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This is a very busy world and sometimes meetings have to take an unconventional approach to gathering together busy workers in order to have a conference. By using a teleconference workers from different parts of the country and world can join together to get their missions accomplished. If you have a business that is spread out over a great distance this can be a real money saving venture.

You no longer have to worry about flying people into one location just to have a talk with them. By simply picking up the phone you can be connected to anyone, anywhere on the globe. It may not be the traditional method but it is one that is gaining in popularity as more businesses want to cut their expenses down. This article will cover the basics of the teleconference and what it means to you.

Why would I need to use a teleconference?

You would need to use a teleconference if you needed to attend a meeting that is being held in a distant city or in another part of the world. This way you do not have to worry about journeying to that destination just to take part in, say, a weekly meeting to update your bosses of a certain project. You can also use a teleconference if you need computer help and your IT department is located in a different branch of your company.

How does a teleconference work?

A teleconference works by different individuals calling into the office where the meeting is being hosted. The host office must have a multi-user phone system so that it can handle more than one call coming in. Usually you are directed to a conference room and put on hold until the meeting starts. Once the meeting starts it is as if you are actually there in the office. You can speak and listen to all of the various parties in the meeting room.

What happens if another phone call comes in to my office during the teleconference?

Well, if you have just a single line the incoming phone call will receive a busy signal. If you use a multi-line phone system the phone will continue to ring until it is either picked up or the caller hangs up. You can always hit mute on your telephone and quickly pick up the call.

Most people arrange for someone else to answer the phone if they are going to be in a meeting. This is the polite way of handling incoming phone calls. If it is an absolute emergency that you take the call you should politely excuse yourself and make the call quick.

Do I need special phone equipment to have a teleconference?

Yes, you do need special phone equipment to host a teleconference but you do not need special equipment to participate in a teleconference call. If you are hosting a meeting you will need a multi-line phone system and a conference room that can handle all of the incoming calls. Even if you are not the one hosting, it is a good idea to have a multi-line phone system so that other calls coming into your office will not continuously hear a busy signal.

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There are many companies that have ambitions to expand and grow, transforming from local concerns into national or international organizations. As these companies grow, the need to communicate effectively between people in offices in different states or countries also grows.

Many times, these companies cannot justify the expense of having their key executives flying around the country for meetings, yet often communicating by fax or email falls short. Because of these factors, more and more often growing companies are turning to teleconference solutions to facilitate effective communication.

Teleconference calls are an excellent alternative for companies that need to communicate effectively with their employees in all locations and even with clients who are not local. The main benefit of teleconferencing, as opposed to simply trying to communicate though emails, faxes and voice messages, or even one-on-one phone conversations is that a group of people can hear the same information at the same time. This is the same primary benefit of holding a meeting, to disseminate information to a group so that everyone involved receives exactly the same information.

Using a teleconference meeting allows a group to meet without having to be in the same physical location. This means that everyone who needs to be informed, or who needs to participate in some type of discussion or decision-making event, can do so from the convenience of their own office.

This can drastically reduce travel costs for a company and it can also help to keep valuable executives and other key employees from becoming drained and stressed by the demands of travel. With teleconferencing, people can have access to all of the information they normally have in their own office, and they simply need to dial into the teleconferencing service at the correct time.

In addition, meeting materials can be sent ahead physically by courier or delivery service, or the materials can be sent digitally, through email attachments that each participant can print out at their end. In most cases, the teleconference is hosted by a company that provides teleconferencing services to groups.

Each participant will need to call the phone number given by the service and enter a special pin code in order to join the conference call. Typically, the organizers and presenters of such conference calls will have a special pin number that allows them to have some additional control over the call.

During the teleconference call, the presenters usually have everyone briefly introduce themselves and if needed, they can take a roll call at the beginning to be sure that everyone who needs to be teleconferencing with the group is present. After this introductory period, the organizers can choose to mute all of the callers except those who will be making a presentation. This is very helpful for conference calls that have a large number of

When the size of the group that is participating in a teleconference business call is limited and requires each person to speak and interact, the person moderating the call can opt to leave the callers with the ability to speak at any time. This gives each person on the call the ability to speak up to contribute to the conversation or to ask questions of the moderator or others. In this type of situation, all people on the call must make sure that they are calling from a very quiet environment.

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In a number of ways, it seems that these days the world is a much smaller place than it used to be, even though the literal distances around the globe have not changed. But, what has undergone change is how easily people travel and communicate globally, which has created an economic environment that is more global than ever. With all of this collaboration going on internationally, the use of international conference calls is at an all-time high.

Teleconference calls, whether they are held for local groups, for groups that are spread around a country or continent, or that are organized and intended for international participation, have become a terrific way for people to stay in touch. There are many multi-national corporations that routinely engage in conference calls internationally so that their employees and their clients can stay in touch.

One thing that people really enjoy about the ability to hold international conference calls is that these conference proceedings allow people a good form of interaction, which helps people get better acquainted with others they are working with. While most companies these days communicate a great deal via email, many times nothing is better for enhancing communication than hearing the tone in another person’s voice.

Emails can be dull and boring and it is often difficult to infuse personality into them. But, if people can communicate over the phone, through one-on-one phone calls or through audio teleconferences, then there is a completely different feel.

