Video chat is where it's at for quaran-team work

My plan for this week's column was to share a self-guided driving tour of interesting places in Southeast Missouri. I even asked my colleague over in rustmedia, James Baughn, for some help with it, and he was kind enough to oblige. That feels a touch irresponsible, though, in light of the governor's recommendations to stay home, so I'll save that for a future installment. Instead, I'm going with a question I got from exactly one reader, that I would like to answer: What video conferencing options are out there, not just for businesses, but for personal use?

Video conferencing is helpful in a business or education setting, and I like it for catching up with people I can't see in person right now. I also count myself lucky that I have several friends who live elsewhere, so I've used a lot of these programs pretty extensively.

Maybe they'll help you during what a friend of mine calls co-vid work. Because COVID-19, and videos together? Anyone?

Disclaimer: This is all completely my opinion, not the opinion of the Southeast Missourian, and I am not receiving any sort of promotional consideration for my thoughts here. I have used the free versions of everything listed, unless otherwise stated. I'm using a Windows laptop connected to an additional monitor, with an external camera. My internet is relatively fast and reliable. Your mileage may vary.

I will say I've been pleasantly surprised by the functionality of everything I've tried. The only hiccups I've had have come from software updates or machines not wanting to play nicely together, but I think that's a pretty low-level concern, and doesn't have much to do with the actual programs.

Zoom.us: I'm new to Zoom, but for the last three weeks, I've been using it to attend newsroom meetings and interview sources. I've heard from a lot of people who have been using it all along. I even read an article about how to optimize it. I like Zoom. I haven't had issues with lag, or anything else really, and I think it would work well for personal use too.

The settings give you plenty of options. There are a few settings that I really like, such as "capturing captions" and the ability to record, that come in handy for journalism, and users have the option to change out the background, provided you have a blank screen behind you. I don't have that, so I make do with my basement wall, but that is a fun option.

One point about Zoom's chat feature: I've heard chats between any attendees will be added to the meeting transcript. Just something to keep in mind.

Google Hangouts: I've used this for years to have video calls with family and friends who live elsewhere. If you have a Google account, it's an app you can access relatively easily. I find it pretty intuitive.

Microsoft Teams: So, I haven't used the video chat option, but I have been using the chat feature daily with my colleagues.

FaceTime: I've never used FaceTime. I hear good things, though.

Skype: I used to use Skype, and it was fine, but I stopped using it when a software update (probably five years ago now) went awry on me. This is probably a me issue.

Facebook Messenger: I have used the conference-call option many times for many years, as I have a specific situation: I meet with two other people, one of whom lives in the States and the other who does not, and this is the software we've found that works for all of us.

MMORPG.com: Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as "World of Warcraft," allow for online group meetings, too. It's a little offbeat, sure, but I think it's pretty safe to say that we're in a massively weird time right now, and judging by the number of people who enthusiastically responded to a recent Facebook post where I asked if I should eat cookies for breakfast -- my advice is, live your best life, whatever that looks like, provided it's not a harm to yourself or others.

There are reasons I don't give advice very often.

I'm sure I've missed some meeting options; what are your favorites?

In other news:

The Downtown Merchants Group in Cape Girardeau announced Wednesday that the spring installment of the Downtown Tailgate Flea Market, originally set for May 3, is canceled. The committee's Facebook post stated that it is nearly impossible to practice proper social distancing with hands-on shopping and cash transactions, and the post stated, "This is not a decision made lightly, but the safety and security of our vendors and shoppers come first."

The fall Downtown Tailgate Flea Market is still planned for October.

I hope you're checking our COVID-19 list of business closures and event cancellations, too. We as a newsroom staff are updating that at least daily. If you are a business owner or event organizer, drop us a line at news@semissourian.com with updates. We are keeping an eye out for them.

Stay safe out there!