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I love this. Regardless of the exact tack taken, everybody who videoconferences for work should invest some time in maxxing out their voice and appearance as mu

I love this. Regardless of the exact tack taken, everybody who videoconferences for work should invest some time in maxxing out their voice and appearance as much as possible. At the simplest, this could be a $35 external webcam and a lamp or ring light to give yourself the most flattering possible angle. Or even spending $0 and just rearranging your existing setup. Love it, hate it, or otherwise... I look like a sack of potatoes so it brings me no joy to say this but, it's reality. The way you look and sound has an influence on how you and your ideas will be perceived by others. Might as well spend some time and (perhaps) a few dollars on it because it's ingrained deep in our biology for better or worse. The good news is remote work has leveled the playing field quite a bit here. It's far less work than looking and sounding great in person.

dylan604 4y ago
I hate video conferencing so much I want them to prefer my camera is off. Off is the default state of my camera, and if they ask me to turn it on, all that will be visible is an extreme closeup of a piece of tape. Expecting me to spruce up beyond what I would ordinarily look like in person is just ludicrous. This isn't instagram, and i'm not trying to gain any followers from a work call. I'll just chalk this one up as another thing I can blame on the unrealistic expectations people have come to think is required because of the influence they've allowed social media to have over them.
- zrobotics 4y ago
  Hate to say it, but this isn't a social media thing or even new. How you look and sound greatly affects how people perceive your ideas. The parent comment had some good advice, making yourself look better does have an impact. Human psychology being what it is, it's futile to expect that people will just ignore the presentation and solely focus on the content. Plus, if everyone is stuck in a zoom call then they don't want to have to stare at the most unflattering angle possible. I'm certainly not the best looking person, but adding an external webcam from a different angle definitely was noticed by coworkers in a positive way. I end up in a ton of marketing calls, and often I have to be the engineering voice that speaks up to say 'we can't do it that way, here is an alternative'. Since paying attention to my camera setup, my warnings get taken more seriously and have more attention paid to them. Nobody is expecting you to look like a model or do a photo shoot, but spending a little bit of time improving camera angle, lighting, and mic really does pay off. No photographer takes low angle shots of close up faces since it's generally very unflattering, but that's the typical setup for a laptop on a desk. Just buying a cheap desk mic and a external webcam really will level up your presence in meetings. Don't think of it as Instagram bullshit, look at it as a way to use your tech skills to lifehack having a better interpersonal presence than you might have in person. Seriously, for ~$100 you can have a nicer camera and mic than 90% of everyone else, and having those things makes people treat you more seriously.
  - deepspace 4y ago
    Strongly agree. I used to be a long-haired, long-bearded, t-shirt wearing nerd, and when I started remote work a decade ago, I used the default laptop camera, which gave a great view of the interior of my nostrils. At some point, I decided to spruce up my appearance. Shaved the hair and beard, bought collared shirts, switched to an external webcam on a boom arm, with a green screen and software to generate a soothing backdrop instead of my cluttered electronics lab. Added a decent quality directional microphone (also boom-mounted) and installed better lighting. I also replaced my profile photo, taken with the same up-the-nostril webcam, with a professionally taken photo. The level of respect and engagement from my colleagues went through the roof. Best tech lifehack I ever did.
    - dylan604 4y ago
      So we're doing the what is old is new again? Next, I'll be reading having to wear a coat and tie on a zoom call. The old days you had to have your IBM approved suit with your high&tight (or similarly strict) hair style and closely shaved face. Everyone got sick of that, and it went to casual fridays are still too uptight, so flip flops, shorts and tanktops became the norm. Long hair any above the shoulders became fashionable, and bonus points if you pulled it up into a bun. now, the pendulum has swung back, and people are trying to differentiate themselves by going back to smartly dressed clean cut. round round like a record, and yet it never ceases to amaze how the repeat makes it out like its the brand new thing nobody has ever seen before. just like redoing your entire code base in $newLanguageDijour.
      - zrobotics 4y ago
        Almost like human psychology hasn't changed that much. And plus, you don't need to get carried away, simply investing in a decent mic and having a camera that isn't pointed straight up your nose is enough to differentiate you in most meetings. I'm shocked at the pushback on this, it shouldn't be surprising that people like seeing decent looking people. You don't need to loom like an Instagram model, I certainly don't. But spending 15 minutes on Amazon and 20 minutes of setup time to make yourself look better on video calls isn't a huge ask. Hell, BO issues from not showering would be a more major career-limiting move in an office, and on zoom the only way your coworkers can tell you didn't shower is if you actively look greasy. This is way less of an ask, acting like making yourself presentable on camera is a huge burden is crazy to me. It's way easier to be presentable on zoom, because again just spending $30 on a mic is a game changer.
- vladvasiliu 4y ago