You are able to catch the subtleties of intonation and voice inflections and start to develop a much better perspective of the personalities of the various people that you are collaborating with. This can often help to diffuse problems and lessen confusion and misunderstandings that can develop when you rely on emails alone to communicate.

Add to that the fact that when people hail from different lands and cultures, there are often additional misunderstandings that can arise just because of the differences in communication styles, language challenges and cultural influences. An internationally placed conference call can often bridge the gaps of understanding and help people work together more effectively.

Teleconferences in general, when unitized to help people in various locations collaborate on projects better, also help to remind everyone involved that the person at the other end is actually a living, breathing, thinking and feeling human being, and not just a machine. It is easy to forget that fact sometimes in the midst of a busy day at the office when frustrations rise and stresses build.

Making use of international conference calls can help people feel more unified and they simply relate to one another better. This is always a big plus in any type of organization that is trying to make the most of their people and help them all work toward the common goal of the group. Video teleconferencing can even take this a step further and is expected to soon become the communication method of choice with international organizations.

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Many businesses are taking to holding conference calls because it simply makes doing business easier. With the almost limitless uses of technology today there can be people from all over the world that work for the same company. What this means is that the employees need a way to communicate directly that won’t involve someone traveling great distances.

There are simple and affordable ways to hold conference calls that will be possible for even the smallest companies to afford. There are quite a few options out there that will allow your business to be in contact without breaking the bank; you simply have to look for the one that suits your business the best.

Hosting Affordable Conference Calls

Does your company need to hold a lot of conference calls but you have found that your phone companies charge a lot for them? Perhaps you live great distances from those that you will be having a conference call with and you would like for the process to be as affordable as possible? If this is the position that you are in, you will want to take the time to look into all of the conference call opportunities that are out there. You will be surprised when you look into the options and see how affordable they are.

One way to get around the cost of conference calling associated with your phone company is to use one of the many internet conference-calling services. This doesn’t actually involve being on the internet, rather you sign up for the services through the internet. You pay as little as $2.00 for a two hour block on an international line.

All of the people who will be on the conference call simply call the international number at the specific time and enter a code to be on the call. This is really simple and many times is much cheaper than the conference calling services that are offered through your phone company.

If your business is growing and groups of people from different locations need to talk this is the most affordable way to make that happen. Conference calling this way is usually cheaper than what you can get through your phone service and is also usually much cheaper than having people travel from one location to the next to be able to get the same work done. While talking on the phone isn’t always quite as effective as meeting in person, it is a lot more affordable.

If your company likes the convenience of these conference calling services you can then branch out and look into video conferencing that will give you the benefit of both voice and face recognition so you can share ideas with one another over great distances. There are a lot of companies who offer straight forward conference calling as well as video conference calling so you can take advantage of the services that you need when you need them.

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If you are hosting a large conference call you may want to look into operator assisted conference calling. This sounds really complicated, but really this sort of conference call with take a lot of the trouble out of the process of hosting a conference call.

There are many different services that will provide you with operator assisted conference calling, you just may need to shop around and see which the best is for you. Operator assisted conference calling is not for every business and is not even for every call, but in some instances this type of call allows for you to run your business as efficiently as possible.

When to Use an Operator Assisted Conference Call

Operator assisted conference calls are great when you want to make sure that you have a conference call reservation. There is nothing worse than assuming that the reservation is there only to have all of the callers call in to be told that there is not a conference call set up for your business or corporation. When you have an operator assisted conference call you can be assured that the time and line is reserved and all of your callers will be able to get through easily.

An operator assisted conference call is also ideal when you have a large group of callers calling in for the conference call and you don’t want anyone to go unnoticed. An operator assisted call will mean that you and all of the call participants are greeted when you come on the line. This is a great idea when you have a lot of people on the line or when you have many different executives and the like and you want everyone to feel appreciated.

Another time when having an operator assisted conference call is ideal is when you want to have special features available to you such as streaming, participant reports, transcription, or recording.

These are features that a lot of businesses want to take advantage of, especially if there is a lot of important information being shared or there are a lot of people participating, all with their own input or ideas. Having an operator on the line will allow you to receive all of the information that you need after the call to reflect on and of course, take action on.

As you can see, there are a lot of great reasons to have an operator assisted conference call. You simply need to take a look at all of the features that are made available to those that opt for this type of call because many of them will really come in handy.

A lot of people don’t need these features, but when you are having a very important conversation and you have a lot of people contributing sometimes you need an extra set of ears and hands as well as different technology to help you out. Of course, you may not need the operator assistance every time you get on a conference call, but it is nice to know that the features are there when you need them.

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Many people assume that conference calls are something that a lot of managers know how to do, but it actually takes some work to learn how to run these calls efficiently and effectively. There are some basic guidelines that you can use to help your conference call run smoothly and to make sure that you as well as everyone else on the call gets the most out of the process.

Hosting a Quality Conference Call

When you are planning your conference call the first thing that you will want to do is make sure that you have a dedicated line that you can depend on. You also want to make sure that you send this information out to all those that should be on the call. Also send another reminder after the formal announcement of the conference call on the day of the call to make sure that everyone will be there.

