A major change in the way we communicate is one result of the COVID pandemic. People in society are now more accustomed to attend their “meetings” via Zoom or another conduit. I, myself, just experienced my state annual TCM conference through Zoom. It was a completely virtual experience.

I thought the presentations were excellent and I learned a great deal from each one I attended virtually. The presenters clearly presented their respective topics and I had no trouble in learning the information. Actually, thee is something to learn from the comforts of your home. There are no issues with traveling or with getting the foods you like.

The other aspect of learning virtually that I liked was how efficient the process was from registering in to logging out. It was simple even for a non-tech guy like me. Obviously, a big part of this efficiency has to attributed to the work of the members of FSOMA. They did a great job.

Though attending the conference by way of Zoom was positive, there were some negatives that I must point out. For one, there is nothing that can replace the human interaction you have and experience in attending such a conference in person. Yes, I was able to appreciate the material of the lecturers. However, as with any virtual presentation, it wasn’t as engaging as the ones where you are sitting in the same room as the lecturer.

How so? For one, I wasn’t able to ask a question on a specific subject matter, at the time when the lecturer would give me the succinct response. I had to wait till the end of the presentation to ask my question.

Another aspect of attending a conference in person is the camaraderie formed between the participants. For me, the best reason to attend a conference is the ability to network and develop meaningful friendships. You really can’t do this by attending a conference through Zoom.