Who’s Zooming Who?

29th April

We don’t know about you, but we hadn’t even heard of Zoom before mid-March but in the last six weeks it has become part of everyday vocabulary. Even the technophobes – mentioning no names – seem to have become experts in video-conferencing apps.

Whether it is Zoom, Houseparty, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts or even good old Skype, these platforms have become invaluable for keeping in touch with family and friends, replacing physical work meetings and of course general leisure activities.

And, boy, have we become creative when it comes to leisure Zooming. From ‘pub’ quizzes, girls’ nights in and yoga, to digital dinner parties and online karaoke – it can be used for almost anything. We’re even planning a virtual pub crawl for the whole Right Agency team next week, complete with fancy dress.

Of course, using these platforms for both business and pleasure, and while working from home, can create awkward (and very amusing) moments too – like your pet walking in front of the camera or a member of your family walking past half dressed while you’re ‘in’ a meeting. Or you forget to change your display name back from the highly inappropriate quiz team name before you join the next work conference call…

From a business perspective, there is a train of thought that this period of lockdown and the growing use of video conferencing apps like Zoom will ultimately change the way work for ever. Why drive 100 miles for a one-hour meeting when you can save time, money, and the environment with an online meeting? If it does become the business norm we might have to brush our hair more often though!