Next, you will want to plan out your conference call before it begins. You should write down a brief outline ahead of time and think out all of the talking points. A conference call is just like a face to face meeting, except you are doing it over the phone. You don’t have the benefit of visual cues and looking at other people to remind you of your topics, you need to have them all in front of you so that you can run a streamlined meeting.

When the call starts you will want to introduce yourself to all of the callers so that they will recognize your voice. Then, you should go around and introduce everyone on the line and have them say hello, this will help with voice recognition when people talk. Also, ask that when people do talk, without being addressed specifically, that they should identify themselves so everyone knows who is talking.

Next, when you begin covering the talking points you should be sure that you do not allow for things to go off topic. It is really easy for the topic to change and to get way off subject, but if you only have a phone line for a specific period of time you’ll want to stay on task. Also, you don’t want to spend all day on the phone getting nothing else done, so limit outside conversation so you can get through all of the topics that need to be covered.

You’ll want to take notes when other people talk. This will allow you to follow up with each person individually and you’ll also remember if there are things that you need to address with each caller at a later date. Taking notes doesn’t have to be exhaustive, just a few notes here and there will usually do.

Lastly, when you end the call you should be sure that you do so by thanking the callers for their time. You can ask if there are any additional thoughts, questions, or concerns as it is good to make people feel like they had time to take the floor and address anything that needs to be addressed. Then, close the call with a final thanks and mention any upcoming conference calls.

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Twenty years ago no one would have ever dreamt of something as sophisticated as video conferencing, but today this is a really convenient way to do business. More and more businesses are taking advantage of this high tech ability to do business even if they are half a world away from one another. When you have the need to speak with people from other offices, even if they are in different parts of the world, video conferencing makes it simple and straightforward.

Benefits of Video Conferencing

Many businesses have adopted video conferencing because they believe that it actually increases production. When people are able to meet face to face in their respective offices or locations and brainstorm or simply see eye to eye on topics it will energize everyone involved in any given project, which generally results in more productivity. This is something that more businesses are picking up and they like the increase in productivity so much that they are willing to continue the video conferences for that benefit alone.

Another aspect that a lot of corporations like about video conferencing is that it can actually save money. The reason for this is that people from different offices no longer need to be in the same geographical location to get things done together. Instead employees can meet and discuss things, even share physical progress on projects because they are linked via video. Video conferencing is much more economical than flying several employees to another location, paying for lodging and food. This is simply a more efficient means of communication.

One more benefit of video conferencing that cannot be overlooked is that it actually saves time. Sounds odd, but when you consider that employees will no longer need to spend work time traveling, there is time to be maximized. Employees will have a lot less travel time, which is usually time that cannot be utilized, and so more will be able to get done in less time. This goes hand in hand with saving money and an increase in productivity, since there will be more time to get things done in.

Video conferencing is relatively new to the world of business but it works. There are many different services that will provide video conferencing capabilities to businesses, whether they need the service once a month or once a day. Shop around a bit to see what is out there and how video conferencing can benefit your business. You’ll likely be impressed at how easy it is to set up these services and put them to use for your company. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re involved in, chances are that you can use video conferencing services to build a better business.

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In a world where terrorist attacks and changes in world economies have reduced such things as travel for business, pulling off international meetings can be a challenge. Videoconferencing is the solution and the technology is here today. The Internet, or the Super Highway, is the current mode of travel.

As an example of how small the world is with the Internet, a look at a popular financial exchange system called PayPal shows it doing business in 55 different countries. That is 55 countries using the Internet and 55 different countries for you to do business with, interact with, and hold a videoconference.

How is this possible when there are different time zones and different languages? What about different equipment? To begin with, the major computer manufacturers like IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Macintosh provide the same computer hardware and setup worldwide. There may be a difference in language but the core equipment is the same and there has been a substantial growth in videoconferencing networks via the Internet from ISDN to Ethernet/ATM, and more.

ISO standards also guarantee network compatibility across borderlines. ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization and preparing international standards is done by technical committees in various countries. Each country interested in a subject for whom a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75% of the member bodies casting a vote. This means a degree of unity among Internet sources.

Time zones can be mastered with a number of time zone converters available online, like the aptly named Time Zone Converter or Time Zones for PCs which serves up a simple download. There is even the World Clock at www.timeanddate.com. All of these can tell you what time it is in your country and what time it is in another. Matching the different times can be done quite fast enabling international meetings to occur simultaneously across time and space.

As to the matter of different languages, todays technology provides a multitude of interpreter and translation options. The camera in a videoconference allows interpreters to be able to see and hear the speakers as if they were in the same room.

Body language and gestures are an integral part of any discourse and need to be taken in by the interpreter in order to fully understand a speaker as well as the reaction of an audience, the expressions on participants faces, the goings and comings in the room. All this is possible with a videoconference. All required is that attention be given to camera placement. There are videoconferencing products that can do dual audio streams so that you can have two simultaneous languages during one videoconferencing call.

Interpretation equipment available includes headphones, microphones, and control consoles. Control consoles come bundled to handle two, three, or four languages and make it easy to listen to the program directly from the computer or another interpreter while simultaneously interpreting into a microphone.

