FAQ

If you stumble upon any technical difficulties, like no audio or video, hanging presentations, etc., you can do the following:

• reconnect – leave the room and connect again, close and open the Zoom app, in rare cases reset your computer (or a mobile device),
• double-check your Internet connection, LTE (mobile Internet) may work as well, but the conference will for sure use a lot of traffic,
• double-check if there are any unnecessary apps running in the background, that may slow down your computer or internet connection, the same goes for unnecessary browser tabs,
• write an e‑mail to the technical support – Asia & Miłosz – who will do their best to help you and will monitor the mailbox all the time during and before the conference: support@decolonizingmuseums.pl.

If you have questions or any technical difficulties, you can write to us any time before or during the conference: support@decolonizingmuseums.pl – our Support Team – Asia & Miłosz will be there for you all the time.

Should you have any concerns do not hesitate to contact us at the addresses: echoes@is.uw.edu.pl.

You will be able to participate in the conference with video and in the chat that is available for everyone. In some cases, we will provide you with the possibility to unmute the microphone and discuss it in that way.

To ensure the best video and audio quality, it’s worth taking care of a few details.

• A permanent, stable, and fast Internet connection is a must. If there is a possibility, it is better to connect the computer via ethernet cable than to use wifi. If you are on LTE, make sure you have enough traffic in your mobile plan.
• You should exit all unneeded applications on your computer or mobile device, as well as all unnecessary tabs in your browser. The aim is to free up as much computer power and Internet bandwidth as possible.
• If possible place yourself on a calm, uniform background. It is worth ensuring that there is no laundry or toys of your kids (or pets) lying around, as this may distract the audience from your face.
• Very important is to clean the lens of your camera before you go on air. This is especially true for cameras built into laptops, which are often spotted with a greasy film. You may wipe it with a clean microfiber cloth and cleaning fluid before broadcasting. You can test beforehand what the difference is – we guarantee it is huge. 🙂
• Good facial illumination is essential. Not from above, but rather from the front or side. It is worth illuminating in all possible ways (especially if it is already dark in your time zone) or using the daylight and sitting near the window. Avoid light from behind. If possible, use professional lighting. It is definitely worth it!
• If possible, use a headset or microphone and headphones to avoid the echo effect. As a last resort – if no headphones are available – you can turn off the sound from the speakers. This is something that will definitely be worth testing.
• If two or more people from one place (e.g. office, household) will be taking part in the conference and one of them gonna be a speaker, the other should use another Internet source, e.g. from LTE / mobile. Otherwise, it may slow down the connection for the speaker and worsen the quality of audio and video.

Read more tips about your preparation: 9 Tips To Rock Each Videoconference From Home | by Agata Kukwa | DAC Technology Blog

If you have questions or any technical difficulties, you can write to us any time before or during the conference: support@decolonizingmuseums.pl

• Your presentation time is 10 minutes.
• File format: PPT, PPTX, PDF, or Keynote.
• Slides aspect ratio: 16:9 (widescreen, recommended) or 4:3.
• The sooner we get presentations, the better. The deadline is two hours before the conference starts on the day you are presenting. It is important that you send them to us, because if you stumble upon any technical difficulties and are not able to share your screen, we can share it for you.
• Consider including slides’ numbers so the participants can relate to them while commenting.

The conference will take place on Zoom platform, which is an app for video conferencing. You may want to download and install Zoom to your device in advance – you need Zoom Client for Meetings, if you use a desktop computer (Windows, macOS), or Zoom Cloud Meetings if you use your mobile or a tablet. 

We recommend customizing your profile with your full name and possibly your photo so we can easily recognize each other. Read more: Customizing your profile – Zoom Help Center.

If you are curious and want to watch some more instructions for using Zoom, you can find them here: How To Zoom.

You might want to check if you have diversified Internet sources (e.g. fixed-line and mobile Internet) in the place you will be connecting to the conference. If one of your connections will not work, you can always switch to another. 

You’ll have the best experience when using an ethernet cable. A wi-fi or LTE connection will of course work as well. If using a mobile Internet make sure you have enough traffic in your plan.

To join the conference, you need to register, because all the links will be sent to you via email.

Each session will have a separate zoom link active 30 minutes before the session. If you are a presenter please make sure to connect at least 15 minutes in advance. 

You will find the list of session links in your mailbox on Monday (October 19^th) before the conference.

To join the conference room, you’ll need to click on a link in the email. It will open in your browser which will then open the zoom app with a chosen session.

The conference capacity is 300 participants for each session. We will be letting you in on a first-come, first-served basis for each session. 

A short reminder, how to chat effectively: 

• write Q in order to mark a question; 
• write C in order to mark a comment; 
• write @ in order to address someone in the discussion, e.g. @Jan. 

Write questions in such a manner that they are easy to understand without a specific context.

At the end of each conference day, we will be organizing breakout (networking) rooms. On the first day, the main idea of the breakout rooms is to get to know each other, especially participants and chairs of particular panels, and, in the next days to have follow up discussions of a given day’s sessions. You will be able to choose your breakout room during the last session on a given day. No worries, if you cannot attend though!