install fun and functional apps that integrate with zoom.
by beth ziesenis
app of the week
if zoom is your preferred online meeting app, you are in luck! did you know there is a zoom app marketplace? zoom has more than 1,500 apps available, and there have been more than 6,000,000 app installs. a perfect day to explore these is coming april 1, national fun at work day. (yes, it coincides with april fools’ day.)
more apps of the week: make your computer a clean slate | recycle and repurpose old devices | enlist ai for more productive meetings | keep teams on task with project management apps | apps to put your affairs in order | app of the week: celebrate black business month | app of the week: cheap flights | help your clients save money | time to upgrade your spreadsheets | app of the week: secretly stash cash | easy apps for increasing client engagement with video | app of the week: grow your business knowledge and career skill sets | app of the week: upgrade your resume | app of the week: end procrastination |
see all: apps of the week here |
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the new zoom apps go beyond simple integration to let you use all kinds of apps right inside your zoom meetings. the apps include ice-breaking tools such as heads up! from ellen degeneres, bingo, trivia and word-guessing games.
but there are some things to keep in mind.
permissions are everything. before using zoom apps, you must enable them in your zoom settings. they’re available on both free and paid accounts.
here’s the problem: if you get your zoom account through a company, you’re going to have to ask for permission to enable them. it’s a total pain. and when you get permission to have them at all, you may have to ask permission again to install certain apps.
the app choices are overwhelming. as with microsoft teams, the zoom app marketplace homepage is a great place to start browsing, but you’ll see very quickly that the store is overwhelming. you can narrow the lists down by categories, uses and whether or not you have to get admin permission.
here are some of the categories:
- games for icebreakers, meeting breaks, team building;
- collaboration to help with project management and teamwork;
- meeting management to keep meetings from going too long or straying off-topic;
- recording/transcription to, well, record and transcribe;
- scheduling to make finding a time to meet easier;
- crm to schedule meetings and keep track of connections; and
- education to transform zoom recordings and events into measurable content.
great apps to start with:
- sesh to set an agenda and timings for your zoom meeting — others can view it online rather than having to download to their zoom account.
- #warmly people insights to help you prep for meetings and interviews. it looks up your contacts and helps you find insights and background (see image above).
- miro for collaborative whiteboards
- buildbetter.ai research for better, more detailed meeting notes.
setting up your zoom app might be frustrating for you. some of the apps work only on your zoom interface. others only work if all attendees have them installed. some apps can be installed without admin permission. others will need to be approved. it’s a mish-mash of functionality and frustration. when you find an app you want to use, try it out with a trusted zoom buddy before rolling it out at your next staff meeting.
setting up zoom apps will most likely be frustrating for your team members. so you found a great tool for your team and want to start using it at office meetings. perfect. if it’s one of the many that require all participants to have the app installed, have a pre-meeting training to get everyone set up. this will take some time and might lead to multiple people having to leave the meetings multiple times to start and restart their applications and computers and everything else.
however, it should get easier as time goes on. early adopters are jumping in and playing around, but we should see improved functionality and upgraded apps soon.
here’s a cool video explaining the apps and showing samples of successes…and failures.