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The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

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Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#241

Post by wonderwonder »

prepend wrote: post #151
piva00 wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I like offices, I'm a very outspoken and outgoing person, I enjoy social interactions. I don't like a camera pointing at my face . It's not that difficult to see that this is a very different experience than sharing an office. And I'm tired of repeating this.

I’m sure this doesn’t apply to you at all, but cynically, I just feel that when I hear these weird to me reasons that I can’t understand, I just assume the person hasn’t showered in a week. I had female coworker confide to me that she didn’t like turning her camera on because it takes 40 minutes to apply her makeup every day. So she only does it for important meetings, but otherwise leaves the camera off.

Ever think that its people like you that drive people to not want to turn on their cameras? The fear of constantly being watched and judged? If someone is working remotely the way they look or if they have not showered is completely irrelevant. Only questions that matter are is the work getting done and is the person answering questions competently. Nothing else should matter, least of all if you can watch them on cam.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#242

Post by deepspace »

aantix wrote: post #223
sundvor wrote: post #192

I've put some effort into my setup in the past 24 months; multiple Elgato and Hue lights, a Streamdeck for macros and scene control, condenser microphone on an arm with an audio interface, OBS studio etc. I am not a streamer, but I'm likely set up like one; I've studied their methods of light and composition, and learned a lot. I have some serious scarring from facial surgery decades past, and being able to control t…

Where do you position your camera so it both looks like you're making eye contact yet you can see your screen/audience?

I would love to see an answer to this. I use a 43" 4K monitor, and have not been able to find a good position for the camera.

Below the screen: Unflattering view up my nostrils.

Above the screen: Makes me look as if I am trying to avoid eye contact.

To the side: Combination of unflattering and no eye contact.

I wish there were software that could take input from two cameras (high and low) and create a fake view of me looking directly into a camera.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#243

Post by par »

nanny wrote: post #207
par wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hello, would love to learn more about what hardware you are using. I am in the market for a high quality condenser mic and arm to hold it. I am already using a Scarlett Solo interface. But would appreciate any info you can share on your light and audio setup. Also why do you need multiple elgatos? Just for convenience?

What is your use case? There is really no need for a high-quality condenser mic in the vast majority of cases. For work meetings, voice chats, streaming, etc. the difference between an AT2020 and a high-quality mic will be entirely imperceptible.

We are looking to do desktop game streaming. I currently have a very cheap ($20) condenser mic that is ok, but I’m hoping for something in the hundred dollar range that can pick up sound a lot better. I have to pump up the gain on my cheap mic quite a bit right now.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#244

Post by klodolph »

epanchin wrote: post #95
klodolph wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you can't be bothered to have your camera on in meetings then you probably shouldn't be in that meeting in the first place. I don't understand how this could possibly be justified. We used to have conference calls all the time, they did seem to work so we kept having them... it's just that everyone has cameras now. I don't understand why some people feel the need to harass people to turn their cameras on. Is the…

In my experience, conference calls never managed to replace travel, but in many cases video calls have done so. Even my consultant friends who travelled extensively now use video. In that respect, conference calls did not work, and cameras are important.

Conference calls didn't obviate in-person meetings, but (as people are discovering) video calls didn't either.

There are, of course, exceptions. Just like some companies are 100% remote with video calls, people also did 100% remote work with phone conferencing and snail mail, prior to the internet.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#245

Post by rcv »

deepspace wrote: post #242
aantix wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do you position your camera so it both looks like you're making eye contact yet you can see your screen/audience?

I would love to see an answer to this. I use a 43" 4K monitor, and have not been able to find a good position for the camera. Below the screen: Unflattering view up my nostrils. Above the screen: Makes me look as if I am trying to avoid eye contact. To the side: Combination of unflattering and no eye contact. I wish there were software that could take input from two cameras (high and low) and create a fake view of me…

This was supposed to be a feature of iOS 13. No idea if it actually made it to production:

https://petapixel.com/2019/07/03/apple-can-automatically-cor...

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#246

Post by jimmaswell »

prepend wrote: post #146
andrewzah wrote: post #125

It’s interesting how people here are adamant that camera usage [all the time] is important or necessary. It isn’t. It's an opinion, and in my opinion, a bad one that isn't justified by anything. At my company we only use them if necessary, and I’ve been with them for over 3 years working remotely. We get work done quite well. edit: update wording for clarity

Your anecdote doesn’t seem to convey that camera usage is not important, but it does show that it’s not necessary. It’s possible, I’d guess likely, that you’ve been able to get work done well in spite of no cameras. Of course, I doubt anyone would do an experiment to see if your statement is true or not. I just thought that your statement seemed so absolute but the evidence you present isn’t.

Do you have hard evidence that cameras increase productivity? I find them nothing more than a distracting frivolity in the workplace.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#247

Post by Fiahil »

kodah wrote: post #215
Fiahil wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same context, but I keep my camera on to help others do the same. I spent the last six months with an org that had a strong remote culture but held meeting on phone conference call. So I've worked with some of my teammates long enough to hear their children but I never saw their face. It really helps to connect with the person you are talking to when you see them when speaking. My only exception is when I do large co…

> It really helps to connect with the person you are talking to when you see them when speaking. I don't feel the same way. I connect with my colleagues fairly easily, video or not. I was also raised in a world with gaming and IRC, so having to pay better attention to tone and phrasing inferences is second nature to me.

One difference between meeting people in MMORPGs and IRC vs meeting people while working remotely is that you rarely had to pressure someone to do something in the first context. At work, you need to do a lot of -sometimes unpleasant- things to make people go in the same direction. You can think of it like preventing all deaths in your team of a 40vs40 battleground.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#248

Post by aantix »

deepspace wrote: post #242
aantix wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do you position your camera so it both looks like you're making eye contact yet you can see your screen/audience?

I would love to see an answer to this. I use a 43" 4K monitor, and have not been able to find a good position for the camera. Below the screen: Unflattering view up my nostrils. Above the screen: Makes me look as if I am trying to avoid eye contact. To the side: Combination of unflattering and no eye contact. I wish there were software that could take input from two cameras (high and low) and create a fake view of me…

Would you like this middle of the monitor webcam?

https://www.thecentercam.com/

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#249

Post by diroussel »

ArtDev wrote: post #40
cblconfederate wrote: post #11

Zoom should add a pause button. Freeze the camera, people can see your face but it doesnt have to be live. Or use a photo instead

I wish I could disable the video for people that have their cameras on. I find video distracting and it takes away from a genuine conversation.

This now an option in zoom as of a few weeks ago.

MS Teams has had this for a long time.

Re: The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings

#250

Post by diroussel »

blowski wrote: post #35
noisy_boy wrote: post #10

I just blame it on poor webcam support over Citrix for Linux. All others run Windows but some dont turn on video just because. Management raised the point of video for a while and then basically gave up. Good. For technical meetings you dont need to see my face to evaluate the merits of my point. Performance review type stuff is a different matter.

If it’s a purely technical meeting, I’d wonder why it’s even a call rather than writing. But I’d guess that some might disagree that it’s “purely technical”, and there the video call makes sense. Perhaps there’s more need than ever to establish a purpose for the meeting before you start.

Because sometimes you don’t need to write a whole load of justification if everyone on the call already agrees with you.
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