  > Expecting me to spruce up beyond what I would ordinarily look like in person is just ludicrous I don't think the point is mainly about sprucing up beyond what you ordinarily look like. Aside from what others have said, one thing to consider is how the eyes and ears work in person vs via screen + webcam / mic + speakers. Differences between a human eye and a webcam make it so that when you look at someone in person, even in shitty unflattering light and in a cluttered environment, you'll mostly see that person as they "normally" look. But stick a webcam and a screen in between, and all bets are off. Especially if you're going to use high contrast (think dark skin + white shirt or the reverse, with a strong backlight for bonus points). Same for listening. You can usually hear people when you're talking to them and there's noise around if you focus a bit. But put a crappy laptop mic and speakers in between, and good luck understanding anything they say. I don't often use my webcam and tend to turn off incoming video because I don't enjoy teams melting my laptop. But it's an atrocious, infuriating experience trying to talk to someone when I can barely hear their voice and instead am able to follow what their colleagues are saying or counting how many cars go past their window. Taking a little care to be understandable doesn't mean you're expected to be some world-class speaker.
- kalleboo 4y ago
  Yeah our company has always been remote, and we've always just done voice calls, which have worked fine, but during COVID someone had the idea to start using video. In an act of malicious compliance, I went to a second hand shop and picked up an old USB webcam for $3 with complete potato quality. After about an hour or so it also starts glitching out with weird green and purple patterns, a pretty good sign that the meeting has gone on for too long.
sundvor 4y ago
Agree 100%, I'm really surprised by how little so many people care about their camera plus audio setup. From extremely messy backgrounds to having a glaringly bright window right behind them, these are things that could be rectified very easily. E.g. always a messy house, never any time to clean up? Move the desk half a metre out from the wall and flip the setup around. Now it will be clean 100% of the time as far as what the camera can see.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
  I got my job in the middle of COVID lockdown and one of the key things the recruiter impressed on me was having a good place to do the interview. Not just the obvious stuff like no kids running around screaming. A separate space that could be quiet and undisturbed, paying attention to the background, tidying up so it didn't look visually cluttered and take away the focus from me, etc. She did a good job of pointing out how the video surroundings made a substantial impact on how the candidate was perceived when interviewing remotely.
klodolph 4y ago
There have been some studies on how audio / video quality affects perception, and from what I remember of the studies, audio quality has a bigger impact. It's better to have clear audio with a poor image, and it's worse to have poor audio with a clear image.
nvarsj 4y ago
I've spent a lot on my set up and it still sucks video wise. I don't think it's as cheap or easy as you suggest. Video is a lot more challenging than audio to get right. I'd at least need to invest another $200-300 into some good key lights to improve it. But do you really need great video for video conferencing?
Gordonjcp 4y ago
> $35 external webcam and a lamp or ring light Fuck it, buy some cheapy LED panels (Lidl are doing roughly iPad-sized SAD lights for under 20 quid), some gel to tame the colour, and do yourself a proper three-point lighting setup.
galangalalgol 4y ago
Also know your audience and what their concerns are. If it is a customer worried if about you managing to cost and schedule, then wear a suit, use a professional vocal register, and takenthe steps you suggest. If they are worried about your competency, dress and act a bit eccentric, or given you are reading this, here, stop hiding your eccentricity and wear something you normally would. The lighting and sound in that case should only be good enough not to stand out in either direction.
Eumenes 4y ago
I was looking to replace my logitech web cam and went down a rabbit hole of using fancy DSLR for video conferencing ... then I decided I don't need higher quality than the c920
- badwolf 4y ago
  Decent lighting does wonders here. Most webcams, in particular the c920 workhorse work great - when there's sufficient lighting!
- JohnBooty 4y ago
  Yeah, c920 + a flattering angle + decent lighting = absolutely fine. Honestly, laptop webcam + flattering angle + decent lighting = also absolutely fine, but it's harder to get a nice angle with something built into the laptop. IMO a DSLR would only be useful if you're going for a filmlike look of softly blurred backgrounds, or maybe low light shooting made possible by the bigger lens and sensor. At that point it's probably bordering on ostentatious. At my last company the CEO had something like that, but he also used that setup for calls with investors and news outlets and such, so it made a lot of sense.
atomize 4y ago
Just chiming in based on your comment. Support some developers and buy the pro version of DroidCam. This might sound like a silly suggestion but it works for me: Save an old Android with a decent camera. It doesn't have to have stellar specs, I use a 5 year old Galaxy. DroidCam works flawlessly for me using an old phone with a good camera both wireless as well as with USB connected. All of my software, including my browsers (all on Linux) see my DroidCam as a webcam with no hiccups. I also ended up getting DroidCam OBS and have used multiple phones with OBS to easily create a multi-camera-angle scene for fancy video conferencing/streaming. Add a noise cancelling / directional mic setup for $15 and you have a hacky, albeit, modular and rather quality setup.

