This cringeworthy Microsoft Teams feature could soon be forced upon you

Date:
Tue, 19 Apr 2022 16:03:24 +0000

Description:
An upcoming Microsoft Teams update will give hosts the power to dictate the way a meeting is displayed for all users.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Microsoft is readying an update for collaboration platform Teams that will allow admins to change the way meetings are displayed for all attendees.

As explained in a new entry to the companys product roadmap, meeting hosts will soon be given the option to enable Together Mode for all participants. The update is still under development, but should take effect by the end of May.

Launched in the summer of 2020, Together Mode for Microsoft Teams brings all attendees into a shared virtual background , with the goal of making it feel like youre sitting in the same soom with everyone else. Together Mode in Microsoft Teams. (Image credit: Microsoft) Together Mode in Microsoft Teams

Although the ambition behind Together Mode is a noble one, the execution leaves plenty to be desired. In this writers opinion, the virtual background filled with floating heads only serves to emphasize the fact a meeting is
not, in fact, taking place in-person.

While Microsofts AI system does a decent enough job of cutting out each persons home office background, and some people will get on with the feature better than others, theres an welcome strangeness to the final result.

The idea that meeting hosts should be able to dictate that everyone uses the feature is particularly strange. While theres something to be said for operating on a level playing field, some users are bound to find the feature more helpful (or unhelpful) than others, which makes a blanket policy counterproductive. Read more

Why Slack isn't afraid of Microsoft Teams or any other rival

The best Microsoft Teams goodies will soon be available to us all

Meet the CEO beating Teams and Zoom at their own game

However, not all of Microsofts attempts to introduce variety to the way Teams meetings are displayed have been quite so divisive.

Last year, the company rolled out a series of new presenter modes designed to help Teams users flex their presentation style to the occasion. Standout
Mode, for example, seats the presenters video feed in front of the slide
deck, while Reporter Mode places content above the shoulder in the style of a news broadcast.

The features were an example of the way in which virtual backgrounds and clever positioning of content can legitimately improve the quality of video meetings , delivering on Microsofts stated ambition to help presenters
deliver content more professionally and offer meeting participants dynamic experiences. Complete your video conferencing setup with the best business webcams around



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/this-cringeworthy-microsoft-teams-feature-might -soon-be-forced-upon-you/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)