As the world rapidly embraces video chat technology to keep WFH (working from home) or in social contact with friends and family while physically distancing, a few traps for new players are emerging with embarrassing, awkward or concerning impacts.

Here’s a seven point checklist to help you be well set-up before starting or joining a video call with others:

1. Check your background view

Unmade beds - or perhaps any bed, dirty dishes, kids picking their noses or playing in their own home, private photos, memorabilia or other distracting effects don’t need to be shared with others. This is more important for a work video call.

A number of video platforms offer virtual background screen capacity - this is a great option to disguise your background and Canva are now offering design templates to create a beautiful screen for free. Let others see your creative talents instead!

2. Check your background noise

Nobody on a video call needs to hear another person in your space using the bathroom, having a conversation, disciplining children, the pet making noise etc.

Set yourself up in a quiet separate space from the rest of the crew at home. Close doors wherever you can! If you have to do a call in the bathroom or bedroom to get a quiet space then please disguise the background as per point 1 above.

Use headphones on video call - even better noise cancelling ones. Headphones help to cut out background sounds and keep your own sound clear.

3. Don’t share your personal video ID publicly

Just like you don’t share your phone lumber, your home address, your bank details etc. Only share your personal video ID with people you know and want to talk to via video.

You don’t want uninvited people turning up on your video calls, spamming you or corrupting your service.

4. If you are the video call host, prevent other callers joining the call before you

This is an important security feature to prevent unwanted or unknown users joining your video call. It’s like having a security screen on your front door.

You wouldn’t want random strangers wandering through your house, so it’s the same for your video calls.

Disable “join before host” capabilities, activate your video call waiting room feature, require other callers to enter their name on the video call and/or set a password for your video call meetings that only invited guests can access.

5. If you don’t know who the video caller is, don’t get onto a call with them

You wouldn’t get into a car (that’s not a taxi or Uber) with someone you didn’t know, you wouldn’t let a stranger into your house or office if it wasn’t verified by AirBnB, so don’t accept them onto a call with you. This is particularly important for kids doing video calls.

6. Have your device camera focused to your face at a pleasing angle

Just like a nice selfie photo, a good camera angle is important on a video call. Nobody is that interested in your nose hairs or hand and your chest is unlikely to be appropriate for work calls. What we all really want to see is your eyes and mouth.

Get yourself a mobile, tablet or laptop stand - usually cheaply available online for fast delivery to help you look your best for video calls.

7. People can see you

Just like people can see you when you’re in a car, a video call is not the time or place to go to the bathroom, engage in personal grooming or scratch an itch in an awkward place. If you must move about, please turn your video off first to prevent offending other video callers and turn it back on when you’re focused and settled again.

Stay well and safe in ‘iso while the ‘Rona blows through.

By Dr Christine May ViDe Virtual Dental Principal Dentist and Founder