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Virtual meetings for the forum?


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I have become a member of NMRA and their divisions and regions are doing a lot of virtual meetings during the pandemic. I was wondering if we ever considered having a virtual meet every month or once a quarter. It would be great to catch up with folks on this forum and maybe look at some of your layouts and exchange ideas. Personally, I find that my model train interests are aligned closest with members on this forum.

 

Just putting it out there to see if there is interest.

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Kiran,

 

we were just talking about this and going to throw one out here in the next week for a try. A few of us have been trying a few zoom calls from California to europe and we’re going to try to find some other times to cover other parts of the world. Hard to get us all at once around the world, but once we find who is into participating we can come up with a few times that can hopefully cover everyone interested, of course if we have a big turnout then we need to figure out some structure like a few giving some specific presentations and then qna or maybe each person giving a 2-3minute background presentation on their interests, etc. past a dozen free form can get a bit crazy.

 

who is interested and what times work best for you (best use utc time to get past odd bits) for some virtual meetings?

 

jeff

 

 

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This is really a nice idea!  I'm very interested!

 

Unfortunately, i have quite an erratic schedule, but generally i am mostly free on saturdays and sundays.

Edited by Socimi
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If anyone is interested a few of us are doing a zoom 1400 utc on Sunday (tomorrow). Pm me and I can get you the zoom link. One thing we were going to discuss was how to approach this for a larger group! 
 

firsT knowing hoe many folks are interested and what times would work and where they are would be helpful to start a plan here. 
 

for now we can just start with this zoom and expand and change it as interest directs It. I’ve got a pro zoom account so can set up meetings w.o limits and give others the moderator privilege so if we get different times going different folks can set up and run them.

 

jeff

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37 minutes ago, roadstar_na6 said:

You could also just all meet in the discord voice chat our server has 😄

 

That's true... we should give a try at using the voice chat of Discord sometimes...

 

But i'd still go for a zoom meeting too, as there aren't many that use the Discord server...

 

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

If anyone is interested a few of us are doing a zoom 1400 utc on Sunday (tomorrow). Pm me and I can get you the zoom link. One thing we were going to discuss was how to approach this for a larger group! 

 

Ah... Unfortunately, i won't be present, at that time i'll be at the Novegro Hobby Model Expo...

 

  

Edited by Socimi
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I would love to participate in tomorrow's chat Jeff. Most weekends work for me and I am in California. On Saturdays and Sundays, I can do 4pm UTC to 2am UTC. I could also meet week days say 12am UTC which is my evening time. I have a fw team members I manage in Tokyo and Bangalore and so I am used to all time zones. It is really tricky to find a time that works for everyone.

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I was involved in a 2.5 hour zoom get together this morning -- the first 70 minutes an organized reunion and then chat for another hour+.  The same group was meeting weekly up through August and now meets monthly.  Just to chat and catch up.

 

(The groups common theme is we all were together in Germany in the mid 80s doing volunteer work for our church).

 

These sorts of things can be interesting and fun.

 

Quote

If anyone is interested a few of us are doing a zoom 1400 utc on Sunday (tomorrow). Pm me and I can get you the zoom link. One thing we were going to discuss was how to approach this for a larger group!

 

You are supposed to organize it so the Europeans and those in Asia have to be up at weird hours...  🙂

 

Edited by chadbag
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Yeah I do a number of them even my old high school class is doing them monthly. 
 

our club has gone to doing zooms instead of our monthly lunches and we may do them more frequently.

 

yes organized bit at first then more chat afterwards usually works.

 

other ideas are:

  • layout tours
  • operating sessions (Ie take turns each running a different train for a couple of minutes while we chat)
  • show and tell on new stuff from the post
  • workbench tours
  • projects in process
  • maintenance and scenery demos

yes with a worldwide forum it’s a mess to schedule so we will just have to see what we can find that works, can’t make it perfect for all! 
 

jeff

 

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Martijn Meerts

It's definitely fun talking to people. For now we've had fairly few people join, mostly just testing things. I think if more people join we do need some moderation though, so not everyone will be talking at the same time 😄

 

I like the idea of layout tours and such, great source of inspiration.

