---
title: "My First Virtual Administrative Meeting"
date: 2007-02-27
description: "$( document ).ready(function() { // Handler for .ready() called. $("
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/02/27/my-first-virtual-administrative-meeting/
---
# My First Virtual Administrative Meeting
![sample virtual chat](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/sample.gif)

I set the reload time to 0.1 seconds (from 4 seconds originally), and didn't experience any hanging or waiting issues. Plus no one had to sign in. You just pick your name in a little box above the send window, and voila. I also modified the CSS of the chat box so that it would fit on a page rather than a sidebar. (The original shoutbox is styled like the image below.)![original shoutbox](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/originalshoutbox.gif)

However, that said, a meeting is a meeting. If you aren't prepared, or if no one has an answer to anything, or if there are some unsolvable issues that will be difficult, the meeting is going to be just as frustrating online as in person. However, virtual meetings have several added handicaps:

- You can't always detect sarcasm.

- Sometimes someone sends a message that interrupts the flow of a conversation. If someone keeps switching topics or going off course, it can be detrimental to the conversation's flow.

- It's also annoying when someone just starts lurking, like they're watching TV while they chat or something.