dylan604 4y ago

I hate video conferencing so much I want them to prefer my camera is off. Off is the default state of my camera, and if they ask me to turn it on, all that will be visible is an extreme closeup of a piece of tape. Expecting me to spruce up beyond what I would ordinarily look like in person is just ludicrous. This isn't instagram, and i'm not trying to gain any followers from a work call. I'll just chalk this one up as another thing I can blame on the unrealistic expectations people have come to think is required because of the influence they've allowed social media to have over them.

zrobotics 4y ago
Hate to say it, but this isn't a social media thing or even new. How you look and sound greatly affects how people perceive your ideas. The parent comment had some good advice, making yourself look better does have an impact. Human psychology being what it is, it's futile to expect that people will just ignore the presentation and solely focus on the content. Plus, if everyone is stuck in a zoom call then they don't want to have to stare at the most unflattering angle possible. I'm certainly not the best looking person, but adding an external webcam from a different angle definitely was noticed by coworkers in a positive way. I end up in a ton of marketing calls, and often I have to be the engineering voice that speaks up to say 'we can't do it that way, here is an alternative'. Since paying attention to my camera setup, my warnings get taken more seriously and have more attention paid to them. Nobody is expecting you to look like a model or do a photo shoot, but spending a little bit of time improving camera angle, lighting, and mic really does pay off. No photographer takes low angle shots of close up faces since it's generally very unflattering, but that's the typical setup for a laptop on a desk. Just buying a cheap desk mic and a external webcam really will level up your presence in meetings. Don't think of it as Instagram bullshit, look at it as a way to use your tech skills to lifehack having a better interpersonal presence than you might have in person. Seriously, for ~$100 you can have a nicer camera and mic than 90% of everyone else, and having those things makes people treat you more seriously.
- deepspace 4y ago
  Strongly agree. I used to be a long-haired, long-bearded, t-shirt wearing nerd, and when I started remote work a decade ago, I used the default laptop camera, which gave a great view of the interior of my nostrils. At some point, I decided to spruce up my appearance. Shaved the hair and beard, bought collared shirts, switched to an external webcam on a boom arm, with a green screen and software to generate a soothing backdrop instead of my cluttered electronics lab. Added a decent quality directional microphone (also boom-mounted) and installed better lighting. I also replaced my profile photo, taken with the same up-the-nostril webcam, with a professionally taken photo. The level of respect and engagement from my colleagues went through the roof. Best tech lifehack I ever did.
  - dylan604 4y ago
    So we're doing the what is old is new again? Next, I'll be reading having to wear a coat and tie on a zoom call. The old days you had to have your IBM approved suit with your high&tight (or similarly strict) hair style and closely shaved face. Everyone got sick of that, and it went to casual fridays are still too uptight, so flip flops, shorts and tanktops became the norm. Long hair any above the shoulders became fashionable, and bonus points if you pulled it up into a bun. now, the pendulum has swung back, and people are trying to differentiate themselves by going back to smartly dressed clean cut. round round like a record, and yet it never ceases to amaze how the repeat makes it out like its the brand new thing nobody has ever seen before. just like redoing your entire code base in $newLanguageDijour.
    - zrobotics 4y ago
      Almost like human psychology hasn't changed that much. And plus, you don't need to get carried away, simply investing in a decent mic and having a camera that isn't pointed straight up your nose is enough to differentiate you in most meetings. I'm shocked at the pushback on this, it shouldn't be surprising that people like seeing decent looking people. You don't need to loom like an Instagram model, I certainly don't. But spending 15 minutes on Amazon and 20 minutes of setup time to make yourself look better on video calls isn't a huge ask. Hell, BO issues from not showering would be a more major career-limiting move in an office, and on zoom the only way your coworkers can tell you didn't shower is if you actively look greasy. This is way less of an ask, acting like making yourself presentable on camera is a huge burden is crazy to me. It's way easier to be presentable on zoom, because again just spending $30 on a mic is a game changer.
vladvasiliu 4y ago
> Expecting me to spruce up beyond what I would ordinarily look like in person is just ludicrous I don't think the point is mainly about sprucing up beyond what you ordinarily look like. Aside from what others have said, one thing to consider is how the eyes and ears work in person vs via screen + webcam / mic + speakers. Differences between a human eye and a webcam make it so that when you look at someone in person, even in shitty unflattering light and in a cluttered environment, you'll mostly see that person as they "normally" look. But stick a webcam and a screen in between, and all bets are off. Especially if you're going to use high contrast (think dark skin + white shirt or the reverse, with a strong backlight for bonus points). Same for listening. You can usually hear people when you're talking to them and there's noise around if you focus a bit. But put a crappy laptop mic and speakers in between, and good luck understanding anything they say. I don't often use my webcam and tend to turn off incoming video because I don't enjoy teams melting my laptop. But it's an atrocious, infuriating experience trying to talk to someone when I can barely hear their voice and instead am able to follow what their colleagues are saying or counting how many cars go past their window. Taking a little care to be understandable doesn't mean you're expected to be some world-class speaker.
kalleboo 4y ago
Yeah our company has always been remote, and we've always just done voice calls, which have worked fine, but during COVID someone had the idea to start using video. In an act of malicious compliance, I went to a second hand shop and picked up an old USB webcam for $3 with complete potato quality. After about an hour or so it also starts glitching out with weird green and purple patterns, a pretty good sign that the meeting has gone on for too long.

