Published in Article “FACT CHECK: Is the Internet at Danger of Crashing due to Coronavirus Usage?”
Networking Via Virtual Conferences
Networking has traditionally been something that needs to be done on the ground. Coronavirus (COVID-19) has thrown a wrench into all that among other things. Like me, you’re probably wondering what it’s like to do networking via virtual conferences?
Background
As a freelancer I get most of my business from networking at conferences. Therefore, I am motivated on a survival level to see if the value of conference networking can be recreated virtually.
My first successful virtual networking experience was via QuickBase’s 2020 Empower Conference. I was specifically looking to experience the networking component as I’ve attended virtual networking in prior conferences and it was a failure. In those instances, the software was not ready for virtual conferences.
Networking Via Virtual Conferences – How It Worked
QuickBase utilized the 6Connex Virtual Event Software. Networking was via Breakout sessions. The participant was given a list of networking subjects to choose from. QuickBase is a low-code platform marketing to the economy as a whole. Subjects included: “manufacturing”, “small business”, “not-for-profit”, etc.
After selecting the subject, the participant was then asked to register their name and email address for a Zoom meeting. Once this was done, the participant was given a Zoom meeting URL. When fully connected to Zoom, the participant briefly met with the conference organizer panel that was assigned to that subject. The panel then randomly assigned the subject to a micro-breakout session of 4-6 people.
The micro-breakout networking ended abruptly at the allocated time. If anybody was mid-sentence they were cutoff. The panel organizers followed the micro-breakout by addressing everybody in the larger audience (~45 people) as a wrap-up and terminated the session.
I arrived late, due to work commitments, so presumably the panel organizers prefaced the subject before assigning people to micro-breakouts.
Lessons Learned
- Prepare your workspace for remote working. I wrote a tips article on this subject: https://www.textor.ca/preparing-for-remote-working/
- If you know before-hand what the conference is using for video conference software, try to pre-install it. Zoom is very popular though, I suggest having it pre-installed either way: https://zoom.us/download
- Test audio and video prior to joining if possible or given the opportunity to do so.
- Be ready to video conference.
- Wear clothes as if you were going into an office.
- Make sure the background behind you is tidy.
- Avoid use of virtual backgrounds. In my experience as a public speaker and having been given feedback, they are distracting as they do not work that well. This experience has been consistent over many types of webcams and video conference platforms.
- Enabling video adds to your perceived level of professionalism. Many folks may not enable their video and that’s ok. But if you want to display professionalism, start with your video on when networking via virtual conferences.
- Be familiar with how to mute and unmute. It’s best practice to mute when you are not talking and unmute when talking. I can’t stress this enough and if you only make one thing a habit when working remotely it is this.
- Be prepared to take notes. This helps you follow the conversation and ask interesting questions during the networking session. This is something we may not have the opportunity to do in real life, so take advantage of it. I’ve used this technique when publicly speaking on panels and it has noticeably improved my performance over those panelist who do not do this.
- Write all the people’s names down in order to follow-up via chat post-call if necessary. The conference usually has a directory so you may be able to track them down to follow-up on conversation items and/or exchange business cards (virtually of course).
- Keep to the schedule. Look for an opportunity to ask if there is an interest in swapping contact info. Leave this no later than 5-7 minutes before the scheduled end if possible.
Conclusion
Honestly, the hard stop was frustrating but I can see the value of having this power to “pull the plug” from a conference organizer’s perspective. Clearly, it will take some getting used to networking via virtual conferences. But I see that it can be effective.
I’d like to hear from other’s experiences. What do you think?
About the Author
An avid writer, Trevor Textor has been quoted by Reader’s Digest, NBC News, Reviews.com and MarketWatch.com among others. As a freelancer Trevor has a “swiss army skillset” and has proven able to successfully assist many small, medium and large businesses in most areas of their business. Ask Trevor if he can help: https://www.textor.ca/contactme/.
“The Internet” – UofC Alumni Online Speaking Engagement – May 7, 2020 – All Welcome
I am honored to be speaking to my University of Calgary Alumni association, Computer Science Chapter, on May 7, 2020 from 5:30-6:30pm. Everyone is welcome.
Topic
The Internet. Big, bold, confusing and, most now say, critical.
Trevor Textor has journeyed through the world of “the network” for nearly 20 years. In this presentation he’ll be looking at the Internet from the lens of a rural municipality that had to build their own network just to get the vendor to provide service to their residents. Together we’ll explore the Internet’s many facets and hopefully dispense with a few myths.
Registration
If interested in attending please register here: https://netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/CPSCAlumniLecture_May2020
Update (May 10, 2020): Video recording is located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz0_oj5Balk
Massive Upgrade to Canadians’ Internet Security – CIRA Canadian Shield
Canadians’ Internet Security Gets Leveled Up
How to Turn It On
To enable, users will need to manually update their systems to get the benefit. As explained here, for every system but mobile (explained below), users just need to update their home router DNS settings. This means that users will not have to install and maintain software to get the security benefit.
Note: Some users may have to additionally modify computer DNS settings if they use a manual IP (advanced).
How Canadian Shield Works
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CSE) has a nice diagram that shows how it uses DNS to protect users from malicious content.
What is DNS? It’s the thing that translates human readable URLs like “Textor.ca” to an internet protocol (IP) “64.90.34.49”. You can read more about what DNS is here.
Canadian Shield has three levels of service based on the level of protection the user chooses. The level of protection is determined by which IP addresses the user chooses to configure their DNS with. The three levels are:
- Private: DNS resolution service that keeps your DNS data private from third-parties.
- Protected: Includes Private features and adds malware and phishing blocking.
- Family: Includes Protected and Private features and blocks pornographic content.
Benefits
What I like about Canadians’ Internet Security newest addition is that it’s a non-ISP based Canadian DNS service. Currently the DNS servers are located in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and Alberta may need to route via Seattle to get to these services. This makes me skeptical that it will remain fast so I’ll keep this entry posted with updates. The devil is in the details.
OpenMedia.org believes the service is better because “…Canadian Shield … is entirely hosted in Canada, so unlike most free and paid alternatives your Internet data will not travel internationally and become subject to foreign surveillance practices. We also appreciate CIRA’s promise that any information related to your Internet activity is deleted after 24 hours, in contrast to many home ISPs who otherwise handle our web traffic which retain that data longer, or may not guarantee to delete it at all.”
Mobile Users
At home, mobile users will pickup DNS settings from their home router. The challenge is when they are away from home.
For mobile users away from home, my understanding from reddit.com is that users install a CIRA app that enables a VPN. This may be fine for light users but likely will create a bit of havoc for advanced users and their configurations. A reddit users says “Tested the VPN app (iOS) today. First thing I always check is performance. Downstream speed took a hit, upstream was 10% of normal. I’ll skip it for now.” On the Google Play store app a user’s feedback is that it “Blocked access to safe programs” and CIRA asked the user to follow-up by emailing them at CanadianShield@cira.ca.
I’m recommending all users avoid the mobile software for a couple of months to let users that are ok with beta testing work out the bugs.
Update June 17, 2020
Back on April 27, 2020 I implemented the DNS changes to my household router and two workstations that have static IP setups. So far, no issues; as expected.
About the Author
An avid writer, Trevor Textor has been quoted by Reader’s Digest, NBC News, Reviews.com and MarketWatch.com among others. As a freelancer Trevor has a “swiss army skillset” and has proven able to successfully assist many small, medium and large businesses in most areas of their business. Ask Trevor if he can help: https://www.textor.ca/contactme/.
Work from Home Burnout #Coronavirus #COVID19
Global News Article: “Burnout is real — even when working from home”
In the article the advice is “Do not expect employees to be as productive”; but I’m not sure that’s the right statement. I think staff can be more productive in the hours they work, but do not expect them to work a contiguous 8-hour day as if they were in the office. During Coronavirus, the pressures of family life are more acute than ever. Specifically: caring for young kids, caring for seniors or both if you’re unlucky enough to be part of the sandwich generation (like we’ve been).
Why I became a Freelancer Project Manager
Myself, I became a freelancer because the freelance arrangement is focused on productivity, not the office hours you keep (see article “When Your Employees Are Remote, You Have To Stop The Body-In-Seat Mentality”). I’m able to bill my Clients for only the hours I work and they don’t have to worry that they paid for an 8-hour day when I only worked 4 because of “this or that” like what would happen with an employee.
