Nobody works in complete isolation. In virtually all lines of business, contact with other people will be required in some capacity. Whether it is meeting with clients or colleagues; presenting new ideas or products; or giving or receiving training, good communication is the key to running a successful business.
However, in the modern world of commerce, business takes place twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Large, international organizations have sites across the globe and thanks to the Internet, even small and medium sized companies have found themselves trading on an international scale.
International markets and twenty-four hour business undoubtedly provide great opportunities, but they are not without their difficulties. Trying to arrange a seminar for a large number of delegates based in different countries, for example, can be a logistical nightmare. Diaries need to be synchronized, flights booked, accommodation sourced and meeting facilities organized. It is a major undertaking, and one that takes a lot of time, money and effort.
No Need To Travel
In this instance, the advantages of web conferencing are easy to see - nobody needs to travel anywhere. From the comfort of their own office delegates can participate in meetings and seminars without having to travel a single extra mile.
For smaller organizations, web conferencing can open up whole new markets. Where before, perhaps there was not the man-power to spare for long periods out of the office, web conferencing reduces the need for travel to allow face to face meetings. Proposals can be pitched and new business won without the need for lengthy trips away from the office.
The reduced need for travel that web conferencing brings has other advantages; staff spend less time traveling and more time at home - that should make for a happier and more productive workforce; thousands of dollars spend on air fares, car hire and accommodation are saved and less time is spent sourcing flights and making hotel reservations. All these benefits, simply by reducing the need for travel with web conferencing.
Saving Your Company Time
There is no doubt that organizing a meeting takes time. Even the smallest meetings, if they involve delegates from different geographic locations, require a degree of effort. Whether it is down to the delegates themselves or if it is left to the secretary or personal assistant, someone is spending precious company time making the necessary arrangements. Flights, hotels, catering, diary management - they all take time to organize - time that could be spent far more productively.
Take away the need for travel, days or weeks out of the office and the requirement for overnight accommodation and suddenly organizing the meeting or seminar is not such a major task. Diaries will become much more easy to synchronize, a quick email or telephone call is all that is needed to set up a web conference. Hours of time are freed up for staff to concentrate on making money for the organization.
Saving Your Company Money
Saving money is something that every company strives to do. Nobody wants to spend more than they have to. Think for a moment how much you spend on travel. Even if you are simply driving to the other side of town, your company will be incurring costs - parking tolls, dead time spent driving to and fro the meeting - they all have an impact on your company’s bottom line.
Imagine reducing that pile of expense claim forms at the end of the month; the chances are you could be saving a significant amount of money. No organization, large or small, can afford to waste money and with web conferencing those costs are coming down.
The advantages of web conferencing to any business are clear; you can save time, you have a more productive workforce and, most importantly of all, you can save money.
Diane Parker is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast providing valuable information including: web conferencing, and collaboration web tool.
What do you wish to achieve?
- Point to Point – two locations only at any one time
- Broadcast Live – from one site to many – watch and listen
- Broadcast pre-recorded – from one site to many – watch & listen
- Multipoint – three or more sites with Q&A between any, relayed to all
- Multipoint - three or more – plus broadcast from any to satellite sub-groups as a watch and listen.
- Live with session taped for future edit and distribution
- Person to person/s with video & audio & data manipulation across participants – e.g. sharing documents, drawings with or without live edit and audit of changes made.
With whom do you wish to communicate by videoconferencing?
- Only inside your company
- From your company to sister/ contractor/ supplier companies
- With your customers
- With your prospects
Frequency of system use
- Ad hoc
- Estimated use per annum (min/max)
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
Installation type
- Custom built static installation – i.e. a designated room
- Desktop location/s – i.e. from the office desktop PC
- Mobile “roll-about” system -
- Off-site facilities required – going to a dedicated videoconference facility
Options required
- Record, Edit & Distribute by hardcopy (CD/DVD)
- Record, Edit & Distribute by softcopy (Web cast)
- Broadcast live via direct links to named recipients/ groups
- Broadcast pre-recorded across one or more time zones
- Log who watched and listened and when
- Multiple persons at One or Two (group to group videoconferencing – e.g. design teams, board to local management)
- Multiple participants at Three or more sites
What are your current IT capabilities?
