Moving and Zooming.

You know how when you first move to a new place, you work really hard on unpacking, setting up, and decorating, then life gets busy and you never bother unpacking those last few boxes? I think something similar has happened with our work-from-home setups.
 
Folks scrambled in the pandemic's early days to figure out Zoom and get their home offices up and running. But based on the video calls I’ve had over the past couple of weeks, it seems that too many people said “that’s good enough” too soon.
 
Some easily avoidable mistakes that I'm still seeing: low-resolution video (HD webcams are back in stock on Amazon), low sound quality (adjust your Zoom microphone settings or use your new external webcam’s microphone), virtual backgrounds (the novelty is gone and mostly they are distracting, not cool), heavy head hardware (your old Bose noise-cancelling headphones sound great but aren't flattering--less head hardware is better).
 
I suggest pulling together a Zoom call with 4 or 5 trusted friends or colleagues who can provide each other with honest, constructive feedback on their video call setup. Groups are helpful both for getting multiple opinions and for judging things like relative volume. 
 
If you don't trust your friends or colleagues, I'd be happy to jump on a Zoom, say hi, and let you know how things look and sound to me. Okay, now I have to finish unpacking some 6-year old moving boxes...