Efficient communication is one of the key components of the overall success of any company, be it a small family shop or a humongous multinational with thousands of employees. Proper communication models save time and resources, and make for faster business cycles, thus improving the performance indices of your enterprise and, therefore, increasing the revenue. Businesses of various scales often overlook specialized corporate LAN communication suites and opt for the widely available instant messaging software, such as MSN, ICQ, AOL and Yahoo IM's. Although it may be the most apparent approach to building a large-scale corporate communication system, it contains quite a lot of flaws and potential dangers that are not to be underestimated.

First and foremost, Internet IM's are exposed to virus and hacker attacks that jeopardize the security of the internal company data sent and received through these messengers. Another negative aspect of regular public IM software is that these applications use servers to exchange messages between users, therefore your employees depend on their stability and may not be able to use the services when one or all servers are down due to technical issues, which is unacceptable for business applications. Other inconveniences of using standard IM software may include, but are not limited to, the necessity to open additional corporate firewall ports (which may affect the security of the corporate network), the absence of data encryption, unavailability of adequate technical support, the presence of ad banners and spam messages accompanying almost all free IM applications. Finally, the temptation to chat with people outside the corporate network is something that many employees cannot resist.

If you can relate to that and are looking for efficient communication software that would meet you corporate requirements, we recommend taking a close look at Softros LAN Messenger. This software was specifically designed to accommodate the needs of corporate users seeking rock-stable, easy-to-use messaging and file-transfer applications with advanced security features. System administrators will be delighted to find out that they can automatically deploy Softros LAN Messenger on all network computers using domain group policies and remotely restrict Softros LAN Messenger features for regular users.

Softros LAN messenger supports Microsoft/Citrix terminal services, so you can launch an individual instance of Softros LAN Messenger for each terminal user. And this is just the beginning! The scalability of this program allows it run equally efficiently both in a small office environment and in large enterprise networks. Softros LAN messenger encrypts all incoming and outgoing data and archives it at the same time, so you messages will never be lost, stolen or viewed by anybody else without your authorization. You can also divide your employees into groups to dispatch department-specific notifications by making just a few mouse clicks.

Having a very intuitive multilanguage interface, Softros LAN Messenger requires no advanced skills, so the users will not have to spend time dealing with "technical issues" – they will start working right away as a better-coordinated and closer-knit team!

A friend of mine placed a Video Camera on top of his Computer and connected it to the Internet through some freely available Software. Since then I can actually see him on my screen whenever I contact him, as long as he leaves his camera on.

This kind of communication, actually a one on one audio-visual exchange, is much richer than a phone talk and permits additional two way transmission of video information like sketches, drawings, maps, photos etc.

The uses to which this newly available capability can be put are only limited by one’s imagination and dedication to solve specific problems.

Instead of sitting together in the same room, people convene in different places of their convenience under the eyes of watchful cameras and the ears of attentive microphones. Their distant partners, similarly served by suitable equipment, are watched on screens and their voices are heard through loudspeakers.

The interactive telecommunication technology that makes these exchanges possible via two-way video and audio cable or satellite transmissions, is completely transparent and does not interfere with the spontaneous behavior of the participants.

It should not come as a surprise that Video Conferencing is enjoying rapid diffusion and that its best advantages are being put to good use in many different fields of human activity like education, medicine, business, consulting etc.

Bringing a small crowd of selected people together, irrespective of their actual location, for coordinated common hearing and seeing, absorbing and commenting, learning and taking part, is a powerful way to permit the most important interactions to occur, without being physically in the same place.

It represents the conquest of a new dimension, like the gift of ubiquity, naturally unavailable to human beings.

It is a great way of convening committees to discuss matters and to take decisions
while saving on transportation expenses and on travel time that can be employed instead for productive endeavors. It also avoids delays and dangers, real or feared.

Although the main application of this technology is not specific for Home Surveillance, it is an extension of equipment and technology already developed for those applications.

Although still limited to large organizations capable of profiting the most by installing and operating this recent technology, Video Conference is likely to spread to a wider public and to individuals that appreciate the immediacy and wholeness of interaction experience afforded by online audio-visual exchange.

