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I'm teaching a workshop on virtual events for authors this week, but I want to share some thoughts w/ visit hosts here, too. If you're hosting an online event, it's essential that you understand the security features - or lack thereof - in whatever platform you're using. (thread)
Hosting a virtual author event without setting up security, controls, and ongoing monitoring by a host is akin to putting your panelists out on a street corner to be harassed. It's not okay.
Last night, two amazing Black authors being hosted for what should have been a book launch celebration dealt with zoom-bombing and racial slurs until the event had to be shut down. That's unacceptable. And it's preventable.
Public links to free online events like this can be picked up & posted anywhere. That includes in forums for racists. If anybody can just "pop into" the meeting, anybody will. Black women, especially, are being targeted right now.
So don't just host "open" events like this. Even if the event is free, require people to register & sign into Zoom with their regular email in order to join.
Also? Know the difference between meetings, which are by default set up so everyone can participate with audio/video, and webinars, which are more expensive to host but also offer more control and are more appropriate for big events where you won't know everyone attending.
Back in March, the Antidefamation League published some guidelines for securing meetings from this kind of harassment. These are basic guidelines - and not always enough - but a good start. https://www.adl.org/blog/how-to-prevent-zoombombing
It's also really important to know that even if a host mutes someone in a zoom meeting, they can unmute themselves. To keep that from happening, you can mute everyone and deselect the box that allows participants to unmute themselves. https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203435537-Mute-All-And-Unmute-All
Also - if you're managing an event on zoom, you really need to assign more than one host for anything that's more than a small meeting. That way, there's always someone monitoring chat who's able to eject participants who don't follow the code of conduct.
And authors - before events, we all need to ask "How will this event be secured to prevent harassment?" That includes non-marginalized authors who haven't experienced this sort of awfulness. If we all ask, every time, there's more education & more secure events become the norm.
And now I'm going to order some amazing books by the brilliant authors whose event was attacked by racists last night. Join me?
https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/raybearer_9781419739828/
and
https://books.disney.com/book/the-belles/
https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/raybearer_9781419739828/
and
https://books.disney.com/book/the-belles/
