Learning to navigate this new realm of virtual meetings has been interesting. You’ve probably heard the horror stories about people in Zoom work meetings who’ve been exposed (literally) not wearing pants, or the middle-aged female politician who changed her shirt while the camera was on, not realizing she was flashing her fellow elected officials. And you’ve probably been in a meeting where someone starts talking and goes on for a spell not realizing they’re muted (guilty).
Virtual meetings have put a new spin on covering public meetings, too. If you’re not physically present in the room, folks tend to forget the public is listening, and things are said that probably shouldn’t be said out loud in a public meeting by anyone, much less by people whose paychecks come from tax dollars.
Most of the time, I’m enjoying being the “fly on the wall.” It’s been, shall we say, an enlightening experience.
And while I’m not a huge fan of attending multiple virtual meetings in one day, which makes one feel like a “Zoombie,” I have appreciated being able to keep up with public meetings from the safety of my living room or my office. Who really wants to be trapped in an enclosed space with a bunch of people right now anyway?
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected]