When it comes to incurring the expense of setting up and using a conference call service, the charges can vary. Most companies that provide these services will vary what they charge based on how large your meeting is and the how long the meeting will last. This can become quite pricey for something like a board meeting or stock analyst meeting which will involve several participants and may last for several hours. In order to take away some of that burden, there are some conference call service companies that are beginning to offer a flat rate for their services. They will charge a certain amount per minute of use no matter how many participants there are, how many bridges are used, and how long the conference call lasts.

When considering the costs of conference calls, it's already proven to be something much more cost effective than travel. Plane tickets, gas money, hotel stays, business dinners, are all things that can cost a company well into the thousands and that's per person sent. In comparison to conference calls, there is already large savings yet, some of the larger conference calls can get pricey as well. If they last a long time or if several participants are needed, before you know it your costs are again sky high. A flat rate conference call service can take care of this problem.

Most flat rate conference call services are reservationless. You can schedule your meeting with almost no notice and that won't be a problem. You will still have an operator available to you during your call in order to facilitate any problems that may occur with the call itself. You can have more participants in the call than most other places can offer. Everything needed to set up the call is available online and can be done instantly. You can communicate globally through a flat rate service as well as any conference call service provider.

The flat rate service provider difference is the cost effectiveness and time variable. With most conference call services, you will be charged a set up fee in addition to the fees incurred by the conference itself. The determination of the cost of the conference is based on how many participants are included in the conference as well as how long the conference lasts. For this you get a person to proctor your call and be there any time you need help with the call, the possibility of a certain amount of people calling in, a certain time period in which the phone call will take place, and the use of the company's lines to connect the call. All of this is available to you with a flat rate service provider at a per minute fee and often with no set up fee.

A flat rate service provider will assist you in your quest to cut costs for your businesses. Not only will you be saving money on the travel aspect of conferencing, but now you'll also save money by choosing the flat rate conference call option over the others. The effort you spend in finding this type of company will be well appreciated and won't be overlooked.

In the breakneck paced business world of immediate information, video conferencing is quickly becoming the leading communications tool for businesses large and small, and for good reason!

Due to the fact that offices and employees can be thousands of miles apart, getting everyone into the same room for meetings and training sessions has become decidedly impractical from a logistical and financial perspective for most companies.

WELL HELLO VIDEO CONFERENCING!!

A very intelligent and wealthy man (although fictional in nature) once told a certain young ambitious stockbroker “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” Of course I am quoting from the movie “Wall Street.” We all know that that movie is some 20 odd years old now, but the underlying intended message of that statement is even more applicable in today’s world: Get the right information to the intended recipients in the least amount of time = MONEY!!! That is what video conferencing technology, in the business world, allows users to do. Exchange pertinent information on a very broad scale quickly, to gain a financial position or edge. The old adage “time equals money” applies in a very realistic and tangible way.

Video conferencing has been around since the early 1960s, but has honestly only gained prominence in the real world over the last ten or so years. Early systems were unnecessarily expensive and of comparatively low quality due to the fact the technologies of today were just simply not available. But due to the emergence of VoIP networks, high speed internet, Web Casting (WebEx, Go To Meeting Centra etc.), improved audio/video Codec’s (coder/decoder) and very affordable enterprise solutions, video conferencing is finally wrapping its huge arms around the corporate world today and giving it a great big bear hug!!

When choosing which conference calling service to do business with, it's a good idea to have an idea of what kind of rates to expect. Most conference call services will charge rates based on the amount of time used, the amount of people or locations involved in the call, a set-up fee or a membership fee, and surcharges for particular calls placed. There are some companies that will charge rates based only on the minutes used. There will be no set up fees, no membership costs, and very few, if any surcharges. The services offered by each will vary as well.

A typical conference calling company will charge you some sort of monthly or yearly fee for their services. It may be a membership fee, it may be a fee that covers part of your expenses for that month, and it may be a fee to buy so many minutes of conference calling time. Whatever it is used for, it is usually a part of your expenses as a conference call service user. When a conference call is set up, you will then be charged a certain per minute fee that is multiplied by the number of participants in the conference. For instance, if there are three participants and the charge is ten cents a minute, you'll actually be paying thirty cents a minute. Those charges can add up fast when there are many participants and the conference lasts longer lengths of time.

