Boogie with us

Month: March 2020

Posted on

Social Distancing: How Roboboogie is staying healthy AND sane.

Social distancing. What an interesting phenomenon to have the entire world experience at once. The way we work and play has adapted to make sure we are keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe – from video conferencing client meetings to keeping 6 feet away from our neighbors.

What do you do once you have already binge-watched your favorite Netflix shows and finished that 1,000 piece puzzle? Before cabin-fever sets in and you start scrolling through your news feed, (Pro Tip: Don’t. Do. It.) the Roboboogie team is here with some tips for how they are staying safe, positive and productive while working from home:

 
John Gentle, Founder and Chief Experience Officer

John Gentle, Founder & Chief Experience Officer 

Everyday I set a goal of doing something good for my mind, my body and my soul. Hopping on my bike, or going for a trail run are my go-tos for my body. I also found an at home Yoga workout on Amazon that is great for beginners like me. For my mind, I am limiting my time on social websites and time in news channels to one daily update from a trusted source. This helps avoid worst-casing and limits exposure to misinformation. I nurture my soul with daily meditations, focused on a gratitude practice as well as taking notice of simple pleasures like sunshine, birds visiting my backyard, and my loving family and community.

 
Matt Bullock, Senior Account Executive

Matt Bullock, Senior Account Executive 

The social distancing has been pretty reasonable so far – especially with the nice weather we’ve been having in Portland, OR. I’ve been able to take an after-dinner walk with my family every day and we get a chance to have loud conversations with our neighbors from a healthy distance as we walk around the block. While working from home can feel a little isolating, we’ve been able to keep spirits and productivity high through video calls, slack channels, and consistent check-ins with our team. Maintaining a healthy social connection, even from a distance, has prevented the walls from closing in on us.

 
Kaylee Wolf, Producer

Kaylee Wolf, Producer 

I’ve been finding a lot of new ways to stay in touch with people. My improv team can no longer practice in person, but we have been doing Zoom calls and still managing to make each other laugh and stay connected. My friends and I have downloaded the Marco Polo app which allows us to create a group and record video chats that we can watch and reply to on our own time v.s. having to all arrange a time to go live. (Super helpful for those in different time zones!) My partner and I have been doing a meal delivery service to try out new recipes and avoid the grocery store as much as possible. I try to focus on the positives. My dog sits next to me while I work in my home office and loves the extra attention! I’m also giving extra love to my plants and learning how to propagate them to make my home a living jungle. 

 
Jeremy Sell, Lead Experience Engineer

Jeremy Sell, Lead Experience Engineer

Everyday this quarantine is a strange crossroad between normalcy and pandemic. It’s been important to feel connected to my community as much as possible through this time of uncertainty. We have been using FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and Zoom to get together virtually and have group Happy Hours, play board games through Board Game Arena, and just generally catch up. I’ve also been trying to set aside time to workout, take a walk every day, and cook. Lots of cooking. During work hours, the team has been making ample use of Slack’s video call functionality. We sometimes use it even when a quick chat message could work. I think this has kept the team morale up and is keeping us all feeling connected. Remember, in a time of social distancing, it is important to practice distant socializing (as heard on NPR).

 

We hope that you too are staying safe, positive and productive while working from home. Looking for some tips on how to get your remote video set up in top-notch order? Check out our remote video checklist.

Posted on

Collaborating Online: The Roboboogie Remote Video Checklist

Face-to-face time is crucial for efficient communication, effective collaboration, and a thriving culture. With the sudden shift requiring our team to communicate entirely online, we realized we needed to quickly adapt to ensure we were able to continue to deliver the level of quality we strive for, all while maintaining our sense of community and culture. We have rolled out video calls for every form of communication – from collaboration sessions to internal check-ins, to client presentations.

That’s why we created a Remote Video Buddy System to help ensure everyone was set up for success, and that our collaboration time was smooth, efficient, and fun!

We had our team pair up with a partner and work through the following checklist:

  1. My face is well lit and clearly visible.
    • Tip: Add a desk lamp to light the workspace, or work facing a window when possible.
    • Tip: Turn off glaring lights / close blinds behind you (backlighting darkens face and creates white-out spaces).
  2. My workspace is situated with a clean, clutter-free space behind.
    • Tip: Move desk placement to limit the distance between self and a rear wall.
    • Tip: Remove clutter/messes on shelves, furniture, walls.
  3. My backdrop is free from ongoing movement.
    • Tip: Check for things such as traffic, fans, or actively playing children/pets.
  4. My surroundings are quiet and free from disruptive noises.
    • Tip: Check for road-noise, heat/AC noise, fan noise, etc.
    • Tip: Mute your microphone if you are not speaking and be sure to check your mute status if you want to speak 
    • Tip: Using headphones that can be plugged in while using computer audio can help minimize noise
    • Tip: Ensure your microphone is at proper volume and doesn’t pick up rustling clothing, drink consumption, etc.
  5. My video connection is stable and high resolution.
    • Tip: Check for dropped video frequency, consistent quality of visuals.
    • Tip: When you’re sharing a screen, ensure Slack and messaging notifications are muted.
  6. My audio connection is stable and clear.
    • Tip: Check for dropped audio/call frequency, consistent quality of audio.
    • Tip: If having trouble, default to dialing in versus using computer audio.
    • Tip: Ensure audio notifications are turned off or temporarily muted.
  7. My appearance and mannerisms are professional and meeting-appropriate.
    • Tip: Consider attire, distracting movements/habits, personal grooming, etc.
    • Tip: Ensure you are faced toward the camera and microphone while speaking.
    • Tip: When sharing your screen, remember that you are still visible to the audience.

We hope this checklist helps you or your team set some standards to help make your collaboration sessions, check-ins, and presentations as efficient and effective as they can be in this remote-centric season. What to learn how the Roboboogie team staying happy and healthy in this wacky season of social distancing? Check out our blog post, here.

Have other ideas, feedback, or questions? Hit us up!