Tools for Long-Distance Meetings Bettina J. Casad, California State University, Pomona Wind Goodfriend, Buena Vista University Presented at the Western Psychological Association Annual Conference, in Irvine California, April 2008. The PowerPoint slides and handouts from this symposium are provided on the following website: http://faculty.unlv.edu/barchard/ OPTION 1: Web-ex: MeetMeNow Cost: Free 14-day trial $39/month with an annual service agreement (20% discount) $49/month with no commitment This fee grants you access to use the services whenever you want, from any web browser, anywhere in the world with no limit on number of meetings How does it work? You can connect with up to 10 people simultaneously Offers video conferencing, launching meetings using Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, or PowerPoint (there will be an icon at the top of the document; you click it and are instantly sharing with the other people in the meeting) You will be able to share the presentation/meeting material in real time through these virtual meetings You have the option of editing documents during the meeting; there is an annotation feature included where you can exchange alterations to the documents during the meeting There is a special call-in toll number for members to call to become connected through auditory means this conference calling is included in the monthly fee Control of the meeting can be granted to anyone http://www.webex.com/individual/online-meeting.html OPTION 2: Skype Cost: Free How does it work? Receive free calls, instant messages, and video all in one Download is free no IT specialists required Phone
You can access anyone from anywhere in the world; you just have to find their name, click and call (Free Skype-to-Skype calls) This works on computers and compatible desktop and cordless phones Video Can have face-to-face meetings on line with Skype and a webcam If the other person you re meeting with has a webcam, you can meet face-toface Video conferencing is available set up a webcam in both meeting rooms so everyone is involved in the video conference Conference Call Can call up to 9 people at once Call them on Skype, phones, or mobiles to include them from anywhere in the world Instant Messaging Can set up a group chat with up to 100 people If the other person s computer is not set up to take calls, type your conversation When you are in a conversation, it will tell you when the other person is typing so you don t talk over one another You can send files via these instant messaging sessions There is a chat history so you can recover you conversation from today, yesterday, last week, month or your entire chat history Mobile You can get the Skypephone that phone that calls, texts and takes pictures you can also use it to call and instant message other people on Skype for free where ever they are in the world See who s on line You can set your status so people know if you re available to chat, out of town, away from your desk, in another meeting, etc. It is easy to add contacts, too Equipment There are numerous headsets available via the Skype website for various prices http://accessories.skype.com/store/skype/en_us/displaycategoryproductlistpag e/categoryid=4141900 There are numerous webcams available via the Skype website for various prices http://accessories.skype.com/store/skype/en_us/displaycategoryproductlistpag e/categoryid=4142000 There are a few desk phones, mobile phones, and cordless phones available for various prices via the Skype website http://www.skype.com/intl/en/business/tools/equipment/ Toolbars You can add a Skype email toolbar to bring contacts and emails into one place You can add a Skype button to your email signature and people can click on it to call you
You are still able to call Skype contacts while emailing You can still view their status and can instant message the contact in response to an email You can add a Skype Office toolbar where call Skype names and phone and mobile numbers while using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint programs You are able to see when the author of a document is online to converse with them You can send a file you are working on to them Turn phone and mobile numbers into links within your document Security The program is a secure program run on a safe network It works with anti virus software and offers privacy protection No spam is accompanied by the program and no additional software is installed without the user s consent The software is easy to manage by using the settings functions and is easy for IT specialists to deploy into a business s network and other user s networks Support For any problems, issues, difficulties, or help, there are plenty of resources http://www.skype.com/intl/en/business/help/ OPTION 3: Convenos This can be used as an add-on to Skype; this can also be used separately as alternative software This add-on version for Skype is free and can be added on through Skype s Do More menus Convenos Program apart from Skype This program offers multiple, custom ways to set up a meeting. Designing a meeting technique can be done at your own terms with you deciding when and how to best use the time and resources. There are four meeting types to choose from: scheduled, recurring, ongoing, and instant meeting o You can decide whether to keep these open or private as well as decide which audio option would best suit your needs The Regular meeting option is specially designed for those who are collaborating on projects far apart. o It can include a recurring meeting setting with a private access for only those involved. o The host has access to the meeting as soon as it is created and those attending the meeting can enter up to 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting
