ONLINE MEETINGS
We are seeing the rapid emergence of online AA meetings to replace physical meetings. This section is for consolidating online meetings in the Southdown area in one place as an easy reference.
If you start a Skype, Zoom (or other similar) teleconferencing group please send me a description, the link and the Host contact details and I'll publish it here. My contact details are on the Intergroup Home Page.
If this is a new group and not a replacement for a physical meeting then you will need to register with GSO via the 'Pink Form' and advise our Intergroup Secretary Clare F - secretary.southdown@aamail.org.
GSO has recently issued guidelines regarding good practice and anonymity for setting up and publishing details of online meetings. It also has information on how to deal with malicious participants. The guidelines can be found HERE.
ZOOM NEW! A new guide for Hosts setting up Zoom can be found HERE. It contains information on all the Zoom settings you need to achieve the best experience for participants and the various trade-offs of function over anonymity / security. There are practical tips on etiquette and on running the meeting. This is a MUST READ.
We do not endorse any of these products, they all have their relative merits and limitations. Those that have a paid-for licence generally have better controls over anonymity and meeting management.
DAILY meetings:
These meetings have now ceased. They were only ever intended to provide online meetings early on in the lockdown before groups were able to get their own meetings online. Everyone involved deserves a grateful vote of thanks for their outstanding service.
WEEKLY meetings:
Sunday -Hayling, 18:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 149 167 596, Clare M: 12step.southdown@aamail.org
Monday - Portsmouth, 19:00, "Back to Basics", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 994 738 597, Alan H: ecomm.southdown@aamail.org
Monday - Chichester, 11:00 for 11:15, "Step and Tradition" , Zoom, JOIN, ID: 579 865 189, Password; Recovery, Steve S: Chi.Bognor.OnlineAA@gmail.com
Monday - Cosham, 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 811 5177 3079, Password: 039206
Monday - Havant Women's meeting, 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 399 476 931
Monday - Chichester, "As Bill Sees It", 19:45 for 20:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 931 671 755, Password: Recovery, Steve S: Chi.Bognor.OnlineAA@gmail.com
Monday - Bridgemary Step, 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 892 0397 4467, Greg B: telephones.southdown@aamail.org
Monday - Liss, 20:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 886 3953 1050
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Tuesday - Havant Leigh Park, 12:30, "Daily Reflections", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 610 530 280, Clare M: 12step.southdown@aamail.org
Tuesday - Midhurst, 19:30 for 20:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 756 661 796
Tuesday - Southsea St Simon's, 19:00 for 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 669 095 261
Tuesday - Gosport, 19:00 for 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 844 8904 7644,
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Wednesday - Portsmouth, 19:30, LGBT, Skype, JOIN
Wednesday - Haslemere, 20:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 378 816 710
Wednesday - Bognor Regis, 11:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 751 911 925
Wednesday - Southsea, 12:00, "Reflections", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 843 4279 0342, Password: malady
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Thursday - Emsworth, 19:30, "As Bill Sees It", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 8293 9647 200, emsworth.thursday@gmail.com
Thursday - Bognor Regis, 19:30, Step and Tradition, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 326 388 074
Thursday - Petersfield, 11:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 774 333 881, Password: Serenity
Thursday - Southsea, 12:00, "Reflections", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 879 7985 5639, Password: malady
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Friday - Portsmouth St Marks Derby Road, 19:30, this is a Skype meeting. JOIN
Friday - Hayling, 11:45, "Living Sober", Zoom, JOIN, ID: 632 666 051, Clare M: 12step.southdown@aamail.org
Friday - Chichester and Bognor, 20:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 805 965 268, Password: Recovery, Steve S, Chi.Bognor.OnlineAA@gmail.com
Friday - Bishops Waltham, 19:45, Zoom, JOIN, John BD: ecomm.se@aamail.org
Friday - Waterlooville, 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 547 441 252
Friday - Haslemere, Step, 12:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 253 748 131
Friday - Gosport, 19:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 727 7526 4430
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Saturday - Emsworth, 10:00, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 357 091 949
Saturday - Petersfield Step,19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 791 973 107
Saturday - Bognor Regis NEWCOMERS, 11:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 163 915 671, Password: Recovery, Steve S: Chi.Bognor.OnlineAA@gmail.com
Saturday - Portsmouth Cathedral, 19:30, Zoom, JOIN, ID: 897 7334 6222, Greg B: telephones.southdown@aamail.org
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PHONE-IN meeting facility, Zoom
For those without a smart device or internet access (!) you can dial in from your mobile or Landline to a Zoom meeting. All you have to do is call one of the numbers listed below and enter the ID of the meeting when prompted:
0330 088 5830
0131 460 1196
0203 481 5237
0203 481 5240
0208 080 6591
0208 080 6592
Since you could be on the phone for an hour or more you should check your calling plan with your service provider to understand what these calls are likely to cost. Basically it's the cost of calling an 01, 02 or 03 number in the UK.
Online meeting preparation, etiquette and what to expect
Whichever conferencing tool you use you should edit your profile to contain your christian name and surname initial. This helps with identification and is less likely to be misconstrued when Hosts are admitting people into meetings.
It is suggested you join the call (i.e. click on the highlighted word "JOIN") up to 30 minutes in advance of the meeting start so the meeting Host can get organised and help those having problems. It can be like a 'chat room' at this time if the Host allows it. During this time you can get tea/coffee go to the loo etc.!
Please close all other internet applications on your device as they impact the quality of the meeting call. If your connection is dropped, click on the "JOIN" link again.
Please turn off or silence mobile phones if you are not using them to attend the meeting.
Once the meeting starts then as far as possible it will be conducted as if everyone is in a room together i.e. only one person is speaking at any one time. It is customary to mute your microphone unless you are going to speak. This reduces noise which gets worse the more participants there are. If several people try to speak at once the audio feed gets really muddled. The meeting Host will normally have a function to mute everyone except the current speaker. If you wish to speak please raise your hand. Some meetings have a button for this and a hand icon will appear in your window.
Out of courtesy to other participants and especially if there is a guest speaker, please keep your video feed on and only turn it off where necessary.
If there are many participants or the meeting quality suffers - e.g. audio or video dropouts, the Host will try to compensate by turning off the video feed for everyone.
This obviously affects the feel of the meetings we are used to when we are in the same room. We'll have to get used to it.
Please bear with your Hosts as they get to grips with this new method of running meetings so we can deliver the best experience to everyone.
If you wish to suggest any improvements to a meeting the Host will usually stay online after it has finished.