Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom and other video calling services have been extremely helpful for both business and staying in touch with family and friends. Even after the restrictions were lifted, video conferencing remained a very popular practice. However, besides all the advantages that this software has brought, it also has been a part of many cringe-worthy and embarrassing moments. From screaming kids running around to someone undressing in the background, you've probably heard a lot of incidents like these before.
While some funny moments remain private, others are too much to handle without discussing them with a wider audience. That’s why we gathered the most awkward and ridiculous Zoom meeting fails that were shared in this thread started by Twitter user @eggshellfriend. Scroll down to read some shameful stories. What are your experiences with video conferencing?
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No offense, but I find your comment and username to be humorously ironic.
Load More Replies...From covid times I presume. I had to remote to my grandma's funeral like this too, because there was a cap on how many people could be in the chapel a the same time. It went well thanks to the cousin who's been doing remote meetings for his company for something like a decade though.
Load More Replies...The funny thing is this happens in my small town in real life. Gramma and granpa putting the fun back in funeral.
I do feel like that's how I would react if my cat was puking, and whilst on zoom she never left my side so it's possible.
But as listv points out, cats are NOT quiet about barfing (that sound is guaranteed to wake me out of a sound sleep immediately). It would have been audible to others on the call.
Load More Replies...Depending on what kind of microphone, some have noise cancellation of surrounding (ex headset with boom mic). But otherwise yes! Poor kittys!
Load More Replies...Are you that obnoxious, know it all coworker who always to talk? I don't blame him.
my boss also does this (denies receiving). I just re-forward it with his name on the CC list in big red circle.
Some of my clients do a variation of this: They call me and say there is a problem I haven’t adressed, I tell then I sent them a mail two weeks ago with a suggestion how to deal with the problem. They ask me then to find the email and resend it to them. But sometimes it is the more funny variation of client calling me and asking me to find a email they sent to me couple of months ago, and forward it back to them. I suspect some people haven’t found search function in their e-mail.
Load More Replies...I had a boss who pulled the “you never sent a message” c**p. I started BCCing their boss and set up read receipts. They were eventually fired, but not before half the team switched departments or left the company. Bad bosses can absolutely ruin a workplace.
For those interested in history, Zoom was originally founded in 2011 but its origins go back to the 1990s, when Eric Yuan when studying at Shandong University of Science and Technology in China, wanted to find an easier way to see his now-wife. In 1997, he worked at a videoconferencing startup for 14 years before leaving to start his own company.
Right now, Zoom is one of the most widely spread proprietary videotelephony software programs used in school, business and for private purposes.
Maybe he’s pumping her - s****y but not exactly creepy.
Load More Replies...There was this professor taking classes online and he accidentally opened a folder containing his photos with a woman. Students saw the photos and assumed they were of his wife or GF. But some students went ahead and stalked his social media profiles. The professor had a wife but not the woman in pictures.He had several photos with his wife. Students found out the woman in the earlier photos was a PhD student in the institution and certainly not his wife.
...and you're certain they weren't for work purposes? Like making ID's or website profiles or something?
you will be shooketh when you become aware of the number of sparkle emojis i use in daily life ✨
Load More Replies...I know you can turn this off on Windows. I'm not a Mac user, but I would imagine there has to be a way to turn this off.
I was running a Zoom webinar and meant to send a chat comment to the moderator. Except I accidentally sent it to all the attendees. Unfortunately I said something not particularly nice about someone and they saw it. Most embarrassing moment of my professional life!
I sent a text one time saying that the day had been absolute hell and blah, blah, blah. Did I send it to my husband who it was intended for? Nope. Sent it to the doctor I worked for. Thankfully, he thought it was funny.
Been there... Don't save people in your phone as "so and so - workplace". Might lead to texting your boss instead of your work bf about your gripes by accident... Lol.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and people had to find a method to operate remotely as lockdowns forced offices to close around the world. That’s when Zoom became the pandemic’s success story. According to Wired, at the end of April 2020, the calling service announced total revenue of $328.2 million, a 169 percent increase from the same period the previous year.
After the restrictions were lifted, Zoom calls still remain a popular practice, being chosen over life meetings by some. However, the question remains whether our love for this video technology will dissolve in the future now that we can go back to our offices.
I've never quite understood why people in this day and age would download and save porn if they don't want it to be discovered. Surely it's easier to just bookmark the page and rename the bookmark?
It's doing it on his work computer that I don't get with this one. Everyone has a PC at home these days, using a work computer for porn is a different level of stupid.
Load More Replies...Not to make excuses, but someone having a folder full of porn, on their WORK computer no less sounds like someone with a porn addiction.
Yeah your right I mean they could just wait until they’re home why do they need that at work
Load More Replies...This is just laziness on his part. There are various ways to store things privately. Or, simply not using the same computer for work as you do to watch porn. Just saying.
Now THIS one is sleazy... keep your private life on your private electronics
Yeah, that's mighty unprofessional! Doesn't the company have rules about not doing that stuff on work equipment?
To be fair we do that to each other in the team when presenting for amusement value.
to be extra fair... I think I need a line of coke to get through this today
Load More Replies...I was using Teams to set up a meeting with a mentor. First time doing it. I asked "Did you get the invite?" "Yep" All good. A few minutes later I get a message in Teams. "I saw your invite to a weekly meeting...could you tell me what this is about before I accept?" Uhm..you weren't supposed to get one. Then another co-worker a few minutes later. I said "Apparently I sent it to the whole office." She said "Nope...looks like you sent it to the whole company." (533 recipients.) I didn't cancel it right and got booted, so I sent an email "Say you're a new hire without saying you're a new hire. Well.. how about inviting the entire office to a meeting intended for one person...." Got a lot of LOL msgs back. I was told I was not the first and probably won't be the last......
