This page no longer provides information on individual Al‑Anon and Alateen groups.
Instead, it provides links to online and hybrid meeting information on the Minnesota South Area (MNSA) website.
For a limited time the previous schedule of electronic meetings is still available.

Minnesota South Area (MNSA) website links
with information about online (virtual) and hybrid
Al‑Anon and Alateen meetings
Note: The presence of a link does not imply there are any corresponding meetings.

Any Day	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Online	Online	Online	Online	Online	Online	Online	Online
Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid
Any type	Any type	Any type	Any type	Any type	Any type	Any type	Any type

About Online and Hybrid Meetings

You participate in an an online (virtual/electronic) meeting using special software on a computer, smart phone or tablet. When there are also members meeting in person it is a hybrid meeting. Most online groups use Zoom. A few use conference calling, Google Groups or the Al‑Anon Mobile App.

Before you can participate in an online meeting, you must install an app or client program. On a computer you should install it only from the official website for the service (for Zoom, download from zoom.us/download). On a phone or tablet, you should install the app only from the official source of apps for your device (Google Play for Android and the Apple App Store for iPhone or iPad.

Once you have installed the app, to participate in a online meeting, you typically need an ID which identifies the meeting and a passcode or password to get in. You may also be asked for your name which you should normally supply in the form First_name Initial, e.g., Lois W. The ID and passcode should be found with other meeting info on the MNSA website.

Anonymity and Privacy Issues With Online Meetings (Important!)

There are real issues of loss of anonymity and privacy with some of the services which enable online meetings. Before you set one up, you should carefully read the terms of use and privacy policy. Some of the most popular online meeting solutions state in their privacy policies that they cross reference multiple databases to identify you personally, anyone else in your online meeting, and even any contacts on your device they are able to access.

In spite of privacy and anonymity issues, many Al‑Anon and Alateen groups do meet online. One of the most popular providers is Zoom. We have prepared a Zoom information page which, among other things, suggests specific settings that should be changed to minimize risk to anonymity.

Whatever virtual meeting service is used – Zoom, Skype or some other – it is essential that, every time you log on, you check to see you are using the most recent version of the required app or client program. If not, you should download it only from the official website for the service. See above. A well setup meeting will not allow you to skip this step.

Because of well founded privacy concerns with some browsers, you should never partipate in a virtual meeting through a browser. Instead you should use an app or client program installed on your device. Using a special browser “extension” does not mitigate the problem.

Similarly you should never log in to Zoom meetings using Facebook, Google, Twitter or other third party accounts. Doing so breaches your anonymity and perhaps that of others in your meeting

You can lose anonymity in a way that is easy to overlook – by the “hovering” by others in your household, whether done accidentally or purposefully. If anyone can see what is on your screen or hear what is being said, the anonymity and privacy of others in the meeting are in danger. Make every effort to shield your screen and sound from others’ eyes and ears.

Another often overlooked threat to anonymity is the smart speaker such as Amazon Echo with Alexa, Google Home with Google Assistant, or Apple HomePod with Siri. They are constantly listening for key words and may record audible voices in the room. All smart speakers should either be put in another room or turned off entirely when a virtual Al‑Anon or Alateen meeting is in progress.

District Zoom Accounts

Several Al-Anon districts have established Zoom accounts that can be used by Al‑Anon or Alateen groups in a district. These have all been set up carefully so as to minimize threats to anonymity and privacy. If your group would like to use such an account, contact the districts as shown in the following table,

District	Geography	Contact
4	Olmsted, Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties	Email District 4 at district4mnsa@gmail.com
8	City of Saint Paul	Email District 8 at mnsa.d8.sap@mail.com
13	Carver and Scott Counties	Contact DR for information