Zoom newbie with many questions

[cmmelton]

I have a basic Zoom membership but I've only  used it once, so my experience with Zoom is extremely limited. In a few weeks, I will be having a memorial service for my wife. There are many people that will not be able to attend in-person, so I would like to stream the service. I believe Zoom is the platform that would allow me to do this, but I have many questions. Please forgive me if I'm looking for answers that seem basic knowledge to others.

1. Part of the service will be slideshows and part will be people speaking. Can I switch back and forth between the two?

2. I'm going to attach a large TV to the computer for the slideshows to be seen by those in-person. Can I do this and still stream the presentation?

3. If I plug external speakers into the computer for music and other audio, with the audio still stream?

4. This is a one-time event. Can I upgrade to Pro for a single month, just to hold this memorial service?

5. Can people join the service without having accounts or installing software? This needs to be as easy for participants as possible, as some of them are even less tech savvy than I am.

6. Can the remote users participate in the service, and will their participation show on the attached TV?

7. Can I record the service?

8. Is there a way of logging the remote users that attend?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @cmmelton.  Sorry for your loss.  It is admirable that you are trying to share the memorial service with those that might not be able to attend.

First I'll attempt to answer the questions you've already posed:

1. Starting and stopping a Screen Share of slides is a relatively common task, but not always "easy" for a novice Zoom person.  If you have someone available who can assist you with sharing the slides, that would be helpful, and my recommendation would be to have someone take care of all of the details.  Your focus should be coping with your loss.
2. Attaching a large TV from a computer using an HDMI cable is relatively easy to do.  It would not affect the ability to stream in Zoom.
3. It's possible to route the PC audio to the TV over HDMI (though not commonly done) or attach speakers to the PC (nearly everybody does this). Again, doing so will not affect the ability to stream from Zoom, but there should be careful attention to having "hot mics" while the speakers are on, as this is likely to cause feedback.
4. You can upgrade to Zoom Pro for a monthly License, and cancel prior to the end of the current month.  There's no way I'm aware of to start a "one monthly only" subscription.
5. If you have a "Join Link", anyone should be able to join the meeting.  Be aware that making a Join Link widely available or over social media increases the likelihood of "Zoom bombers" -- people who will attend your meeting and cause problems in one way or another.
6. Depends on what you mean by "participate".  When not Screen Sharing, anyone attending will be viewed on the TV screen, with certain limitations being possible by an experienced Zoom tech person.  For example, a specific person can be allowed to speak and also be "spotlighted" so they are the only person visible while speaking; or online attendees can be all shown on screen, and many could just take turns talking.
7. It's quite possible to record the service, either on the Zoom Cloud or locally on the PC.
8. Logging users is possible to some extent.  Only people who log in with their Zoom account will be logged; anyone who just clicks a link with no Zoom account won't be logged.

Once you respond, I might have some additional suggestions for you to consider.  One thing I will mention here, is that there is a difference between having people join a Zoom meeting vs the concept of "streaming", which normally entails sending the Zoom audio and video over some streaming service, such as those available via Facebook and YouTube.  You can do both, but based on your questions, it seems to me like you are only considering making the memorial available for Zoom attendees, and not streaming; I think this is a wise choice.

Again, my condolences.

-Ray

[cmmelton]

Ray,

Thank you for the condolences and the information.

You are correct that I only want invitees to view/participate in the service. And when I say "participate" what I mean is, I want the remote attendees to be able to turn on their mic and camera and relate any story about my wife that they wish to share. Then give someone else a turn, finally coming back to me.

What I envision is me saying a few words then starting a slideshow and narrating it as it proceeds. There will be times during the slideshow, though, that I will pause it and want the view to come back to me, then restart the slides. After that, I will invite others to speak. As the slides play, and as each speaker is telling their story, that is the only thing I want visible on the screen, so that all attention is focused.

Logging attendees isn't really necessary; I just thought it would be nice to have a list of everyone. And recording it isn't absolutely necessary either, but I would kind of like to have a copy of the service to keep.

I don't know of anyone in the group that has much more Zoom experience than me, so I will need to figure out how to create the Join Link and make the switches between views. Any further advise you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

Mike

[Frank_TB]

Hello Mike,

Sorry to hear this sad news in your life.  Celebrating your wife is a great idea.

I don't know anything about you, but perhaps you might consider hiring an AV company that has experience in hosting Zoom meetings? They will have equipment and expertise that you won't have access to in a short time frame. This would allow you to focus on the memorial service and not the technology.

Just an idea.  I hope it goes well.

Peace my friend.

Regards

[TorahTechGuy]

Hi . Like   let me first offer my condolences. I run tons of zoom meetings and if I’m free I’d be happy to facilitate this meeting for you remotely. If you think this might be helpful feel free to find a time to talk more at www.torahtechguy.com/schmooze 

@cmmelton

[cmmelton]

Thank you all for your input. I have found a person in the group that has some experience with Zoom, and we are going to do some practice meetings, so I can get a better feel for how to use the features. However, David, if I run into issues, I might take you up on your offer.

Thanks again,

Mike

[michaelBhavel]

Hello!
Here are some answers to your questions about Zoom:

1. Yes, you can switch back and forth between slideshows and people speaking during the service. Zoom provides features for screen sharing and video conferencing, allowing you to seamlessly transition between different content.

2. You can connect a large TV to your computer for personal attendees to watch slideshows while streaming the presentation. Zoom supports dual-screen setups, so you can share slideshows on a connected TV while using your computer for streaming.

3. When you connect external speakers to your computer, audio can still be streamed through Zoom. Make sure the correct audio output settings are configured in Zoom's audio settings to capture and play audio correctly.

4. Yes, you can upgrade to Zoom's Pro plan for one month to accommodate your memorial service. The Pro plan offers additional features and longer meeting durations that may be beneficial for your event.

5. Zoom allows participants to join meetings without having to install an account or software. They can simply click on the meeting link you provide and join through their web browser or the Zoom app without any prior setup.

6. Remote users can actively participate in the service through Zoom's video conferencing features. Their participation, such as speaking or sharing their video, can be shown on connected TVs for the audience to see in person.

7. Zoom provides a recording feature that allows you to record the entire service. You can choose to record both audio and video, ensuring that the service can be saved and shared later.

8. Zoom provides attendance tracking and reporting features for meeting hosts. While the free Basic plan has limited reporting capabilities, the Pro plan offers more extensive reporting options, allowing you to log remote users participating in the service.

I hope these answers help, and I wish you the best of luck with your memorial service. If you have more questions or need help with Zoom, please don't hesitate to ask.

[cmmelton]

Thank you all for your input and advice. I believe I have mastered switching between attendees seeing me and then sharing my screen, and that was a concern for me. My big question now is, how do I create the join link so that remote attendees only have to click the link and will enter the meeting without emails, passcodes, etc.? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.