

“Zoom provides some background options, but you can upload your own pictures, so you can do anything you want.”

“You may not want everyone to see your house,” Suggs said. This allows participants to see you, but not see what’s behind you. If you’ve downloaded the Zoom client and set up an account, you can access the popular virtual background option. Going this route is more efficient and eases the load for the providers of key communications services. To do so, click “Join Audio by Computer” when entering a meeting. While you can call into a Zoom meeting on your phone, you can help ease the load on the communications grid by accessing Zoom through your computer. With Duke students learning online, the load on local communications systems will take another leap upward. Keep It OnlineĪ byproduct of the rise in remote working is an increase in the strain on the communications infrastructure that supports cell phones and landlines. But, if you want to get the most out of Zoom, and you’re using it on your computer, you should go ahead and download Duke’s desktop client and set up an account, which you can learn more about here.īy downloading the client and setting up an account, you can have access to the full complement of Zoom tools such as whiteboards, polls, virtual backgrounds and even tools that can improve your appearance. You don’t have to download the Zoom app to take part in a video conference.

You can learn about Zoom in new OIT webinars this week, and Suggs has some specific and simple tips for new Zoom users on how to get the most of out of the service. And with many users new to the platform, Suggs and her colleagues have been busy helping Duke employees learn how to get the most out of the platform through webinars.

In one day last week, Duke employees had 20,500 conversations through Zoom. She said by week’s end, she became used to the constant stream of email alerts that caused her smart watch to vibrate every few minutes.ĭuke Office of Information Technology is offering free webinars this week on subjects like Zoom, WebEx and working securely from home. With thousands starting to work from home to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Zoom’s usage among the Duke workforce has jumped considerably.Īs Duke’s Zoom expert, Suggs was an in-demand person for people looking for Zoom pointers. As an IT analyst with Duke’s Office of Information Technology, Debrah Suggs is one of the point people for questions or feedback regarding the Duke community’s use of Zoom, a popular video conferencing tool.
