zoom essay

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• Assignment: Digital Winners during the…

How Zoom Won the Pandemic

Zoom is an unambiguous winner in the COVID-19 era. This blog post dives into why Zoom succeeded while its competitors stumbled, how zoom creates and captures value, and what the future may hold for this software company.

When was the last time you ZOOMed into a meeting and thought, god I miss people? Zoom Video Conferencing, or just “Zoom” for short, is one of the most unambiguous winners of this pandemic. We’ve all used it, and the company’s share price reflects this, with more than a 500% increase at its peak, from the mid-march pre pandemic numbers. Figure 1 below shows Zoom’s stratospheric rise over the past year.

Figure 1- Zoom share price history.

Although digital teleconferencing is self-evidently a powerful safety and productivity tool during a pandemic where human contact can lead to infection or death, what is less clear is why zoom specifically succeeded so emphatically. For example, Skype, a competing video conferencing platform owned by Microsoft, was the incumbent player. Comedian Hasan Minhaj said it best in his Netflix comedy show:

“By the way Skype, how did you drop the ball here? This was your moment! You had a 17-year head start, and Zoom ate your lunch in two weeks. You’re a verb no one does! Your friend will be like, “Let me Skype you….. Cool send me the Zoom link”

Pathways to a Just Digital Future

-Hasan Minhaj ,Patriot Act, Volume 6, What happens if you Can’t Pay Rent?

Skype’s fall from grace is mostly linked to the company’s mismanagement since Microsoft’s acquisition in 2011, however, the essence of the issue came down to the product’s ease of use, and quality [1]. Whereas Skype focused on adding features more akin to Snapchat, rather than focusing on the core capability of video conferencing, Zoom’s developers were focused on creating the best possible video conferencing tool. Zoom’s slicker, easier to use, and generally higher quality/more stable product is why it was able to take the video conferencing crown [2].

We’ve established that the core product capabilities are superior, but how exactly does zoom create and capture value? Let’s start with how the product/service generates value for its customers. The ease of use of the platform is as simple as a few clicks. Everyone from children, to baby boom grandparents find the user interface to be seamless and easy. Furthermore, the platform allows for easy group meetings with video tiles arranged in a visually pleasing way, the ability to take polls, ask questions, raise hands, write on a digital whiteboard, and even react with emojis. These features allow digital meetings to run smoothly and efficiently on stable platform. Now let’s look at how Zoom makes money.

Zoom uses a Freemium and Software as a Service (SaaS) business model where businesses and organizations like HBS, pay a periodic subscription fee to give them access to more advanced features like hosting longer and larger meeting which is critical for longer business meetings or academic settings[3]. The free version allows user to get to know and use the product before committing. The 45 minute maximum meeting times  in the free version and limits on the number of participants quickly becomes a constraint , thus enabling  Zoom to convert many free users into paying users. This was in stark contrast to Evernote, another freemium company who gave too much away in their free version.

As vaccines are rolled out globally, the end of the pandemic appears to be within sight as we round the corner, however, Zoom is uniquely well positioned to continue to grow and capture value for two primary reasons.

Firstly, the cat is out of the bag. Knowledge workers around the world have been working from home for almost a year, and while many miss the office, a sizable fraction have never been happier, especially people who had long commutes. The pandemic forced companies to digitize far more quickly then they would have otherwise with a Mckinsey survey indicating that “…companies acted 20 to 25 times faster than expected. In the case of remote working, respondents actually say their companies moved 40 times more quickly than they thought possible before the pandemic.[4]”  Employers will be hard pressed to return their workers to full time in person work, the likely long term trend is for more employee choice in terms of where they will work [5].

Secondly, the company’s brand awareness has spiked since the pandemic has hit, and the company has developed a lot of Goodwill with its customers. As mentioned before, Skype has been dethroned. Figure 2 below shows Zoom’s absolute dominance in terms of google search trends when compared to other major players in the video conferencing space. The google search trends can be used as a barometer for brand awareness.

Figure 2- Google search trends for major video conferencing products.

In conclusion, Zoom’s focus on creating the best video conferencing product, combined with a complimentary business model and strong societal trends uniquely positions the company to continue to generate huge shareholder value, while helping businesses, schools, and other organizations continue their operations regardless of status of the pandemic.

[1] Kingsley-Hughes, Adrian. 2021. “Why Are We All Zooming And Not Skyping? | Zdnet”.  Zdnet . https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-are-we-all-zooming-and-not-skyping/.

[2] Stokel-Walker, Chris. 2021. “How Skype Lost Its Crown To Zoom”.  WIRED UK . https://www.wired.co.uk/article/skype-coronavirus-pandemic.

[3] “The Zoom Business Model – How Does Zoom Make Money?”. 2021.  Productmint . https://productmint.com/the-zoom-business-model-how-does-zoom-make-money/#:~:text=The%20business%20model%20of%20Zoom,due%20to%20its%20product’s%20superiority.

[4] “How COVID-19 Has Pushed Companies Over The Technology Tipping Point—And Transformed Business Forever”. 2021.  Mckinsey . https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-covid-19-has-pushed-companies-over-the-technology-tipping-point-and-transformed-business-forever.

[5] “Reimagining The Office And Work Life After COVID-19”. 2021.  Mckinsey . https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/reimagining-the-office-and-work-life-after-covid-19.

Student comments on How Zoom Won the Pandemic

The question of “why Zoom” has been really interesting to me during this pandemic. It seems like Microsoft had such a clear advantage with Skype, and even Cisco with Webex seems to have had a better starting point than Zoom. These were acquisitions made for $8.5B and $3.2B respectively, so it seemed like both Microsoft and Cisco were willing to make substantial investments in video conferencing. I have periodically checked to see what the drivers were of Zoom’s success over competitors, waiting to see a behind the scenes look into some brilliant marketing or distribution channels, but it really just seems to come down to Zoom having a better technological product! In particular, what seems to have set them up for success was not just ease of use, but more specifically ease of access. In a global pandemic with tons of new users looking for any solution, having a one-click solution that doesn’t require an account became a real advantage. To me, the success of Zoom really does feel like an argument for specialization and focus over corporate synergies and investment dollars.

As Zoom was becoming a household name at the onset of the pandemic, the company was also grappling with a class action lawsuit that many users are blissfully unaware of. Zoom was quietly sending user data with Facebook, even for Zoom users who do not have a Facebook account, in violation of California’s Consumer Privacy Act. Zoom allegedly removed the data-sharing feature in newer versions of the app, but questions into the company’s use of data remain. When companies in the technology arena grow as quickly as Zoom has, typically privacy, data responsibility, and security suffer. I think it is important that we continue to keep an eye on Zoom’s privacy policies and data usage because, to your point, the use-cases for this app are expanding from business meetings and academic and into private social meet-ups and more.

Read the full complaint here: https://www.cyberscoop.com/zoom-lawsuit-facebook-california-privacy-ccpa/

At the beginning of that crazy year, I personally do not even remember how I downloaded and started using Zoom. I do not even remember what occasion made me download it. Now I realize that it was so smooth and organic, any other use of tools (Teams, Google) seems like an exception, whereas Zoom becomes a standard tool for communications. However, I would love to have more filtering features (like blurring) in Zoom but maybe I am just a bad lazy non-educated user. 🙂

Very helpful analysis of the video conferencing platform that we all used almost every day since March 2020! I’m very interested in seeing how Zoom will position after the pandemic, for example I’m curious to see whether it will add extra features aimed at improving internal communication or task coordination within organizations, similar to Microsoft Team or Trello.

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Zoom: Revolutionizing Communication in the Digital Era

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Zoom: Cultivating Human Connection in a Digital World

In the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people turned to the Zoom digital communication platform each day to connect with colleagues, friends, and family. Collaboration has always been key to human survival, and Zoom offered a digitized human experience that let people continue to build their business and, equally importantly, connect with each other with trust, humor, and love despite the sudden closure of businesses, offices, and schools as communities went into pandemic lockdowns.

Founded in 2011, Zoom grew from an idea for sustaining founder Eric Yuan’s long-distance relationship to become the top player in the digital communications arena in 2020, with nearly a 45 percent share of the increasingly competitive video communications market and 350 million daily meeting participants worldwide. The case study explores the founding principles of Zoom, and its reliance on a cornerstone of developing and nurturing trust—both with its customers as well as internally, with its own workforce. That also meant dealing with missteps frankly in the pursuit of frictionless service as demand for Zoom conferences rose dramatically during the 2020 pandemic.

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What is Zoom?

How to get zoom, getting started with zoom meetings, more tips and tricks, the takeaway, what is zoom a comprehensive guide to the wildly popular video-chatting service for computers and smartphones.

Even if you don't work from home, you've probably heard of Zoom.

In light of the coronavirus crisis, the videoconferencing app has become the standard for connecting with others face-to-face virtually in both business and personal settings.

Zoom is now the video communication platform of choice for federal governments, tech startups, religious communities , and of course regular people looking to chat — and even party — with their friends and family.

Here's everything you need to know about Zoom, including how to download it and get started, along with a few tips and tricks to help you become a video-chatting pro.

