6 Do’s and Don’ts of Zoom Happy Hour

We've pretty much all been on a Zoom happy hour, or HH as I'll refer to it in this article, by this point in the pandemic. Zoom wasn't even really a thing before this, and now it's a major part of a lot of people's lives as they catch up with friends and family, or stay in touch with coworkers.

So what is okay and not okay to do during a Zoom call, even if it's just casual with your friends?

The Washington Post put together this list of the main do's and don'ts for a Zoom HH:

1. Do take your host duties seriously. If you are hosting the party and send out the Zoom link, you have a responsibility to your guests. Depending on your settings, you may have to be in the session before anyone else can join. Be ready to welcome the group, and once everyone’s online, do introductions if you need to. And don't let one person hog the conversation.

2. Don't share the link without telling the host. Hosting a virtual cocktail party is similar to hosting in the real world: A good guest would never show up with more guests without clearing it in advance.

3. Don't show up late. There’s no “fashionably late” when it comes to Zoom entertaining. It's depressing to stare at any empty screen with your cocktail.

4. Do acquaint yourself with the mute button. Your fellow partiers don’t need to hear your kids fighting.

5. Do keep the numbers reasonable. If you have more guests than six or eight guests, it might get complicated if someone starts to monopolize the conversation. And if people get bored, they might be tempted to ghost the party, later blaming “bad WiFi.”

6. Don't multitask. Looking at your phone is rude.

AGREED! It's like being at dinner or drinks with your friend you haven't seen in a while. You don't want to give off the impression that whoever is on the other side of that phone is more important than the time you're spending together with them on the virtual hang.

Besides, we're all always on our phones in a time like this. Set it down for a while (I say as I'm completely guilty of this and am acknowledging it and reminding myself to do better).