Shout out to Ross in New Zealand
Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 14:29 Forest is hosting a webinar on vaping next week but more of that in a minute.
First, I want to address one or two issues arising from our last webinar that prompted some comments on this blog.
Pat Nurse, for example, wrote, 'Great evening but sadly without a hands up function, which didn't work for me, it was hard to engage with the event.'
For those unfamiliar with Zoom meetings, if there are more than a few people taking part it's normally best to 'mute' everyone apart from the current speaker because it prevents distracting background noises and stops people talking over one another.
Instead, when someone wants to contribute to the conversation, the 'raised hand' feature allows participants to attract the attention of the moderator who is controlling the meeting. Here's how it works:
How to raise your hand in Zoom on a Mac or PC
During a meeting, click on the icon labeled 'Participants' at the bottom of your computer or phone screen. At the bottom of the window, click the button labeled 'Raise Hand'. Your digital hand is now raised.
I don't know why Pat didn't have a 'raised hand' function on her computer but now we know this may be an issue we will find a way to address it.
Ross Matheson from Auckland in New Zealand wrote to say he 'made the supreme effort of setting the alarm for 4.30am to make the meeting at 5.00am NZ time (after going to bed at 12.30am!)'.
It was Ross's first Zoom meeting and what disappointed him was not the meeting itself but how abruptly it finished.
At a live event the audience might well mix and mingle, for even an hour afterward ... I was on coffee and RYO cigarettes - it would have been great if there had been a chance to interact with other commentators afterward, as though at an actual event.
Ross, I take on board your comments and thank you for joining us at such an antisocial hour!
I believe Ross attends the 'Smoky Drinky' online meetings hosted by blogger Frank Davis. Bringing together smokers from different parts of the world for an informal chat, it's a great idea but comparing it with our meetings is like comparing oranges and lemons.
My understanding is that Frank's 'Smoky Drinky' meetings can last several hours and people drop in and out, just as they might in a pub.
Although we have tried to keep Forest's online meetings as informal as possible, it's necessary to make them a bit more structured and time sensitive.
When, for example, we have over-run our allotted 60 minutes the number of attendees drops off considerably. This was particularly noticeable when we hosted a virtual 'Christmas Drinks Party' in December.
Sixty-eight people registered to attend, around 50 participated, but that number had fallen by half by the end of what had become a slightly chaotic two-hour meeting.
Generally (and I am speaking for myself here) I find 60-75 minute webinars are more than long enough. Leave people wanting more not less, but I do take the point about wanting to ‘mingle’ with other attendees after the meeting.
Marcus Swift would have liked our meeting with Antony Worrall Thompson to last longer too but for a different reason:
My only wish for the evening was that it could have been two hours long, rather than just one, so that we could have enjoyed many more of Anthony's anecdotes, views, and expertise.
Marcus did however add how much he is enjoying the Forest webinars:
These online 'virtual' events really open up the ability to attend, especially to people who don't live in or relatively near London, and I hope they will continue in perpetuity, long after lockdown ends and the pandemic recedes, alongside the resumption of in person 'real' events.
The good news, if you haven't yet participated in one of our Zoom meetings, is that the next one is on Wednesday April 28 when the subject is 'Why should smokers switch to vaping?'.
The meeting coincides (deliberately) with VApril, the annual 'vaping awareness month' organised by the UK Vaping Industry Association, and our panel includes John Dunne, CEO of the UKVIA.
Our other panellists are Daniel Pryor, head of programmes at the Adam Smith Institute, vaping advocate Judy Gibson and confirmed smoker Dan Donovan. (Dan, like many smokers, has tried vaping but didn't enjoy it.)
The purpose of the meeting is to hear from vaping advocates but, at the same time, address the fact that while millions of smokers have switched to vaping, millions more haven't.
Forest has always supported freedom of choice and that includes the freedom to smoke and vape. Increasingly though confirmed smokers are being excluded from discussions about reduced risk products (and smoking cessation generally), as if the views of those who enjoy smoking and don’t want to quit don’t matter.
I feel very strongly that all sides of the debate should be heard so do please join the conversation. For full details click here or to register click here.
And Ross, if you're reading this and would like to get up early again to join us, we look forward to seeing you!
Update: A late addition to the panel is Joe Dunne, spokesman for Respect Vapers in Ireland.
Reader Comments (2)
Yes, the Smoky Drinky Bar is very informal, and we talk about everything and anything, sometimes for hours.
I used the hands up function before on Zoom but this time it just wasn't there to be used.