Comment by conradludgate | Hacker News Reader

Comment by conradludgate | Hacker News Reader

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I see a lot of people being alienated by the fact that people could take on different avatars during their meeting. I would honestly accept that with no question.

In a work environment, I would expect the person I'm talking to to be presentable, ie their avatar would be presentable, so no goofy backgrounds or annoying accessories.

But the key for me is, I'd actually have something to see. So often in my work in in meetings and three people have cameras on and the rest don't. I don't really care what they look like, I care if they're engaged, nodding their heads, their facial reactions.

I don't always have my video on either, I don't have great upload speeds so I usually appear as a big blob anyway. I'd happily have whatever representation of me be in my place if it meant people could see my reactions

This is why I keep my camera on, so that whoever is talking sees me nodding away whilst they talk and when they go "any questions" you can pause and say "None from me". It's also why you always unmute yourself when someone joins the call - yes, we can hear you, yes your mic is fine, no you're not muted, it's just no one is replying becuase they're all muted and causedoing something else because we haven't started yet.

It feels like people really haven't put any thought into how to handle video conferences.

I assume it's because people are awaiting their return to physical work environments. If your employer or team hasn't done anything to facilitate working remotely other than moving meetings to Zoom/WebEx/Meet, then you're right: people haven't put thought into video conferences.

There are numerous articles on why this impromptu remote environment isn't the same as traditional remote environments. Are people turning on their camera during meetings? Are people actually responding when talked to during meetings? Is there some type of plan outlined for team members who have kids in virtual school or are unexpected caretakers? Have teams been given the proper collaborative tools to work together remotely? Are working hours being respected?

There are lots of things people didn't think about when places went remote. The problem is that they never went back to address them either.

The camera on or off brings up another question: When do you look straight into the camera and when do you look at the screen to see the person speaking? I can see argument for both.

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