Personally, burnout, and managing Work from Home Burnout, was a big factor in encouraging the freelancer move and in becoming a PMP certified Project Manager. Being a PM allows me to help my team smash stress as I’m in a leadership/culture role but I’d like to expand on the freelancing angle.
The Critical Personal Events that Lead to Burnout
Let me rewind to the late 2000’s. I had just been cleared as a cancer survivor and the expectation to overwork was exploding. The company I worked at unnecessarily, and possibly foolishly, decided to split into two. As I was a member of the networking team, we were the first team to work on the split (splitting and acquisitions create critical networking work). The CIO made a sweeping edict that all IT take their vacation before the actual split date. The edict decimated the networking team by 70%. Because the entire project depended on the network being installed as soon as possible, I spent an entire month building most of the new company’s data centre myself. For those who don’t work in IT that means a sterile environment with no food and water and a nice cool breeze that encourages you to forget about thirst. It’s migraine city!
Closely following the split my company decided to move data centres. I wasn’t directly part of that project but I helped out a number of times. One of the important events was that my boss decided that the on-call person would be enough to cover any issues during the actual move ignoring the team’s advice to assign a person to manage the move. It’s important to note that this is not a physical move. It’s more like transferring a consciousness from one computer system over to another one using the network. In this instance, one would assume that the network is critical.
That weekend I spent 16 hours on two conference calls in my basement; one headset on each ear. One conference call was to direct my network staff and the other call was to communicate with the wider project. This created a “firewall” so my team could get the critical work done (me included). There were no breaks. My wife brought me food. When I got up to go to the bathroom I could barely move. I called in the entire network team sans my boss who was disappointingly absent despite receiving a lot of phone calls from me and the other project leaders. Clearly, he had turned off his phone on purpose. The following week other IT leaders decided to declare that they were the person who fixed the networking issues burying my contribution to the entire project (which was ultimately successful).
In addition to this, on the same project, my boss had screamed at me over the phone about why I couldn’t move a 500 lb router by myself when it was at the loading dock. This is the only time I’ve cried at work. Subsequently this boss and three other guys installing it in the data centre ultimately dropped the router because it was too heavy. The same router later caught fire while in the data centre causing an outage to 7000 staff.
Conclusion
Yes, it was events like these that lead to my burnout. In contemplating my career changes, I wanted to have control over my life because I knew there would be controllable and uncontrollable stress. Working stress, in my opinion should be largely controllable. That is, it’s my hypothesis that stress in work environments is largely unnecessary and caused by culture and leadership. And if it’s controllable, then that should free up bandwidth to deal with the uncontrollable stress.
As a freelancer I can, and have, said “no” to clients. I’m always clear I get the job done but how it’s done is up to me. I was often told that moving to being a contractor wouldn’t help with managing the stress but that’s because no-one considers that freelancing is a lot different than being a full-time contractor*. So more than 5 years later, I can say I proved the hypothesis.
Unfortunately, for most people, the game (employee/full-time contractor) is rigged and most people will fail and experience burnout. Hopefully, the silver lining of #Coronavirus #COVID19 is that companies accept there are alternate arrangements that exist and they might work a whole lot better in the right situations. Then maybe we can meaningfully reduce burnout, including work from home burnout.
* I would like to call a full-time contractor arrangement what it is: a fake employee. It just changes where the number falls on the balance sheet. No surprise that nothing changes. No surprise that full-time contractors are constantly running into issues with the tax authorities.
About the Author
Trevor Textor has worked in various roles requiring remote work since 1997. Since 2014 he’s been supporting small, medium and large businesses as a freelancer (contingent labor) with a “swiss-army knife”-like suite of skills. In addition to setting up policy, procedures and technology for himself and his partner he has also met this need with clients in enabling their remote work. Trevor has been quoted by Reader’s Digest, NBC News, Reviews.com and MarketWatch.com regarding setting up appropriate Internet and WiFi service for remote work. Ask Trevor if he can help: https://www.textor.ca/contactme/.
