Video Conferencing - The Way of the Future

Video conferencing nowadays is an integral part of many business organizations that operate from different countries around the world.

With the growing competition and market evolution, organizations cannot limit their business to a single place. This idea has given the concept of globalization rather than localization of business. In today's global economy, leader can no longer afford to think about the business arena from a local perspective anymore, they must think about operating from a global perspective.

As business owners strive to make their business ventures a success, video conferencing is their key tool for communication with their employees from remote locations. These business men are constantly on the move making trips, planning expansions and meeting important business tycoons to plan ahead for their future ventures. In such a scenario it is not easy for them to communicate with their staff members and continually be there in person to monitor the smooth running of their many offices located all over the world. Video conferencing provided easy solution to their communication problem without causing any overhead. They can contact their managers and get update through live conferencing even while on an airplane or while attending to other business matters at a different location.

Apart from the business owners and staff member communication, virtual communication also comes in handy in developing a better relationship between members of virtual work teams. Virtual teams comprise of employees that are set apart at different remote locations but are part of a single team and working for a single organization.

Virtual teams that work together from different locations require strong communication, availability to respond to each other well and team intimacy and trust. Trust and intimacy can develop even if people have not met face-to-face. Video conferencing has provided a way to bring virtual workers close together and build strong connecting working environment virtually. Video conferencing allows for better understanding among virtual workers so that they may be able to connect and work with each other as a team although being geographically apart.

Video conferencing can be done through the user's computer with no other requirement than an internet connection and a web camera. Everyday many new video conferencing softwares are making their place in the market of virtual communication. Some have quite simple features and allow users to connect visually while other video conferencing softwares offer a wide variety of features like sharing of data and files among users, sharing of user's desktop with authorized remote access, conducting online meetings, conducting one to one or one to many live conference, recording an online meeting for analysis and review and performing a range of more sophisticated activities.

Thus, Video conferencing has brought about a positive change in the lives of many people and are the life bloods of many virtual organizations that use web conferencing for the successful operation of their daily business activities. Its use is becoming popular day by day as businesses continue to grow and communication gaps need to be filled continually for maintenance and proper working of these virtual business organizations.

Lucas Mattioneli has specialized in Web Conferencing and Video Conferencing for the past 2 years and has written articles and reviews about the subject during this time. He is also a co-author of Web Conferencing Reviews Blog and is writing a book entitled "Web Conferencing: Its advantages and disadvantages" to be published anytime soon.

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Advantages and Uses of Video Conferencing

Uses of Video conferencing

Video conferencing can be used in a host of different environments, which is one of the reasons the technology is so popular. General uses for video conferencing include business meetings, educational training or instruction and collaboration among health officials or other representatives. Thus far video conferencing has been used in the following fields:

- Telemedicine

- Telecommunicatio

- Education

- Surveillance

- Security

- Emergency Response

Advantages and Benefits of Video conferencing

Perhaps the biggest advantage or benefit video conferencing has to offer is the ability to meet with people in remote locations without incurring travel expenses or other expenses associated with face to face communication. Business meetings, educational meetings, healthcare conferences and more can all be easily conducted thanks to video conferencing technology. Individuals living in remote areas can also use video conferencing to keep in touch if you will, with the world at large.

More people are easily accessed and contacted using video conferencing. Because of this technology information and knowledge are often disseminated at more rapid rates, and collaboration between people occurs more willingly and freely. Students can take advantage of video conferencing to take classes at distant locations that would normally be unavailable. They can also take classes that will accommodate busy schedules.

Video conferencing can stimulate better brainstorming, knowledge sharing and information gathering. Businesses can use video conferencing to provide presentations to key members of an organization or to solicit new clients in a professional manner, regardless of their location. The possibilities for communication are virtually endless thanks to video conferencing technologies.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on video conferencing for more information on video conferencing http://www.videoconferencinginsider.com

Video Conferencing - Courthouses Are Making the Change

In the wake of the tragic shootings that took place in an Atlanta courthouse in 2005, it is unequivocally clear that there is now a widespread effort by numerous counties to significantly enhance courtroom security. Most counties are addressing the security issue through technology, and the type that appears to be implemented the most is video conferencing. Already in use by legal systems throughout the world, video conferencing is revolutionizing the way cases are tried in America today. By simply installing one video conferencing system at the courthouse and another at the jail, incarcerated defendants can participate in all legal procedures without the municipality enduring the costs and dangers associated with jail-to-courthouse prisoner transport.

The monetary savings to a county become clear when one considers that costly resources need to be allocated, such as: several policemen, a vehicle, courthouse security, gasoline and tolls, among others. Depending on several factors, among them the distance of the courthouse to the jail and geographic location, these costs can sometimes reach into the thousands, even for just one trip. Over the course of a year, the result is a hefty bill that video conferencing aims to eliminate. In October of 2003, the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, at the request of the Badger State Sheriff's Association, which represents sheriff departments in various Wisconsin counties, initiated a study into the possible time and cost-saving benefits of video conferencing. The study revealed a savings of about $2.7 million if all counties used the technology. That data, along with the obvious security benefits, was enough for Wisconsin's Green County to move 'full speed ahead' with video conferencing.

