Virtual meetings, Jitsi, ... Re: Next meeting July 12th 2020

["Michael Paoli" <Michael.Paoli@cal.berkeley.edu>]

> From: goossbears <acohen36@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Next meeting July 12th 2020
> Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2020 22:30:41 -0700 (PDT)

> On Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 5:16:07 PM UTC-7, trl wrote:
> > Virtual meeting at meet.jit.si/berkeleylug <http://meet.ji.si/berkeleylug>
> > from 11 am on.
> > Thomas
>
> One of the notable drawbacks I keenly felt in today's "Virtual meeting at
> meet.jit.si/berkeleylug <http://meet.ji.si/berkeleylug> from 11 am on" was
> the lack of the ability to have sub-conversations during the meetup.
> Sub-conversations, as in being able to talk with others on-the-side as one
> can during live meetups when attendants are not necessarily beholden to
> directly participate under the topic(s) pursued by the elected/unelected
> meetup moderator during the times of active discussion.
> Probably that's due to the very nature of Jitsi as well as Zoom, where
> typically only one or two persons at a time can "lead" or keep the focus
> upon the active discussion topic at hand.

Well, on-line "vs." in-person - there are advantages and disadvantages
unique to each ... and a fair bit in common too.

Many of the disadvantages you bring up about on-line, are common to,
or at least significantly overlap, same/similar for in-person.

So, folks off-topic ... how well folks take that depends at lot
on what, how presented, how long, how much they do/don't monopolize
conversation and such, etc.  In-person is similar in those regards
... though in-person - depending also on venue and such, it may be
more feasible to shift position around, or take other measures, that
might at least partly help with that.  On-line, ... not the same.
However, I notice also, Jitsi ... anyone can mute anyone else, though
not sure if that mutes them for everyone - or only for the person that
muted them ... I'm guessing for "all", as it also indicates they can
unmute themselves (and that's probably not per-recipient).
And yes, there's the "raise hand" function.  One can also use the
(text) "chat" function ... that can go to everyone ... or just
a private message to a single participant (I don't know if
there's a way to do that more directly in chat itself, but if one
hovers over the upper-left of a participants "video" display
window (which may or many not presently be showing video or
screen), move cursor to the upper right of that, click on the
three dots there - then have option to send a private message.
That then shows up and uses the chat - but is clearly indicated as
private message just between the two participants.
But, yeah, "break-out" rooms or the like, ... don't know that Jitsi
has such capability (don't think it does ... yet?) ... but I'm not
aware of similar software that has such in general (I've not seen it
on Webex, Zoom, etc.) ... but maybe some have such a feature (and
maybe it even works well ... or not).

"Of course" too, with the (free!) cost of Jitsi ... if it doesn't have
break-out rooms or the like, could always on-the-fly create additional
meeting(s) on Jitsi, to spit off for separate demonstrations or
discussions or whatever.
https://meet.jit.si/Pi.BerkeleyLUG
https://meet.jit.si/Topic01.Pi.BerkeleyLUG
https://meet.jit.si/Topic02.Pi.BerkeleyLUG
...
(and yes, we should switch to Pi.BerkeleyLUG ... but probably after
today's, as other URL was already sent out earlier).
Oooh, and too, with that ... and dynamic DNS 'n all ...
could even set up (sub-)domains to to stuff with/for - even on-the-fly,
for relevant projects or testing or whatever ...
Topic01.Pi.BerkeleyLUG.com
Topic02.Pi.BerkeleyLUG.com
...
The infrastructure is all there in place to be able to do that with
DNS (want/need access to do that?  Just let me know).

Anyway, I think we're still all figuring out how to best work/navigate
this stuff.  Most of us don't have 10+ years experience doing on-line
meetings and to the exclusion of all or nearly all in-person meetings.
So, it's a bit different, to say the least.  It's also rather different
between work environments - which are usually more structured and
task/agenda oriented, vs. stuff that's more social or semi-social
(LUG meetings, family gatherings on-line, other non-work gatherings
on-line, etc.).  So, I still think we're quite figuring this all
out as we go along.

> Sure, one can use the Raise the Hand Jitsi feature to speak up, but
> speaking for myself, am unlikely to do so to interrupt what I perceived to
> be irrelevant discussion on non-Linux-related....
> - legal issues surrounding why a currently unemployed school teacher got
> themself fired for their behavior
> - monologue on the background history of Hong Kong and
> colonial/post-colonial China
> - someone's kid settling in Stockholm and others' visits to the same
>
> Can any of you think of other stategies to circumvent this drawback?
> Three strategies that immediately come to mind are ....
> 1. The Jitsi forum organizer taking a more active role in suggesting that
> distracting, irrelevant discussions such as the above be instead discussed
> offline.

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