Happy 2021! 

Everyone goes through software updates, and I guess that most of us do not bother reviewing those boring release notes. After a few surprises with Zoom, I have concluded that I should do this - at least with Zoom. The current Windows and macOS release 5.4.7 (December 21, 2020) is a manual download. There are a couple of changes that affect most of our meetings. The Raise Hand feature has been moved to Reaction in the menu bar. Hosts and co-hosts can now utilize this feature. We had issues when the host or co-host had something to contribute in a meeting and had to either talk over someone or wave their hand wildly to get noticed.

Something that we discovered as people were trying to access our meeting this morning was a dialog box asking registrants to log into the meeting using the email address they used for registration and password. This is part of Zoom's latest security method. I think it affects only those meetings that have been scheduled as recurring and maybe in advance. Everyone should check their current meeting settings - if not now, then when you update. 

This setting is in your Zoom Account, where you set up your meetings.



Unless your settings allow you to uncheck "Require authentication to join: Sign in to Zoom," the only way we found to work around this is to create a new meeting. If you have already sent/publish invitations - well, we leave that up to you on how you will handle that issue. 

Previous updates included a feature in the Host's meeting Security features that allows suspending all participant activities. A few chapters had their meetings interrupted by intruders. This feature allows for the suspension of the meeting until you can remove the unwanted participants. 

Additional information:
Since you are reading this, you probably have your chapter members using old versions (possibly with security issues) of Zoom. You may be asked, "How do I update Zoom?" This is simple on mobile devices (iOs and Android). Go to the App or Play store and pretend you are going to install Zoom. Instead of seeing an installation button, you will find an Update button. For desktops and laptops, use this link to download a pdf file from my OneDrive. I hope this helps.

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Alan Katsura
Moderator HLAA Tech Group