Video Conferencing When You Can't Travel
Pick any Sci-fi movie and how do you see people communicating in their offices? Are they talking to each other or seeing each other too? That's right, there is always a video feed of calling parties. We were promised video calling as a norm by the turn of the millennium yet its 2010 and I don't see many telephones that have an attached camera let alone an LCD display.
But not all hope is lost as we have the option to make video calls thanks to availability of free and easy to use video telephony services. These service can help you save valuable time and money on travel yet allow you to meet face-to-face. Using video conferencing, managers can check-in with their colleagues in a more productive conversation, off-site members can have a more engaging discussion with team members. Collaboration is easier when people can read each other's body language and facial expressions leading to fewer misunderstandings.
Here are a few sites that can get you close to your video calling wish:
- {{{2}}} (visit) -- Skype has been around a while and many businesses depend on it to communicate with clients as well as employees.
- {{{2}}} (visit) -- Google Talk is delicious when it comes to integration with your existing Google services.
- {{{2}}} (visit) -- ooVoo offers the usual video calling experience for free but a paid subscription gets you set up for a 6 way video call and a whole lot of goodies such as video call recording, embedding a video chat room in your website and more.
- {{{2}}} (visit) -- TinyChat is a web based platform that allows audio and video connections for upto 12 clients. Their p2p site allows quick access to an online video room without the need to sign up or download any program. All you need is a computer with a web cam and microphone.
