Free Ad-hoc videoconferencing solution?
Discussion
Hi!
I help to run a Facebook group aimed at fashionable ladies, and the group is all about fashion, shopping, body positivity and that kind of thing. We've also done things like raising money for a member who has had a stroke, and we've organised decorators for a disabled member without much resources who needed some help at home. Basically we try to support each other. The group mainly has UK members, but there are members from around the world too.
Recently some of our members have been self isolating and have posted about how it's sad and lonely at home alone or whatever, and the person who runs the group suggested we set up some sort of ongoing videoconference where people could drop in and out ad hoc using a link without needing to be specifically invited. I used to use WebEx meeting center at work where you could do exactly that, and also I believe Skype for Business also does the same thing. But does anyone know of some sort of free service where I could set up a similar ad hoc video conference? I've found out about something called Discord which requires quite a bit of setup. Given that many of our members are non-techie ladies in their 40s to 60s, I don't think that's going to work. What other solutions can you recommend?
Many thanks!!
I help to run a Facebook group aimed at fashionable ladies, and the group is all about fashion, shopping, body positivity and that kind of thing. We've also done things like raising money for a member who has had a stroke, and we've organised decorators for a disabled member without much resources who needed some help at home. Basically we try to support each other. The group mainly has UK members, but there are members from around the world too.
Recently some of our members have been self isolating and have posted about how it's sad and lonely at home alone or whatever, and the person who runs the group suggested we set up some sort of ongoing videoconference where people could drop in and out ad hoc using a link without needing to be specifically invited. I used to use WebEx meeting center at work where you could do exactly that, and also I believe Skype for Business also does the same thing. But does anyone know of some sort of free service where I could set up a similar ad hoc video conference? I've found out about something called Discord which requires quite a bit of setup. Given that many of our members are non-techie ladies in their 40s to 60s, I don't think that's going to work. What other solutions can you recommend?
Many thanks!!
rev-erend said:
You could try Google hangout party!
Just search for it.
Thanks! I did search for it and only some ancient references to it come up. I have logged into the hangouts app via web and also from my phone, but I can't see a way to start a chat without calling a known person. There is no function that I can find called Hangouts party or any reference to party. And I can't find any standalone product called "hangout party". To be clear, I don't know these users email addresses - I just want to start a video conference that anyone can join using a link. Just search for it.
https://hangouts.google.com/
Participants will need a google account but it is web based.
Click on link, then go to Video and copy and share the link provided.
Participants will need a google account but it is web based.
Click on link, then go to Video and copy and share the link provided.
TallTom said:
Zoom should give you 40 minutes of free conferencing if you setup an account. Users dont need an account to join the call. It does end abruptly though, so ensure you time it yourself
They seem to have removed that restriction - perhaps to help people get together at the moment!Hoofy said:
Zoom is your best bet if you leave a computer hosting it. I've run one all day. You will need Zoom Pro, though, if you want to run it all day.
Yes, I've found that although they've removed the 40-minute time limit, it still times out after 40-minutes of inactivity. Will Zoom Pro fix that issue?LunarOne said:
Hoofy said:
Zoom is your best bet if you leave a computer hosting it. I've run one all day. You will need Zoom Pro, though, if you want to run it all day.
Yes, I've found that although they've removed the 40-minute time limit, it still times out after 40-minutes of inactivity. Will Zoom Pro fix that issue?Stockman14 said:
Thanks - this looks very promising!Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff