IS YOUR BUSINESS FULLY UTILIZING AVAILABLE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY?
As the result of escalating fuel prices, many businesses are initiating or revisiting the use of virtual meetings and other IT tools.
In the past, virtual meetings may have been veiwed as an inferior business practice that did not work well. IT improvements and increased comfort levels with non F2F (face-to- face) interaction is changing the way business is done. Long gone are the days of Mr. Tudball’s intercom tribulations with Mrs. Wiggins 
. Younger employees have cut their social teeth on YouTube and Facebook. Their text messaging thumbs are insured with Lloyd’s of London.
Following are terms most commonly used in connection with virtual meetings with links to the wikipedia definition, function, and software requirement for each:
· Web conferencing and Webinar
· Webcast
· SlideShare
· Telepresence
· Telecommuting
· Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP)
· Webcams
· Podcast
It is not necessary to invest in expensive equipment and systems to realize the benefits and savings from virtual meetings and other IT tools over conventional business travel. WebWorkerDaily.Com has useful tips for low or no-cost virtual business tools and practices. Many businesses have the capability of utilizing Microsoft NetMeeting as a virtual meeting tool. NetMeeting comes with Windows 95 and all later versions. A simple tutorial on how to use NetMeeting to host a virtual meeting is provided by Journal of online Accountancy . A highly recommended guidebook , Videoconferencing: New Habits for Virtual Meetings , by Janelle Barlow, can increase your confidence and put your business on an IT enhanced path. Check with the Illinois Business and Industry Center located in your community college district for assistance in selecting and implementing an IT virtual meeting system for your business.
Please view the following sites for current informative articles which address a variety of virtual meeting topics:
· The Transnational , a newsletter on multinational travel, reported on surveys taken by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and by Orbitz. Both surveys reported that business travelers were using, or planning to use, substantially more virtual meeting technologies because of travel costs and the ease of the technology.
· An International Herald Tribune article cites examples of corporations who have successfully gone virtual to cut travel costs.
· Some virtual meeting participants and telecommuters report lack of office comradery as the downside of webwork. Several ‘virtual water cooler’ systems such as Second Life may eventually fill this void. · Ezine provides thoughts on the benefits and shortfalls of both face-to-face and virtual meetings. · Read tips on conducting virtual meetings and product reviews from Virtual Meeting Review .