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities.

You don't need an account to attend a Zoom meeting, and the platform is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, meaning nearly anyone can access it.

Of course video-conferencing apps aren't new. Zoom is just one in a long line of communication tools that include Skype, Cisco Webex, and Google Meet. For example, here's a quick look at how Zoom compares to Google Meet , Google's videoconferencing platform for businesses:

In short, a big part of Zoom's appeal is simplicity. It's easy to get started, the app is lightweight, and the interface is relatively intuitive to use with popular features like Gallery View — a mode that allows you to see every person on the call at once — built right into the app.

Before we go any further, it's important to note that the platform offers four distinct pricing plans , from basic to enterprise. What's right for you depends on how you plan to use the app.

• Zoom Basic: This is the platform's most popular pricing tier, which makes sense, considering it's free. This tier offers unlimited one-on-one meetings, but videoconferencing with more than three participants is limited to 40 minutes (you can always start another one). If you plan to use it only every once in a while to chat with friends or family, check out our general overview of Zoom's basic features .
• Zoom Pro: The Pro plan is ideal if you work with a small team or plan to regularly conduct extended video calls. Beyond extending the group meeting length from 40 minutes to 24 hours, this tier allows hosts to create IDs for recurring meetings and the capability to store recorded meetings in the cloud, plus advanced usage reports. 
• Zoom Business: A pricing plan to make collaboration easy for small to midsize companies, the Business tier requires at least 10 hosts. But what you get in return is company branding on all invites, dedicated customer support and more features like auto-generated transcription. 
• Zoom Enterprise: This tier is designed for large businesses and sign-up requires a minimum of least 100 hosts. Enterprise offers plenty of perks, including unlimited cloud storage, a dedicated "customer success manager," and the capacity to host 500 people on a single call.

If you decide to change up your plan, you're not locked in forever. Here's a quick guide to help you upgrade or downgrade your Zoom account at any time .

In addition to these pricing tiers, the video-call platform also offers plans built for educators , telehealth firms , and web developers . Each comes with its own features and customer-support systems. 

Downloading Zoom

Once you've decided on a plan, it's simple to download it whether on your computer or your mobile device. The platform is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices through the App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.

If you plan on using your computer, you'll want to head over to Zoom's official website and download it. Depending on the type of computer you're using, the process will be slightly different:

• How to download Zoom on your PC  
• How to download Zoom on your Mac computer

You don't need an account to join Zoom meetings , but you must sign up for an account if you plan on hosting, scheduling, and managing your own calls. If you plan to use the platform often, whether for business or pleasure, we recommend downloading the app first, and then signing up for a Zoom account .

Once you've downloaded and installed Zoom, you're ready to get started. 

If you don't have an account and just want to join a Zoom meeting, you can do this a few different ways.

• Through a Zoom Meeting link provided by the host. All you need to do is click that link, and you'll be brought to the meeting. 
• Or you can click "Join" on Zoom's homepage, and enter the Meeting ID manually. 
• Alternatively, if you don't have access to the mobile app or desktop, Zoom supports dial-in calling.

If you do have an account and want to schedule your first Zoom meeting , all you need to do is head to either the app, or your account page on the website, where you can click the "Schedule" option. From there, follow the prompts.

When this is set, you'll be able to invite meeting participants to join your conference call, which you can send via email, contact, or phone number. We've outlined a few different ways to send a Zoom invite , but the easiest way is to share the meeting join link, which you'll receive when you schedule or start a meeting.

Once you're up and running and depending on your plan, Zoom offers varying levels of tools to enhance your video call. Take note of these core features.

• In-meeting chat: With this feature, you're able to send messages privately to an individual or to the group within a meeting. 
• Recording : Every version offers the option to record your meetings, which you can start manually or automatically .
• Screen-sharing : Whether it's for a marketing presentation or a classroom lecture, sharing your screen is an easy way to show others your work.
• Breakout rooms : This allows you to split a single call into individual groups so participants can then have their own conversations.

If you're looking to get more out of Zoom, you may be interested in a few more settings and features. 

Beyond simple tricks like knowing how to mute yourself and others on the call , you should familiarize yourself with the platforms advanced settings:

• Virtual backgrounds : One of the platform's more lively features , virtual background allows you to display and image or video as your background. 
• Raise your hand: Zoom has a feature that lets you virtually "raise your hand," which notifies the meeting organizer that you have a point to make or question to ask, without disrupting the flow of the class or conference. 
• Remote support : A helpful feature that allows you to take control of another participant's screen. 
• Personal meeting ID : Only available for Pro accounts or higher, a personal meeting ID will make your meetings more secure, while also making it easier for your friends and colleagues to connect.
• Waiting room : A feature that lets you control when participants join a meeting.

In addition to these additional features, the platform offers a host of add-ons and integrations aimed at professionals, from adding Zoom to your Google Calendar or Outlook account . 

If you're subscribed to the Pro pricing plan or higher, you gain access to Zoom Rooms , the company's conference room software and hardware that can turn any room into an official conference room. 

For $50 a month , you gain access to the Zoom Room software. This software connects a television or monitor with your computer, an external camera, and a microphone. Put together, you can turn nearly any room into a professional-grade conference room. If you're looking to make your business as Zoom-friendly as possible, Zoom Rooms are a worthwhile investment.

What is Zoombombing?

You might have heard of "Zoombombing" before. This refers to people who gain access to Zoom calls without being invited, and try to wreak havoc. Earlier in the year, there were a number of widely reported Zoombombing cases, which led the company to crack down on them.

Now, whenever you start a call, it'll be password-protected by default, making it exponentially harder for anyone you don't know to gain access. Most calls also have a "waiting room" function, which requires the host to approve anyone who wants access to the call.

For more information, our colleagues have extensive coverage on how Zoom is handling these sort of threats .

Zoom can be simple to use, but difficult to master. Even with these guides, take time to explore the app on your own, and discover everything it has to offer.

With time, using Zoom to meet up with your colleagues will be as natural as meeting someone in real life. And if you ever decide otherwise, you can delete your Zoom account in five simple steps . 

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Even as more people are logging onto popular video chat platforms to connect with colleagues, family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford researchers have a warning for you: Those video calls are likely tiring you out.

Professor Jeremy Bailenson examined the psychological consequences of spending hours per day on Zoom and other popular video chat platforms. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Prompted by the recent boom in videoconferencing, communication Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL), examined the psychological consequences of spending hours per day on these platforms. Just as “Googling” is something akin to any web search, the term “Zooming” has become ubiquitous and a generic verb to replace videoconferencing. Virtual meetings have skyrocketed, with hundreds of millions happening daily, as social distancing protocols have kept people apart physically.

In the first peer-reviewed article that systematically deconstructs Zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective, published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior on Feb. 23, Bailenson has taken the medium apart and assessed Zoom on its individual technical aspects. He has identified four consequences of prolonged video chats that he says contribute to the feeling commonly known as “Zoom fatigue.”

Bailenson stressed that his goal is not to vilify any particular videoconferencing platform – he appreciates and uses tools like Zoom regularly – but to highlight how current implementations of videoconferencing technologies are exhausting and to suggest interface changes, many of which are simple to implement. Moreover, he provides suggestions for consumers and organizations on how to leverage the current features on videoconferences to decrease fatigue.

“Videoconferencing is a good thing for remote communication, but just think about the medium – just because you can use video doesn’t mean you have to,” Bailenson said.

Below are four primary reasons why video chats fatigue humans, according to the study. Readers are also invited to participate in a research study aimed at developing a Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale (ZEF) Scale.

Four reasons why

1) Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.

Both the amount of eye contact we engage in on video chats, as well as the size of faces on screens is unnatural.

In a normal meeting, people will variously be looking at the speaker, taking notes or looking elsewhere. But on Zoom calls, everyone is looking at everyone, all the time. A listener is treated nonverbally like a speaker, so even if you don’t speak once in a meeting, you are still looking at faces staring at you. The amount of eye contact is dramatically increased. “Social anxiety of public speaking is one of the biggest phobias that exists in our population,” Bailenson said. “When you’re standing up there and everybody’s staring at you, that’s a stressful experience.”

Another source of stress is that, depending on your monitor size and whether you’re using an external monitor, faces on videoconferencing calls can appear too large for comfort. “In general, for most setups, if it’s a one-on-one conversation when you’re with coworkers or even strangers on video, you’re seeing their face at a size which simulates a personal space that you normally experience when you’re with somebody intimately,” Bailenson said.

When someone’s face is that close to ours in real life, our brains interpret it as an intense situation that is either going to lead to mating or to conflict. “What’s happening, in effect, when you’re using Zoom for many, many hours is you’re in this hyper-aroused state,” Bailenson said.

Solution: Until the platforms change their interface, Bailenson recommends taking Zoom out of the full-screen option and reducing the size of the Zoom window relative to the monitor to minimize face size, and to use an external keyboard to allow an increase in the personal space bubble between oneself and the grid.

2) Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.

