Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, Head of Education desk of The Nation Newspapers shares her first experience using Zoom.
With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting opportunities for physical events, I realised that I had to rely more on technology to get my stories.
I also realised that I couldn’t just limit myself to covering my beat – Education – I became a COVID-19 reporter.
So when a U.S. based doctor friend reached out to me on organising a Zoom meeting to share COVID-19 experience with other doctors in Africa, I went along with the idea even though I had never used Zoom. I had missed out on many webinars in the past because I did not use Zoom but knew it was time to get on board.
I asked Hannah Ajakaye (nee Ojo) for tips on how to host a Zoom meeting then downloaded it on my phone.
The time for preparation was short – just a few days. My friend, Dr. Ona Utuama, came up with a write up to advertise the meeting; we both designed posters, mine won and I began to advertise.
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I shared the poster with my WhatsApp and Twitter network to attract both doctors and Journalists.
Dr. Ona also reached out to her wide network of doctors.
A day to the Zoom meeting, Dr. Ona and I had a rehearsal. It helped me feel comfortable using the App.
As co-hosts, we also got online before others to set up. I didn’t have much to do beyond asking questions. Dr. Ona did the moderation.
The meeting went pretty well. It lasted one hour 16 minutes more than the intended two hours.
With doctors joining in from Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, UK, and U.S. (New York, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas etc) I had more than enough material to write a good story. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Afterwards, I did a summary which I shared on the same platforms I had advertised and published my story. I got even more people showing interest.
It was worth all the effort and data.
