5 Things to Avoid When Video Conferencing From Home

5 Things to Avoid When Video Conferencing From Home5 Things to Avoid When Video Conferencing From HomeOnline video conferencing applications such as Zoom, WebEx, Skype, and GoToMeeting are great tools that enable those who work at home to virtually meet with collaborators and colleagues. It allows for decision-making in real time and building a personal rapport with co-workers at the same time. And all this professional collaboration makes it easier for those of us seeking work-life balance to find it.Yes, these online tools are great until they are not.While meetings with these tools can be effective, efficient ways for people to come together, there are a few cautionary tales. Take, for example, the woman who was manicuring her nails during a meeting while unbeknownst to her she was being projected on a wall-size screen at the companys other locations around the world. And then there was the guy who was working from home and visible in a meeting only from the chest up. He was weari ng a nice, Oxford shirt. Hilarity ensured, however, when he got up from his chair to retrieve a book. He was only wearing boxers below the Oxford.Despite these snafus, virtual meetings are taking off in the corporate world- something those of us who work at home truly appreciate. Technological advancements, coupled with the willingness by more companies to allow employees to work at least part of the time from home, has made online video conferencing a valuable, cost-conscious way for workers to collaborate.But there is a dark underbelly associated with these types of meeting, too, that can range from downright hysterical to abjectly humiliating to rapid dismissal from the company. If you need to participate in these meetings, here are a few things to keep in mind. 01Video GaffesElementalImaging/Getty ImagesAs with mosttechnology, online video conferencing is a marvelous tool that drives business engagement and enables people working outside the traditional office to be important co ntributors to the workplace team.But also like with most technology, users need a strong, common sense notion of what is and what is not proper in video conference meetings. Many moons ago, my first boss had this bit of advice regarding email If you wouldnt write your message on a postcard home to your mother, you probably shouldnt send it in an e-mail. In the world of video conferencing, this kind of common sense is still a very good piece of advice, too.