The UUA website has a new resource page on Web Conferencing Providers for congregations wishing to use web conferencing technology when you aren’t able to get everyone together in person.
The UUA Information Technology Services endorses AnyMeeting for web conferences. This allows meetings and workshops to be conducted online, and allows people who can’t attend worship or congregational events in person to participate online. An online attendee needs only a computer with high speed Internet and a telephone.
You can have a free account if you’re ok with ads appearing on everyone’s screen during the meeting. Or you can purchase a month-to-month subscription for an ad-free account. If you purchase a month-to-month subscription, you can get a 10% discount by using coupon code “UUA” when you complete the payment section. Go to AnyMeeting for UUA Community Members for the discounted options.
Depending on the account you choose, up to 25 or 200 people can join your conference. Up to six webcams can be visible at one time, people can raise their virtual hands, and you can record the meeting audio and screen sharing. You may also like the ability to conduct quick polls and easily send follow-up emails to your attendees.
UUA Tech Services has also created a Support Community for those who intend to host meetings using AnyMeeting technology for ongoing support. Take two minutes to subscribe to the UUA ChurchMgmtSoftware email list where you can ask a question, search for an answer, or give someone else a hand. The hope is this will become a self-supporting community of congregational technology users.
In the Pacific Western Region we have been using AnyMeeting for our webinars as well as meetings for over a year now. If you think using this technology would be a benefit for your congregation, feel free to email the PWR Training and Communication Specialist, Lori Ragona, for assistance: lragona@uua.org. She’s quite happy to ‘show you around’ a live AnyMeeting session and help you get set up to use these services.