Most video platforms show a square of what you look like on camera during a chat. But that’s unnatural, Bailenson said. “In the real world, if somebody was following you around with a mirror constantly – so that while you were talking to people, making decisions, giving feedback, getting feedback – you were seeing yourself in a mirror, that would just be crazy. No one would ever consider that,” he added.

Bailenson cited studies showing that when you see a reflection of yourself, you are more critical of yourself. Many of us are now seeing ourselves on video chats for many hours every day. “It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful. And there’s lots of research showing that there are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”

Solution: Bailenson recommends that platforms change the default practice of beaming the video to both self and others, when it only needs to be sent to others. In the meantime, users should use the “hide self-view” button, which one can access by right-clicking their own photo, once they see their face is framed properly in the video.

3) Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.

In-person and audio phone conversations allow humans to walk around and move. But with videoconferencing, most cameras have a set field of view, meaning a person has to generally stay in the same spot. Movement is limited in ways that are not natural. “There’s a growing research now that says when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively,” Bailenson said.

Solution: Bailenson recommends people think more about the room they’re videoconferencing in, where the camera is positioned and whether things like an external keyboard can help create distance or flexibility. For example, an external camera farther away from the screen will allow you to pace and doodle in virtual meetings just like we do in real ones. And of course, turning one’s video off periodically during meetings is a good ground rule to set for groups, just to give oneself a brief nonverbal rest.

4) The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.

Bailenson notes that in regular face-to-face interaction, nonverbal communication is quite natural and each of us naturally makes and interprets gestures and nonverbal cues subconsciously. But in video chats, we have to work harder to send and receive signals.

In effect, Bailenson said, humans have taken one of the most natural things in the world – an in-person conversation – and transformed it into something that involves a lot of thought: “You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”

Gestures could also mean different things in a video meeting context. A sidelong glance to someone during an in-person meeting means something very different than a person on a video chat grid looking off-screen to their child who just walked into their home office.

Solution: During long stretches of meetings, give yourself an “audio only” break. “This is not simply you turning off your camera to take a break from having to be nonverbally active, but also turning your body away from the screen,” Bailenson said, “so that for a few minutes you are not smothered with gestures that are perceptually realistic but socially meaningless.”

Many organizations – including schools, large companies and government entities – have reached out to Stanford communication researchers to better understand how to create best practices for their particular videoconferencing setup and how to come up with institutional guidelines. Bailenson – along with Jeff Hancock, founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab ; Géraldine Fauville, former postdoctoral researcher at the VHIL; Mufan Luo; graduate student at Stanford; and Anna Queiroz, postdoc at VHIL – responded by devising the Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale , or ZEF Scale, to help measure how much fatigue people are experiencing in the workplace from videoconferencing.

The scale, detailed in a recent, not yet peer-reviewed paper published on the preprint website SSRN, advances research on how to measure fatigue from interpersonal technology, as well as what causes the fatigue. The scale is a 15-item questionnaire , which is freely available, and has been tested now across five separate studies over the past year with over 500 participants. It asks questions about a person’s general fatigue, physical fatigue, social fatigue, emotional fatigue and motivational fatigue. Some sample questions include:

• How exhausted do you feel after videoconferencing?
• How irritated do your eyes feel after videoconferencing?
• How much do you tend to avoid social situations after videoconferencing?
• How emotionally drained do you feel after videoconferencing?
• How often do you feel too tired to do other things after videoconferencing?

Hancock said results from the scale can help change the technology so the stressors are reduced.

He notes that humans have been here before. “When we first had elevators, we didn’t know whether we should stare at each other or not in that space. More recently, ridesharing has brought up questions about whether you talk to the driver or not, or whether to get in the back seat or the passenger seat,” Hancock explained. “We had to evolve ways to make it work for us. We’re in that era now with videoconferencing, and understanding the mechanisms will help us understand the optimal way to do things for different settings, different organizations and different kinds of meetings.”

“Hopefully, our work will contribute to uncovering the roots of this problem and help people adapt their videoconference practices to alleviate ‘Zoom fatigue,’” added Fauville, who is now an assistant professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “This could also inform videoconference platform designers to challenge and rethink some of the paradigm videoconferences have been built on.”

If you are interested in measuring your own Zoom fatigue, you can take the survey here and participate in the research project.

Media Contacts

Joy Leighton, School of Humanities and Sciences: [email protected]

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Explained: What is Zoom?

Zoom is a video conferencing platform that can be used through a computer desktop or mobile app, and allows users to connect online for video conference meetings, webinars and live chat.

During the Covid19 crisis, Zoom has seen a surge in popularity, with millions of people using it to stay in touch with others. 

The app is available to download for free, and Zoom users can choose to sign up to the free service, or for a number of paid plans. The free services allows users to create unlimited meetings with up to 100 participants, although the time limit for group meetings is 40 minutes. Schools using the app can apply for the limit to be lifted for free here: zoom.us/docs/ent/school-verification

How does it work?

Zoom allows users to create and join virtual meeting rooms where they can communicate with each other using video, and audio. Additional features can give participants the ability to share their screen, share files, and use text chat within the meeting group or privately with others in the meeting.

In order to join a Zoom meeting, a participant needs to have the Zoom app, and either the meeting link, or  a Meeting ID and a password.  While you do not need  Zoom account to access a meeting, users need to set up an account in order to host a meeting.

Setting up a meeting – A host can choose to set up an instant meeting, or schedule one for a particular time.

This generates the Meeting ID and password, and a URL for the meeting which can be shared with people you want to participate in the meeting.

Zoom recently enabled passwords by default, meaning users will have to enter the password to join a meeting if they are entering the details manually. However, the participants do not need to enter this password if they click on the meeting url to join it.

Hosts can manage other settings within their account to allow permissions for features such as whether people will be allowed to share their screen, or have the ability to have a private chat with others in the meeting

Video and audio – When joining a Zoom meeting, users are given the option to turn their video on or off, and you will also be able to see other participants, if they have their camera enabled. The meeting host has additional controls to disable the video or mute the audio of individuals who are taking part in the meeting. 

Share Screen – The Share Screen functions allow people to share what is on their screen with others in the meeting. Users can do this by clicking on the Share Screen icon on the control panel. The meeting host has the ability to control access to this function, and allow all users, specific users, or restrict it to ‘host only’. 

Chat function – Group chat allows users to interact using text during the meeting, and participants may also use private chat with others in the group. Meeting hosts can adjust this setting to restrict who participants can chat to.

Why is it popular?

Zoom’s appeal is that, even using the free version of the service, it gives people the capacity to bring together a large number of participants in one meeting. Only the host is required to set up an account with Zoom, and the access information can be easily distributed to people who may want to join the meeting.

What is the age requirement?

Zoom’s Privacy Policy states that “Zoom does not knowingly allow children under the age of 16 to sign up for their own accounts” , and when creating an account users are asked for their date of birth, but no other age verification is used.

However, users are not required to set up a Zoom account in order to participate in a Zoom meeting.

Reminder: In Ireland, the Digital Age of Consent is set at 16, meaning that online service providers must have parental consent to process the data of children below the age of 16.

Privacy and security concerns

As with any app or platform, it is important to understand how it works, and the potential risks of using it. Privacy and security concerns have been raised about the service, including ‘Zoom Bombing’, which are incidents where meetings are accessed by strangers to cause disruption. Zoom Bombing is often as a result of the meeting link being shared on a public forum, where it can be accessed easily by anyone. 

To mitigate against these risks, spend time becoming familiar with the privacy and moderation controls that a host can use for their meeting. 

Note: Zoom has been making regular updates to address issues with the platform and, if you are using the service, bear in mind that settings security, and privacy changes may be introduced over time.

•   Meeting privacy

It is important to ensure that private information is not shared to a public place, and to consider who will receive details about a meeting, and how that information is shared. Zoom meetings now have password access enabled by default. This means that people who want to join the meeting need to enter the Meeting ID and password in order to gain access. However, the meeting url can be used by participants to join the meeting without a password. 

• Waiting rooms

   The Waiting Room function is a virtual holding area that prevents participants from joining a meeting until you accept them, and give them access. This setting is enabled by default for Zoom meetings.

• Lock meeting 

   Locking a meeting that has started restricts new users from joining even if they have the Meeting ID and password.

• Screen Share controls

   To prevent participants taking random control of the screen, hosts can restrict permissions using the control panel. This can be adjusted both before the meeting, and during it. 

•   Moderation and managing participants

   Zoom offers some moderation tools, including giving hosts the ability to disable participant’s video, mute participants, turn off file-transfer, and disable group or private chat

Advice for Parents

• Familiarise yourself with app settings and go through the security features with your child: support.zoom.us/Settings-Controls
• Use secure privacy settings, remind your child only to share meeting links with friends and avoid sharing links on social media. Top tip – use a new password for each Zoom meeting.
• Remind your child that meetings can be recorded, this is a good time to have a chat about what kinds of things are okay to share online and what types of information they shouldn’t share.
• It is important that your child understands they can come talk to you if they encounter anything inappropriate or upsetting online

For more information and advice on using video and live streaming: https://www.webwise.ie/parents/explained-live-streaming/

Talk to someone

Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.

Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

1800666666 50101 Get started

The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children’s education.

01 887 4477 [email protected]

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Sometimes you might unwittingly stumble across illegal online content like child abuse imagery. Always remember: you can report it and get it removed using Hotline.ie.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Zoom

Pros: the advantages of zoom video conferencing, 1. highest maximum participant capacity, 2. reliable connectivity and conferencing quality.

Both video and audio quality are also reliable and impressive. Video quality is up to 720p and even 1080p for Business and Enterprise plans, while audio is as clear as wired phone calls and even better than mobile voice calls under a stable internet connection. There are added features for touching up video appearance, improving brightness, and reducing background noise.

3. User-Friendly and Uncomplicated Interface

4. expansive features and productivity tools, cons: the disadvantages of zoom video conferencing, 1. resource heavy and minor performance issues, 2. limited features and usability on free plan.

Sessions using the free plan would run for only 40 minutes. Of course, the host can restart the meeting, but doing so would mean reopening the app and resending a new meeting link to the participants. Note that the meeting would shut down automatically after the 40-minute limit.

Time-constrained virtual meetings that automatically shut down can interrupt an ongoing meeting, limit what the host and participants can talk about, and consume additional time from re-inviting existing participants. Some users might be better off exploring other alternatives such as Google Hangouts or Google Meet , Microsoft Team , and Facebook Messenger.

Zoom Technology and Its Ethical Issues Essay

Problems facing zoom, stakeholders affected by the zoom ethical issues, a possible solution to zoom’s ethical issues, resolution to this problem.

As several in-person engagements have been shifted online due to coronavirus lockdowns, the popularity of the video-sharing platform Zoom has exploded. Issues concerning its trustworthiness have also arisen. Zoom had severe security apprehensions in the past due to the controversy that erupted when users discovered its flaws (Hodge, 2020). Many individuals are still wary of Zoom since they believe it breaches their human dignity and safety due to specific significant changes.

Zoom was not facing one instigation, but rather it had several issues under one key challenge, the security problem. The security threats faced by Zoom included End-to-End encryption debates. Zoom faced severe accusations from certain for its dishonesty together with imbalanced encoding policies and standards. According to Zoom operators, the organization promised end-to-end encoding, but the commission alleges the end-to-end encryption provided was being stored on its server (Hodge, 2020). Zoom admitted through some blog posts that their E2E was not secure since it was violating their customer’s right to privacy.

Zoom had security issues with their chat box; Bugs are an extensive delinquent in various packages and applications. Hackers might allocate malware by creating GIF pictures and cryptogram snippets, this is according to a surveillance company known as Talos. Another problem was Zoom’s conversation window allowed clients to convey any file types, including untitled properties and untitled.txt (Hodge, 2020). These types of documents easily debase the device and relocate malicious encryptions in whichever place they are kept. Another security threat faced by Zoom users is the Bombings and meeting disruptions; it was the major problem that made headlines across all news stations and blog posts. Any person with a meeting ID or even a link could quickly join meetings and spy on an entire conversation. On several occasions, uninvited guests crashed meeting rooms to expose gratified content or make offensive signals (Hodge, 2020). In a Zoom bombing situation, the person hosting loses control of the problem hence the reason why they cannot decide who can be or cannot be part of the meeting. When such situations arise, the host has only one option: to call off the summit.

Zoom has an anti-tempering mechanism that is so vulnerable hence being termed as weak; the primary function of an anti-tampering tool is to shield its systems from attacks and cyber security issues. A hacker can quickly go through Zoom’s server by bypassing the dynamic link library, the dynamic-link library is software made up of codes and commands, and each is made for a specific function across the entire application (Hodge, 2020). Due to the vulnerability of the DLL, someone can easily install malicious links and dis-function Zoom’s DLL, causing leakage of the customer’s data.

There was also a problem with Zoom’s data-sharing agreements. According to an investigation that was carried out on Zoom’s Motherboard, users’ information was being transmitted through the iOS program like when a user accessed the service, their locality, and device specifics without explicitly asking for permission (Hodge, 2020). This data is transferred through Facebook’s software development kit, used for its “Login with Facebook” functionality. Intelligence analysts have also expressed worry over “sketchy” installation malware, which permitted Zoom to rapidly deploy on Macs after a user clicked the transfer link, bypassing the regular security safeguards.

The organization itself, its CEO, shareholders, workers, and Zoom users, Zoom’s colleagues, and commercial partners are among the individuals impacted by the unethical security challenges (Velasquez, 2012). The organization was sued by Michael Drieu, one of its stakeholders, for not revealing the privacy and security breach issue. Zoom and its top executives were implicated in withholding information concerning flaws in the app’s code encryption, such as its purported susceptibility to cyber criminals, as well as the illegal dissemination of personal information to 0.33 entities, including Facebook and Google.

Individuals working with the Zoom organization as its employees were also affected since they had to be retrenched and go home until the security and privacy concerns were addressed. Most of the employees had to endure many struggles adjusting to life without a living. However, according to the moral and ethical concerns raised, there was no other option other than going home until the privacy issue was solved (Velasquez, 2012). They are up for the challenge because they believe the issues will be resolved and go back to the office.

Eric Yuan, the chief executive officer of Zoom, had to address the security issues concern. He apologized and promised to take it as a challenge. In his speech, he mentioned that he did not know that Zoom as a platform would soar so fast before the coronavirus pandemic. Zoom is being used by millions of people across the globe for both leisure and work since most countries are on lockdown (Velasquez, 2012). Yuan says that when the product was being designed, he did not have a foresight of it serving across the globe, so there are so many challenges coming up.

The solution to Zoom bombing; New features should be introduced to curb this menace. These features include making passwords compulsory when joining a meeting room using the meeting ID option, creating a waiting room, and adding a blocking feature. Additional features such as enabling the host to decide who can share their screen, adding two-factor authentication, and adding a lock meeting feature, among others, could also help secure the site. All these features can be placed under the settings option on the Zoom app. An additional protection layer can work in conjunction with End-to-End encryption to tackle the E2E controversies and help solve the issue (Velasquez, 2012).

Integration of the “Captcha” feature to handle the brute force attack issue will make it possible to prevent attacks from other bots. In order to play nice with devices from Apple, Zoom should fix its bugging function by changing the local host on its web server settings and allowing mac users to uninstall the application from the toolbar on their devices manually. The organization should also be able to enhance its default password by enabling both alphabets and numerals in password creation.

Although Zoom has faced all those challenges, it still has some pros that might interest some individuals. There are a couple of fantastic ideas that might help one decide whether to continue using Zoom or seize from using it completely. The ideas explain why Zoom could still be a success despite all the problems; it still has the following advantages; it is easy to use because it is very user-friendly. In some situations, video calls and teleconferencing are usually challenging to maintain but Zoom hides and eliminates the ability to do complex tweaking to make it more efficient (Hodge, 2020).

Zoom has break-out rooms, which enable the ability to divide a big group of users into small groups and call them back simultaneously. This control type is very efficient for classroom teaching and meetings with huge numbers because it enables easy audience control. Streaming content from other platforms is also an additional feature that gives Zoom a plus; the application integrates with youtube. Facebook does not allow data collection and gives the coordinator the ability to access Facebook directly and stream content from there (Hodge, 2020).

Several other online platforms can facilitate video conferencing; among them is Webex, Google meet, and a couple of other social media and video chat apps. Webex has some features almost similar to Zoom’s; it can accommodate video sessions of up to one hundred members and has no restrictions on the video calls (Velasquez, 2012). It also offers end-to-end encryption for the calls through the encryption is not automatic. Call administrators are the ones who are supposed to turn on the encryption feature. There is also an option on whether the encryption feature can be automatic or manual and whether it can be optional or manual for each session. On the other hand, Google meet has more outstanding features, such as a video conferencing room that can accommodate up to two hundred and fifty participants and live steam up to a hundred thousand in a single session.

In general, the big question of whether the platform is still secure for use can be drawn from different platforms trying to follow up on the security issues and privacy concerns. Some individuals say that the platform is secure, while some still say that it is vulnerable. The officials from the company claim that the security concerns have been addressed and new security measures have been put in place, and are being tested on how efficient they are. Zoom is working aggressively to solve and adhere to the security concerns that have pulled the company down.

Hodge, R. (2020). Zoom: Former Dropbox staff say Zoom stalled on security fix. CNet. Web.

Velasquez, M. G. (2012). Ethics and business. In M. G. Velasquez, Business ethics; concepts and cases 7th ed.,46-56.Pearson.