Like many courthouses, Green County's proposed video conferencing system had been in the planning stages for quite some time and the incident in Atlanta proved to be the spark needed to move the project forward. In an interview featured in an article by Brian Gray of the Monroe Times, Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer said, "video conferencing is the wave of future. It shows the court is moving into the 21st century." The equipment will enable doctors to appear at mental health proceedings and people who are serving time in prison to appear remotely. "The benefits are limitless. It saves the county a great deal of money and also increases security here at the courthouse."

Video conferencing in the court room also has other uses. In Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, large police departments such as Abington (92 officers) use the technology not only to handle on-camera arraignments for smaller departments in the county but also to digitally process and transmit photographs and fingerprints into criminal databases. In minutes, police can have fingerprints and photographs matched with a defendant's criminal record. In an interview featured in an article by Harry Yanoshak of the Bucks County Courier Times, Montgomery Deputy Chief John Livingood said, "Because it has such technology, Abington and other large departments serve as a central booking center for defendants. Video arraignments are time savers because defendants never have to leave the police station to see the judge. If we had to take a person to see the judge in person, it would effectively take two officers out of service for at least a couple of hours," he said, noting the length of time could be longer if the on-call judge is located across the county.

In Montgomery County, police and deputy sheriffs, rarely constables, shuttle defendants to the county prison, said District Judge Paul Leo, whose court in Hatboro has used video conferencing for about two years. While the technology enables a judge to do work from home, that's not how it's being used in his courtroom, he said, noting how the courts should remain open to the public, regardless if the proceeding is captured on a computer screen.

Video conferencing equipment manufacturers, for their part, have responded to the demand by introducing a series of products aimed at this sector. TANDBERG, a leading manufacturer of video conferencing products, recently introduced the TANDBERG Justice Package, which is an integrated video solution designed specifically for the courtroom environment. As a component of the Justice Package, the 'Judicator' conferencing system allows for simple video and audio control directly from the judge's bench. The Judicator enables: arraignments, remote visitations, parole and mental-health hearings, depositions, medical appointments, sensitive witness and expert testimonies, attorney consultations, among others.

While manufacturers are providing the product, solution providers such as IVCi are providing the education and support. From courthouses to jails, and prisons to law firms, solution providers, who have been preaching the many benefits of video conferencing, are finally being heard. "Now is the time to introduce video conferencing into your department," said Robert Swing, president and founder of IVCi, LLC. "It's the best way to increase your productivity and reduce or eliminate transportation costs while ensuring top-notch communication between all parties involved in the legal process." Due to recent happenings, it's becoming clear that this technology has become much easier to justify.

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Hotels with Video Conferencing

Video conferencing allows people to communicate over the Internet. It enables two or more persons in different places to engage in face-to-face audio or video interaction. Hotels with video conferencing facilities benefit people who spend considerable time traveling and meeting customers, suppliers or business partners. Hiring a hall in a hotel with a video conferencing facility can help to save time and expense. The main advantage of video conferencing is that it can reduce the need for travel.

Many hotels provide meeting rooms with facilities for video conferencing. These hotels offer video conferencing equipment on rent from their audio/visual provider.

You can hold a business conference or invite key people to speak to your audience no matter where they are located. People who are far away can be seen and heard clearly, in live video format. Video conferencing can be used for holding meetings, conducting interviews and giving lectures. Hotels with video conferencing facilities hire leading companies for technical support.

Video conferencing can be classified into point-to-point conferencing and multipoint conferencing. Point to point conferencing is basically a communication link between two locations. Multipoint conferencing is a communication link between more than two locations. Multipoint conferencing can be further classified into, LAN and Multi Control Unit (MCU). LAN provides a link between different groups or locations. In the MCU environment, audio and video signals can be connected to one or more conferences simultaneously.

Video conferencing facilities in hotels are usually available round-the-clock. These hotels also engage conference and meeting organizers. Hotels with video conferencing facilities serve to bring delegates and speakers together from anywhere in the world, conduct PR events or press conferences and can deliver HR presentations to employees. Video conferencing used to be an expensive procedure. But now, anyone with a fast Internet connection, a camera and a headset can conduct a videoconference at a minimal cost.

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What Is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing isn't necessarily a new technology, but it has come a long way since it was first introduced and for the most part makes good use of the new technologies that have been introduced in recent years. By allowing people to communicate either with video and audio or video and text, video conferencing serves a number of purposes in business, as well as for personal use and even use by groups as diverse as the court system and NASA.

In order to understand how video conferencing works, however, it's important to take a moment to learn how the technology first came about and how it has been adapted over time to meet the needs of businesses and consumers.

