FAMILY ZOOM MEETINGS

 

I have organized spreadsheets, email groups and Zoom meetings for three of my great grandparents’ families.  It has been very gratifying, easy and free.

 

My goal was to promote communication among family members and researchers, invigorate our shared interests, and facilitate future family communications, reminiscent of our parents’ Cousins Club. 

 

These directions are for a free, personal Zoom account, Chrome, Gmail and Excel.

 

Install Zoom app on computer; make sure it is updated. 

 

Using Chrome and Gmail, click on the nine dots menu icon, then click on Contacts to create a family group in Contacts.  Name your group. 

Add Contacts to your group.  Add yourself to the group.  If a person’s email address is unknown, fill in what you can. You may have to search your notes, messages, computer and phone contact list, DNA match lists, etc.  Note at the bottom of each card how the person connects to the group, etc. 

When you want to add more contacts to your group, click to open Contacts, click on the group, then Add Contacts.  Each person will have the group’s label.  Click on Edit to add or change information.  SAVE.

 

Create another email group called __Relatives not in the Group, in case some of them do not want group emails.

 

Send this first message to Recipients as BCC [Blind Carbon Copy]:

Ask each person’s permission to participate in group email and Zoom meetings.  Ask them to suggest other researchers and relatives who might be interested.

 

If anyone says No to group email and Zoom, note this on their contact card, and change their label to __Relatives not in the group.  Uncheck the name of the family group, and click Apply, then SAVE. Send future emails to them as only as individuals or with BCC.

 

Handouts: 

The attendees will see each other’s email addresses from this point on.

I sent everyone scans of old family trees. I wanted them to have an organized framework, so created an Excel workbook with a page for each branch of the family, with the relevant researchers for each branch.  I suggested that they save it on their computers or print it out and refer to it during the meeting. The workbook is edited and corrected continuously, and I send out revisions. The researchers have each other’s email addresses, and I’m hoping the group will share photos and stories.

Where needed information is missing, I highlight the cells in yellow.

 

The workbook pages have the following fields:

Child

Researcher

Email Address

Address

Lineage

DNA  website[s]

GEDmatch Kit#

Notes

 

 

Open the Zoom application.  Schedule a Zoom meeting.

For us, Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time works well; that’s 8 p.m. in Israel.

Click on Repeat:  Custom.

Attendees:  BCC:  Type in the name of your Family group.

Disable chat.

Export to your calendar, if desired.

SAVE.

Click on More Options.

The next window may ask some of the same questions.

Repeat:  Custom

Export to your calendar if desired.

Meeting ID:  Click on Personal Meeting ID.

Meeting Security:  Click on Passcode.

Disable Continuous Meeting Chat.

SAVE.

 

Zoom can send an invitation right away.  You can send it again to remind everyone; and send it again a few minutes before the meeting starts.  Ask everyone to make sure their Zoom is up to date. Ask that they use their complete names, enable cameras and microphones.

 

When the meeting starts, make sure it is being recorded.  The recording starts as soon as two people join the meeting.

You only have 40 minutes per meeting. You will see a little warning that there are just a few minutes left. Tell everyone and be prepared to send the invitation to the group again for another 40 minutes.

Each 40-minute session is recorded as a separate meeting.

 

I saved the recordings to my computer.

I took a screenshot of the Gallery View of all of us, which shows our names.

I sent a note to the whole family group, including the screenshot and recordings.

 

Linda Wolfe Kelley