 am each day with specific assignments/tasks for the day.  Instruction itself will be a bit more limited but via videos.  Much of the writing assignments have always been on Google Docs online, and other assignments will be checked (some by parents, I think), so there should be some accountability.

I'm happy to see real expectations for the kids to put in significant school time.  We'll see how well it works.

In reply to SVreX :

Same here. For most of the web meetings I call into, my involvement is minimal (electrical is at the bottom of the totem pole in the pharma industry), so I will usually be working on something else while listening to the meeting.

And I'm not sure I want anyone staring at the bookcase behind me in my home office.

I'm already thinking about all the useful things I can do during my lunch break next week...