faqS ABOUT MISCELLANY/ TECHNICALS

How does NRI-Natter work? What do I need to do to get on board?

If you are aware of the purpose of NRI-Natter and wish to participate in our periodical group discussions live on video via apps such as Skype, Zoom, etc, you may first express your interest by completing and submitting the registration form on this website.

Upon receiving your expression of intent and confirmation of participation via email, WhatsApp, WeChat, etc, we will inform you in advance about how to log in and participate in a session (time, date, mode, format, app, topic, and so on). You may also get updates on this website.

If you are available and willing to participate, you may directly log in at the time of the seminar and participate. As simple as that.

What you need in terms of technical aspects like devices, accessories, equipment, connectivity, etc, is explained separately below.

Can I use my smartphone to participate? Or, do I have to use my office PC, home laptop, tablet, phablet or other hand-held device?

You are free to choose whichever device that can enable you to log in to the live video call. Ensure you have good-quality, stable, seamless internet connectivity, noise-free background and adequate light. Also ensure your devices/accessories like earpiece, headset, mic, webcam, etc, are functional, in good working condition.

Is my time zone a factor?

Yes. We will communicate in advance the time of the event, and state it in terms of different time zones. Obviously, a discussion at a certain time may be day in one time zone and night in some other time zone.

If the event time suits your convenience, and if the topic of the day piques your interest, you may want to participate. Remember, you are free to enter, exit, re-join, exit at any time of the event. There is no minimum time-limit for the duration of your participation.

Do I have to set up a studio-like setting at home or can I log in from anywhere?

As stated earlier, ensure you have good-quality, stable, seamless internet connectivity, noise-free background and adequate light. Also ensure your devices/accessories like earpiece, headset, mic, webcam, etc, are functional, in good working condition.

Other than that, we don’t expect you to set up professional-grade studio, backdrop, etc. We are not doing a film and TV serial shooting. This is a freewheeling, informal chat live on video via apps such as Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp and WeChat.

Dos & Don’ts are stated separately. Click here to download the document.

Is there a quorum or upper limit for the number of participants in a video natter session? If their number is large, will I get a chance to speak at all?

Ideally, the quorum would be 10, in order for a session to be lively with multiplicity of views and plurality of perspectives. As of now, we are looking at 25 as the possible upper limit for a session.

We don’t want cacophonous, disorderly, senseless discussions of the kind you get to watch on some news TV channels and in legislatures. Should a particular topic generate wide interest, we may consider have multiple sessions on the same topic, to accommodate diverse audiences across different time zones. In such a scenario, the topic will be the same but each session will feature a different panel (group of participants) at different times.

This arrangement, we hope, will enable every participant to have his/her say.

How can I keep in touch with NRI-Natter?

For general queries, we would prefer if you email us at nri-natter@outlook.com and nri-natter@hotmail.com

For specific event-related queries, you may use instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, etc, or even contact the session moderators/co-moderators on mobile phone for urgent queries (like technical or connectivity issues). Such contact details will be shared on an ongoing basis.

I’d like to make a short presentation when it is my turn to speak during the video call. Can I share a document?

Sure, you may. Apps such as Skype, Zoom, do allow file transfers and screen sharing. Depending on which app we use on any given day, you may want to use the relevant feature. Apps will be chosen as per the preference of participants, reliability, technical parameters of the day, their performance record, so on.

Can we forward the URL of this website to our friends, networks or groups on WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook, etc?

Of course. We will appreciate if you use your discretion though. We would not want to be inundated with trivial queries or spammed with junk email. First understand the purpose of NRI-Natter. And share details about it with people who you think may be interested in joining or can bring value to the forum.

Please bear in mind the current upper limit (for the number of participants for each session) being considered is 25, for logistical reasons. So, arguably, a wiser thing to do would be to share the URL with select people rather than with everyone and anyone in mass media/social media.

What is the way to exit a session and the group?

Once you register, we will inform you of any upcoming event. Upon receiving advance confirmation of your participation for a specific session, we will inform you how to log in and participate. You are free to enter, exit, re-join and exit the discussion as per your convenience. There is no minimum time-limit for the duration of your participation.

If you wish to exit the group, you may email us your request, and we shall delete you from our mailing list.

Joining the group is voluntary and free. There is no membership or subscription fee, nor any conditions like commitment of participation for a certain minimum period of time. If you are interested, you may seek to join. If you wish to exit the group, you may at any time.

NRI-Natter is an enabling website for natter among NRIs – a forum for freewheeling, informal (but not trivial) discussions on raging topics.

FAQs about miscellaneous issues

Can anyone help me with insurance, remittance, work permit, green card, residence permit, income-tax, bank issues?

To reiterate, NRI-Natter is an enabling website for natter among NRIs – a forum for freewheeling, informal (but not trivial) discussions on raging topics. We don’t/won’t do any of that stuff you mentioned above.

There are already many other resources/online destinations that deal with insurance, remittance, work permit, green card, residence permit, income-tax, bank issues pertaining to NRIs/PIOs. Please consult them.

How to contact you for any further clarifications or additional FAQs?

If you have more questions, email them to nri-natter@outlook.com and nri-natter@hotmail.com | Thank you.