For IP international videoconferences there is software such as SYSTRAN free online translation services in 36 language pairs. This is using the same language translation software that powers the Internets most popular translation services - like AltaVista, Google, Yahoo!, and AOL. Used for instance with the Microsoft Office desktop you can get real-time translations as the videoconference is in process.

Pulling off an international meeting in this day and age is simply a matter of having a good computer, a camera, speakers and/or a headphone set, and a microphone. There are excellent headphone sets with a microphone attached.

Aligning with an internet provider service like MSN or Yahoo will give you videoconference access throughout the world and if you need additional resources, like translation equipment, you can see that such equipment is both available and in some cases even free. By exchanging contact numbers and Internet addresses you can schedule an international meeting with anyone at anytime.

This is the videoconference solution.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

The simplest form of videoconferencing is a point-to-point call, one person contacting another person via the Internet. This basic level of videoconferencing is similar to making a phone call with a picture phone. Multipoint videoconferencing occurs when three or more locations connect simultaneously, much like a three-way phone conversation only the logistics are much more complex.

To begin understanding the complexity of multipoint conferencing one must enter the domain of technology and begin with ISDN. ISDN means simply Standards for Integrated Services Digital Network, a high quality, switched digital communications service that gives your standard phone line the ability to transmit voice and data simultaneously.

You can use the same line for regular telephone service, faxing, computer communication, or even live videoconferences. Each of these applications requires suitably equipped customer-provided equipment. ISDN transmissions are significantly faster than using a modem. Think of ISDN as a high-tech phone line.

The next essential ingredient in a multipoint conference is the bridge. This is a multipoint control unit known as MCU, the component that manages the videoconferences when of three or more participants are involved.

An MCU can support some or all of the following: audio-only calls, video calls at various video bandwidths, video calls, data sharing, continuous presence, cascaded calls, a conference call web page and component stacking. Component stacking can remain in the technicians domain but continuous presence deserves attention by anyone who would understand multipoint videoconferencing.

Continuous presence, also know as the CP Mode is when all sites in the videoconference can be seen at the same time on the far end monitors. Those involved in the videoconference will see themselves (or any data that they present) on their right hand monitor while at the same time they can see themselves and everyone else on the screen.

Continuous presence is often used when presentation is required. As you can see, multipoint videoconferencing with continuous presence activated can be very effective for business or hospital transmission. Another way of looking at CP is seeing each site in a split screen format on the display monitor at all times, much like the television show Hollywood Squares.

Interesting as Continuous Presence is, it is not the default mode for multipoint videoconferencing. The default mode is Voice-Activated Switching, or VAS. In VAS a multitude of sites are connected and the person all views speaking. This should bring to mind the image of a newscaster or spokesperson on standard television.

An important point in the VAS mode is that although the transmission focus will be on the one who is speaking, anyone and everyone connected to the videoconference can change the view. Remember the term is voice-activated. If someone coughs or sneezes, the camera recognizes them. In VAS multipoint videoconferencing it is very important to mute your microphone until it is your turn to speak.

There are yet other modes of transmission for a multipoint videoconference. These are Chair Control, Lecture Mode, and Broadcast with Autoscan. In Chair Control and Lecture Mode the presenter is seen full-screen by all sites at all times, even if a speaker at another site speaks. This mode is used primarily with distance learning, when the situation requires that students always see the presenter rather than speakers at other remote sites.

Broadcast with Autoscan means only the director or presenter is able to view all the remote sites while the remote sites can see the video that is being broadcast. This becomes even closer to a television broadcast via the Internet. This mode is preferred for videoconference presentations and seminars, when audience response is not anticipated or required and unlike a television broadcast, a multipoint videoconference in broadcast with Autoscan mode allows the director or presenter to view the audience and watch for response.

In todays computer world most multipoint videoconferencing systems have built-in bridges which allow you to connect to multiple sites just as you would in a point-to-point call Even more advantageous is the rise in technology to include built-in gateways. A gateway is a network point acting as an entrance to another network. This allows communication across any set of interconnected networks.

This means the World-Wide-Web is now available for anyone interested in a multipoint videoconference.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

There are many features of videoconferencing involved in a successful use. Software to support desktop collaboration is currently going through rapid development cycles. The products required for videoconferencing change, yet the applications required remains constant.

Software enabling desktop collaboration usually is comprised of a subset of several applications. A central application serves as a launcher for this suite of tools. In addition to video and audio conferencing, four basic categories of tools may be included.

Electronic whiteboards are modeled on actual conference room whiteboards. The whiteboard appears on the screen of each conference participant. Each participant can type or draw on the board, highlight, or even load a graphic or document on the background of the whiteboard. Some systems have the ability to store multiple pages that can be accessed when needed. There is a zoom control, pointers, graphing capabilities and shape makers.

Once information is on the whiteboard, you can modify it, circle it, or highlight it. You also can highlight or circle areas on pictures, draw on them, and add text to them. You and the other participants can highlight or draw on the whiteboard at the same time.

If you want to have the other participants see the contents of the whiteboard but not allow them to modify them, there is a lock function that allows you to prevent the others from highlighting or drawing on the whiteboard. Used in this way, the whiteboard serves as a sort of overhead.

