Google Meet

At Casino-Professor, we have been using Google Meet for our video conferencing software and have had great results. 

 It works seamlessly alongside G Suite, with event invites and calendar dates automatically having a Google Meet link so that attendees can log in to the meeting with no delay. However, the biggest advantage of using Google Meet has been when conducting video calls with external sources. Rather than everyone needing to download Zoom or another app, the meeting takes place within the browser (for desktop users) which saves time liaising about what software to use beforehand.

 Of course, Google Meet doesn't have as many features as a few other apps (notably Zoom). However, we haven't ever needed to use these tools so the experience hasn't dropped. The connection can become a bit unstable for a few seconds too, but this can often be due to an attendee's internet rather than the app itself.

At BruceHarpham, we use Google Meet. Following are the pros and cons of this software.

Pro: Google Meet is my favorite video conferencing solution. I like that I can join calls by phone for audio while keeping the video option. The option to record calls and easily share them after without having to email large files has been highly beneficial.

 Con: Sometimes people do not join the call. It would be helpful if there was some kind of reminder function to help other people join the call on a timely basis.

At Casino-Professor, we use Google Meet as our video conferencing tool.

 My favorite aspect is that you don't need to download any app or software, if using a laptop or desktop, to get the full range of features. You simply paste the meeting link into your browser to connect straight away. This is very useful when calling people from outside our office, as we don't need to worry about using the same software as each other. Google Meet is also very well incorporated with Google Suite. Whenever you create a meeting in your calendar, a Google Meet link is automatically created and shared with the guests - so you don't need to worry about sending it beforehand.

 The one downside to Google Meet is that you can only see the video of up to four participants at the same time. In other tools, you can divide the screen size equally depending on how many are in attendance. It would also be handy if you could share your device's audio. Currently, the feature is limited to video only.

In this time of pandemic where we are forced to maintain social distancing, web conferencing is the only way to hold a meeting without compromising yourself and your employees’ health. At COUPON LAWN, we held meetings throgh Google meet.

The advantage of using Google Meet is anyone with a Google account can create an online meeting. With the free version, the limit is up to 100 participants and you can meet for up to 60 minutes per meeting. Currently, they are allowing up to 24 hours per meeting until September 30, 2020. Also you can benefit from their other features like live captioning during meetings, video and audio preview screens, adjustable layout and screen settings, controls for meeting host, screen sharing, integration with Google and Microsoft Office apps, and many more. 

The only disadvantage of Google Meet is it can only be accessed through Google Chrome. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Google Meet might have trouble signing in and might cause delays, but this can always be prevented by giving complete instructions to your team. Google Meet is currently offering three plans, the free plan, G Suite Essentials, and the G Suite Enterprise Essentials. More and more businesses are moving to Google Meet as it offers counter-abuse measures to help protect your data privacy. 

At Incrementors Web Solutions, I use a variety of collaboration tools, but my regular go-to tool is Google meet (meet.google.com). Basically what we were looking for was a conferencing solution that was free and reliable. Working and presentations directly from home was also a big consideration. By using Google Meet I am able to stay connected with my employees and my clients when working remotely.

Pros:- Great way to connect with your friends or coworkers ESP during the COVID 19 pandemic. We're able to do a lot of work and have more productive meetings since the quality is pretty good.

Cons:- I struggle with the group video conferencing feature of Google Hangouts Meet when using them to connect and collaborate. After the video conference starts, I hear the participant's voices echo. Or, screen multiplying. So, I have to ask the participant to mute. Or, I have to ask the participant to click join Hangout once and then screen share or disconnect and join the hangout call again.

My overall experience is good and I have been using this tool for the last 3 years.

As a small, remote business(Authority Hacker) with less than 10 employees, we find ourselves using video conferences on a daily basis to keep in touch. That said, having been involved in calls with more people, it's clear there is no one size fits-all approach to this type of software and it really depends on your exact setup. For us though, I would love to share my insight working with a small team.

We currently use Google Meets.

This software is great for companies that have multiple small one on one meetings throughout the week. It's easy to set up meetings, there's no software to install and you don't need to create any accounts to get started.

One of the most powerful features is that it links in with Google Calendar, so if you're using Google and create an invitation, it automatically generates a room code so you can jump right into the call without needing to setup a new meeting every time - it's a huge time saver.

That said, it's still very limited in terms of large group features. There are limited privacy options, you can't display larger numbers of guests at once and their mobile app is extremely limited, lacking basic features like gallery view. For this reason, it's perfect for us in a small team environment, but for large enterprises, it may not be a perfect fit.

Here at Equilibrium, we use the Google Suite for it’s cloud based Drive, Calendar and Gmail capabilities so it was a natural choice for us to host our meetings (both internal and external) through Google Meet. The ease of being able to book a meeting through Google Calendar and providing a link to all involved is great, on top of being able to just make one on the fly.

Google Meet allows us to create secure meetings within our organisation and notifies the members of a meeting if someone from outside Equilibrium wants to enter. Considering some of the data breaches that have happened over the past 12 months with other video conferencing providers, this provided peace of mind to both us and our clients.

During the initial weeks of the team working from home brought on by COVID-19, the platform did have its downsides. Not being able to view in tile view made it challenging to engage with all members in a Google Meet and the inability to live stream brought on similar engagement challenges. Thankfully, these issues weren’t around for long with Google rectifying both limitations.

The only feature not available with Google Meet that is on other comparable SaaS platforms is the ability to hide your messy home office with a virtual background. We use Snap Camera as a work around.

Other features include

Being able to record meetings

Screen sharing

Messaging (particularly helpful for asking questions when someone is presenting)

Live captions provided by Google's Speech Recognition

Overall the platform is easy to use, secure and full of great features. With the platform combining with google hangouts and offering most of its features for free to everyone, Equilibrium finds it hard to recommend another platform. 4.5 stars ⭐

Microsoft Teams is a relatively new entry to the video conferencing scene but with the backing of the tech giant that is Microsoft, it was a no brainer to jump on board and hold meetings on the platform.

Feature wise, it is just as rich as you would expect from a Microsoft product, although to take full advantage, you need to jump onto the paid model. In saying that, there are more than enough features to just hold meetings whether it be interoffice or between yourself and a client on the free tier.

You can share meetings with anyone you wish by providing them a link, they can then install the software or use their web browser for the meeting if they do not wish to do so. Not having to install the software is a great option, saving the hassle of the download for just one or two meetings.