Campus Bulletin: Faculty and Staff, ObieSafe

Drop in on colleagues virtually with Zoom

October 5, 2020 4:30 PM

Center for Information Technology

Did you know that you can “drop in” on a colleague remotely? Rather than visiting a faculty or staff member’s physical office, members of the campus community are strongly encouraged to contact a colleague through the Zoom app from your phone or computer—no scheduling necessary! Read on for instructions.

Zoom interface. Instructions follow.

1. Open the Zoom app and select the Chat option at the top.

2. Type the name of the person you wish to contact in the search box on the left pane.

3. Click on the chevron next to their name.

Zoom interface. Instructions continue below.

4. In the menu that appears after clicking on the chevron, select Meet with(out) Video. You can also send messages by typing directly in the chat window.


Be sure to take note of the indicator icon to the left of their name.

Red video icon. If video icon is a solid red, they are already in a meeting.
Green rectangle icon. If the icon is a green rectangle, they are available and can be reached via a zoom invite (mobile). 
Grey circle icon. If a grey circle is in front of their name, they are not on Zoom (offline) and an email might be best. 
Green solid circle icon. If the icon is a solid green circle, they are available and can be reached via invite (desktop).
Grey clock icon. If the icon is a clock, the person is available but “away” from their computer.