You can have several pages on the whiteboard. You can save the contents of the whiteboard, allowing you to prepare content before the videoconference. You can save what you work on collaboratively on the whiteboard with other participants for use at a later date.

Application sharing allows two or more participants of a videoconference to interact with a software program that is running on only one machine. This means that the other participants can see a file that is open on your computer even if they do not have the software used for that file on their machines. Application sharing is a vital part of videoconferencing, allowing collaboration much in the same way as person-to person allows.

For example, a team leader can run a word processing program to edit a document that the team is co-editing. The team members establish a data conference. The person who is running the program on his computer then selects the option to share a running application.

A copy of the document, complete with the editing icons, appears on the other participants screens. Any of the team members can insert or modify text in the document. The team leader has the option to stop sharing at any time. Application sharing can also be used for spreadsheet entry, programming, or development of slide shows.

File transfer (FTP) software is a tool that has been used by collaborators from the earliest days of personal computing. You can send files to every person involved in a videoconference. While most PC users have installed an FTP client, they often do not have an FTP server running on their machine.

The server is what allows the client to connect and request files. Many videoconferencing applications include both an FTP client and a server, thus eliminating the need to run a separate FTP server. Be advised, however, that there are certain security risks involved in any file transfer.

Chat software is typically included for two purposes. One is use as an alternate communication channel in case the audio portion of the conference is unusable because of bandwidth restrictions or equipment failure. Chat is a feature that is usually displayed as text typed at another station.

The other purpose is to provide a private channel of communication between two participants of a multi-party conference. While a whiteboard may also be used to type messages to another station, the contents are displayed on every other participants screen. A chat session can be limited to specific parties. It is also possible to save chat logs for future reference, print them out to become part of a hard file, or copy and paste between chat and whiteboard or chat logs and documents.

Desktop video conferencing can be an invaluable tool. There are several videoconferencing software programs that support videoconferencing over the Internet and provide the basic features.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

If you thought that video conferencing is the domain of business tycoons and their minions, you will have to think again. Sure, business deals are made, partnerships are formed, mergers are discussed, and using the video conferencing technology firms new product launches up. Yet, more and more private parties are discovering the wonderful world of video conferencing.

As a matter of fact, the technology has already been marketed to private parties for a few decades. Who does not remember the videophone that required two parties to have the same setup and then would display the smiling callers face on a screen smaller than the computer screen you are currently looking at? Or take the surge of web cams that seems to find their ways into our nations co-ed dormitories.

Sure, they are often put to a more questionable use, but the ability to send visuals along with audio has been around for quite a while. With the Internet boom of the 1980s, many companies made their money off the new technologies, and even these days many a spam message will contain an invitation to visit the senders webcam broadcast..for a cost, of course.

Yet even so, video conferencing is quickly moving into the private sector, and the most logical places for such a move are the large immigrant populations. Did you know that there are families who have not seen each other face to face for decades?

Children are born, marriages take place, graduations happen, birthday parties come and go and all that family members across the globe see are some after the fact photos or maybe some grainy Internet webcam images that appear to lag eons behind the sound. What better use for video conferencing than to bridge the global gap and bring families together?

Grandparents may now meet their grandchildren when they are born. They may interact with their sons and daughters more often or even at all! Sadly, there are many countries that will not permit expatriates reentry for visits to relatives, and some countries will not consider a citizenship application of a resident alien who has left the country for travel, thus severely curtailing an individuals ability to remain connected to her or his family and friends.

With the use of video conferencing technology, grandchildren who would have never known their doting grandparents and would not have been able to make the connection between the smiling photos and the presents that keep arriving at all the special occasions will now be able to form a personal bond with their elders across the globe.

In addition to the foregoing, families that are brought together by marriage may now meet each other via the television screen. The parents of the bride, as well as the parents of the groom, may reside across the globe or in different corners of the same country, but with the help of video conferencing equipment they might as well just live next door. Families will now be able to meet and greet each other, and begin to form relationships that will be cemented later on when grandchildren are born and holiday visits may be planned.

As a matter of fact, there are already entrepreneurial immigrants who are pooling their resources to launch video conferencing centers that will permit local immigrants to come to a centrally located storefront and purchase an hour of video conferencing time. These immigrants also seek to set up similar centers in other parts of the world to allow family members to visit a center at the same time, and thus allow a videoconference to take place.

In many places of the world, especially third world countries, the technology to facilitate these virtual meetings is hard to come by and even harder to maintain. Yet for the successful entrepreneur, this kind of business may soon prove to be a goldmine.

Families will gladly save up the fees for and hour or two of video conferencing time in order to reconnect with friends and families from all over the world. Considering that video conferences are not limited to only two parties, it is obvious that as many groups as feasible could eventually participate in one conference, and virtual family reunions may not be a thing of the distant future anymore.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

Your first videoconference can be a successful and enjoyable experience if you keep the following basic tips in mind.

First, write your objectives. What do you want to happen in your first videoconference? What is the topic? Is there going to be a guest speaker or performer? If so contact the guest speaker or performer and explain what you would like them to do. Select at least two dates that work for both of you.

