Last update: 2020/06/29 12:30

How virtual JOBIM works           

Here you will find explanations on how JOBIM works virtually.

Introduction

First of all, thank you for your participation in this virtual JOBIM, which was initially planned as a face-to-face event in Montpellier.

As you can imagine, COVID-19 has changed everything in our organization, which started more than 2 years ago! In the space of a few months, we had to question everything, reorganise everything: consider the virtual version, cancel what could be cancelled, review budgets, audit service providers, test technical solutions, make sometimes delicate choices (Zoom), organise an incalculable number of virtual meetings, organise the training of nearly a hundred people (speakers, moderators, chairwomen/men, organisers) in less than 2 weeks and over about thirty sessions of about 1 hour. And I'm certainly forgetting some of them, we were so busy. This is why we will not be safe from problems, Murphy's law and its corollary Bonaldi oblige, and we ask you to be patient and understanding in this very particular context.

On this page you will find:

• how this virtual edition is organized
• how the poster sessions works
• how to join the different sessions
• how and where to ask questions
• what do you do if you have some problems
• the reason for choosing Zoom

Organization of the virtual edition

We are going to use 2 tools for this conference:

• Zoom in Webinar mode
• JITSI for e-poster sessions

There will be 3 virtual rooms for Zoom Webinar, named Visio room 1, Visio room 2 and Visio room 3. To enter as a viewer, you will need a password, which will be provided to you by email just before the start of the conference. You will be able to use the Zoom web interface, which requires no installation, works on many web browsers, and is as secure as your web browser. You will also be able to download and use the Zoom client (PC or mobile). We strongly recommend the Zoom client, for several reasons: it will be more stable, offer better video quality, and give you access to all conference features (except for voting questions for Linux clients).

The webinar rooms associated with each session will be posted on the calendar page prior to the start of the conference. They will be used for all sessions (opening, mini-symposia, SFBI AGM, closing, etc.), with the exception of poster sessions.

These poster sessions will be held using the JITSI Meet tool, with one room per poster, with the expectation that the system will hold (details below). This tool does not require any installation, and works in your web browser (chrome/chromium recommended).If you encounter a malfunction, try reloading the page or changing browsers. Jitsi allows chatting and raising your hand to have organized and pleasant discussions.

How the poster sessions work

ALL posters are available at the same time. However, the authors of the posters will not necessarily be present all the time (that's 3 hours in total), even if we ask them to make the effort to be present at each session.

In case you present a poster and wish to see others, you must keep the JITSI room of your poster open, please leave a message indicating where you are and/or when you will be back, while being in another JITSI poster room (remember to activate your microphone only on one room at a time!).

During the poster sessions, you will be invited to go to the virtual poster room https://jobim2020.sciencesconf.org/page/poster_room

On this page, you can use filters (combined with the "AND" logic) to help you find the posters you are interested in more easily. Each poster has a presentation sheet with title, authors, categories, keywords, thumbnail, link to the PDF version and finally the link to the corresponding JITSI room (all is done on your browser).

The virtual poster room will be open throughout the duration of JOBIM. Poster presenters are required to return to their JITSI room first, 5 to 10min before the start of each poster session, and are free to leave as soon as the session is over; but you can also arrange with them an appointment to return outside the poster sessions.

We have more than 650 registered and there are about 200 posters. We can expect network problems. To limit their impact, we ask you to be a good citizen:

• Don't stay in a JITSI room that has more than 6 people (unless the audio and video streams are excellent for everyone);

• Do not stay in the room if the poster presenter is absent;

• If you see a lot of people in the poster room where you are, try to keep your questions short so that you don't stay too long to clear the space as soon as possible;

• Wait at least 5 minutes before coming back to the same poster room.

• To ask a question, use the "Raise your hand" feature of JITSI to avoid cacophony.