A flat rate conference provider offers something a little bit different which they claim will not cost as much as the other service providers yet will offer comparable services. These types of services charge a flat rate per minute based only on number of lines dialed in. There are no service fees or membership fees. Anyone can call in and participate all over the world. There can be up to fifty participants joined into the conference call. There is no operator assistance necessary; everything can be done through the moderator of the conference call. There is no reservation necessary. These calls can take place any time, twenty four hours a day and no notice is necessary. There is toll free customer support included if necessary and all participants dial in using a toll free number.

Rates can vary greatly from company to company offering these conferencing services. Be sure to research each one thoroughly before you decide which company to provide your conference calls through. Each will have its benefits and drawbacks and those will outweigh one another until you've found the service that will work within your budget and timeline. Conference calling services, no matter which company you go with, will still save you a bundle over travel expenses for one or more associate to attend a conference. No matter which service you choose, you'll be making a money saving decision when you decide to use conference calling.

All businesses, be it a small business or a world wide business, are beginning to use conference calling. What is a conference call service and what different forms of them are there? Below you will find the definition of a conference calling service and the different forms of them.

Conference calling services have revolutionized the way that businesses are run and have now allowed businesses to be ran all over the world from one place. This means that customers, associates, and even business partners are now able to communicate without having to travel half way around the world!

There are three main forms of conference calling and they are: audio conferencing, web conferencing, and video conferencing.

The most popular form of conference calling used is audio conferencing. The reason this is the most popular form is because it has been around for the longest and its cost effectiveness saves the company money. This is also the easiest form to use because all you need is a telephone. The only problem businesses have found is they are unable to see the people they are talking with and they are unable to see any images or information instantly.

The newest of the three forms of conferencing is web conferencing. This form of conferencing uses webcams to broadcast the conference over the internet. The biggest bonus of this conference is that all the participants are able to send all files, text messages, and visual aids instantly so that all participants are able to see them. The great thing about web conferencing is that you get all the great benefits of audio and video conferencing and you gain the ability to share files instantly.

The third form of conference calling is video conferencing. This is probably the most expensive of all the forms because of the cost of the equipment which means only the big companies use this form. Changes in technology have brought the cost down a little bit allowing smaller companies to use this form but many try to avoid it. To perform a video conference call you need to have a television and a camera on every end of the call which allows all of the members to hear and see each other but it is expensive. Video conferencing is effective if you plan to hold meetings frequently but you should expect to have many problems with equipment.

Are you running a business where members of your company are in different parts of the country or world at different times? This makes it extremely difficult to hold conferences whenever you want, unless you want to fly all of the people in. The solution to this problem is conference calls and here are some tips to help you have a successful conference over the phone:

-The thing you must first do to set up a successful conference call is to tell the participants you want in the call the toll-free number they will be calling, the code they must enter to get into the conference, the agenda of the meeting, and most importantly, the time they are to call in. The company you sign up under will provide you with your own 800 toll free number that you will use. All the participants will be allowed to choose their own entry code so that they can enter it when they are ready to join the conference. The reason an agenda is important before starting the conference is so you can stay on track and get the most out of the meeting.

-Before you do the tip above you should make a list of all the people you are going to want to participate in the call. This will help you when it comes time to send out all the information as you will already know who to send the information to and you will know what to send them. You should also consider that participates are going to be all over the country or world in different time zones so try to find a time that the most amount of members can participate.

-This may be one of the most important tips and that is you must start the conference call on time! The participants are all going to make special arrangements to call in on time so you must start it on time. If you do not start the conference on time you will have to deal with a big mess that can be avoided easily.

-Tell all participants to use the mute button when they are not talking to the members of the conference. This helps to eliminate all the background noise that can become a distraction while the others are either talking or listening.

These are just some tips that I have found to be helpful when using conference calls.

A Virtual Classrooms or VCR is a learning environment that exists exclusively in the form of digital content that is stored, and accessed through network of computers and information systems like PDAs, notebooks, mobiles etc.

Physical or Virtual Classrooms?
The main difference between the physical classroom and the Virtual Classrooms is those of location, time and spaces required by students and teachers to access and partake in classroom activities. In the physical classroom a physical location must be visited at a fixed time in order to participate, while a virtual classroom is not physically accessed and has no real fixed time or location which is a great boon.

