meeting muddles

 I have attended many meetings in my life - church committees, charitable committees, work related, study groups - I've done them all. Most of them have been in person meetings, but recently I've attended several Zoom meetings and they work pretty well.  What doesn't work well is a combo meeting.  This is a meeting where some members attend in person and others attend by Zoom.  Consider the meeting I attended this evening.  Take 20 people socially distanced around a large room, everyone wearing a mask of course.  Add to the mix six people who can be seen on a large screen TV and hopefully heard if they want to contribute and comment.  Spend five minutes explaining to one of the Zoom attendees how to mute himself so we don't hear his dog barking. Now we're ready to start.  Even with microphones strategically placed there are problems hearing mask muffled comments.  Even more problems if you're listening from a distance.  Amazingly, we did get some work done, but toward the end of the two hours one Zoom participant commented that he could hardly hear anything that was said during the meeting and he is an attorney whose opinions we value.  To Zoom or not to Zoom, that is the question.  But please choose one or the other.