Getting with the times: Part two – some resources

BY CHRISTINA GWIRA

Forgive me Simone and readers, no Dell laptop review today.

Today, we are going to go back and talk about “getting with the times”. I had written the first part of this article at the top of this year, pre-COVID, and a phone call today prompted me to put my laptop review on the back burner and focus on providing some resources to my community.

What prompted this change of direction? Well as I had mentioned earlier, a phone call. I had just finished launching a client’s website and she posted her experience working with me in a popular Facebook group: Black Toronto Community Support. Once she had made said post, I received several Messenger requests and an email from an organization that was contemplating a website re-design. I was just about to make my lunch – I did, it was glorious, I love sweet potatoes now – and decided to squeeze the gentleman in before heading onto my next call.

We spoke about his website’s needs and the needs of his organization as a whole. The one thing that he kept mentioning was the reluctance of the people that his organization serves in grasping technology. He himself wasn’t aware of the various tools that were available to him and his team either. Thus, today’s article topic was birthed.

I’m not sure if this article will span several editions over the next couple of months – I feel like it will – but I think that it is very important that as a community, we make strides to, “get with the times” and start integrating technology into our daily lives. We can’t run away from it anymore. Due to COVID-19, my 62-year-old father now knows how to Zoom. If he can do it, I know that you and your teams can as well.

For this series, I’m going to focus on resources in five categories:

• Web design: As a web designer myself, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this section
• Video conferencing: There’s more to life than just Zoom
• Graphic design: Please stop using Canva
• Courses and learning: The school of YouTube can take you far, but have you considered a free course in computer science with Yale?
• Customer relationship management: also known as a CRM, this will definitely help you get your organization “all the way together”.

Today, we’re going to focus on the first two sections: web design and video conferencing.

Alright class let’s begin!

Web design resources: These resources will help you to build a website. A website is your space on the world wide web. You can use it to share your thoughts, collect donations and so much more. Here are some places where you can start building your website:

WordPress: I’ve written a few articles about the benefits of WordPress. If you’re just getting started with your website, consider getting a free account on WordPress.com to get your feet wet, before moving to purchasing hosting and a domain name

Squarespace: If your business or organization has many pretty photos, you’ll do well to create your website on Squarespace. In my professional opinion, their website builder is one of the easier ones to use and it’s hard to mess up your site with it. Also, you can have a store which will allow you to sell items such as t-shirts, mugs, planners and more

Shopify: If you’re looking to bring your goods online, you need to use Shopify. They have a great arsenal of tools, tutorials and live support that can help you bring your products online

Video conferencing: This is an area that many are more than aware with as many had to take video conferencing seriously during COVID-19. Some of the features that video conferencing solutions have is as follows:

Ability to screenshare: allow members of your meeting to see your computer or device screen

1. Ability to use video and audio: this is where your fancy headset comes in.
2. Ability to take over someone’s screen: this is a cool feature that allows a member of your meeting to be able to use your mouse and keyboard to show or present. I use this feature a lot when doing training for my clients.

Here’s a short list of some of the contenders, as well as some use cases that each could handle very well:

1. Zoom: Some professionals have their qualms with Zoom, I am not one of those professionals. I like using Zoom and plan on upgrading to their premium version for my business. If you are looking to create conferences online, I’d highly recommend checking out Zoom.
2. Google Meet: I prefer using Google Meet for one-on-one meetings. If you have a Gmail account, you already have this solution, no need to purchase or download any software! Consider moving in-person phone calls or meetings to Google Meet instead.
3. Hopin: This is a new platform that I’m fairly new to but really enjoy. It has rooms where people can breakout from the main presentation, screen sharing but also a backup user portal where people can see notes, tasks and the like for their event. I used Hopin when I was a speaker at an online incubator during this COVID season.
4. GoToMeeting: More corporate organizations use GotoMeeting. I use it for my monthly WordPress meetups. I find that it isn’t as intuitive as the other contenders in the list, but it has been around for much longer than most and has a solid track record.
5. Streamyard: This is one that I haven’t used as extensively as I would have thought. However, I’ve heard that it’s exceptional when you are doing more convention/conference style video setups. Whereas Zoom, Hopin and GoToMeeting put a focus on collaboration during the session, Streamyard has a presenter and then people can connect to the presentations that are being held. Again, a good way to bring conferences and conventions online.
6. Skype: I hate it, but it is something that is very, very popular with countries outside of the West. If you have clients or family that aren’t familiar with any of the above services, they are surely familiar with Skype

As you can see, there are quite a few bits and bobs in relation to how we as a community can start to bring our events online, as well as how we can create our presence online as well. Over the course of the next couple of months, I’ll provide resources and clarity on some of the other sections discussed earlier.

Have fun, get involved and open your mind to the possibilities that technology can bring to your business or mission.