Video chat apps have been around for several years now, quickly gaining popularity as they grow and start adding new features to them. But that has all changed since 2020s worldwide events.
The need to communicate with other people remotely but also keeping it as close as possible to a face to face experience has soared to the skies. Which has led to video chatting apps such as Zoom to become highly popular and demanded by the people.
If you are thinking about starting to use this app or implementing it for your business, you are in the right place. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about Zoom.
How does Zoom work?
Zoom is a video chat app. It allows users to create a personal chat room on which they can invite other people to join them by providing a link to the session or sharing a session ID and password.
In here users can turn on their camera and microphone if they choose to do so, or even chat via text. People don’t necessarily need to have a Zoom account in order to join a session, but it is required in order to be able to create one.
People can also share their screen to the users in the session. They can choose between sharing the whole screen along with any windows they might have open, or sharing just a specific window.
There is also an option that allows users to create separate breakout rooms within the same session. The main user can control when to take everybody back to the same session or send messages for everyone to see.
While using the chat feature, users can choose whether to send a message for the whole session to see or just to one specific user.
It also has a feature in which people can substitute their background with an image or video. For this feature to work you need to have a solid background, similar to a green screen, and a well lighted place.
Zoom can be used on a computer or portal device such as a phone or a tablet, as long as it has a camera, a microphone and access to an app portal such as the app store or google store, it will work.
If you want to learn more about how you can adapt your school to the ongoing pandemic, Impactum can help you. Click on the button below and download our e-book: Strategies for schools during COVID. Get to know everything there is about keeping your business working even through these difficult times.
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Advantages of using Zoom
The main advantage Zoom has is how easy it is to use. People don’t need an actual account to be able to log into sessions, they just need to have the app on their device, they just need to type in their name a join any session.
Free users can create sessions and remain in them for as long as 40minutes, after that, the app issues a message stating that the session will finish in 10 minutes. When that session is over, users can just start a new one and everyone can hop back in for another 40 minutes.
The app is easy to install and can be downloaded fast. Since it can be used on almost any device, it offers the freedom to connect anywhere in the world. People can jump into sessions no matter where they are, as long as they have a device to log into and are connected to a network.
It has worked out as a great solution for people that want to stay in touch but have to stay home, companies have started using it to be able to work from home and even schools from kinder garden to university have migrated their educational models to this digital platform.
How does zoom compare to other video chat apps?
Surely when you hear the word video chat you think about Skype or Face Time. These free apps have a short limited amount of people that can join to a session and not nearly as many features as Zoom does.
Its top competitor is Google Meet. This app shares similar features to Zoom, but in terms of pricing, it is more expensive and when it comes to comparing prices against features, Zoom will always win.
Zoom’s price varies depending on the amount of rooms you are going to need. It starts from $49 each room but it can also be purchased on packages which also varies in price. This allows you to buy the plan that better fits your needs in terms of active rooms quantity and number of people to have in them.
Should I use Zoom?
After comparing and pointing out Zoom’s top features, there is an easy answer to this question. You must definitely use Zoom.
Whether you need it just to chat with friends, communicate with the rest of your company or to teach classes in your school, it is the best option. You can choose a payment plan that better fits your needs, and they will all most likely be on budget.
If you want to learn more about how you can adapt your school to the ongoing pandemic, Impactum can help you. Click on the button below and download our e-book: Strategies for schools during COVID. Get to know everything there is about keeping your business working even through these difficult times.
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