- ISDN 1
- ISDN 2
- ISDN 30
- LAN – Cat5/ Cat5e/ Cat6
- LAN – Fibre
- LAN – wireless – type?
- WAN – bandwidth?
- VPN – bandwidth?
- Internet access, dial-up 56k
- Internet access , Dial-up 128K
- Internet access , Broadband 1Mb
- Internet access , Broadband 2Mb
- Internet access , Broadband 4 Mb
- Internet access , Satellite link
- Internet access , permanent fibre/ cable link
- T1 / T2 / T3 / T4 (aka DS-1/ DS-2/ DS-3/ DS-4)
- OC-1 / OC-3 / OC-12 / OC-38
Impact on your system – to be considered
- Bandwidth load
- Current capacity used & unused & reserved (max/ min for each)
- Planned bandwidth use – excluding video conferencing
- Contention ratio
- Speed
- Video quality – predominantly static (talking head – Yes/No)
- Hardware at point of display
- Hardware at point of transmission
- Hardware at point of distribution
Points to consider
- Budget
- What do you spend currently on flights/ travel/ accommodation per annum?
- Write-off period for cap ex
- Leasing options
- IT infrastructure
- Cost and timescale of increased capacity and hardware -if required
James Hunter works for Edric Audio Visual, a premier provider of video conferencing solutions in the UK.
Thursday 26 July 2007 @ 3:04 pmBenefits of Video Conferencing
Video conferencing hardware and software allows users to see and hear the person they are communicating with.
A video conference allows you to take part in live audio/video presentations in your classroom, and to collaborate through them. Calls can be made between 2 classrooms in the same town, or between 2 classrooms in different parts of the globe. It is also possible for multipoint conferences to take place, where more than 2 schools take part in the same call.
Live video conferences have lots of advantages over other multimedia resources, such as video recordings or television presentations, but the main benefit is that they are interactive, allowing you to talk face to face with someone else in ‘real time’, but in a different location. This is great for for gaining high levels of engagement from your students.
Multipoint videoconferencing
Simultaneous videoconferencing among three or more remote points is possible by means of a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU). This is a bridge that interconnects calls from several sources (in a similar way to the well-known audio conference call). All parties call the network ID number of the MCU unit or the MCU unit can also call the parties which are going to participate, in sequence. There are MCU bridges for IP and ISDN-based videoconferencing. There are MCU which are pure software, and others which are a combination of hardware and software. A MCU is characterised according to the number of simultaneous calls it can handle.
MCUs can be stand-alone hardware devices, or they can be embedded into dedicated TVC units.
The technology of video conferencing
The core technology using in a videoteleconference (VTC) system is in digital compression of audio and video streams in real time.
There are basically two kinds of VTC systems:
Dedicated systems have all required components packaged into a single equipment, usually a console with a high quality remote controlled video camera on its top. These cameras can be controlled at a distance to move in the horizontal and vertical directions (pan and tilt, respectively) as well as to perform image zooming, so they are called PTZ cameras. The console contains all electrical interfaces, the control computer, modem, and the software- or hardware-based codec. Omnidirectional microphones are connected to the console, as well as a monitor TV with loudspeakers and/or a video projector. There are several types of dedicated VTC devices:
(a)Large group VTC are non-portable, large, more expensive devices used for large rooms and auditoriums. Use of PTZ cameras is practically mandatory.
(b)Small group VTC are non-portable or portable, smaller, less expensive devices used for small meeeting rooms (e.g., up to 10 people) and PTZ cameras are usual
(c)Individual VTC are usually portable devices, meant for single users, have fixed cameras, microphones and loudspeakers integrated into the console.
Desktop systems are add-ons (hardware boards, usually) to normal PC’s, transforming them into VTC devices. A range of different cameras and microphones can be used with the board, which contains the necessary codec and transmission interfaces. Most of the desktops systems work only with the H.323 standard. Video conferences carried out via dispersed PCs are also known as e-meetings.