 

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Great grant, I think we would need to do a new time to do a pacific chat to span Asia to us. Also could do a europe to asia one. 
 

current one is every other Sunday 15.00 utc so it’s 8am San Francisco (good for junior and early sunday) to Berlin at 5pm with the current group. But that’s unfortunately 4am in Christchurch and midnight in Tokyo. Next one will be oct 11 on the 15.00 utc.

 

others in asia/pacific want to try either an asia/euro one or an Asia/americas one?
 

as folks show interest here and we discuss I can make a pm devoted to each meeting span (ie America’s/Europe, Asia/Europe, Europe/Asia, or others) and post meeting links and such to those and we just add folks as they show interest for each.

 

jeff

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Forgot to mention we can also record the zooms if we do more presentation style events (not sure most would want to watch a just a conversation zoom recorded.) so that those who can’t make one can at least watch the recording if they want. 
 

but this does level the question is everyone cool with being recorded? I know some larger events don’t allow recording as some object to it.

 

jeff

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I'd be interested in both a USA/Europe and a USA/Asia one.  Even just chatting and maybe intros to start etc.

 

I know the ones I am one for the missionary group I was in 35 years ago are recorded and shared within the private FB group for those who can't make it.  Again, with the notice for eberyone before had.

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4 hours ago, chadbag said:

USA/Europe and a USA/Asia

Let’s not forget our neighbors to the north, one of whom is Bill, my compatriot in the prototypes forum 🙂 I’m not sure how many members we have elsewhere in North/South America.

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9 hours ago, miyakoji said:

Let’s not forget our neighbors to the north, one of whom is Bill, my compatriot in the prototypes forum 🙂 I’m not sure how many members we have elsewhere in North/South America.

 

In terms of time zones, Canada is the same as the USA, and by USA we were referring to time zones.


Besides, Canada is the 51st state anyway 🤣 

 

Props to whomever identifies this line -- "Ten bucks is ten bucks!"

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The usual one now for America’s to Europe is oct 11 at 15:00 UTC (11am est, 8am pst). Anyone interested pm me and I’ll add you to a pm I’ll send out with the zoom link a few days before.

 

anyone want to set up another one for Asia/Europe or Asia/americas? Propose times and once settled on one I can set up a meeting.

 

cheers

 

jeff

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The usual every other Sunday chat will be Sunday oct 25 at 15:00 UTC (11am est, 8am pst). Anyone interested pm me and I’ll add you to the zoom link pm.

 

anyone want to set up another one for Asia/Europe or Asia/americas? Propose times and once settled on one I can set up a meeting.


jeff

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ok i have sent out the meeting link pm to all those that have expressed interest. anyone who didnt get it and wants it please pm me so i can make sure you are on the distribution list. its now set as a recurring meeting so the same link should work for the next few months here on every other sunday.

 

again if anyone wants to try one on an alternative time yell and i can schedule it in zoom and then you can be in charge of getting out the link to those who want to participate. since this is a publicly accessible forum we cant post the link publically here or will get bombed likely... Im happy to facilitate with my zoom account just dont want to get into doing all the distro work for a bunch of them myself.

 

jeff

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Hope folks had fun on the zoom today. I got called away to help a friend in the morning at the last minute and spaced the zoom was happening, but it should have been open for everyone to join and use without a waiting room and direct entry. Let me know if that did not happen. 
 

the next is scheduled for 4pm UTC (8am pst, 11am est) dec 6. If folsk want we can do a little later to make it not so early for west coast us and dinner time in Europe or keep it the same. Also if someone wants to organize other chats spanning other time zones (this one just came out of americas/Europe group) happy to set them up once we can find a time that works for foils in like Europe/asia and Asia/americas span. 
 

anyone who would like to join the biweekly americas/Europe zoom pm me and I’ll get you the recurring meeting link.

 

jeff

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Normally I'd like it a bit later but due to my other Sunday AM commitments, the time is fine with me.  I have a commitment that starts 30 min after this starts so I can only drop in for a short while on most days, but like that when I can.

 

keep up the good work.

 

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A virtual meet and greet with JNR members? That could be interesting. As long it's not late at night (between 02- and 06 UTC), I should be in.

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