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Zoom Key Challenges, Essay Example

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Zoom Key Challenges: Data Privacy and Security Concerns

Zoom was formally introduced to most people in the world during the onset of COVID – 19 when most countries initiated lockdowns and asked citizens to stay at home. Consequently, People had to see their loved ones and workmates through technology; therefore, Zoom came in handy (Aiken, 2020). However, with the growing technology and frequent upgrade of devices and people’s knowledge and skills about technology, the need for privacy and security protection rose as people want their information private. Trust levels with an unpopular technological device or company are low; people trust well-known, used, and tested companies. Just like any other form of technology, Zoom has had its fair share of data privacy and security issues but has managed to solve. For example, In 2020, key issues such as Zoom not having an end to end encryption arose, as Zoom employees were said to be able to access Zoom calls information, raising a crucial concern to its clients’ data privacy (Wagenseil, 2020).Furthermore, in a class-action lawsuit over data privacy, Zoom agreed to pay plaintiffs about $90 million for “zoombombing” or sharing personal information to third parties, signifying the need to create a stringent end to end encryption in the near future.

In the coming future (2022), security issues such hacking of webcams and outsiders accessing private information are a foreseen possibility. This is because hackers are already familiar with the system which has been out for long enough to hack. Also, competing companies are eagerly waiting for a slight privacy concern and watch as Zoom falls into ashes.

All of the problems mentioned above posed a significant threat to Zoom.

Regardless of the data privacy and security issues around Zoom, Zoom is seen to have managed to stay ahead of time by updating its application systems. Updating its software will help to detect and remove any threat or bug from the software hence making it safe for use (Wagenseil, 2020). In addition, Zoom has set to improve its control center where the security and data privacy matter will be frequently monitor and improved using the latest developer tools.

  References

Wagenseil, P. (2020). Zoom security issues: Here’s everything that’s gone wrong (so far). Toms guide, 1-3.

Aiken, A. (2020). Zooming in on privacy concerns: Video app Zoom is surging in popularity. In our rush to stay connected, we need to make security checks and not reveal more than we think. Index on Censorship, 49(2), 24-27.

Çubukçu, C., & Aktürk, C. (2020). The rise of distance education during covid-19 pandemic and the related data threats: a study about zoom. Igd Univ Jour Soc Sci,(Ek2), 127-143.

John, A. S. (2020). It’s Not Just Zoom. Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex Have Privacy Issues, Too.

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Enchanting Marketing

Writing advice for small business

How to Explain Your Ideas Clearly: The Zoom-In-Zoom-Out Technique

by Henneke | 104 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

Do readers jump up to implement your advice?

Let’s be honest, writing a good explanation is tougher than it seems.

Explanations often turn out to be a tad dry and uninspiring—and when we fail to captivate our readers, we fail to communicate our ideas, too.

So, what can you do to explain with clarity and zing?

The Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique

You know it from photography, don’t you?

Zoom out, and you display the big picture. Zoom in, and you show details.

Writing works the same.

The best writing combines satellite-style zooming out with telephoto-like zooming in.

When zooming in, you see the mother lion licking her young; you see the bee gathering honey from a clover; you see the withering petals of a tulip. You see one specific situation—one flower, one person, or one animal doing one specific thing.

Satellite photography is the complete opposite. Instead of tiny details, you see patterns. You see the colorful fields with millions of tulips in the Netherlands. You see how the roads and fields are flooded after months of rain. You see sprawling suburbs surrounding the skyscrapers in downtown Houston.

In photography, you have all sorts of lenses and you create pictures with different levels of zoom. But in writing, you alternate mostly between the extremes:

• Captivate readers by using the telephoto lens—tell the story of one person in one specific situation.
• Describe the satellite image to explain the wider picture, the trends, the lessons, the statistics.
• As much as possible, skip the half-zoomed scenes.

The Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique helps you explain anything to anyone; it helps you captivate readers, even with the most boring topics.

Shall I show you?

How the masters of explanation use this technique

Chip and Dan Heath apply the Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique in all their books to educate business readers.

Below follows an example from their book The Power of Moments . The story shows how important praise is, and it starts when a student, called Sloop, has been told to mouth words because her voice doesn’t blend with the rest of the choir. Then another teacher asks her to stay after practice:

Sloop was hesitant at first but eventually lowered her guard. She said, “We sang scale after scale, song after song, harmonizing and improving, until we were hoarse.” Then the teacher took Sloop’s face in her hands and looked her in the eyes and said: “You have a distinctive, expressive, and beautiful voice. You could have been the love child of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.” As she left the room that day, she felt as if she’d shed a ton of weight. “I was on top of the world,” she said. Then she went to the library to find out who Joan Baez was.

Sensory details —the singing of scale after scale and becoming hoarse; and how the teacher took her face in her hands—make this scene come alive. I can sense the impact the praise had on Sloop, and I imagine her walking to the library with a spring in her step.

Once the story has demonstrated the impact of praise, the authors zoom out to share the big picture:

The importance of recognition to employees is inarguable. But here’s the problem: While recognition is a universal expectation, it’s not a universal practice. (…) “More than 80 per cent of supervisors claim they frequently express appreciation to their subordinates, while less than 20 per cent of the employees report that their supervisors express appreciation more than occasionally.” Call it the recognition gap.

Zoomed-out statements—facts, figures, trends and big pictures—only become powerful when the zoomed-in stories give them meaning.

Facts give stories substance. Stories give facts meaning. Substance and meaning are two of the most powerful factors in any explanation. ~ Lee LeFever (From: The Art of Explanation)

Another example of the Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique

The Year of Magical Thinking is a memoir by Joan Didion, in which she describes her journey of grieving for her husband.

But she doesn’t tell only her own story, she also comments on theories around loss and grieving. For instance:

From Bereavement: Reactions, Consequences, and Care, compiled in 1984 by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, I learned for example that the most frequent immediate responses to death were shock, numbness, and a sense of disbelief: “Subjectively, survivors may feel like they are wrapped in a cocoon or blanket; to others, they may look as though they are holding up well. Because the reality of death has not yet penetrated awareness, survivors can appear to be quite accepting of the loss.”

The statement above about bereavement is abstract, and Didion paints a clear picture with the details of her own grieving process:

I could not give away the rest of his shoes. I stood there for a moment, then realized why: he would need shoes if he was to return.

Feel that, too?

It’s the personal story that connects and adds meaning to dry advice and bare facts.

A powerful mix of authority and authenticity

The stories you share can be about yourself, but also about clients or friends, or they can be stories you’ve heard or read.

For instance, in a blog post about finding your passion , Mark Manson explains his general view:

Today, I received approximately the 11,504th email this year from a person telling me that they don’t know what to do with their life. (…) The common complaint among a lot of these people is that they need to “find their passion.” I call bullshit. You already found your passion, you’re just ignoring it. Seriously, you’re awake 16 hours a day, what the fuck do you do with your time?

To be honest, as I was reading that, I didn’t quite get it. What does Manson really mean? Why would people ignore their passion?

But then he zooms into a miniature story about a friend, and I understand:

I have a friend who, for the last three years, has been trying to build an online business selling whatever. It hasn’t been working. And by not working, I mean he’s not even launching anything. Despite years of “work” and saying he’s going to do this or that, nothing actually ever gets done. What does get done is when one of his former co-workers comes to him with a design job to create a logo or design some promotional material for an event. Holy shit, he’s all over that like flies on fresh cow shit. And he does a great job! He stays up to 4:00 AM losing himself working on it and loving every second of it. But then two days later it’s back to, “Man, I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” I meet so many people like him. He doesn’t need to find his passion. His passion already found him. He’s just ignoring it. He just refuses to believe it’s viable. He is just afraid of giving it an honest-to-god try.

The story about Manson’s friend is vivid and emotional, and it adds authenticity and meaning to the general advice that you don’t need to find your passion.

So, whenever you want to share a lesson or explain a trend, share a specific story and use vivid details to captivate and inspire readers.

How to explain better

You can use this Zoom-In-Zoom-Out technique for any type of writing:

• In a case study, explain the key benefits of your service by relating how it worked for one specific client.
• In a blog post, teach a lesson by giving a specific example.
• In journalism, weave sociological trends with the stories of how it affects specific families.
• In a memoir, tell your personal story and relate it to a bigger lesson.
• In a historical novel, tell the story of your protagonist to open a doorway to a historical era.

The foundation of explanatory writing is simple: Zoom in. Zoom out.

PS Thank you to Amy Peacock for inspiring this blog post.

Recommended course:

Stories in miniature, learn how to captivate your audience with stories in blog posts, books, social media, web pages, and emails.

“The biggest gift from taking Henneke’s class is finding my voice to tell stories throughout my book. I am not so worried about what people will think anymore. I can choose to be more vulnerable, and I feel so much more confident in my business writing.” ~ Irene Yam

I very much appreciate the personalised support Henneke gives in this course. I never felt left alone, and the companion emails motivated me to keep going. I also love Henrietta’s drawings, they help me remember concepts easily and I think they really spice up the course.” ~ Laura

“Even if you know something (“Show, don’t tell”, for example), Henneke’s way to teach helps you understand better what you already know.” ~ Maurizio

I feel more confident in my story skills. With more practice I now believe that I can become one of those people that can tell an engaging story. Henneke always exceeds my expectations.” ~ Susan

Learn more >>

Further reading on good explanations:

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

May 10, 2024 at 8:40 pm

I write for the self-knowledge niche, but I’m not able to write posts that connect deeply with people, I lack words to engage them. Even though I know my audience, they are insecure women between 20 and 48 years old, with low self-esteem, they feel devalued, lost, and incomplete in their relationships. I can’t write anything impactful that helps them! I always read your articles and they keep me hooked until the end, but I don’t know how to do the same

May 12, 2024 at 6:58 pm

You can do it, too.