Join the presentation sessions

To join the presentation sessions, please refer to the calendar on the website (program):https://jobim2020.sciencesconf.org/program

Whether in week, day or list version, you will find (soon!) the links to the corresponding webinar rooms for each session. Just click on the link and Zoom will launch. Then, depending on your choice, you can download the Zoom proprietary client or use the web client. Sometimes the link to use the web client does not appear right away.. You just have to click on the download link and it will appear (just below it in a smaller size).

Afterwards, you may be waiting in the “waiting room” for the start of the webinar. Indeed, before each webinar, we have technical verifications to do. That's why the webinar room starts between 10 and 30 minutes before the session, but remains closed to spectators. Please note that the web client in the waiting room may ask your name several times and fill out a captcha: wait until the session start time to fill them out and avoid doing it too often.

How to ask questions during presentations

The Zoom Webinar tool provides several ways to ask questions. The simplest is the dedicated button "Q. & R." (or "Q. & A." in English), which you can use at any time during the conference. Anyone can see the written questions at any time, as soon as they are asked after entering the room. Viewing participants can also vote for questions to be moved to the top of the list.

The other way to ask questions is simply by chatting ("conversing"). The disadvantage is that you can't vote for a message, and the question may be harder to find for the chairman/woman. However, some customers may have problems with the question system, so the chat offers them an alternative that we didn't want to close.

At the end of each presentation, if there is time left, the chairman/woman will choose the questions. For each question he/she will name the author, if the author wishes to speak the chairman/woman will ask him to "virtually raise his hand via Zoom" and the question will be read. The author will then receive a message from Zoom inviting him to activate his microphone if he wishes to speak. The speaker will answer him/her under the same conditions as in person and once the exchange is over, the microphone will be switched off.

What to do if you have some problems

For connection problems with Zoom, if you are using the proprietary client, remember to update it. Check that you are not on a network with port restrictions: if this is the case, try on another network (EduRoam, 4G,...). If you are using the web client, reload the page and reconnect; try with your browser in private browsing; try with another browser or another machine. If you don't have sound, check that you are using the correct audio output (and if you need to talk, check the microphone selection as well). If you are having problems with audio and/or video reception, check that your network bandwidth is not being taken up by other things (downloads, people watching internet TV, online games, etc.). If you are on Wifi and can switch to wired, do it!

In extreme cases, you can contact us at jobim2020-contact@lirmm.fr, giving us as many details as possible about your problem: when and how it happened, what you tried to do to solve it, and your phone number if you would like us to call you.

Unfortunately, we do not have a switchboard. 

Why the choice of Zoom

The choice of Zoom was a delicate one, because there was a whole "buzz" about its security. However, it is the only reliable tool capable of managing our load and meeting our needs. We have considered and tested many tools (the list is long), and few can provide such a conference. Among the other alternatives, some of them use the Amazon cloud, for example, which we found even more displeasing. The fact that all of our audited providers use Zoom, that Zoom has changed its policy and fixed most of its security issues, and that we can choose Zoom servers hosted in France finally confirmed our choice. Nevertheless, we understand that this may be problematic for some of you, but we cannot do otherwise.

Regarding the security controversy, there is no such thing as a 100% safe and secure tool. Without getting into an endless debate, Zoom may not be "perfectly safe" but neither is it as irresponsible as some media have tried to make it seem. Some aspects have been exaggerated, and the equivalent problems of competition have been very easily forgotten. We have to keep in mind that there are trade wars behind all this, and that Zoom was able to capture the overwhelming majority of the market in a few weeks, where other heavyweights failed (I let the theorist-complotistes make the link between market share, money at stake and disinformation campaigns ;-) ). Let's not be fooled, neither by disinformation campaigns nor by the counter-attack announcements made by Zoom. Let's use this tool as intelligently as our other tools, keeping in mind to protect our sensitive data but without falling into excessive paranoia.

With respect to our privacy and our rights, Zoom's policy in this regard has been greatly improved and is in line with acceptable standards, at least legally.

We recommend that you use the updated Zoom proprietary client (very quick installation), if possible on a dedicated machine, remembering that you can uninstall it after the conference.