The Society had to suspend its events programme when the lockdown took effect in mid-March, but we're pleased to say that we will be starting up again with online talks and seminars. You can find a list of these here. Members of the Society will be able to 'attend' at least the first of these for free, and there will be a nominal charge for non-members.

It is likely that this year's AGM will also be done online, as social distancing regulations are unlikely to be relaxed sufficiently in the next couple of months. More to follow on this.

We will be using a program called Zoom to broadcast these. While many companies and individuals have got to learn this technology for work, we're aware that this may not apply to all of our members, so we've put together some resources for those of you who may find the concept intimidating.

The first thing is: it is pretty simple! You can download the program to your computer (PC or Mac) for free here. It also works on tablets and smartphones, and the app can be downloaded from the Apple or Google stores. Set up an account (again, this is free for general users - the London Society will be running event from our paid account, as an 'attendee' you will not need to be on any Zoom paid plan).

You book for one of the talks or online seminars ('webinars') in the same way as you would a physical event. Shortly before the event takes place, we will email you a link for the 'meeting' (as Zoom calls it). click on that link just before the scheduled time for the talk and the Zoom program will load and you will see a screen telling you that you are in a 'waiting area'. Once the talk starts the London Society host of the talk will 'let you in' to the meeting. (You can join an event part way through.)

There is the facility to ask questions (one types this in to the 'chat' function and the chair will ask the speaker the question at the appropriate time).

Here are a couple of links that go into a little more depth:

• Zoom's own "getting started" guide
• Video on 'how to use Zoom'