The first date will be for a technical test to make sure your guest has the right equipment and if the speaker is going to be at your site, on your location, he or she needs to give you a commitment to a dress rehearsal, a simple testing of voice, lighting, and locale. Locale is mentioned because if a speaker has travel involved, they need to be sure they know where they are going and how long it will take to get there so that on the day of the videoconference they can be on time.

Also validate your connections. See if the participating sites have equipment able to run at the same speed as your transmission connection, 384 kbs is preferred, but slower speeds can be accommodated if your videoconference is IP-based. Incompatible equipment cannot videoconference together.

Discuss and confirm the dates and times with other sites and videoconference participants, as well as the time length of the videoconference. Will it be one hour, two hours? Once a workable date and time is established among all involved, you can proceed to the next step.

If you are the speaker, write a basic script in an outline form. Simply list out the highlights of discussion in the order that feels right for you. You can use a printout of this outline throughout the videoconference. Attach it to a clipboard and use it for reference. If someone else is the speaker an outline will still help.

You would begin by blocking out an introduction period at the very beginning of the videoconference where you would introduce all involved to each other. Next, you would introduce the speaker and have an idea how long they will speak Then you would host a question and answer period if the topic calls for it and finish the videoconference with a proper closing, thanking all those who participated for their time.

Review your equipment and connections. If using a web hosting service like NetMeeting you need not arrange for a bridge provider in advance. The bridge provider is a service provided by telecommunications companies, which enables geographically separate videoconferencing sites to communicate with one another via ISND lines. NetMeeting and other such web services fulfill this service for you.

Write a schedule for the videoconference. This should include arrival time for key personnel, guest speakers or performers, the exact start time and your agenda — what will happen, where and when — finish with your end time. Fax or email this schedule to all involved.

In your test run and on the day of the videoconference, arrive at least thirty minutes early, reboot all the equipment by turning the videoconferencing equipment off then on again. Rebooting the equipment often clears up minor technical problems.

Check and reset your echo canceller, this eliminates echoes and background or room noise. Do this so that the only sounds heard during the videoconference come from the microphones. Check and set your audio levels and adjust lighting. You should test connecting to the other sites.

Now run through your schedule with the key personnel of each contact site. By now you should be interacting with all those involved either in person if they are in the room with you or by telephone and email if your videoconference is via the Internet. On this note, having a POTS number (which stands for plain old telephone system) is extremely helpful.

The POTS line is the telephone line closest to the videoconferencing equipment. This line is used to troubleshoot problems during videoconferences, which includes calling everyone involved if there is a technological error. The key to a good first videoconference is in advance planning. Plan in advance, test everything at least once, then relax and enjoy yourself.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

Videoconferencing is one of the greatest technologies to come out of the last twenty years. While the earliest videoconferencing systems were cumbersome and impossible to use in some cases, the newer videoconferencing systems are quite easy to use and they transmit pictures and audio in the best possible quality.

In fact, in many cases, it has truly become like sitting in the same room with another person, making it the perfect substitute for extensive travel between states, countries, and even time zones in some situations. Videoconferencing, though, is not just limited to business applications.

There are a number of different creative uses for videoconferencing that you should consider when you are thinking about this great new technology.

One of the most creative videoconferencing applications occurs in the world of education. With the right equipment, groups of school children can now take field trips without ever leaving the classroom. Students can go places and talk with people that were considered off limits before videoconferencing technology came to light.

For example, classes can talk to experts in a variety of different areas to help them understand a particular subject they are working with. If students are studying rocketry, a quick virtual field trip to NASA to chat with our countrys leading scientists is not off limits even if you happen to have a classroom full of fourth graders living in the state of Washington. This can be a wonderful tool for students and teachers for a number of different reasons.

Studies have shown that contact with experts from the real world truly helps students. It can help to improve their interest in the particular field. If you go back to the NASA example for a moment, talking with the scientist who engineered the Mars ROVER may help to spark a childs imagination where a simple science video could not.

This type of virtual field trip may also help to get a child more motivated in the subject area. For many kids, the careers they dream of seem so far away. With virtual field trips and visits with scientists and other career professionals who may have previously been off-limits, children can get closer to the experience itself, helping them to realize that their careers are not a thing of the future, they are something they can be working toward today.

One final way these virtual field trips can help is that they can increase retention levels of students studying the subject. After all, it is much more fun and exciting to learn about a subject like rocketry from someone who has actually built a rocket and sent it into space than from a dusty old textbook that has never left a classroom shelf.

Another creative use of videoconferencing technology is applying it multi-school projects, or learning projects that involve more than one school. In this application, schools from districts, schools from different locations around the country, even schools from various places around the world can exchange all sorts of valuable information.

In addition, students can work on projects about other countries by meeting children from other countries in a virtual setting. Students can hold contests to help improve learning skills like spelling bees, history competitions, or geography bees to work with students at their level around the world. Moreover, student can hold miniature research conferences to discuss their findings on school projects, much the way that scientists in the real world hold research conferences.

One final creative application of videoconferencing is the way it could allow people to network professional activities, even if they are worlds away. For example, a teacher candidate, that is teachers who have not yet gotten their degrees, can videoconference with actual teachers and view actual classroom situations to decide how to deal with things in their own classrooms at a future date. This could open the way to mentoring relationships in the future. In truth, though, this could be applied to any future professionals in any field or industry. All of the tasks can be completed via a video screen, cutting down on travel time and expenses and giving people access to each other where access was never before possible.

