Staying Safe Online – Part 2

Online Meetings, Masterclasses and Video Conferencing

As some classes, meetings and events are held online during hybrid working and learning, it is important to take extra precautions to safeguard your own safety as well as the safety of others. Especially when using online meeting tools such as Zoom, which enable our learning community to connect with each other – and with wider communities. We would like everyone to take digital responsibility for the following:

1. Avoiding Zoombombing

When using Zoom, ensure that you take the following precautions:

• Always require a password for meetings. This password should never be shared publicly and should be sent separately from the meeting invitation.
• Do not share meeting links on social media or other public platforms where they can easily be intercepted by trolls or cybercriminals.
• Use the Waiting Room feature and verify all attendees one-by-one before granting access.
• Change your screen sharing settings to ‘Host only.’ This will prevent trolls from accessing your video calls. You can either change this in your pre-meeting settings or in the in-call admin settings for Share Screen -> Advanced Sharing Settings.
• Disable “Join Before Host” to prevent people causing trouble before you arrive.
• Enable “Co-Host” so you can assign a co-facilitator to help you moderate.
• Disable “File Transfer” to prevent digital virus sharing.
• Disable “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin” so that expelled attendees cannot regain access.
• Do not use personal email addresses when registering for, or using, Zoom. Use your work email instead.
• No confidential, sensitive or personally-identifiable work information should be discussed or displayed.  

More tips and guidance on how to prevent Zoombombing and troubleshoot disruptions in video conferences can be found at the links below.

8 Quick Tips To Keep You From Getting “Zoombombed” By Trolls (Buzzfeed News)

4 Zoom security settings to change now to prevent Zoombombing (CNET)

How to prevent Zoom bombing: 5 simple tips (Tech Republic)

2. Video Conference Etiquette

It is important to employ good practice when it comes to both facilitating and participating in video conferences and online classes . Currently, Adalta supports the use of Microsoft Teams, and Zoom for video conferencing and meetings. We also work with employers own integrated platforms where appropriate.

Tips for communicating successfully through video conferencing include:

• Set an agenda for and stick to this to ensure everyone remains on the same page.
• Choose a quiet location for attending any video conferences, meetings or classes.
• Arrive early to allow plenty of time to check mics and connections.
• Mute yourself when not speaking, or advise participants to do so when you are hosting.
• Set clear expectations for ‘digital etiquette’ at the start of a session. For example, ask participants to use the “raise your hand” function in Collaborate before speaking.
• Let people know if you plan to record the session, and let them know the rationale, including who it will be shared with.

You can find more in-depth etiquette tips for operating video conferences and virtual classrooms at the link below:

13 etiquette tips for video conference calls (Tech Republic)