Start by writing for one person. Think about one problem you can help her solve. It can be a tiny problem or you can help her take the first step towards solving a big problem.

In your opening, address your reader directly. It can help to write her name at the top of your draft, as if you’re writing a letter. Tell her you understand what she’s struggling with, then promise you have a solution (or a first step towards a solution). That’s all you need to do in the opening: Show empathy and show that reading your blog post will be worth her time. Then, in the main body of your post, share step by step what you recommend doing to solve the issue. Give examples so it doesn’t seem too abstract. Then in the final paragraph, inspire her to take action.

A first draft will not be like you want it to be. Too complicated. Not conversational enough. So, when you’re editing, try to simplify and be precise in what you’re communicating. Also, at least for one round of editing, imagine phoning your reader and reading your blog post aloud to her. How does it sound? How can you make it more natural?

You’ll get there step by step.

May 8, 2024 at 8:23 pm

I’m in awe of how you simplify things, Henneke. The photography analogy works really well and your drawn illustrations are perfect. I will now happily zoom in and out with more awareness of what I’m doing. 😉

May 8, 2024 at 9:07 pm

Thank you so much, Sue. That’s a lovely compliment. Happy writing!

April 23, 2024 at 5:46 pm

Hi Henneke! Thanks for sharing this important knowledge with us. I’v always felt at home with the technique you brought to our attention. It has further reinforced the need to continue to use it.

April 23, 2024 at 6:02 pm

Great that you feel at home with this technique already, Michael. And thank you for stopping by. Happy writing!

April 23, 2024 at 5:11 pm

This post is so timely. Perfect.Perfect.Perfect. I’m in the middle of a writing a series of blog posts (actually the foundation for a book). It came out an invitation to write a post for an organization I belong to. It expanded to over twice the word limit in no time… Now as I am organizing it to be shorter pieces, I see how zooming in & zooming out would be vital for improving the quality & effectiveness of the info. Thank You again for your brilliance in bringing these valuable tidbits to all of us in your posts.

April 23, 2024 at 5:34 pm

Thank you, Bamboo. Your comment makes my day. There’s no bigger compliment to me than someone suggesting they’re going to use my tips to improve their writing. It sounds like you’re creating something special!

April 23, 2024 at 3:05 pm

Like a fine wine, your advice gets better and better, Henneke.

Your examples make the Zoom-in / Zoom-out technique memorable. I can’t wait to try them out on my own writing.

April 23, 2024 at 4:41 pm

Thank you, Bill. That’s a lovely compliment. I like a fine wine 🙂

April 23, 2024 at 1:22 pm

Wonderful examples. I’ll be reading this one a few more times!

April 23, 2024 at 1:34 pm

Thank you, Christy. I love these examples, too.

April 23, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Thank you, Henneke. I really found this post inspiring. I would really like to join your courses. Please keep me posted.

April 23, 2024 at 12:05 pm

Thank you, Jasmine. My courses are open for enrollment all year so you can jump in anytime!

April 23, 2024 at 11:58 am

Brilliant: perfect examples. Sadly, most people will not take the time to understand how to apply your know how to their writing. Thank you for sharing.

April 23, 2024 at 12:04 pm

Well, I’m writing for the people who do take the time to implement my tips. I think there are enough of them 🙂

April 23, 2024 at 11:35 am

Love this play between zoom-in and zoom out for writing! Thanks for sharing, Henneke 🙂

April 23, 2024 at 11:40 am

Thank you, Sampada. I find it such a useful way to think about writing and storytelling.

June 20, 2023 at 11:04 pm

Once again, your enchanting words create inspiration. Henneke, Thank you,

June 21, 2023 at 9:17 am

I’m glad you enjoyed this, Helene. Happy storytelling!

May 26, 2023 at 3:27 pm

Just a quick thank you for all your outstanding teaching. You are such a talent! Trying to find the time to take one of your courses.

May 26, 2023 at 5:06 pm

Thank you for your lovely compliment, Pamela. 🙂

January 4, 2023 at 12:39 am

would I be able to do two zoom-ins in one essay like have my first primary source be the intro-zoom? but then zoom in on another primary later on in the essay

January 4, 2023 at 9:50 am

Yes, you can zoom in more often.

March 14, 2024 at 1:42 pm

Well 😅🔥 will work on it

March 14, 2024 at 1:50 pm

Hope you’ll have fun with this!

August 11, 2022 at 7:15 pm

Exhilarating. The way you have stressed metaphor to zoom in and out and the points below “You can use this technique for any type of writing:” is very engaging.

Kudos for those ideas.

August 11, 2022 at 9:20 pm

Thank you, Indranil. Happy writing!

January 11, 2021 at 12:21 pm

Great advice! I can’t wait to use it. I’m like the thousands of other writers who like Henneke’s articles.

January 11, 2021 at 2:07 pm

Thank you, Wally. This is one of my favorite posts 🙂

December 8, 2020 at 3:49 pm

First off, great explanation of the technique. I’m trying to practice my writing and was wondering if you have any additional examples for the zoom in and out technique, other than the ones given in the article? Thank you!

December 8, 2020 at 6:26 pm

You’ll find many more examples in any of the books by Chip and Dan Heath, or check out good-quality long-form journalism, and see where they share stats or trends, and when they share stories about specific people in specific situations.

November 5, 2020 at 7:49 pm

BEST explanation of this technique!

November 6, 2020 at 10:59 am

Thank you, Jan. Happy writing!

June 7, 2020 at 3:15 pm

Wow! This technique just blew my mind. It is simple as it sounds, but so powerful to improve my writing skill. Thanks for sharing!!!!!

June 7, 2020 at 4:31 pm

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Nhan. Happy writing!

July 18, 2019 at 5:59 pm

It finally makes sense. Zoom in and zoom out. For sure personal experience helps with writing because it’s emotional.Thanks am ready to try it

July 19, 2019 at 10:45 am

I’m glad this post makes sense 🙂 Happy writing, Lubosi, and thank you for stopping by. .

April 2, 2019 at 4:09 pm

Your tips are on point, simple and relevant.

I’m been struggling with extracting the ideas from my head and put them in writing. They are like bees,buzzing in and out,but poorly materialize into actual words on paper.

Any words of advice?

Your articles are great. Thanks for sharing!

April 2, 2019 at 4:50 pm

It’s very common that ideas are buzzing around our minds, but somehow when we try to commit them to paper, it’s not working. It takes time to untangle our thoughts. You may find this blog post useful: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/writing-strategies/

October 9, 2018 at 12:15 pm

This is a good technique. Very helpful.

October 9, 2018 at 12:16 pm

Happy zooming in and out! 😉

September 7, 2018 at 10:45 am

Hello, The world of better writing sketched by you is a vast one to travel to a beginner like me. But the world is enticing and enchanting and inspires one to traverse.

September 7, 2018 at 4:27 pm

Thank you for your compliment. 🙂 Happy writing!

August 25, 2018 at 5:24 am

More insightful ideas to share with my writing group and our followers on facebook. Thank you.

August 26, 2018 at 6:08 pm

Thank you for sharing, Susan. I appreciate it 🙂

August 18, 2018 at 6:15 pm

Thank you again for writing this Henneke. Its a gem! I felt like I was crouched down panning in a cool stream for weeks and finally found a nugget of gold. 🙂

August 18, 2018 at 6:54 pm

What a great metaphor! 🙂

August 9, 2018 at 9:45 pm

All good points for blogs and journalism, and I rate Lee LeFever’s book highly too.

In my niche, technical writing, there’s a need for minimalism and non-emotive content. But you can still use stories – weave them into examples to give the reader more context.

August 10, 2018 at 3:41 pm

I agree – there’s still space for using mini-stories as examples. Even in technical writing, describing specific situations can be useful. As you suggest, minimalism doesn’t need to exclude zooming in, and zooming in doesn’t mean a scene has to be emotional; it can be a specific user case, too.

Thank you for stopping by to add your thoughts, Craig.

August 9, 2018 at 11:53 am

Hi Henneke – Thank you so much for recommending Lee LeFever’s The Art of Explanation. I bought it, spent the last two days reading it and was not disappointed. Lee’s concepts for creating clear explanations are outstanding. Framing the audience or reader on the “explanation scale” before putting pen to paper fixes the need to think about relevant context before hitting the details. Although it deals more with video instruction than writing a book, I recommend this book to anyone writing a how-to book. Wish I had it years ago.

I also bought the Heath brothers’ Power of Moments and I find it complements LeFever’s book in how to express human experiences meaningfully.

Thanks again Henneke for your insight into writers’ needs – from sunny Sydney. But we now need rain.

August 9, 2018 at 9:00 pm

Hi Paul – I’m so glad you enjoyed The Art of Explanation. Like you say, it’s written for making videos, but equally applies to writing. There’s so much similarity between making educational videos and writing (and public speaking, too).

