So much of how we get to know each other at in-person gatherings takes place specifically in incidental, unplanned spaces like waiting in line for a coffee or the few minutes before a speaker starts. How can virtual spaces, which are often more structured and less semi-private, replicate these interactions that are core to getting to know each other?

In a recent discussion with other meeting planners and facilitators, we grappled with this question.

Today’s my grandpa’s funeral. Here’s the eulogy I shared:

Richard Coursey was a member of this community for 90 years. He attended Tracy Elementary, where his mom was the first PTA president; working at the A+P before enlisting in the Army during Korea; raising five kids over the course of a 50-year marriage to Mary while being a union painter and a devoted diner visitor, always with an extra stomach for dessert.