We are in a rare year for everyone, a year in which being at home has become our only option, a time that affects some more than others, either because they live alone or far from their families. But it has become even more important for companies, now that the traffic between different regions is very restricted, remote meetings are very common and this application offers us all the possible options to make the best work meeting. Best of all, it can be done from both computer and mobile.
Yes, for almost anyone, because it is difficult to find home devices that do not bring a camera, from our laptops to our mobiles, through our tablets. You may not have all of these devices, but surely you have some. Thanks to Zoom, an application to make video calls, distance will no longer be a problem (not entirely) and we will be able to establish eye contact with our friends or family while we chat with them totally free. In this article we will tell you what Zoom is and how to download it to use it correctly.
What is Zoom?
Zoom was founded in 2011 but the web application we know today started its operation in 2013. This may shock us a bit because it is now when it has been released to the general public. Due to the spread of the pandemic, the use of video calls has expanded exponentially, also spreading the use of these applications, until now unknown.
Zoom is a cloud-based service that anyone with a computer with a web browser can use, more than half of the Fortune 500 companies used Zoom in 2019, but during 2020 it has reached numerous stratospheres due to the pandemic. Now it is a widely used application for academic purposes or even for use between individuals. The latest data speaks for itself, with more than 300 million daily Zoom meeting participants.
But, what does Zoom offer us that many other applications do not? Zoom unlike many other applications, has a business focus, which It allows us the simultaneous communication of several work points. A whopping 1000 participants per session, You can record video calls, automatically transcribe audio, and change the background during the course of a session.
Of course, we must be clear that not all functions are unlocked for free. We found several subscription plans, each of them offers us several advantages. The most interesting option without a doubt is the free one, since it offers us unlimited individual calls and up to 40 minutes for calls of up to 100 participants. Zoom offers a multitude of options, to edit the broadcasts even in its free version.
Download Zoom and register
To download Zoom we only have to follow a few steps, we only need a computer with an operating system Windows or MacOS and make use of a web browser. We must enter the following link, which will take us to its official website and choose the option "Enter a meeting" o "Host a meeting". We will start downloading the application automatically on our computer.
If we want to register, we can do it for free from their website. We just have to choose «Sign up for free» where we will put our email, to which we will receive a confirmation email. Once this is done we will have access to the Zoom application to use it whenever we want. Even if It is not necessary to have an account to join a meeting, it is only necessary if we are the ones who want to convene it.
How to use Zoom properly
Using zoom is quite simple once we know what steps to follow, although at first it may seem complex or convoluted.
- Create a meeting: to create a meeting it is quite simple, the host will create the meeting when starting it from the application, while the rest of the users will be able to join using the meeting identifier and password.
- Add contacts: If we want to speed up the meeting process, we can add contacts to Zoom, from the mobile it is as simple as adding them from our phone book, but we can also do it through email from the computer.
- Join a session: joining an existing session is much easier, we just have to make use of a link that the host share either through mail or through mobile messaging. Also we can enter using the meeting ID and password. We can select if we want to enter with audio or video, or do it without both.
- Taking the floor in a meeting: If we want to say something in a meeting, we can make use of the option "Raise your hand" which will virtually notify us that we want to enter the conversation.
- Share screen: This is a very useful function of Zoom since it allows us to share what we are seeing on our screen. This function is key for Power Point presentations or distance lessons. In addition to sharing our screen, the application gives us the ability to share many types of files.
WhatsApp as an alternative to Zoom
If we are interested in making a more informal video call, we do not need to use applications such as Zoom, since these are intended for a more professional field and give us an almost infinite repertoire of options. If what we want is to make a video call without complications with our friends or family, we can use WhatsApp. In this article we explain how to make a group video call on WhatsApp.
The great advantage of using WhatsApp to make video calls is undoubtedly the large number of users it has. Virtually anyone in the world who has a mobile will be available through WhatsApp, so the possibilities are enormous. Another advantage of video calls via mobile phone is that it already has a built-in microphone and camera and its quality is usually very good., so we guarantee a minimum quality when conducting meetings.
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