Bnei Mitzvah Zoom tips for Guests

Tips to help make this an enjoyable, glitch-free experience:

1. Though we are gathering via Zoom, we want our time together to have our usual warmth and decorum. If you need to tend to children, pets, or other needs, please turn off your audio and video; turn them back on when your background is quiet.

2. Please download the Zoom app ahead of time and familiarize yourself with the controls.

3. Please make sure your device name identifies you. We would like to avoid participant names such as “A’s iPad,” or “603-222-3333.” Instead, the name should show up as “First and Last name” or “First and Last name’s iPad.” If you need to rename yourself once you have logged on to the Zoom room, click here for instructions on how to do so that are specific to whether you are on an Apple, PC, or Android device.

4. The service begins promptly at 10:15am. You can join the Zoom room from 10:00 a.m. Please feel free to use the “chat” feature to make comments or ask questions.

5. Please turn on your video so that we can see you.

6. The Rabbi will be ‘muting all’ so that background noise at participants’ homes is minimized for the group. Some individual guests will need to unmute when invited to do so by the Rabbi. There may also be a time during the service, and at the end of the service when the Rabbi will invite all to unmute. Unless the Rabbi invites you to unmute, please remain muted at any other times.

Advance setup suggestions for a good digital experience:

1. The larger your screen, the better you will be able to see others.

2. If you are using a cellphone, decide in advance how to prop it up in a fixed place. Not only is the movement of handheld phones distracting to others, but your hand will get tired.

3. Device placement: You may need to experiment with placing your device at different places or heights on the table, particularly if more than two people will be using one screen. We’d like to see your faces!

4. Audio: If two people are in the same room using different devices, one person should disconnect their audio from Zoom to avoid feedback.