Not a MERG member? then

and sign up to this Special Interest Group. If you are already a MERG member

Select RailCom from the drop down list in Other SIGs and press the Subscribe to SIG button.

To join in you may need to add a headset with microphone and optionally a camera to your device, if they are not built in. You will receive a link which will get you into the meeting, automatically installing Zoom on your device if necessary.

Calls are scheduled and topics announced in advance.

Zoom provides thumbnails of each video participant and any shared presentations or desktops. The call host facilitates the meeting/questions/discussion. Zoom has developed a lot during Covid and I can't describe all the features here.

Usually everyone mutes their microphone to avoid a lot of noise from phones, clocks chiming, family activity etc. To speak you can just press the spacebar to (after a slight pause) temporarily unmute.

You can select among several icons to, for example raise a hand, clap, agree, vote etc. Useful for questioning.

You can also type “chat” either with everyone or with a selected participant. This is quite a good way to have a one-to-one conversation without involving/annoying everyone else. It can also be used to distribute weblinks etc although there are many other ways to “share” (with permission) screens, documents, open apps, whiteboard and so on.

If you would like to try out Zoom, then there is a test meeting service where you are the only participant and you can experiment with the various options available.

This link is available to anybody, not just members.