o You invite attendees by means of their email address and can incorporate the audio conferencing auditory option http://www.convenos.com/meeting_scenarios.html Cost $30/month (Standard) o This includes up to 20 attendees to the meeting session and has 25 MB storage capacity for each member of the meeting $100/month (Professional) o This includes up to 99 attendees to the meeting session and has 100 MB storage capacity for each member of the meeting These are flat-fee payments that can be paid monthly or annually Additional Pros Audio options o Hosts can choose to use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) this is a feature associated with Skype. VoIP uses the internet connection to make a phone call over the internet o Another audio option is a no-charge conference call o A final option is for the host to decide what sort of audio solution they d like to implement Document sharing o Documents can be managed so that they can be viewed by all o Files can also be transferred; the host has the control in this meeting, so files can be transferred to the File Share area where the attendees can access the files and save them Annotations o Presentations can be annotated by attendees with the one click snapshot feature Text Chat o Those attending the meeting can post messages to the group or choose an individual to have a whispering conversation Presentations Area o You can view shared files by looking at the Slides tab; the documents can be easily annotated, printed, and saved Web Co-Browsing o You can lead the group to bookmarked websites Virtual Whiteboard o You can access a fully array of whiteboard commands o By using these commands and features, you can easily brainstorm and collaborate with your group and then save and print the work or take a virtual snapshot of the document and upload it onto your computer as a JPEG file Attendee privileges o You can choose from speaker, participant or guest to determine their privilege level in the meeting setting
Attendee management o You can easily add and delete attendees, even in real time Open and Private meeting sessions o Open meetings simply require a key code and private sessions require a unique username and key code this can be selected based on those attending the meeting and what the best status would be ***These are a few of the many additional perks of the Convenos program http://www.convenos.com/index.html OPTION 4: WEBCAM Small cameras that can be used via the web/ Instant messaging services. Used to communicate anywhere in the world. Often done in a one on one setting. If both people have a webcam hooked up to their computer it becomes a video chat. Usually low-resolution screen images. When done on a large scale or for business can be known as video-conferencing. Needs certain software to work, but it is usually cheap and compatible with all webcams. Webcams are relatively cheap- as low as 20-40 dollars depending on which store you buy from. Some cons are dealing with privacy and the openness of the internet. OPTION 5: TELEPRESENCE A unique system developed by Cisco that combines hi-definition video with the latest improvements in audio in order to create an almost lifelike meeting between two parties who could be thousands of miles apart. So advanced that it feels like you are in the same room with the other people. A drawback is the technology is expensive; however this disadvantage is temporary and will be overcome by savings from travel costs. OTHER POSSIBLE LONG DISTANCE MEETING OPTIONS Telephone (the obvious choice) Video Conferencing Usually universities offer some long distance courses, through a combination of microphones, TVs, etc. Work with your university to set up meetings using this technology. MSN Messenger You can verbally communicate with people using Messenger. If you press F2 while speaking into the microphone on the keyboard and release when done speaking, it will automatically send your voice message to the contact with whom you are speaking. Of course, you can also use a web-cam. MSN is free and can be used anywhere in the world at anytime with anyone who has it downloaded on their computer.
Table 1. Comparison of Technology Tools Program Audio of Speakers Visual of Speakers Live or Synchronous Asynchronous Fee Teleconferencing Yes Yes Yes No $50-$200+ Macromedia Breeze (Whiteboard) No No Yes No Must have license Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, WebCT, Angel) for Discussion Boards No No Yes Yes Must have license Other Options Web-ex: MeetMeNow Yes Yes Yes No $39- $49/month Skype Yes Optional Yes No Free Email or Instant Messaging No No No Yes Usually Free References Bradley, L. (2008). The technology that supports virtual team collaboration. Fisher, K. (2008). Tools for effective virtual team start-ups. Gupta, D., Bradley, L., & Yeoh, T. (2008). Tools for effective virtual team meetings. All chapters found in: J. Nemiro, M. Beyerlein, L. Bradley, & S. Beyerlein (Eds.), The Handbook of High- Performance Virtual Teams: A Toolkit for Collaborating Across Boundaries. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco: CA.