sundvor 4y ago

Agree 100%, I'm really surprised by how little so many people care about their camera plus audio setup. From extremely messy backgrounds to having a glaringly bright window right behind them, these are things that could be rectified very easily. E.g. always a messy house, never any time to clean up? Move the desk half a metre out from the wall and flip the setup around. Now it will be clean 100% of the time as far as what the camera can see.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
I got my job in the middle of COVID lockdown and one of the key things the recruiter impressed on me was having a good place to do the interview. Not just the obvious stuff like no kids running around screaming. A separate space that could be quiet and undisturbed, paying attention to the background, tidying up so it didn't look visually cluttered and take away the focus from me, etc. She did a good job of pointing out how the video surroundings made a substantial impact on how the candidate was perceived when interviewing remotely.

klodolph 4y ago

There have been some studies on how audio / video quality affects perception, and from what I remember of the studies, audio quality has a bigger impact. It's better to have clear audio with a poor image, and it's worse to have poor audio with a clear image.

nvarsj 4y ago

I've spent a lot on my set up and it still sucks video wise. I don't think it's as cheap or easy as you suggest. Video is a lot more challenging than audio to get right. I'd at least need to invest another $200-300 into some good key lights to improve it. But do you really need great video for video conferencing?

Gordonjcp 4y ago

> $35 external webcam and a lamp or ring light Fuck it, buy some cheapy LED panels (Lidl are doing roughly iPad-sized SAD lights for under 20 quid), some gel to tame the colour, and do yourself a proper three-point lighting setup.

galangalalgol 4y ago

Also know your audience and what their concerns are. If it is a customer worried if about you managing to cost and schedule, then wear a suit, use a professional vocal register, and takenthe steps you suggest. If they are worried about your competency, dress and act a bit eccentric, or given you are reading this, here, stop hiding your eccentricity and wear something you normally would. The lighting and sound in that case should only be good enough not to stand out in either direction.

Eumenes 4y ago

I was looking to replace my logitech web cam and went down a rabbit hole of using fancy DSLR for video conferencing ... then I decided I don't need higher quality than the c920

badwolf 4y ago
Decent lighting does wonders here. Most webcams, in particular the c920 workhorse work great - when there's sufficient lighting!
JohnBooty 4y ago
Yeah, c920 + a flattering angle + decent lighting = absolutely fine. Honestly, laptop webcam + flattering angle + decent lighting = also absolutely fine, but it's harder to get a nice angle with something built into the laptop. IMO a DSLR would only be useful if you're going for a filmlike look of softly blurred backgrounds, or maybe low light shooting made possible by the bigger lens and sensor. At that point it's probably bordering on ostentatious. At my last company the CEO had something like that, but he also used that setup for calls with investors and news outlets and such, so it made a lot of sense.

atomize 4y ago

Just chiming in based on your comment. Support some developers and buy the pro version of DroidCam. This might sound like a silly suggestion but it works for me: Save an old Android with a decent camera. It doesn't have to have stellar specs, I use a 5 year old Galaxy. DroidCam works flawlessly for me using an old phone with a good camera both wireless as well as with USB connected. All of my software, including my browsers (all on Linux) see my DroidCam as a webcam with no hiccups. I also ended up getting DroidCam OBS and have used multiple phones with OBS to easily create a multi-camera-angle scene for fancy video conferencing/streaming. Add a noise cancelling / directional mic setup for $15 and you have a hacky, albeit, modular and rather quality setup.