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The ‘mingling’ part of conferences, the informality of parties, going into a corner for a gossip with your friend – all this can now be replicated online. And if you’re in a conversation that you aren’t enjoying or that has too many people in it, you can move away and find another.Īs soon as I heard about proximity chat, I realised it was what I had been missing. This means that a large number of people can be in the room at once, but they can talk in pairs or small groups, rather than everyone having to listen to one person at once. When you move away, you no longer hear them. Avatars can move around the space, and when your avatar gets near to someone else’s, you can hear and see them on video.

Comparison table of proximity chat platformsĪ proximity chat platform is a two-dimensional online space in which each person has an ‘avatar’ representing them.

#VIRTUAL OFFICE CHAT SOFTWARE#

What is the solution to this? Since 2020, a few startups have been working busily on the problem, and come up with a new type of software called proximity chat. And don’t get me started on Zoom parties – they just about work if the only person who gets to talk is the one whose birthday or leaving do it is, but they are no fun at all. I go to conferences for the networking, to make new contacts, get the gossip that isn’t being talked about on the main stage, even make friends.

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Online conferences have so far been series of webinars, where you just turn your camera off (and probably your brain too) and let the speaker drone on while you get on with your emails. Breakout room discussions aren’t enough for that – you need a chance for one to one conversations with the people you choose to have them with. You attend a course not just to learn from the trainer, but also to meet other participants and learn from them, get to know them, find new mentors. In Cofactor’s online courses, Zoom breakout rooms help get participants talking, but I wanted to offer something more. If this was an in-person meeting you would catch them as they are walking out of the door and have a quick word. But the only way to reach them is in a private message, and sometimes not even that. All Cofactor courses currently use Zoom, and it has made it possible for us to connect with participants and enable them to discuss and work together.īut you may, like me, have experienced this frustrating feeling: you see a friend on a Zoom call and you really want to talk to them without everyone else hearing. This article is based on a blog post from March 2021 by Anna Sharman, updated July 2021.Īre you sick of Zoom? Yes, it’s great for some things, invaluable even.

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