For more on video conferencing, visit For The Touchdown: Video Conferencing Tools & Equipments
Friday 6 July 2007 @ 6:23 amToday you can broadcast your message on the Internet to hundreds of people in one digital web conference room. You have a certain control of content and audio in the conference room. With today’s software technology, digital communication has reach a higher level. Now you can sit in New York and make a meeting with your business partners in London without being in the same room. Show the latest sales charts, discuss a new business plan all with a high level of interactivity. Home business owners will show their web site while they speak about their affiliate products. Below you can see the features of most digital web conference rooms.
1. In the same window you can talk and co-browse with students, partners or business associates.
2. Share applications of your choice in the same window. The participant will use the same application. Very useful for IT training.
3. Customise the communication software to suit your need.
A digital web conference room can be the perfect tool for Internet Marketing. The biggest advantages is that you reach people without the cost of traveling and you save time. Plus your presentation becomes visual, therefore more easy to conceive. Web conferencing service provides you the personal contact and hands-on collaborative features that are crucial to productive communication.
My name is Lars Nielsen.
I run a business in the area of search engine optimisation.Visit my site: http://www.ultimate-mlm.com
Thursday 28 June 2007 @ 4:38 amIn the fast-growing industry of telecommunications, teleconferencing has become a staple of the way we do business as well as a way we keep in touch with those who matter to us the most.
It’s no surprise therefore that with the advent of the Internet and with the increasing availability of digital devices, telecommunications and teleconferencing, specifically, has exploded the number of to keep touch, as well as to build rich communications and relationship with people regardless of where they are physically situated.
Just thinking about the technologies tying teleconferencing and telecommunications will boggle even the greatest of minds. What makes these interconnected technologies possible is a complex web of systems consisting of all sorts of technologies, processes, bureaucracies of people and exchanges etc. etc.
There are just so many different inputs into this vast web of technology that makes our lives so much more easier. And yet it’s something that we take for granted every single day.
Teleconferencing has come a long way from simply being a specialized phone feature where you would dial into your host parties extension.
On the contrary, it is actually become a much more mature medium for communication supporting all sorts of data feeds, such as audio, video, and traditional telephone, telegraph radio and television and teletype related services.
As you can probably tell by now teleconferencing is a very complicated (behind the scenes) yet very user-friendly innovation. There is so much to be gained from using this for your business or for your home.
Let’s say you’re on vacation and you want to keep in touch your family from long-distance or if you need to visit your client from a remote site- teleconferencing certainly can bring you closer to the action, as it were.
Learn more about teleconferencing at our site, where you can find the latest teleconferencing technology news and services!
Don’t delay, visit us for the latest conference calling technology news.
Tuesday 19 June 2007 @ 12:16 amPlanning the Perfect Slideshow Production
Planning is the perfect slideshow takes time and effort. But
with the help of a professional slideshow creation company the
value of your time and effort will be priceless. Whether you’re
creating a wedding slideshow, reception slideshow, anniversary
slideshow, graduation slideshow, birthday slideshow, Mother’s
Day or Father’s Day Slideshow, Valentine’s Day Slideshow,
Christmas slideshow, memorial slideshow, or a slide show for any
occasion here is a planning checklist you can follow to ensure a
priceless slideshow production keepsake.1. Choose the length of your slideshow production.
__10 minute slideshow
__15 minute slideshow
__20 minute slideshow
__25 minute slideshow
__30 minute slideshow
__40 minute slideshow
____minute slideshow (you fill in the blank)
__It doesn’t matter how long
2. Choose your timeframe.
__ Lifespan of main character/s in slideshow.
__Specific timeframe for each year. For example: Piano recitals
for the last ten years.__Is there more than one person’s life who is going to be
featured in this slideshow?__Do you want their lives shown __separately __simultaneously
__Is the timeframe very specific such as this years summer
vacation?___________________________________ fill in the blank for what
the timeframe is.__________ - __________ Fill in the blanks with the specific
years or timeframes you want covered in your slideshow.3. Questions to ask before choosing the photographs for your
slideshow.__Is the photograph clear and not blurry? Blurry photographs
are hard to correct and the larger the image, the more blurry
the photo appears.__Is the photograph too bright or too dark? Although some
corrections can be made here, if the photograph is too bright or
too dark, you may loose quality in the photograph.__Is someone or something blocking the main focus of the
photograph? Unwanted objects or big heads in the way of the main
focus of the photograph detract from the photo and does not give
you the best quality slideshow.__Is the photograph in focus? What you see is what you get -
magnified.__ Is the photo too grainy? Grainy photos do not scan well.
