With in-person meetings large and small banned across Canada, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Dryden Rotary is about to enter new territory as it holds its April 1st, 2020 meeting using the ZOOM Video=Conferencing system.
Dryden Rotarians usually gather for lunch each Wednesday at the Best Western Plus on Government Road, however, after cancelling the March 18th and 25th meetings this year’s executive has decided to use video-conferencing technology to keep fellowship, a prime goal of joining a service club alive, even if remotely.
 
ZOOM was founded in 2011 when Eric Yuan a lead engineer at Cisco Systems, broke away along with 40 other engineers. The product became available in 2013 and has grown to be the prime video-conferencing platform for its ease of use and short latency period.
 
The club has been holding training sessions in preparation for the meeting, Eight members attending the Monday morning session and 17 the evening session. Members can join using a desk-top, lap-top, tablet or smart-phone from anywhere. They can also join with voice only using a traditional phone.
 
To learn more about ZOOM this 20 minute video presents a good overview.