Today, online meetings have become an integral part of the workflow. Recording an online meeting allows for delayed viewing of key moments. In addition, they can bring together employees working far and near.
The relevance of the issue has grown. This is due to the evolution of technology and a change in the work paradigm. Videoconferencing is a communication tool between employees located in different time zones and countries.
Videoconferencing (VCS) has become firmly embedded in our lives, becoming an essential tool for business, education, medicine, and consulting services.
In business, they are used for meetings. Education is also actively using the capabilities of the VCS. In medicine, they are used for consultations, diagnosis of diseases, monitoring the condition of patients, even for remote operations.
Consultants in various fields use VCS to communicate with clients, provide expert assessments, and develop development strategies.
Why record video conferences
Revisiting important details is one of the most compelling reasons. It allows participants to:
- Refresh your memory of the key points. After the conference, it’s easy to forget important decisions, assignments, or information.
- Carefully examine the complex details.
- Exclude disagreements: In case of disputes about what has been said or decided.
- Use the information for further work.
- Save time.
Let’s look at application examples in various industries. First of all, this is education. Medicine is not far behind him. Such materials allow doctors to analyze the course of treatment and track progress. This may include the area of finance and legal advice.
Ways to record video conferences
Built-in functions of the VKS platforms
How do I record a meeting in Zoom or Google Meet? The easiest and most effective way is to use a professional screen recorder.
Your needs will determine which program suits you best. If you prefer web-based programs, pay attention to Google Meet or GoToMeeting. If you prefer a downloadable app that is on your device, you can choose Teams.
Among the popular platforms are:
- Google Meet is a web–based tool from Google. It is accessible to anyone, and allows meetings lasting up to 60 minutes with up to 100 people. The program is free to download for Windows or Mac.
- Microsoft Teams: Part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
- Yandex.The teleconference.
- eXpress: A Russian platform for secure conferences and messaging.
Using third-party software
- The screen recorder. You can use it to create educational materials, demonstrate how programs work, record gameplay, or record video meetings, online conferences, and webinars.
- OBS Studio. It offers convenient settings and support for various input sources.
- Bandicam is a paid screen recording software.
- Movavi Screen Recorder. It makes it easy to add annotations to videos and perform basic editing.
- Camtasia.
- Snagit and FlashBack Express are easy–to-use screen capture programs that allow you to add annotations, highlight important areas, and take screenshots with instant editing.
Recording on mobile devices
The era of mobile content dictates its own conditions, and the ability to quickly and efficiently record what is happening on a smartphone screen is becoming a valuable skill.:
- Built-in feature on iPhone (iOS 11 and later).
- Popular third-party applications.
- The eXpress app for Android and iOS.
How to store and organize the material
Local storage
Local storage is a good option. You can organize your storage in different ways:
- Dates. The easiest way is to organize by dates. In the main folder, you can create folders by year (2023, 2024, etc.), and inside folders by month. This will make it easy to find the right material by time.
- Themes. If you have many meetings on similar topics, create folders by topic.:
- Projects. If the meetings are related to specific projects, create folders with project names: Project_alfa, Project_beta. Inside these folders, as before, you can organize by dates or topics related to the project.
A combination of approaches is often the most effective.
Cloud storage
Advantages of the cloud:
- Availability.
- Safety.
- Easy sharing.
Basic services:
- Google Drive. Excellent integration with Google Meet.
- Automatically syncs files between your computer and cloud storage, ensuring that data is up-to-date on all devices. It offers various tariff plans for personal and corporate use, with different storage capacity and additional functions.
- Excellent integration with Microsoft Teams. Files exchanged in Teams are stored on OneDrive.
- Security and confidentiality of video conference recordings.
We must not forget about the importance of notifying participants. In many jurisdictions, recording a conversation without the consent of all participants is illegal. Make sure that you have a legitimate reason for this (for example, the consent of all participants).
How to notify:
- Oral notification. At the beginning of the meeting, clearly inform all participants that the meeting will be recorded.
- Written notification. Send the participants an email with a notification before the meeting starts.
- Visual notification. Use the visual indicator in the interface of the video conferencing platform.
Ideally, get the explicit consent of each participant (for example, ask them to confirm their consent in a chat or verbally). Make sure that the video conferencing platform uses TLS/SSL encryption to protect data during transmission. This prevents hackers from intercepting data. And make sure that the records are encrypted in the cloud storage or on the local device.
Practical tips for video conference recording
- Consider using different types of microphones, such as lavalier microphones (for a single speaker), desk microphones (for small groups), or conference microphones (for large rooms). An external microphone usually provides higher sound quality than the built-in microphone of a laptop or webcam. It can reduce background noise and improve voice clarity.
- An external camera. An external webcam usually provides higher image quality than a laptop’s built-in camera. Choose a webcam with high resolution (for example, 1080p or 4K), good photosensitivity and the ability to adjust the viewing angle.
- Lighting. Try to provide good face lighting by avoiding direct light into the camera.
Make a test audio recording to make sure that the microphone is working properly and the sound is clear and legible. Check the microphone volume level and make sure it is not too quiet or too loud. Check if the noise reduction function is working and how effectively it removes background noise. Check the quality of the webcam image and make sure it is clear and sharp.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth emphasizing the main benefits of recording an online meeting. But we must not forget about the importance of observing security measures when working with video files in order to protect data from unauthorized access.