Published in Reviews.com Article “From Fiber to 5G: How Internet Connection Types Compare”
Reviews.com published one of my comments, specifically:
““Fiber’s growth potential is theoretically limitless, which no other physical medium can claim…In an ideal world, all internet connections would be fiber.”
https://www.reviews.com/utilities/internet/compare-connection-types/
#Coronavirus #COVID19 Time To Hone Your Anti-Social Engineering Skills
Phishing is at a high as Malicious Cyber Actors take advantage of the pandemic. Phishing is a type of social engineering and you can read more about the different types here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security)
Here’s a good post which includes an infographic on how to avoid the “Social Engineering Red Flags”:
https://blog.knowbe4.com/red-flags-warn-of-social-engineering
USA CISA Cyber Security Alert on “COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors” – which explains some of the current tactics (scroll down).
Why the Focus on Streaming Services During the Coronavirus (covid-19) Crisis
However, there is a tool to help manage congestion; it’s called “Quality of Service” (QoS) which can recognize and prioritize critical packets (e.g. critical vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances). QoS is usually only implemented on private networks but during a crisis, it could theoretically be enabled on the internet.
I use QoS at home to ensure my work computer gets priority to the house’s internet connection (the “last mile”). Here’s what it looks like to setup on my home router:
Let’s be honest though, streaming services are not “critical” and will not get QoS priority. That is, no one is going to die, the economy will not suffer if someone’s television isn’t optimal. So this is the situation that video streaming is in:
Roughly 60% of internet traffic is video streaming which is why the focus is on reducing video quality which will reduce traffic loads.
How can video quality be reduced? Via compression, frames per second (fps) and/or resolution. How much benefit is there from reducing this? Consider the “Standard Definition” digital equivalent is about 480p resolution. As portrayed in the bandwidth usage charts here, Netflix bandwidth usage of 480p @ 23.976 fps versus 4K @ 59.940 fps is staggering! ~792 MB per hour vs ~7 GB per hour for a factor of over 7 times (700%)!
The impact may be annoying to some or some people might not even notice. I run all my video services at SD digital equivalent quality even pre-crisis because I don’t care and don’t really notice. I like that the videos load faster when they are smaller. Users may notice more so these differences on larger screens.
Compared to analog television, it doesn’t matter what the streaming services cut, it will still be better!
Published in eFor-Real’s “What Are Cheap/Free Methods For Boosting Internet Speed At Home?” Experts Post
What Are Cheap/Free Methods For Boosting Internet Speed At Home?
Trevor’s contribution is #9. The #1 cited item among the experts is to “plug in” rather than using WiFi.
eFor-Real’s goal is to enrich society with meaningful information. Read more about them here.
Preparing for Remote Working – During Coronavirus (covid-19) or Otherwise
Preparing for Remote Working
- Plug directly into your internet service modem/router. If you think you don’t have a cable, try looking in your original computer/modem/router boxes if you still have them. They usually come with a cable and you may have collected some unwittingly over time.
- If online stores are still open, invest in a good router. I talk more about this in my article: “Forget a bandwidth upgrade! Try these 4 things to make the home internet experience better“. Consumer Reports came out with article echoing the things I’ve mentioned but better yet, they make product recommendations: https://www.consumerreports.org/home-office/work-from-home-covid-19-tech-that-will-make-it-easier/.
- If your router has a Quality of Service (QoS) feature, use it. Assign your work computer to the “highest” setting while making sure junior is watching TV on a lower QoS setting. Break out your router’s manual to find out if you can do this.
- Set any video, including video for a teleconference, to its lowest quality setting. Most video streaming services have a “download to device” feature which can make sure the device is not streaming while you’re trying to teleconference. Switching from HD to SD can save up to 25% of your bandwidth – article: “Netflix And YouTube Switch To SD To Ease Pressure On European Networks“
- Think you’re ready for your work teleconference? Test your changes to see how well you did. The Cisco Spark WebEx Network Test measures all pieces of your internet service, like packet loss and jitter, to make sure you’re ready; it’s not just about bandwidth! (more below in the “More On Bandwidth Testing” section)
- While you might not need a webcam, you’re going to need a really good headset (again, if you can still order one online). I talk more about this in my “PMI-SAC Remote Working Tips” article. Don’t forget to mute if you’re not talking while on a teleconference!