Origins of Video Conferencing

Early forms of video conferencing originated with the advent of television, using a pair of closed-circuit televisions which were connected by cable to allow the users at either end to communicate. Later advances on this theme were used by news reporters on location, who transmitted a signal back to the station from a truck filled with equipment, and also by NASA who used high-powered radio waves to transmit signals to and from space missions. Attempts were made by AT&T and other companies during the 60's and 70's to make video conferencing more accessible, but poor picture quality plagued these early systems and even when more powerful devices were made they still did not become popular.

Modern Video Conferencing

In the 80's, new technologies such as ISDN networks made it possible to guarantee a minimum transfer rate and compression rate for video and audio which in turn made video conferencing much more feasible. Dedicated networks for video conferencing began to develop, and ISDN was soon accessible from most parts of the world. Video conferencing was originally prohibitively expensive for most, but as new advances in technology continued to be created the prices of video conferencing equipment soon dropped and it became much more common.

The advent of the internet did much to bring video conferencing where it is today; once the technology was developed to transmit live video and audio over internet protocols, much of the equipment previously needed to create video conferencing connections was no longer required. Many free programs and services soon began to include webcam video conferencing in their chat features, allowing computer users to communicate as never before.

Uses of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has a number of uses, both at home and in business. When using a webcam or other form of video conferencing from home, you can use it to stay in touch with friends and family across the city or around the world. It can add a bit more of a "human touch" to conversations or chat sessions, as you can actually see the person that you're talking to instead of them simply being words on a screen or a voice on the phone. In business, the applications are even more useful; business meetings can occur among several different offices or individuals in different parts of the world. Not only can this add a great deal of convenience, but it can also save money that would have to be spent on transportation and time that would have to be spent on organizing the meetings and getting all of the parties in the same place at the same time. Video conferencing can also be of great use to educators, science professionals, and a variety of other individuals who can see the advantage of being able to speak face-to-face with others without the need for actually meeting each other in a specific location.

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Video Conferencing - The Pros and Cons of Video Conferencing

Many businesses conduct video conferencing during meetings. Video conferencing allows you to call anyone in the world and not only speak to them, but also see them on the projector or computer screen. Video conferencing is meant for larger audience such as a conference or meeting, rather than serving the needs of an individual.

As technology becomes more advanced, businesses have made video conferencing an important activity during meetings. However, video conferencing has its pros and cons.

Video conferencing advantages:

1. Able to reach anyone in the world and almost immediately. With video conferencing, there is no need for anyone to travel long distance for conferences and meetings. There will be no geographical and time boundary.

2. Works well for a large audience. During video conferencing, PowerPoint slides and visual display can be projected on a large screen for everyone present in a room. This makes it suitable for conducting conferences and meetings with larger crowd.

3. Allow people at different locations to interact with one another effectively and easily. A phone call only allows 2 people to interact with one another. However, with video conferencing, it allows people from different locations to interact with one another effectively. 3 people in Singapore can interact with 5 people in China and another 3 people in the States easily, with everyone able to hear and see perfectly.

Video conferencing disadvantages:

1. Expensive. The price of a good video conferencing system may be a major concern for most people. So if you do not need advanced features, there are cheap options for you to choose from. However, if you know how to make use of those advanced features, you may find that the money you save flying employees and clients around the country will more than makes up the cost of the video conferencing system. Before you buy any system, make sure that you know what your needs are so that you can get the right one for your company.

2. Lost of human touch. Eye contact is very important during a communication. However with video conferencing, eye contact is not easily delivered through the camera.

Now that you have a list of pros and cons of video conferencing, it is now up to you to decide whether video conferencing is necessary for your business. Before you buy any system, make sure that you conduct a thorough research first so as to choose the best system for your company.

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Video Conferencing - Examining The Virtual Field Trip

Video Conferencing Connects People From Around The World

Those familiar with video conferencing might describe it as a virtual field trip around the world. Video conferencing has the ability to connect consumers, employees and employers and students from around the word. Corporate representatives can use video conferencing to meet with world class experts or business executives in multiple fields, locations and within many different industries to expand their knowledge base, network and improve their strategy and procedures.

Students can use video conferencing to meet with experts and instructors in various fields to enhance their understanding of a particular subject or area of interest. Consumers can use video conferencing to explore exotic locations, vacation spots or perhaps investigate a new area to live in.

Benefits Video Conferencing

More and more individuals and organizations alike are starting to realize the benefits video conferencing has to offer. Video conferencing can increase a non profit organizations ability to extend knowledge of their programs and engage in outreach efforts. Healthcare providers can use video conferencing to communicate with experts in their field from around the world, to solve a new case or come up with new treatment ideas or research areas.

Perhaps the biggest advantage video conferencing has to offer the world today is its ability to connect people from around the world so face to face communication results. This will dramatically increase man's networking ability and our ability to explore, conquer, understand, learn and succeed for years to come. Video conferencing truly is the wave of the future, a method for engaging in virtual field trips to any location in the world.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on video conferencing for more information on video conferencing http://www.videoconferencinginsider.com