There are many creative uses for videoconferencing. Having the equipment to start a good video conferencing session is a good way to start making your own creative uses for videoconferencing.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

Whether you like it or not, sex sells and with the Internet growing larger every day, the adult industry has found its way into cyberspace and is not going anywhere anytime soon.

A recent survey published in The Wall Street Journal stated that there are at present at least 25,000 websites devoted to sexually oriented material. This number is growing with every day. New technologies in the computer world often find their first success in the pornography field and this was the case with webcams and web chats.

A webcam (short for web camera) is defined as, a real time camera whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video calling application. Generally, a digital camera delivers images to a web server, either continuously or at regular intervals.

After webcams became really popular in cyberspace next came what was known as the live streaming webcam which involved live images and software that was without plugins. While the live streaming webcam is still around today, the new wave is towards videoconferencing.

Personal videoconferencing is superior to other forms of computer technologies because it deals with live feed images that are happening in the moment. What world wide web users when they log on is not images recorded hours, days, weeks or even months before but action that is happening in real time. Cameras can be set up and images transmitted via the Internet from anywhere across the globe.

For example, a viewer anywhere in the United States could log onto an adult website and watch a beauty disrobe right in front of his eyes regardless of whether she is in England, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, etc. This form of watching life as it unfolds in the now is appealing to many who enjoy participating in the adult porno industry. But it goes one step further than just images. The viewer can communicate verbally with the model on the computer screen. This allows the fantasy to become more realistic than simply watching a movie or flipping through a magazine.

Videoconferencing is gaining in popularity when it comes to the adult industry because the prices of the technology needed are becoming more and more affordable all the time.

The items required for videoconferencing to take place include a computer (a PC or Mac- either is fine), a webcam, software compression and finally, a broadband Internet connection. There are three types of videoconferencing available and all can be made use of in the adult industry. They are person-to-person, group videoconferencing or broadcast.

Person-to-person is the most basic to set up and use. With this type, two computers link up with each by way of a form of conferencing software (such as CU-SeeMe software). To videoconference in this way it is necessary to type the IP address of the person you wish to connect with. You will usually be taken to a private viewing room (very similar to a private chat room). This form of videoconferencing is often compared to calling someone up on the telephone.

The second type, group conference involves more interaction between the person and/or people on both ends. Each individual must go to a website that is privy to Reflector software. This connection can take place when the Reflectors IP address is typed in. The Reflector software as the name implies, takes the information it receives from one person and reflects or transmits it back to the person on the other end of the computer connection.

The third type of videoconferencing, that of broadcast videoconferencing, is a form of one way conferencing that is a great deal like watching a program on television. This form of videoconferencing can be transmitted to another person or set of people at one time and is very popular in the adult industry. Basically how it works is that one computer is required to run Reflector software and from this computer both audio and video clips are sent to all those connected at that moment, regardless of where they are located in the world.

Cyber sex is considered to be not just big money technology but also on the cutting edge and getting sharper with each passing day. For example the Playboy website received an estimated five million hits per day and no longer are there just explicit pictures to look at.

More and more newer websites that are cropping up in the adult industry allow cyber sex seekers to videoconference with the live models and engage in stimulating two-way conversations over a regular telephone line modem. For those interested in sex online it is becoming more and more like the real thing all of the time!

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

Video conferencing for Apple computers is not only possible; it is as easy as it is on a PC. There are Instant Messenger programs that also have streaming video. They provide Mac to Mac and Mac to PC video streaming, making it possible to stay in the loop in an overwhelming PC world. A visit to a Macintosh friendly website reveals several easily obtained programs that support videoconferencing for Apple computers.

CU-SeeMe: The first videoconferencing for Apples on the Internet was CU-SeeMe. CU-SeeMe is an internet video-conferencing client written by Tim Dorcey and students at Cornell University. It was first developed for the Macintosh in 1992. The company has been sold several times, and filed for bankruptcy. However, There is still a small but active community of users who continue to use CU-SeeMe. Although there had been no releases of software from the various incarnations since 2000, there are freeware alternatives available for both Windows and Macintosh platforms.

VChat is a CU-Seeme video conferencing client for use with the Apple MacOS X operating system. With VChat you can participate in videoconferences by connecting to a CU-SeeMe reflector, or you can also have one-on-one conferencing. It is Freeware, and the system requirements are Mac OS X 10.2.5 or higher. The download file size is 1.7 MB.

Marratech: Any number of users can join videoconferences and e-meetings by downloading the free client software to their laptops or Macs. Your organizations web conferencing rooms are configured in a licensed Portal, which is set up on your company server. Marratech can be tailor made for the user. The License Fee for the server is $650 a month or $10,000 outright. Keep in mind that Marratech is a Freeware Client. System requirements are Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. The download file size is 7.3 MB.