- Make sure your workspace is ready:
- Have a room with a door that can be closed and that is quiet. If you have young kids a lock that can be locked from either side is essential! (Assuming another adult is responsible for watching the kids)
- If you’ll be doing video meetings, ensure the background behind you is tidy.
- Have a proper desk and chair setup. Do your best to make it ergonomic.
- Wear something that makes you feel productive. For many people this means not wearing pajamas but if that’s not you, then you’re good!
- Keep consistent work hours as much as possible.
- Go outside at least once during the day; especially important for those who live in areas where vitamin D supplements are necessary.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
- Get used to thinking about what is the best way to communicate to your team members depending on your needs. For instance, if you need to discuss something right away and at length, instant messaging might not be the right forum. Know when to pick up the phone or start a teleconference.
- You’re going to have to develop your ability to pick up on tones people are using. You may have heard that if you lose one of your senses, another sense goes into “overdrive”. Well, the same with remote working. You don’t have the luxury of a physical presence. More on this subject and more via the article “These are the 7 reasons why working from home can make you a better communicator“.
- If you need 1-1 check-ins, schedule them. Don’t assume someone is going to stop by regularly; make that happen.
Wrapping Up on Preparing for Remote Working
I hope it’s clear that being good at working remotely doesn’t just happen. Preparing for remote working takes preparation and some skills development. Don’t beat yourself up though, it takes time. Try to make the changes gradually if you can.
Next Level Your Remote Work
Internet Nirvana
It bears repeating: Have a good internet connection. If somebody can’t hear you properly, there is something wrong with the upload path. If you can’t hear them, it’s the download path. Ask a techy friend to help you out if you can. The Internet can have a problem all the way through a path (point A to B). But in general, the problem could be your wiring, your equipment or the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) wiring or equipment.
Here’s a few things to know before you start.
Definition of the terms using a road analogy:
Bandwidth is # of lanes on the road.
Latency is “how long does it take to get there”.
Jitter is “out of X number of trips, how consistent is the time it takes to get there? (latency)”.
When we drive we are usually concerned about the time it takes (latency) and stops (jitter, which might make the trip longer). It’s rare somebody says “It’d be great if I had a 10 lane highway instead of this 2 lane road”. Pretty crazy that we focus so much on bandwidth right?
Some alternative internet tests to make sure your internet connection is ok:
https://packetlosstest.com/ This site measures connection up to 3 min in length if troubleshooting your connection, includes packet loss and jitter with a jitter graph)
https://speed.cloudflare.com/ This site provides in-depth statistical analysis of download, upload and includes jitter.
Custom PC
A custom PC is pretty much as good as it gets. Having an “instant click” PC is pretty handy! Great hardware, software and an operating system you have complete control over. All at a reduced price and each single part warrantied.
If you’re thinking “I wouldn’t even know where to begin” it’s good to know that you can hire somebody to build it for you and you’ll still save a bundle. I recommend having a techy friend, if you’re lucky enough to know one, build a specification list for a custom PC. There are computer stores that will accept a parts list and build it for you (for less than $100). You get a PC like it’s off the shelf but with savings of 150-400% (1.5-4x less).
More Remote Working Articles
For more remote working suggestions see:
- For an excellent multiple author tip compilation article see Working From Home Tips.
- For a focus on productivity and morale see 23 Essential Tips for Working Remotely.
- For a leaning towards beginners see Remote working tips for beginners.
- For artists: on how to work from home with a home studio.
- For important rules teams can adopt to maximize productivity and overcome limitations that offices allow us to workaround but become big problems when working remotely: “4 Work-From-Home Mistakes That Cost Businesses Thousands Of Dollars“.
About the Author
Trevor Textor has worked in various roles requiring remote work since 1997. Since 2014 he’s been supporting small, medium and large businesses as a freelancer (contingent labor) with a “swiss-army knife”-like suite of skills. In addition to setting up policy, procedures and technology for himself and his partner he has also met this need with clients in enabling their remote work. Trevor has been quoted by Reader’s Digest, NBC News, Reviews.com and MarketWatch.com regarding setting up appropriate Internet and WiFi service for remote work. Ask Trevor if he can help: https://www.textor.ca/contactme/.