__Has the photograph been cut up to use in a photograph memory
book? Cut up photos look great when done properly for memory
albums, but they work poorly for slideshows.4. __ Organize your photos by year or by timeframe. For example
if your slideshow is going to span the lifetime of a person,
organize your photos by year. Make separate piles for each year.5. The pictures are now organized, but I have too many. Which of
the best pictures do I choose? If the slideshow is personal and
mainly for one person you can have as many pictures as you want
and not worry about boring anyone since everyone loves to see
photographs of themselves, but if the slideshow is going to be
seen by an audience ask yourself these questions:__ Do I have more than 2 photos of a specific category?
Example: 2 photos of little Emily in her favorite Easter dress
in 1987 is more than enough.__Are the pictures similar enough that one can be put aside?
You do not want to bore your audience, the more variety in the
photographs, the more entertaining the slideshow will be.__ Do you have 12 photos taken in 1987 and 4 taken in 1988? Try
to keep the years as close to even as possible.__Are there a variety of photographs of others? If you really
want to entertain your audience, try to include pictures of them
in the slideshow. Everyone loves to see themselves light up on
the big screen! It will make them feel a part of your special
event and keep their interest peaked to see who will be showing
up next. In addition, include credits in the slide show when
applicable. Give credit to mothers, fathers, grandparents,
brothers, sisters, friends, bridal party, and anyone else to
whom credit is due.If you still have trouble cutting down the amount of
photographs, ask for help. A mom choosing pictures of her child
tends to think every picture is worth showing - I know because
I’m a mom - but if you ask dad for help, or a close friend
you’ll be amazed at how much they can cut down the amount of
photos to go in your slideshow!6. __After choosing the photos look at them carefully and decide
whether or not you want captions with the photograph. Captions
can add to the appeal of the picture for the audience to help
them understand what is happening in that particular photo. They
can also add to the humor or sentimental value of the video. Not
every picture should have a caption; for the most part the
photos should be able to speak for themselves. Your audience may
not enjoy the slideshow as much with too many captions. However,
in certain circumstances, such as creating a slideshow for a
loved one who is away serving in the military captions can be
quite effective.7.__ Now it’s time to choose your music. Hollywood producers
will tell you that the right or wrong music can make or break a
movie production. Choose the music according to the feeling you
want to give your audience. Happy, sentimental, funny,
nostalgic…. it’s all in the music. Choose music that means
something to you or the person you are creating the slideshow
for. Check the length of the music to the number of photos you
want to use and the type of slideshow you are choosing. Write
down your choices of songs, the artist and album below.1.__________________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________________
3.__________________________________________________________
4.__________________________________________________________
5.__________________________________________________________8. __Choose Video Clips - Adding a couple of short video clips
to your slideshow can help break up and enhance your slideshow.
Keep your video clips short if possible. 30 seconds - 2 minutes.
Once you find the video clips you want to use, copy exactly what
you want included onto a separate video tape. Do not send the
originals in the mail.9. __Consider using Voiceovers - This can add a sentimental
touch to any slideshow. This can be done using a video camera,
or with some digital cameras that take video. Just be sure to
tell your slideshow company that you just want to use the voice,
not the video.10. __ View Samples, Choose Your Slideshow Company, and Place
Your Order-There are many slideshow companies to choose from, so
how do you know which one is right for you? Always view the
online samples. To narrow your search look for unique and
creative slideshows. Your memories are special and unique and
should be treated as such. Stay away from the cookie-cutter
picture after picture slideshows. Creativity and uniqueness are
key elements to any truly stunning slideshow.11. __Back up your photos. Make sure you have copies of your
photos or the negatives. Slideshow companies are not responsible
for what happens to your photos while in the mail. And unless
you have a back-up, photos are irreplaceable.12. __Pack your photos with care. Use proper packaging material.
