I joined the AGM about five minutes beforehand to test everything was working as it should be. I was sitting in my hastily built shed next to the newly adopted chickens which everyone apparently could hear. Technically, I was using an iPad, communication via Skype and about 30 metres away from the wifi in the house through two brick walls. It seem to work fine, clear voices and nice to put a sound to a never seen in person Dave from across the pond. I didn't notice any major delays other than natural tendencies to be polite when the chairman was asking questions. Something to bear in mind for Edinburgh is a protocol when a. Someone wants to say something and b. Announcing who they are. Otherwise I think the the electronic AGM went very well. On 15 May 2014 17:16, "Dilwyn Jones" <[email protected]> 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 > _______________________________________________ > QL-Users Mailing List > http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm > _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
