Who hasn't seen the ad on TV that shows a man at a parking lot burning his luggage, then a woman pushing her car into a ditch and a voice that says something like "tired of traveling for meetings?"; " are you sick of paying through the nose for gas and airfare?" . Looking at this commercial is like acting out my fantasies.

Frankly, traveling by air has gotten so expensive and complicated that I think it has become a big chore to go to the airport. The days of the airlines good service and "friendly skies" are long gone. Luckily other technologies are popping up that might make business travel obsolete. Where do you find these technologies? Do you need to hire a specialized techie to set them up or spend oodles of money for the software? The answer is easier than you think: the Internet.

For a minimal monthly rate, and a few clicks of the mouse, you can meet with clients, employees, prospective clients or co-workers any time you want without leaving your office. No need to install expensive software, since everything is done online. The services are so intuitive that you basically don't need any training. In fact, all you need is a computer and an Internet connection and if desired a web cam (many laptops come equipped with a built in web cam but if your computer doesn't have one, you can get it for a few dollars).

For instance several online meeting services cost less than $50 per month Their service allows you to talk into your web cam, share whatever is on your desktop which could be an online presentation, chat online and you can even give control of your desktop to another attendee.

In addition, there are several services out there that offer video conferencing and collaboration over the Internet. Most of these services are geared for small companies, since the number of attendees has a maximum of 15. If meetings need to be larger these same companies offer package upgrades. I have used the free trials myself and found that web conferencing has saved me lots of money as well as headaches at the airport.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Flowers

A big title. Communications and the Carbon footprint. The obvious thing is that a phone call will reduce you car/flight journey. Yes it is obvious, but why do so many business meeting happen face to face.
We all have had problems with email. They cannot express tone, sarcasm or irony. We have sent a joke and it has been deemed as an insult. Placing :) at the end of it may not quite swing it. So we make a phone call. The modern age lets us work from home whilst billing the company for the phone calls, broadband and even the gas to power the central heating.

You can now do business phone calls in your dressing gown. The face to face meetings still happen because people are aware of just that fact. You want to be able to see peoples eyes, to see there reaction. Are they actually paying attention or are they reading emails, drinking coffee or ordering their groceries whilst you are talking to them.

Video conferencing at home is still in the realms of science fiction. Well no it isn't, as with most things in technology we bring into business what we have at home. Wireless networking is a domestic product which found its way to work. Mobiles with cameras on, they magically appeared in the work place and in some instances are useful.

MSN and Skype put video messaging down the web. All you needed was a webcam, a microphone and a speaker, then the teenagers of the world were talking and seeing each other whilst the grown ups were watching strictly come dancing. The same thing is available in the office, which means it is available at home.

Now you can see your colleague(s). The are now cleanly shaven and wearing a shirt, not a dressing gown, and are now working from home. The weekly meeting does not have to take all afternoon, cost a fortune in fuel, wasted time and parking costs. You can now have 16 people on the same laptop screen from all over the region/country/world. If you want to see a presentation then this is shown on a webmeeting.

Would this reduce your companies carbon footprint- yes, will this save the world, no, not on its own, but it will make a start.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Glaister

Before discussing what to do and what not to do during audio multi-lines call, first here is a simple description of what an audio conference call is. An audio conference call is conducted by the calling party and the participants listen to the discussion. Audio conference call is usually used for trainings, seminars or executive meetings. But not all audio conference call is conducted perfectly some are being cut-off, line is not clear and there are unpleasant sounds in the background.

Here are some tips on what to do and not what to do during an audio multi-lines call:

1. Call from a quiet location.

If you are conducting the audio conference call from home and your pets and children are playing, it is best to stay in the most quite place in the house. This way the participants will not have a hard time listening to you speaking. If for some reason you cannot find a quiet place you can use the mute function of the phone when you are not talking.

2. As much as possible do not call using a mobile phone

Using a mobile phone to conduct an audio conferencing is a bad idea. Mobile phone adds so much background noise and not to mention static. But if this is only what you have, still use the mute function if you are not speaking this will lessen the distraction on the side of the participants. And do not call when you are driving.

3. Always be on time for the scheduled call

Like normal meetings being on time is important. It is not nice when others wait while you catch up on the lost time especially when you are the one who will conduct the audio multi-lines call. Every one's time is important.

4. Avoid putting the call on hold

Putting the call on hold distracts the participants especially when the phone has hold beeps or music. The concentration of the participants will be disrupted and it is hard to catch up when you are not focused. If in case you need to leave and you are not sure at what time you can join the audio conference call, it is better to hang up and call again if you are ready.

5. Avoid using Cordless phones

Cordless phones are prone to static noise; this happens when you get out of range or there is a device that interferes with the phone. This is not the best device to conduct an audio conferencing.

6. Avoid doing other things when you are in an audio conference call

When you are speaking avoid doing other things like browsing papers, typing and the like because the other participants can hear it. Especially when the sound quality of the phone is good, the sound will be very loud.

7. Be cautious if your phone is on mute or not

There are several instances where other participants forgot to put the phone on mute then gives negative remark on the other participant. This is the worst experience you will have in an audio conference call. When you are done talking put the phone on mute the put it back on again when you are ready to talk. What you can do is it is your first time to join an audio multi-lines call, you can practice this so you will not be experiencing such embarrassing moments.

These are simple tips that anyone can follow to conduct a smooth sailing audio conferencing.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brooke_Coin