On 15/05/2014 17:16, Dilwyn Jones wrote:
One thing I would appreciate from Quanta is if someone would be
prepared to say a few words about electronic participation in
meetings. I am not thinking in terms of the technical details, but
more how it has turned out in practice.
I have participated in a Quanta committee meeting by speakerphone
group call, and the AGM this year by a Skype group call.
The speakerphone meeting was less than perfect, because although those
of us on phones could hear each other well, we could not hear some of
those at the meeting itself. The committee agreed to look into
obtaining a purpose made phone, which has more than one microphone to
pick up those around the table a bit better, although I don't know if
one was purchased or not.
The telephone conference call was via an 0845 dial-in. We were told to
dial in about 5 minutes before the meeting started, which gave enough
time to identify ourselves and make sure we could hear each other.
This type of call can become difficult if several people talk across
each other, so one person (e.g. Chairman) needs to be in charge and
ensure people speak in turn and invite comments from those on a phone,
as it is easier to catch Chairman's eye in the room if you want to
speak - telephone guests potentially at a disadvantage, although in
our case Sarah handled this very well.
The disadvantage with this is that it is after all an 0845 number
based system, which would be more costly for anyone overseas.
For this year's AGM, we used the Skype group call system (audio only).
Three of us (Lee Privett, Dave Park and myself) participated - there
was no video but I think we were identified by our avatars on screen
at the AGM. Like the conference call, we connected about 5 minutes
beforehand to set up, identify ourselves, check volumes etc. Keith
(webmaster) had provided us with the Quanta Skype name beforehand,
which we put in the contacts list and used to originate the call. I
don't know if it was the same at the AGM end, but when someone on
Skype talked, there was an on-screen highlight which helped identify
who was speaking. Call quality was great, and as I was using a headset
(rather than telephone handset) it let me operate the computer at the
same time, e.g. if I needed to look something up during the
discussion. If we couldn't hear someone at the meeting, we were able
to ask and have Chairman repeat what was said.
We had done a quick test call that morning as it was new to some of
us, but it all seemed to work first time, apart from me plugging my
earphone and microphone plus the wrong way round on my PC for a few
seconds (age, eyesight...)
With both methods, the participant dialled in rather than someone at
the meeting calling us.
With regards to bandwidth - the connections are made at the server end
and just the one two-way link to the server, so you _do not_ need a
separate bandwidth for each participant, luckily, or it might put a
strain on the broadband if you have a fairly slow connection at the
venue - the fact it['s all joined together at the server end means it
should work even on fairly slow broadband at the venue.
Up to 10 participants can take part in a Skype _video_ group call (5
recommended for best quality). Callers can be on Windows, Mac, or Xbox
One (if you have Xbox 1 Live Gold membership, whatever that is) (more
platforms planned - Skype website says mobiles and tablets etc planned
soon too). Skype website says up to 25 people on a group _audio_ call.
Hope that helps...
Dilwyn Jones
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Actually I was hoping to get this information in October, but never mind.
This is about the level I was thinking of - more how it works out in
practice than technical information - although some technical
information would be welcome. I must say it must be quite difficult for
the chairman to run the meeting. I know from when I chaired the AGM you
rely heavily on visual contact to assess the mood of the meeting and who
would like to speak. As Lee added - thanks to Lee also for his reply -
there are protocol questions to watch.
I get the impression from what you and Lee write that there were
teething problems, but no more than you would expect from a first attempt.
When we put electronic participation in meetings in the constitution I
envisaged it as being a provision for sometime in the future, and I
never expected it to be used so soon. No doubt a compliment to Keith's
technical abilities,
Best Wishes,
Geoff
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