We had some welcome rain yesterday!

August 9, 2018 at 12:44 am

The title of this writing style – Zoom-in/Zoom-out – makes this lesson so much easier to remember. I love your bee graphic. A picture speaks a thousand words, and while your images are inspirational, your words would be just as complete without them!

I love your blog – and thanks for this lesson!

August 9, 2018 at 8:57 pm

Wow, what a lovely compliment. Thank you, Brylee 🙂 Happy writing, and happy zooming! 🙂

August 8, 2018 at 5:41 pm

Thank you, Henneke. Your advice are very useful for blogging and for posting in social network.

I will follow you advice to get my writing better. And… to study how some (bad) Italian politicians can engage readers with their racist messages… 😉

August 8, 2018 at 8:00 pm

I’ve found that there’s a lot to learn from how politicians communicate and connect with people’s emotions—even if they use their communication techniques for purposes we disagree with. But I don’t really enjoy studying their words—I rather read something that pleases me than something that upsets me. 😉

August 8, 2018 at 5:14 pm

Hi Henneke, Love this and so many of your posts! I can’t add anything brilliant but – yes – what they said!! You SO rock this writing thing. Thank you.

August 8, 2018 at 7:57 pm

Thank you for your lovely compliment, Cecelia. You put a smile on my face 🙂

Happy writing!

August 8, 2018 at 3:23 pm

Hello Henneke, It is absolutely an engaging and informative blog to learn the essential elements in terms of style and effectiveness to engage the reader’s attention particular to the circumstances. One thing that I want to know from you is: how to write a good “case study?” REGARDS,

Richard Padgett and Jonathan Tee have both written good blog posts about writing case studies ( here and here ).

August 8, 2018 at 12:51 pm

“Once upon a time I discovered a talented woman from the Netherlands writing and living in the UK. She riveted my attention with logical and engaging writing ideas. She also made it her mantra to reply quickly and personally to my comments. I thought then and there, I wanted to be a part of her community and to adopt her ideas for my new following. “Zoom out with me for ‘the rest of the story’, I double dare you. Thanks, Henneke, you rock.

August 8, 2018 at 7:55 pm

Hey Stephen, how lovely to see your name pop up again.

Thank you for your lovely compliment and for your story … I’m glad the story is still continuing. Right? I’m happy to have you as part of my community. Thank you.

August 8, 2018 at 12:30 pm

Hi, Henneke… I read all your posts I receive, but I do not make any comment, or reply on them. Because I still have fear to write something in English….! I fear about sentence structure, choosing right words etc. I assume, my expression will not be much worthy to anyone, even to you. But I have a deep desire to write blogs. By reading your posts, I feel, I am a bit inspired to write. The above term Zoom in and Zoom out is very interesting, very important for me to use in my writing. I’ll try to start writing now and use this term in it… Thank you for inspiring me as mentor through your posts.

August 8, 2018 at 7:50 pm

Thank you for overcoming your resistance to writing a comment in English. I much appreciate it! 🙂

August 8, 2018 at 11:04 am

If a day someone asks me “How did you learn to write so well and vividly?” ever comes, your name will be the first to roll off my tongue. 🙂 

August 8, 2018 at 6:36 pm

Thank you so much, Maya. I appreciate your generous compliment 🙂

August 8, 2018 at 10:06 am

Awesome. This is so well explained. Thank you Henneke.

I have a desire to start writing and is learning up the techniques. Have to start writing as practice makes perfect.

Thank you, Christina, for your lovely compliment. Be careful that you don’t aim for perfection, and enjoy your writing!

August 8, 2018 at 8:29 am

Dear Henneke, I visit your blog only now and then, but follow you on Twitter regularly. Coming here (and reading the comments in addition to the article) is like stopping at a warm, friendly coffee house where all is safe and where reigns kindness and good will. Thank you for instilling this ambiance. Enjoy the rest of the Summer up in the lovely North of England.

August 8, 2018 at 6:35 pm

What a lovely compliment, Doris. Thank you. It’s exactly how I’d like my blog to be, and I appreciate everyone stopping by to ask questions, share their opinions, and provide encouragement. I’m enjoying the good company here!

August 7, 2018 at 11:24 pm

I can understand how the woman mentioned in your email left a bit confused. Even in your post here the examples are a bit opaque.

Your examples are clear, but don’t give a direct relation to each other. Even the bereavement examples don’t show a continuance of the story between the two paragraphs — as in, the second paragraph obviously didn’t come immediately after the first. There is more in between that apparently is a transition between the zooming.

I’m probably just a knuckle-headed noob. You said that the in-between transitions should be left out, but reading the bereavement paragraphs one after the other it’s obvious that more of the story has been edited out.

Please enlighten those of us that are still wandering in the dark.

August 8, 2018 at 6:33 pm

Hi Randy —

I’m sorry if my guidance and explanations weren’t clear enough. It’s always the fault of the teacher!

You do need transitions to move from the one to the other so the relations between paragraphs are are clear. But you want to avoid the half-zoomed scenes as much as possible. Most writers don’t zoom in enough, so the writing feels too abstract. It lacks vividness.

The examples are quoted are snippets from the books, that I felt best demonstrated the zoomed in and zoomed out paragraphs, but they’re text in between. It’s tricky to start quoting whole pages of books in short blog posts. I would highly recommend reading the book “The Power of Moments” as it’s one of the best examples for the zoom in zoom out technique I’ve come across. When you read it pay attention to the vivid stories Chip and Dan Heath share. You can also see how they then move on to explain the big picture—the trends, the research and the lessons they suggest.

Also, for people who read your comment and haven’t seen the email … The writer I mentioned was confused after attending a paid writing workshop (which was not by me). My explanation helped her apply the zoom in zoom out technique — and this post expanded from my explanation to her.

August 7, 2018 at 8:09 pm

Excellent advice Henneke.

August 7, 2018 at 8:35 pm

Thank you, David

August 7, 2018 at 5:39 pm

This is centainly the best piece of advice one may need to improve writing. Thank you so much. I share Shirley Pordominsky’s suggestion. You should publish books with your terrific ideas. Wish you the best.

August 7, 2018 at 7:21 pm

Thank you, Tarcisio. I appreciate your vote for Shirley’s suggestion to publish a collection of my blog posts as books. I’ll look into it soon. 🙂

August 7, 2018 at 3:59 pm

Thank you for sharing this. Here is what I gleaned from this post in my own words:

My readers definitely want to know if the ideas that I’m sharing have impacted me personally. They want to know whether I have gone through similar experiences or similar situations as theirs. They want to know how I got myself out. They want working solutions not just abstract ideas. They want to know I’m human. By relating my experience and offering solutions intermittently within my story I will be able to capture their attention and win their hearts and probably make a sale.

August 7, 2018 at 7:19 pm

Yep, that’s a good summary. It may not always possible to share a personal experience, so it’s also okay to share a story about a client or a story you’ve read somewhere—as long as sometimes you do share a personal experience.

Happy writing, Martin. Thank you for your comment. 🙂

August 7, 2018 at 3:19 pm

Thank you so much! Within seconds of digesting this zoom in-zoom out approach, I was able to write an opening line to ‘sell’ a new family centered event. Five minutes later, I had a jingle-like poem to set the mood for the activity. I focused in on the action steps a single kid would complete while participating and presto! things just fell into place. Taking the why it’s important, educational stuff out of the picture–at first–was the solution. Thank you, Henneke!

August 7, 2018 at 7:17 pm

Wow, that makes me happy, Jeannette. Isn’t it lovely when things just fall into place?

Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

August 7, 2018 at 2:24 pm

Hi Henneke, its time for you to sell the collection of your articles, by theme or the kind of writing advise. you decide. Volume One and Two are already ready – and at the end of each year one more book. I can see translations in many languages. I’m always learning from you. Thank you

August 7, 2018 at 7:16 pm

Good idea! Someone mentioned that same idea a few years ago, but I couldn’t get my head around it at that time. Maybe now the time is right as it’s easier to collect a series of blog posts around different themes. I’ll look into it.

Thank you, Shirley.

August 26, 2018 at 7:44 pm

I also vote with my hands and feet for such collections. I’ve already opened my wallet to buy several such books 🙂

This technique is priceless! As it turned out, I intuitively used the Zoom-In-Zoom-Out in my articles.

August 28, 2018 at 7:22 pm

Thank you for another vote, Michael! I need to get some other stuff of my plate first, and then I’ll look into getting this organized 🙂

August 7, 2018 at 2:09 pm

Excellent use of examples to illustrate the zoom in zoom out concept. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Dave

August 7, 2018 at 7:15 pm

Thank you, David. I’m glad you like the examples, too.

This technique is amazing and your explanation and examples are clear and eloquent. Your blog is a treasure trove. Zoom in. Zoom out. 🙂 Thank you!

August 7, 2018 at 7:14 pm

I love it when I find good examples to illustrate the point I want to make in a blog post. The quality of the examples can make or break a blog post.

Thank you for your comment, Nata. Happy writing!