The manner in which a teacher delivers educational material remains an important factor in the success of both classrooms. Though both the classrooms employ similar learning theory, curriculum design and pedagogy, live face-to-face interaction is missing in the VCR method, which may have a negative influence.

May be the solution is the blended method where physical classroom training is combined with the virtual classroom training, thus accommodating a wider range of student needs.

As teaching in both the physical and virtual classroom is learner-centered, students learn by engaging in group work, projects, discussions, and other content relating to real-world contexts. The VCR is used to provide additional communication and material, along with the learning that occurs in the physical classroom.

VCR Tools
The important communication/participation VCR tools are

* E-mail
* Discussion boards
* Chat rooms
* Whiteboards
* Video/audio conferencing
* Instant messaging
* Podcasting/vodcasting
* Teleconferencing
* Weblogs
* Wikis

These tools can be further divided into two methods of learning Synchronous and Asynchronous learning.

Synchronous VCR Learning
Synchronous learning is communication or exchange of information at the same time between two or more people i.e. in real time. In virtual classrooms, synchronous communication is used by students to communicate with fellow class members and their teachers. This provides real time interaction and encourages group discussions. Chats, Video/audio conferencing, Podcasting/vodcasting, Teleconferencing are all Synchronous learning tools.

Asynchronous VCR Learning
Asynchronous learning or communication does not occur in real-time, students or teachers are not present in the same space and time as each other. The instructions are delivered at one time and the work is done at a different time. Asynchronous learning allows the student to study at their own space and in their own time, plus both the teacher and the student benefit from because the entire discussion is recorded and can be repeated continuously. E-mail, discussion groups, whiteboards, wikis, weblogs, and forums are all Asynchronous learning tools.

Conclusion
The virtual classroom transcends the boundaries of location, time and space providing a flexible learning environment for all. Schools, universities and corporate organizations benefit form VCR Learning because it provides an excellent way for experts to teach a geographically dispersed group of students without hassle.

Efficient communication is one of the key components of the overall success of any company, be it a small family shop or a humongous multinational with thousands of employees. Proper communication models save time and resources, and make for faster business cycles, thus improving the performance indices of your enterprise and, therefore, increasing the revenue. Businesses of various scales often overlook specialized corporate LAN communication suites and opt for the widely available instant messaging software, such as MSN, ICQ, AOL and Yahoo IM's. Although it may be the most apparent approach to building a large-scale corporate communication system, it contains quite a lot of flaws and potential dangers that are not to be underestimated.

First and foremost, Internet IM's are exposed to virus and hacker attacks that jeopardize the security of the internal company data sent and received through these messengers. Another negative aspect of regular public IM software is that these applications use servers to exchange messages between users, therefore your employees depend on their stability and may not be able to use the services when one or all servers are down due to technical issues, which is unacceptable for business applications. Other inconveniences of using standard IM software may include, but are not limited to, the necessity to open additional corporate firewall ports (which may affect the security of the corporate network), the absence of data encryption, unavailability of adequate technical support, the presence of ad banners and spam messages accompanying almost all free IM applications. Finally, the temptation to chat with people outside the corporate network is something that many employees cannot resist.

If you can relate to that and are looking for efficient communication software that would meet you corporate requirements, we recommend taking a close look at Softros LAN Messenger. This software was specifically designed to accommodate the needs of corporate users seeking rock-stable, easy-to-use messaging and file-transfer applications with advanced security features. System administrators will be delighted to find out that they can automatically deploy Softros LAN Messenger on all network computers using domain group policies and remotely restrict Softros LAN Messenger features for regular users.

Softros LAN messenger supports Microsoft/Citrix terminal services, so you can launch an individual instance of Softros LAN Messenger for each terminal user. And this is just the beginning! The scalability of this program allows it run equally efficiently both in a small office environment and in large enterprise networks. Softros LAN messenger encrypts all incoming and outgoing data and archives it at the same time, so you messages will never be lost, stolen or viewed by anybody else without your authorization. You can also divide your employees into groups to dispatch department-specific notifications by making just a few mouse clicks.