Elluminate Live 6.0: Elluminate Live! 6.0 delivers industry-leading videoconferencing and multimedia capabilities in one collaborative solution. Elluminate Live! enables you to chat online, share whiteboards, and share applications. The license fee is free for one demo, three additions for $240 a month, and a ten-seat addition for $700. System requirements are Mac OS X and Mac OS 9. Elluminate provides the servers. The download file size is 4.6 MB.

iChat AV: The newest major release of the Apple operating system, Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, features iChat AV. Tiger iChat AV brings multi-way video and audio conferencing directly to your desktop with stunning, true-to-life picture and crystal-clear conversation thanks to advanced graphics built in. Patented resizing techniques can fill the entire screen without distorting the images. iChat allows up to 10 participants for audio conferences .

In addition, iChat video conferencing is completely integrated into an iChat buddy list, so initiating a videoconference is easy. A simple click on a buddy list will invite and connect the meeting attendees. Any type of file can be transmitted with this system. Sent photos are displayed in the Message window instead of launching a disconnected window from another application.

The license for iChat is included with Mac OS X. iSight is a state-of-the-art video camera that can be paired with iChat AV. ISight makes it easier to videoconference over broadband. It has an integrated microphone, making it the eyes and ears of iChat AV. The cost is under $150.

OhphoneX: OhphoneX (pronounced as oh-phone-ten) is an H.323-compliant client application for video conferencing. Its goal is to bring standard based video conferencing and IP telephony application to Mac OS X. OhphoneX is designed to be a simple application that does Mac-to-Mac and Mac-to-PC (i.e. NetMeeting) audio/video conferencing. OhphoneX is free to download, with a file size of 6.2MB.

Collaba 4.7.6: Video and audio conferencing server features of the Collaba system cannot be run on Macs. However, Collaba provides dozens of easy-to-use communication and collaboration tools. It is designed to provide digital workspaces to virtual educational, corporate and governmental communities, making it a companion program for any videoconferencing program. The license is a freeware VL version. The download file size is 24MB.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com

Would not seminars be more interesting and thought provoking and lets face it, downright sensational, if they involved communicating with well respected (and sometimes well known) professionals in the given field of research? Would not it be great to learn about Kenya from someone who lives and works in Kenya and who is actually coming to you directly from Kenya at that moment in time? How about Russia or China or Canada or anywhere in the world? Videoconferencing makes this all possible.

Learning can be encouraged and improved upon when students can receive live feeds from people and places that they are studying about.

A seminar is defined as, A form of academic teaching, at a university or offered by a commercial or professional organization, in small groups where students are requested to actively participate during meetings. This often is to be done by presenting a paper in class and also in written form. Normally, participants must not be beginners. The concept behind seminars is to encourage active participation in regards to the subject matter.

The idea behind seminars is to confront students with the methodology of their chosen subject and also to familiarize them with practical problems that might crop up during their research work. Seminars are a method of open communication and there is plenty of room for discussion, debate and a plethora of questions and answers to be tossed around and dissected. Seminars are an opportunity to converse with others studying the same material and to compare ideas, and support others in the process of learning. Although a very new tool for teaching, videoconferencing is already making inroads when it comes to livening up seminars and initial results are very promising.

Not all seminars are academic in nature. Companies put on seminars sometimes to drum up interest in a new product they wish to market and also as a method of bringing in some money for the business. A great deal of planning must go into both preparing and planning the seminar as well as planning and preparing for the videoconference to take place during the seminar.

First you need to find your target audience and narrow in on them and their individual needs. Next you need to find experts and/or celebrity personalities to endorse and or talk further in-depth about your product. This is where videoconferencing plays a big role. The experts you choose do not have to live in your city or even in your state. They have to simply agree to be a part of a videoconference for your target audience on a specific day at a specific time.

Live demonstrations of your product is always a good idea at a seminar or else include that as part of the videoconference and has the person(s) on the other end do the demonstrating. Buyer incentives at the conclusion of the seminar are always a smart idea. For example offer freebies, prizes, and/or free services with the purchase.

In order for a videoconference to be a success during a seminar, it should, as a general guideline, be scheduled for no longer than an hour and a half to two hours. An even shorter seminar such as an hour long one, depending on the subject matter might be a good idea. If you draw it out to long you will tire the participants and you will lose your edge as disinterest in the subject matter begins to creep in. Prepare your schedule of events for the seminar as well as your teaching materials, graphics, video clips, audio clips, etc. beforehand and hand out any necessary brochures, pamphlets or information at the onset of the seminar.

Another idea is to already have the materials at each seat. Once you know who will be attending the seminar carefully plan out the seating arrangement and either make nametags or identification labels and position them in the proper location. Nametags typed up on the computer should always use large fonts. As a rule the Arial font typed in twenty-four points or larger is recommended.

Never leave your contact with those who will be a part of the videoconference from other parts of the country or from other places in the world until the last minute. Your experts are an integral part of the seminar and therefore you need to secure everything in regards to them, whether it be day, time, an overview of what they are going to discuss and so on. Always keep time zones in mind when deciding on a time for a seminar. Make sure your videoconferencing site technician has been briefed on everything that is to take place during the seminar. It is preferable to do this at least two days in advance. As well take the time to become familiar with all of the equipment that is part of videoconferencing by going to some test link-up sessions.

For several years now, Jason has been reviewing hundreds of online products and services. Many consider his reviews to be very insightful and reliable. Visit his website 1VideoConference.com