Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
QUESTION for zoom experts:
Earlier this week, I was in a pre-arranged zoom meeting. Initially, when I tried to enter at the scheduled time, I got a message that the host hadn't yet started the meeting (this continued for at least ten minutes) and then I thought I saw something saying that the host was in a different meeting. Anyway, we eventually started and had about twenty people. Later the meeting suddenly cut off, at forty minutes after the *scheduled* starting time and I wasn't able to find the meeting again. When I explore my free personal zoom account, it says that meetings over three people are limited to forty minutes and offers an option to upgrade to some premium zoom service.
I also have a zoom account from my employer where I've been scheduling meetings for up to about twenty-five people that last over two hours, I seem to be able to start these meetings early, even very early, and to continue past the scheduled ending time without problem. However, without clear rules, I'm not willing to use my work zoom account for things of a more personal nature.
Is my guess right that our meeting host was trying to use a personal account inappropriately and should have had a (presumably paid) business account or at least the enhanced personal account (presumably also paid)? I feel offended that the guy has apparently been doing a series of these zoom meetings and accepting the limitations of using a personal account because he's too cheap to set up some sort of a paid account for a small business. I also had the impression that he was attempting to do a bunch of these zoom "meetings" back-to-back, knowing full well that there would be strict and somewhat unreasonable (IME given what I implicitly paid to participate) time limits. In other words, I suspect that our meeting host is a jerk and might well be violating the terms of his zoom account. Am I being unfair here?
BTW, this was a "marketing" function by a smallish-business. In fact, it was a pre-arranged wine tasting (organized by a wine store for a bunch of people who are strangers to each other) with a successful (even celebrity and cult-iish) winemaker as host; the co-host seemed to be a representative of the winery's distributor for the state.
yes, most likely the "host" only had a free personal account - although I thought that zoom had extended the 40 minute meeting limit for the fully free accounts. Certainly one can update to the 12.99$ a month account and have unlimited length meetings and up to 100 ppl
If they are always using the host ID for that meeting, then yes someone who has been given credentials to it can come in - Early say and enter the same meeting. I usually always create a NEW meeting and not with my primary host ID so each meeting has it's own unique link and only the ppl to whom I have sent it can get in.
You MAY have been waiting, even if the host was in the meeting since zoom has enabled the "waiting room" feature and any new meetings attendees, even with credentials have to be "allowed" into the meeting. The host may have not seen the pop ups on a phone or computer or tablet, and if they don't let the new attendees in then they sit in a waiting room indefinitely (well, maybe not that long) Certainly for someone doing many meetings, getting an actual 12.99$ account can't be too much - and it doesn't have to be a business account just the personal account up from the Basic free one gets one most of the features that the official biz/enterprise account does. I think the later really only adds some things like length or RECORDED meetings and storage and some stuff like that which most personal users probably don't need.