Always place 5×7’s or 8×10’s between pieces of cardboard. Make
sure the photos and other material is packed tightly to avoid
moving around inside the box. When packaging your photos place
them in Ziploc baggies. This will protect them from any possible
water damage and also works great for separating your photos
chronologically. You should also place your discs or videos in
Ziploc baggies. And always insure your package. Although lost or
damaged mail is a rare occurrence, it’s always best to be
prepared. And always opt for priority mailing services. The less
time in the mail - the better.Your time and effort is now finished. Your slideshow company
will take care of you from here. They should be in constant
communication with you and you should have a good idea when to
expect your slideshow to be finished. Sands of Time Multimedia
Creations creates unique and creative slideshows for every
occasion. Creative anniversary slideshows, graduation
slideshows, birthday slideshows, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day
Slideshows, Valentine’s Day Slideshows, Christmas slideshows,
memorial slideshows, the list goes on and with Sands of Time
Multimedia Creations your satisfaction is guaranteed. So visit
us today and experience the difference!
Thursday 14 June 2007 @ 11:56 pmCloudy days are nature’s softbox.
Cloudy days can present many opportunities for great
photographs. In fact, once you discover how easy it is to get
great results, you’ll look forward to a cloudy day as much, if
not more, than a sunny day.The studio photographer’s arsenal includes a number of tools to
soften and redistribute light to the best advantage of the
subject. Among these tools is the Softbox which provides soft,
even lighting by using a diffuser in front of the light.In outdoor photography, cloud cover diffuses the light of the
sun much like a photographer’s softbox, producing a soft even
light that results in softer contrasts. While high contrast can
be quite dramatic, the softer contrast allows for more detail in
both the light and the dark areas of your photograph. The softer
light is also more flattering for portraits or candid shots of
people.On your first few cloudy day adventures, consider taking your
digital camera. In spite of the differences in the cameras, what
you learn about how the lighting changes your compositions and
setup will be equally useful with your film camera. And with the
digital, you’ll feel free to experiment without the added cost
of film on your mind.Some difficult subjects which benefit from the diffused light
include waterfalls in shadowy forested areas, sea life caught in
a tide pool and wildlife hiding in the shadows, as well as close
ups of flowers and people.Diffused lighting is not as bright as direct light, indoors or
out, and you will need to compensate with a slower shutter
speed. Or widen the aperture and adjust the depth of field. You
should count on needing your tripod for wide or long shots. The
picture can be blurred by even slight camera movement with
really slow shutter speeds, so use your remote if you have
one.
Wednesday 6 June 2007 @ 5:43 amWhy should you have video conferencing? Is it worth the investment? There are many reasons why you should utilize video conferencing software. The simple fact is that it is quite reliable and quite handy. But, that is not usually enough to have you open your wallet. Yet, there are other reasons why this may be the next investment that you make for your business. Video conferencing is an excellent means of communication.
Besides being a very high quality way of communicating, it also opens the door to live, clear understandings of what is being said. There is little doubt that in a video conferencing situation that you will not know and understand just what the other person is saying. Your message is delivered with a full awareness of your means simply because seeing is believing. Yet, this too is only one reason to consider it.
Video conferencing is also very capable of connecting you with other establishments. If you can not manage your company in one place because you are managing it someplace else, video conferencing can keep you connected. By doing this, you can effectively be in two places at once.
There are excellent quality video conferencing systems out there. Many of them are well worth the dollars that they cost. And, because technology continues to grow, you’ll find that prices for video conferencing will become more competitive. It is the way of the future. Is your company in the future? Using video conferencing can help to insure that it is there.
We highly recommend bringing your company up to date and to use this pioneering technology. It doesn’t need to be expensive, or difficult to set up if you contact specialists in this area. There are many information portals now devoted to the subject and we reading about it at one of these. Try googling for “video conferencing info” and you will be surprised by the abundance of information on the subject.
For more information please see www.video-conferencing-info.co.uk
