Participant’s Guide to the CSA 2021 Online Conference via Zoom
Why online?
Organizing a conference is a complex process and many key decisions need to be made well in advance to ensure a smooth run of the event. In this particular instance, planning for an offline conference was near-impossible in the months leading up to June 2021 as neither the epidemiological situation, nor the practical matters such as hotel, restaurant or indeed the venue availability (and change thereof) had been clear. We have therefore opted for an online format.
Software
The conference will be held in Zoom. Participants will connect to individual events using a set of links provided by the organisers a few days before the conference. You do not need to have Zoom installed on your computer, it can run directly in your internet browser. However, the installation is free and relatively easy to do and is recommended for participants with presentations.
Hardware and broadband speed
Zoom runs on all standardly used computers, notebooks, tables, and smartphones with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. More information on system requirements can be found here. You can also test your broadband speed; the recommended speed to run Zoom is 4Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. If the speed of your internet appears inadequate, try changing devices, set Zoom to reduce data usage, or turn off your camera.
If you already have Zoom on your computer but have not used it for some time, update it.
Regarding other equipment, you will need at least a microphone to enter a discussion (built-in or external). You can test its quality directly in Zoom.
If you have a presentation or plan to take an active part in discussions, we recommend that you test your Zoom and your equipment beforehand. If you are interested, the local organisers have scheduled a Zoom test meeting for Tuesday, June 22 at 1 pm (link TBA).
How to join a meeting
Participants will receive all Zoom links a few days before the start of the conference. We would like to ask all of you not to distribute these links to third parties or do anything that could compromise the security of the event.
To connect to any session, keynote speech or discussion, click the link or copy it into your browser, then allow Zoom to start the meeting. Alternatively, you can connect to any meeting directly from Zoom, clicking “join” in the “home” window and entering meeting number and password.
Please make sure you are using your (real) full name when entering Zoom (this is important for both practical and security reasons). Upon clicking the link, you will find yourself in a “waiting room” from which a Zoom master will let you into the Zoom meeting room. When entering the main meeting room, your camera will automatically switch off and your microphone will be muted. You will find the main menu on the ribbon at the bottom of the Zoom window. This is where you can turn on/off your camera and microphone (left side of the ribbon) and choose a reaction image.
Quick commands
Microphone on/off: alt+A
Microphone temporarily on: space bar (press and hold while speaking)
Webcam on/off: alt+V
Share screen: alt+S
Raise your hand: alt+Y
If you have a presentation
We recommend that participants with presentations join their sessions approx. 5-10 minutes earlier to test their broadband speed, equipment, and screen sharing with the sessions’ Zoom master. To show your presentation, please use the “share screen” button. If your presentation contains sounds and/or videos, please tick “share sound” and “optimize for video clip” when starting your screen sharing. Please consider the appropriate font size as the presentation will not be projected onto a big screen but will be shown directly on computer screens of your audience.
Zoom etiquette rules and security
We would like to ask you to connect to the meeting a couple of minutes beforehand. Please feel free to greet your fellow participants. If you are not presenting or asking a question, have your microphone off. Do not conceal your identity, use your full name. If you’d like to add a comment or react when other people are talking, use “chat” or select an image from the “reactions” menu. If you’d like to ask a question, please, follow the instructions of sessions’ moderator. Do not share Zoom links. Should you notice any suspicious or inappropriate activities in the Zoom room or in the chat window, immediately bring this to the attention of your Zoom master or the local organisers.
Recording and streaming
Keynote speeches and moderated discussions will be streamed from Zoom to the YouTube channel of the Department of Sociology. Some of the videos will be recorded and will remain available on the channel. If you’d prefer not to partake in these streamed events, you can turn off your camera and microphone or just watch on YouTube. You will be informed about streaming at the beginning of each streamed session so you can choose the option that fits your privacy preferences. Real-time subtitles will be provided for each keynote speech by the Teiresias Centre.