To be fair I've never tried snorting a line of Pepsi
Load More Replies...Obviously, while participating in conferences from the comfort of our homes, we tend to act differently. There’s no need to look presentable (if you don’t have your camera on) and you can do some side jobs at the same time (if you’re good at multitasking, of course). However, as we can see from these tweets, it happens that we let our guard down a little too much sometimes and allow some embarrassing things to slip out. Do you have some cringe-worthy Zoom fails to share?
Might not be a work computer. School could have insisted that each staff member use their private computer to continue teaching. Still the teacher absolutely should have checked before starting the zoom call.
Load More Replies...Omg, my kid's 1st grade classmate shared live on their Google Meet his mom getting arrested for the whole class to see during a break. It was a ridiculous situation where the city failed to notify her about putting a 5g tower on her property and she obstructed construction by putting a cooler of drinks for the workers over the spot they were going to put it. She was mortified when she realized her 7 year old had broadcast the whole thing to his class. Poor lady... The follow up emails were hilarious tho.
Interestingly, observations of remote meetings revealed that using video calls significantly helps team members and the team leader to establish stronger relational bonds. It is partly because video meetings allow participants to be more engaged in group discussions, to express their thoughts and opinions more freely and to resolve disagreements more quickly.
On the other hand, video conferencing is not for all, causing feelings of anxiety and exposure for some. According to the successful video communication report presented by Pearn Kandola, this stems from “a lack of familiarity or awareness in using the technology solutions effectively.”
The good way as in killing him with kindness or the good way ad in stabbing him with a knife with "Kindness" engraved on it...
Load More Replies...not embarrassing , just sad. At least it wasn't some of these others.
If it had been a message from your cousin that you gave them an STD, not THAT would've been awkward. A relative dying ain't awkward at all, it's just sad.
The 2020s version of getting busted passing notes in class and having the teacher read it out to everyone? :)
At least you weren't on national television when the "your free trial" of video conferencing software was about to expire. Felt bad for Hillary.
That is why I am scared to send messages to anyone during a presentation. Even just a text
Addison Rae is some famous TikToker. She got so famous she starred in a movie and released her own pop songs. People tend to s**t down famous Tiktokers but these people are usually good looking and make plenty money and they all don't even go to college. F**k it life is so unfair.
Maybe the reason for not being invited is because she holds meetings at 3.30pm on a Friday?
Here's a weird idea, work during the hours you are paid to work. For most people, this includes a Friday afternoon, just a much as a Monday morning.
Load More Replies...what does this mean, she was moonlighting?? it just means she's not paid enough.
No, it means she was getting paid to do a job while also doing another at the same time.
Load More Replies...I'd say that was the employers fault if she has to work a second job while in training.
We don't know if she *has to* work a second job, or if she thought she could get away with it.
Load More Replies...I mean, are interns supposed to come in knowing what to do?
Load More Replies...I am quite good about this. I generally close all comms apps before I open zoom. However one time I did leave my mike on while I was eating and my boss was like "Is that someone chewing?" super embarrassing.
I'm super paranoid about what people can see when I'm on zoom/teams so I always triple check everything beforehand. It's really dumb considering the worst thing they could see was that I play league of legends.
Load More Replies...I have a friend who - whenever he unwisely downloads pr0n onto his computer - he’ll immediately add a prefix to the beginning of the file. Ie, “SSS - DJT in Moscow hotel.mp4”. Not a perfect system, and it requires some discipline. But it comes in handy: relatively easy to remove all pr0n, or move it onto another system, and be reasonably confident that it’s all gone.
in 7th grade when school was virtual I had a teacher who propped his bare feet up right next to the camera while talking... idk if he didn't realize his camera was on or what. I only still have the screenshot because I texted it to my friend. We both loved/hated comparing the idiocy of people 2021-01-08...b4-png.jpg
I had to TeamViewer in to a managers desktop to service a serve that was only on a local network. I warned him and he had to plug in a network cable for me to remote desktop into the server. I was 10 min late, and as TeamViewer there he was jerking of with a shemale cam girl. In those days I screen recorded everything for billing purposes so we got a 5 year extension on the software contract.
Why did Joseph and Mary lose contact when Jesus was born? There was no Zoom at the inn! (Sorry)
I am quite good about this. I generally close all comms apps before I open zoom. However one time I did leave my mike on while I was eating and my boss was like "Is that someone chewing?" super embarrassing.
I'm super paranoid about what people can see when I'm on zoom/teams so I always triple check everything beforehand. It's really dumb considering the worst thing they could see was that I play league of legends.
Load More Replies...I have a friend who - whenever he unwisely downloads pr0n onto his computer - he’ll immediately add a prefix to the beginning of the file. Ie, “SSS - DJT in Moscow hotel.mp4”. Not a perfect system, and it requires some discipline. But it comes in handy: relatively easy to remove all pr0n, or move it onto another system, and be reasonably confident that it’s all gone.
in 7th grade when school was virtual I had a teacher who propped his bare feet up right next to the camera while talking... idk if he didn't realize his camera was on or what. I only still have the screenshot because I texted it to my friend. We both loved/hated comparing the idiocy of people 2021-01-08...b4-png.jpg
I had to TeamViewer in to a managers desktop to service a serve that was only on a local network. I warned him and he had to plug in a network cable for me to remote desktop into the server. I was 10 min late, and as TeamViewer there he was jerking of with a shemale cam girl. In those days I screen recorded everything for billing purposes so we got a 5 year extension on the software contract.
Why did Joseph and Mary lose contact when Jesus was born? There was no Zoom at the inn! (Sorry)
