Invitees do not need to pay for a license, but they do need to have zoom installed and they need a camera, mic, speakers. Most use the internal ones on their devices.
I’d be interested. Is there a theme?
We have been using Microsoft Teams quite successfully for video meetings
Anyone who has a system that works, please put something together and post it. We can do any number of different options (Zoom, Microsoft, Google, etc) and see what works best! We’re all cooped up at home, so let’s post some virtual offlines and ‘meet’ others!
I’ve zoomed with 20 people. It’s actually pretty fun. No, not the same as being in a room, but it was a social experience
My wife and I just cancelled dinner plans for both Friday and Saturday night, when we planned to get together with others, which in fact were just two couples in one instance and in the other, just another couple. Orange County here is getting very close to (or aligned with San Francisco now) in terms of shutting down all restaurant dining and public gatherings.
Virtual offline may be all many of us have for a while.
It’s official now. No seating in restaurants, takeout only (in OC)
Let’s do it! Often!
A video offline is an oxymoron…being online.
This is the beginning of the end.
This is a great idea. Even though we are social distancing, it does not mean we should be isolated. Being open to any creative ways to stay connected is great.
I have been a part of online communities all my life, and some of my good friends I have never even met in person. I find that connecting online makes me way more open to meeting people I wouldn’t have met in my day to day. If you are open to it you can connect in creative ways. In this situation we don’t have much of a choice.
I am doing this tonight with a close friend who needs to take social distancing seriously. He is pouring half a bottle into a decanter and driving the other half of the bottle to put on my front porch. We’ll get together on Skype tonight and talk about the wine and anything else we would normally talk about. it obviously is not the same as sitting down together, but I am looking forward to it. We may make it a blind tasting just to add one more element of interest.
I am not a known contributor on this site, but I would be interested in participating in an online tasting. It would surely be awkward first interacting with others in this way, but social awkwardness is not a big concern for me right now.
I like this idea even better…good work. How was it?
We’re doing it tonight, so I’ll let you know tomorrow morning. He says he’s going to open something special.
This!
Sounds awesome! Can I join? What are you drinking?
I agree with Greg … and moreover:
a group could all purchase the same wine and discuss it via video conference.<<
… a wine which could be purchased by the whole group (10-20 people?) would most probably not be very interesting …
still less interesting when it´s about several wines:
a Bourgogne PN? a Cru Bourgeois? a Cote-du-Rhone?
Most probably a (too) young vintage?
When I do my tastings it´s about comparing different wines in regard of a certain theme …
and usually with more or less rare and/or expensive bottles … some matures ones among them …
bottles which are not easy to find … or quite expensive … often stored for decades …
People are coming to my tastings for experiencing wines they (most probably) won´t get to drink ever again, at least most of them.
Impossible to imagine that everybody owns or buys a certain wine - just to compare via skype (or whatever) …
Sorry, doesn´t work here …
Mike Pobega might remember exactly when, but at a SLONYC dinner many years ago, we attempted to stream the event. As I recall, there were some technical difficulties. But we were ahead of the curve, apparently.
Yes. If you had the same wine and were using this as an educational opportunity it could work. Could be very educational if members were committed.
I agree that everyone buying the same wine would likely mean pretty boring wines, generally speaking. I could see the potential in what Travis described: a general theme is chosen and each participant opens their contribution. I don’t think any of us are asserting that a video offline (funny point about the oxymoron, Victor!!) is in any way going to be ask good as a true in-person offline. In times like these, however, what alternative do we have? I’m not sure about you all, but the relative isolation is difficult for me. I crave human interaction, even if it’s via video conference.
I just had this thought: a significant difference would be that only one person is ever going to be talking at any given time, unlike the many simultaneous conversations going on at most offlines. That might be a little strange…