From the formation of "Blog Hogs" our group has noticed that getting a meeting time convenient for all members is a delicate and often complicated task. Early in the planning stages for our group, we decided that we had to find an alternative method to meeting face-to-face for each and every meeting. Coordinating that type of meeting would not only prove to be labor intensive, but often excluded members due to scheduling conflicts. Our solution to this problem came in the form of Chatzy, a free tool available online that facilitates a multitude of chat functions. We quickly decided to give the chat room a try; after our first chat, group members decided that the chat was both constructive, and took much less time than a face-to-face meeting that requires travel time as well as preparation time. With the chat room, we were able to reference information that we had available in our personal workspace as well as consult online information while we were chatting. More importantly, we all noticed that chatting online did not impede our progress, and also provided us with a written transcript to refer to later in the planning stages of our first two presentations. We were able to utilize emoticons to express our emotions for ideas, and each of us could chat simultaneously and receive immediate feedback on our ideas. In all, Chatzy allowed our group to stay warm, and conduct a very productive meeting without the need to schedule a longer meeting somewhere on campus. Not only are we likely to use this service again, but we highly recommend its use to other groups who are looking for a solution to the pitfalls of face-to-face meetings.
-Clay Wildt
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