The Final Word on Zoom

This is our third and final post on Zoom meetings and webinars. If you missed either of the previous two posts and you are a subscriber to this blog, you can use the links at the bottom of your MailChimp email to catch up. If you don't currently subscribe (and we welcome you to do so by clicking on the "Subscribe" link on the right of the Blogspot window) click on these: Zoom part one and Zoom part two. We’ll conclude our tutorial with some miscellaneous Zoom terms that will be useful for you to know. Then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the upcoming virtual meetings that we at St. Louis Genealogical Society have planned for you on our fall and winter schedule!

Changing Your View

The default view for a Zoom meeting or webinar is to be in full screen mode, meaning the Zoom meeting occupies your entire monitor. However, you don’t have to keep it that way. Reducing the size of the Zoom window means you can look at something else at the same time. So, for instance, if you are in a meeting but you also need to look at a Word document, you will see both windows on your computer monitor.

To change from full screen to a smaller window, simply press the Escape (Esc) key (located at the far upper left of your keyboard) or double-click in the Zoom window.

Speaker and Gallery View

When you watch an StLGS monthly or SIG meeting that is livestreamed, you are actually in a webinar and the Zoom screen is set to Speaker View. If there are three or more participants, the large part of your screen automatically switches to the speaker, and you can see the other panelists or hosts as thumbnails at the top or side of the screen. 

If you are in a meeting or class where the host has allowed you to be audible and/or visible, you may be in Gallery View. Up to forty-nine people can be in a window at once; if there are more participants, they will flow to additional windows. Those Zoom windows you’ve seen that look like the old “Hollywood Squares” game show are in Gallery View.

Depending on what kind of webinar or meeting you are in, you may be able to switch from one view to another by using the “View” menu at the upper right of your screen to find the buttons that toggle from one view to the other.

There are other options to view in Zoom as well, but unless you are hosting, these two will give you just what you need to participate in most Zoom events.

Virtual Backgrounds

Perhaps you’ve been in Zoom calls where the participants or panelists appear to be seated on some exotic tropical beach or in front of the Golden Gate Bridge? Of course, there is always the possibility that they ARE in that location, but most likely, it’s a virtual background. These don’t always work; they may flicker and throw odd shadows, and many computers just won’t support their use, but they are fun, and you might want to try them. Here’s what to do, if you want to experiment.

1. Log into your account in the Zoom app and go to the gear icon in the upper right corner, which will open your Settings menu. 
2. Over on the left side, choose “Background and Filters.” You will see a selection of preloaded options, or you can add your own photo by clicking the plus (+) sign. 
3. Make sure the background is working properly; if there is too much light in your room or your computer doesn’t have enough memory, you may want to forego the fun.

If the backgrounds are working for you, and you are in a Zoom meeting and want to change your background, click the up arrow next to where it says, “Stop Video.” Choose “Virtual Background” to either change your background or turn it off.

Share Screen

You have seen this done in all of the StLGS webinars and many of the meetings. The host enables screen sharing with the guest speaker or other panelists so you can, for example, see a PowerPoint presentation, watch a demonstration of a website, or view a document on someone's computer. If you are on a Zoom call and want to share something on your computer, the host must give you permission, and then you can share your desktop or a window on your computer monitor with other participants by simply clicking on the green “Share Screen” button in the bottom toolbar. 

Next, choose the window you want to share. Once you’ve done that, you can run whatever is in your shared window as you normally would. The only difference is that you will be audible, and you may also be visible, depending on what the host has authorized. Once you are done, you click the red button in the tool bar to stop sharing.

Zoom Updates

Zoom is one of those apps that updates frequently. If you have downloaded the Zoom software onto your computer or other device, you will want to be sure you do the updates each time, so your Zoom calls are uninterrupted and safe. Usually you don’t have to do anything except click OK when you are notified that an update is ready. (If you have not downloaded the Zoom software, you will not need to run updates.)

If you still have questions about using Zoom, remember that you can always use Google to find help. In addition, there are dozens of YouTube tutorials for Zoom. They are free and will walk you through just about any scenario you can imagine. We at St. Louis Genealogical Society miss all of our in-person meetings but being able to bring you educational opportunities via Zoom is a win-win situation for all of us.