Learn How to Use Zoom Like a Pro

Social Distancing requires live streaming and video conferencing. This is true for educators, government officials, corporate offices, and houses of worship. All of these people have had to jump head first into telecommunication quickly.

This is where Zoom comes in. Zoom has proven to be the go to pick for video conferencing platforms during this period of social distancing- and for good reason. Groups can now stay together, even when social distancing.

Streaming

For streamers, Zoom is a great solution for pulling a remote guest into your workflow. Also, many popular software encoders like Wirecast offer integrations with Zoom. This means it can be utilized as a strong element in any multi-cam stream. Zoom also allows calls to be streamed directly to the internet on platforms like Facebook Live.

Easy to Use, and Accessible

Luckily, as the world turns to Zoom for communication needs, users will be able to pick it up extremely quickly.

Zoom is free for all calls under 40 minutes and 100 participants, making it fit perfectly in many cases- such as education or corporate meetings. However, users looking for even more flexibility can upgrade to Zooms entry level monthly plan for $14.99. This allows for calls up to 24 hours, with over 100 participants.

Setting Up Zoom

1. If your own your PC, visit Zooms website to download the app. Smartphones will be able to find the app in their respective app stores.
2. Once Zoom is open, click the "Sign In" button.
3. Create your account, or type in your zoom credentials
4. Grant Zoom permission to access your microphone and webcam.

How to Start a Zoom call

To receive a Zoom call, the other party must send you a link, once opened- you're in. But, what if you wanted to start your own Zoom conference call?

1. When opening zoom, hit the orange "new meeting" button.
2. Grant zoom access to your camera and microphone
   NOTE: Make sure to run some tests, and be familiar with which webcam and microphone you would like Zoom to use.
3. If you'd like, you can also select an option where Zoom will automatically select your same audio preferences for every call.
4. Once you've started your call, click the "manage participants" button on the bottom of the screen.
5. Hit "More" in the bottom right corner
6. Here you will have the option to mute or un-mute participants, and receive an alert sound when new members join your call.
7. Click the "invite" button to invite other Zoom users, or select "Copy URL", and send a direct link to the people you want to join.

Change your Zoom Wallpaper

Zoom has a variety of settings to change your outgoing appearance to other members of your call. For example if you have sensitive material in your background, you can change your Zoom wall paper, to feature a separate background.

Keyboard Shortcuts, and Quick Access

Once you are comfortable, there are several presets you can program into zoom to make it more convenient and accessible on future use. The keyboard shortcut section can be found by clicking on the gear in the top right corner.

Check out this article from CNBC.com to learn more.