August 7, 2018 at 1:54 pm

Thank you for your posts Henneke, I am now an avid follower. The thing about your writings is that it gears one to make a conscious effort to make writing beautiful, not to leave it to chance or to experiments upon experiments.

The things we know, sit at the back of our minds, but you bring them to fore and guide us in using those tools effectively. Thank you.

August 7, 2018 at 7:12 pm

Thank you for your lovely comment, Boladale. I appreciate it. Happy writing!

August 7, 2018 at 1:31 pm

So very helpful – thank you!

August 7, 2018 at 7:11 pm

My pleasure, Lisa. Happy writing!

August 7, 2018 at 1:13 pm

?? Zoom in, zoom out is such a masterful metaphor for this, Henneke! Once I’d read the article, I realised it encapsulates everything from your post in a single, memorable phrase. That alone is such a great technique because as a reader I can remember and apply your advice so easily.

I love the intimate zoomed-in moments in people’s writing. But sometimes I get to the end of a post and realise I’ve been engaged all the way through, but haven’t got the overall idea of what they were wanting to say/teach.

That’s where the Zoom-Out is so essential. And now i have the words to describe it when I see it/ use it or miss it.

Thank you. I’ll definitely be applying this tip to my writing in future.

I love the intimate zoomed-in moments, too. They make writing worth reading, even if I know “the lesson” already. This is especially true for me when people share personal experiences because those are the stories only they can tell.

Thank you for your lovely comment, Alison 🙂

August 8, 2018 at 10:55 am

“They make writing worth reading, even if I know “the lesson” already. This is especially true for me when people share personal experiences”

Yes, I agree. Even when I know ‘the lesson’ those personal stories are such a source of connection and also help me deepen my insights.

August 7, 2018 at 1:10 pm

Good catchphrase, Henneke! You are like a fly 😉

(with those multi-faceted eyes that look at the same things in 100 different ways)

August 7, 2018 at 1:16 pm

I could not agree more, Kitty!

I love the way Henneke draws in knowledge and information from all over the place, extracts writing and life wisdom from it and shares with us ?

August 7, 2018 at 7:05 pm

Now, there’s another idea for a blog post! ??

August 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm

Darn. And you’ll draw those eyes, too. I have to start keeping my metaphors to mahself! ?

August 7, 2018 at 9:10 pm

Go for it! I’d love to read your post about the fly’s eyes. I’ve just been reading about them. So fascinating … they have an almost 360-degree view but they can’t focus on an image.

August 7, 2018 at 12:28 pm

I had just published the first version of a blog post on “Love till the end of my life”. The title was personal, but there was not much more where I zoomed in.

In fact, I’m quite a zoomed-out writer, who sees and paints the big picture. Because it is through abstractions that I personally can understand life, the world, and everything.

About an hour later, this blogpost landed in my inbox. It was a revelation. I recognized how true and important it is what Henneke writes here. But it had never been explained to me this clearly.

I went back to my blogpost and started it with a zoomed-in scene.

Our texts are often good in content, but fail to engage to the max. We need reminders as engaging as Hennekes to improve our writing.

August 7, 2018 at 7:04 pm

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Ton. It makes me happy when people can instantly implement my advice.

In my experience, most writers are good at zooming out, but forget to zoom in. That zoomed-in scene can make a big difference 🙂

August 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm

This is good technique…

Drawing in the readers and then spilling the beans – to help them understand is a solid idea.

Zoom in..zoom out – my new catchphrase for this week.

Thank you. Stay Awesome.

August 7, 2018 at 7:02 pm

That’s it. Zoom in. Zoom out.

Happy zooming, Rohan! 🙂

Books and courses

Follow proven templates for specific writing tasks, practice your skills, and get professional feedback so you become a confident business writer. Take on any writing project with gusto. Learn more about books and courses

About Henneke

I never saw myself as a writer, but in my early forties, I learned how to write and discovered the joy of writing. Now, I’d like to empower you to find your voice, share your ideas and inspire your audience. Learn how I can help you

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Online Programs

Crafting the essay - workshop (ncaa approved).

• Grades 7-10
• Session-Based
• Language Arts

Bring your experiences to life on the page in this personal essay course. Through 10 assignments, we will experiment with different essay forms to describe scenes, illustrate conflicts, narrate events, share memories, and extract meaning. As we progress through the course and hone our personal essay writing skills, we will learn to use our senses to create vivid descriptions, observe and select details that convey our perspective to readers, imagine and describe events from others’ points of view, and unlock the power of revision. We’ll complete 10 essay projects over 10 course units. Each unit includes two lessons, a pre-writing exercise, an essay assignment, a reflection letter and an asynchronous online writing workshop. In workshops, you will read your classmates’ essays and provide feedback. You’ll receive feedback from classmates on your own essays at least twice, and practice applying feedback to your revisions. Active participation in writing workshops provides a valuable opportunity to grow with the support and insight of your peers.

Time Commitment:  4-6 hours of independent work per week.

Course Overview

What we'll do

You'll complete 10 essay projects over 10 course units. Each unit includes two lessons, a pre-writing exercise, an essay assignment, a reflection letter and an asynchronous online writing workshop. In workshops, you will read your classmates’ essays and give feedback on their work. You’ll also receive feedback from classmates on your own essays at least twice during the session and practice applying instructor and readers’ feedback to your revisions.

What we’ll learn

• To analyze a model text and apply the observations to one’s own writing
• To engage in the writing process from pre-writing, drafting, shaping, editing, submitting for feedback, using feedback to revise, including strategies to assess your own writing, identify needs, and plan revisions
• To identify a main idea within a draft and to develop it through revision
• To select factual, informational, and sensory details to shape a narrative or description
• To pay careful attention to word choices and phrasing
• To narrate, reflect on, and extract meaning from personal experiences
• To describe feelings and behaviors from another person’s point of view
• To develop our observational skills and use meaning to select appropriate sensory, factual, and informational details to describe the scene in writing

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Employ pre-writing strategies to externalize ideas and evaluate which are the strongest
• Proofread, analyze, restructure, and revise drafts for submission
• Select events and details that develop and advance an essay’s thesis
• Employ figurative language and literary devices to enhance your narratives
• Give constructive feedback on peers’ work and accept and incorporate feedback on your writing and make appropriate changes
• Reflect on personal experiences and extract meaning from them in essays
• Write in a range of tones, for a variety of audiences
• Demonstrate empathy and different points of view
• Reflect on your writing process and growth in letters to your instructor
• Ask your instructor for help and have confidence discussing your writing with an adult

How we'll measure learning

Instructors evaluate student work using marking guides and rubrics and provide detailed constructive feedback on each pre-writing task and essay. This course is aligned to ELA common core standards for grades 11-12.

This course is

Register for an Online course by selecting an open class below. If no open classes are listed, then course enrollment is currently closed. Note: You will need to have an active CTY Account to complete registration through MyCTY.

Testing and Prerequisites

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

Cost and Financial Aid

Application fee.

• Nonrefundable Application Fee - $15 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
• Nonrefundable International Fee - $20 (outside US only)

Financial Aid

We have concluded our financial aid application review process for Academic Year 2023-2024 Online Programs (Courses with start dates July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024). Our application for Academic Year 2024-2025 Online Programs is expected to open in January. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible.

Technical Requirements

This course requires a computer with high-speed Internet access and an up-to-date web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. You must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

This course uses a virtual classroom for instructor-student communication. The classroom works on standard computers with the Zoom desktop client , and on tablets or handhelds that support the Zoom Mobile app . Recorded meetings can only be viewed on a computer with the Zoom desktop client installed. The Zoom desktop client and Zoom Mobile App are both free to download.

Terms & Conditions

Students may interact in online classrooms and meetings that include peers, instructors, and occasional special guests.

After a you complete a course, your projects may be used to illustrate work for future students. 

About Language Arts at CTY

Enhance your skills in creative writing and critical reading, learn to craft effective sentences, and develop an analytical approach to reading and writing through our Language Arts courses. Guided by our expert instructors, you can further develop your communication skills in our interdisciplinary visual fluency courses, and explore topics in communication theory, design theory, and cognitive psychology. Through coursework and online discussions with classmates from around the world, you’ll elevate your writing structure and style, hone your craft, and become an adept wordsmith fluent in the language of literary arts. 

Write, Edit, Publish

Walk in the shoes of a writer, editor, and publisher this fall in Master Class I: Writing, Editing, and Publishing , and then collaborate with peers to create the next issue of our CTY Online student-developed literary journal, Lexophilia , in Master Class II: Writing, Editing, and Publishing , offered in the winter.

Explore Greek Myths

Newly revised for fall 2021, you'll read, discuss, and write about Greek myths in Young Readers’ Series: Greek Myths Revisited , studying exciting, heroic characters and ancient narratives that continue to teach us all valuable lessons about life, love, and family.

Meet our Language Arts Instructors

I realize that I love teaching on an almost daily basis. It comes to me in the form of a student's 'ah-ha' moment, when everything clicks and the student understands a challenging concept. I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

Yvonne Borresen

Language Arts Instructor

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