It is known that eye contact plays a large role in conversational turn-taking, perceived attention and intent, and other aspects of group communication. While traditional telephone conversations give no eye contact cues, videoconferencing systems are arguably worse in that they provide an incorrect impression that the remote interlocutor is avoiding eye contact. Telepresence systems have cameras located in the screens that reduce the amount of parallax observed by the users. This issue is also being addressed through research that generates a synthetic image with eye contact using stereo reconstruction.

The important thing to remember:  Always be aware of your lines of sight, as they appear to the audience.  You can do this prior to your meeting, when running a simple software and hardware and process check.  You can also do this throughout the meeting, when you observe and critique your own video output, as others would see it.  Remember, others attending the meeting are watching you more than you are.  They are wondering if you are multi-tasking, or if you are telling the truth, etc…

One trick, especially when answering questions, is to make a concious effort to focus your gaze on the web camera as if you were focusing on the person you are answering.

Article from http://www.powerhomebiz.com/News/052009/virtual-store.htm 

May 20, 2009 ( PowerHomeBiz ) - San Jose, CA  - Usually, if a company shuts its doors forever it’s a bad thing. When ShapiraMedia CEO Isaac Shapira closed his trendy headquarters (complete with all the “dot-com trimmings”), it was actually a sign of prosperity and productivity to come. Isaac is joining thousands of other small businesses in making the transformational leap from traditional “brick and mortar” office and retail space - a move that is paying off huge. He is able to do that by using a business collaboration and communication suite that empowers him to present, meet, and collaborate with customers, partners, and co-workers anywhere in the world. His office is now at home, and anywhere else he roams to with his laptop.

Isaac evaluated a number of solutions that were tested by the Web Conferencing Council (www.webconferencingcouncil.com), and ended up selecting the same product that won the council’s best of class award (VIA3 from www.viack.com) – mostly due to the affordability and richness of features.  Brainstorming sessions, sales calls, PowerPoint webinars, file sharing, Audio and Video meetings, and instant communications are all at his fingertips now, making his small company act and look like a much larger entity.  The best part is the cost savings; instead of paying $3,750.00 a month for office space, furniture rentals, food and supplies, etc… he now pays around $200 a month.  For this 200$, Isaac has enough product licenses to give 10 employees full functionality of the web conferencing suite. His up front cost was zero, because his employees were already using laptops with built-in web cameras and microphones.

And here’s more good news; his customers love it. 

First, they love the convenience of meeting and collaborating online.  ”We used to make sure that all customer experiences with ShapiraMedia were off the charts productive, creative, and enjoyable for customers,” said Isaac. ”They were drinking espressos, seated in colorful beanbags, with hip music like ‘Kings of Leon’ resonating in the background.  The one downside to the meetings, however, was the need for travel back and forth to facilitate in-person face-to-face interaction.  That meant an unproductive element to their day, which we can now avoid by conducting these meetings online.”  

Secondly, because of the tremendous savings Isaac incurred in his overhead, he is now able to pass those savings along to the customers.  This results in ultra-competitive bids that are winning them a steady stream of new business.  Neil Woodruff, Viack CEO, said this is a common story with VIA3 users.  “The quick productivity and cost saving infusion that happened at ShapiraMedia is something our user base enjoys consistently, and immediately.  Because of VIA3’s ease of use, affordability, and near-zero investment costs, businesses are able to turn on a dime from brick and mortar to online powerhouses”. 

There are a number of other collaboration features above and beyond straight meetings that help ShapiraMedia.  Creative projects are stored, shared, and collaborated on through the included Workspaces.  All employees are a click away from each other using Instant Messaging with presence awareness.  They brainstorm over images in the included Whiteboard feature.  They utilize the included voting and polling feature during company meetings.  They are also able to share desktop control with each other for an even higher level of collaboration.

The only thing missing? 

“VIA3 doesn’t handle espressos”, laughs Isaac.  “As for the colorful beanbags - those are still being used.  You can see them in the background during online meetings with ShapiraMedia.  Some things will never change.”

Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred via telephone, the Internet or other networks for the purpose of consulting, and sometimes remote medical procedures or examinations.

Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as complex as using satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to conduct a real-time consultation between medical specialists in two different countries. Telemedicine generally refers to the use of communications and information technologies for the delivery of clinical care.

Care at a distance (also called in absentia care), is an old practice which was often conducted via post; there has been a long and successful history of iin absentia health care, which - thanks to modern communication technology - has metamorphosed into what we know as modern telemedicine.

The terms e-health and telehealth are at times wrongly interchanged with telemedicine. Like the terms “medicine” and “health care”, telemedicine often refers only to the provision of clinical services while the term telehealth can refer to clinical and non-clinical services such as medical education, administration, and research. The term e-health is often, particularly in the UK and Europe, used as an umbrella term that includes telehealth, electronic medical records, and other components of health IT.

Telemedicine is practiced on the basis of two concepts: real time (synchronous) and store-and-forward and Home Health(asynchronous).

Real time telemedicine could be as simple as a telephone call or as complex as robotic surgery. It requires the presence of both parties at the same time and a communications link between them that allows a real-time interaction to take place. Video-conferencing equipment is one of the most common forms of technologies used in synchronous telemedicine. There are also peripheral devices which can be attached to computers or the video-conferencing equipment which can aid in an interactive examination. For instance, a tele-otoscope allows a remote physician to ’see’ inside a patient’s ear; a tele-stethoscope allows the consulting remote physician to hear the patient’s heartbeat. Medical specialties conducive to this kind of consultation include psychiatry, family practice, internal medicine, rehabilitation, cardiology, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, neurology, speech-language pathology and pharmacy.

Store-and-forward telemedicine involves acquiring medical data (like medical images, biosignals etc) and then transmitting this data to a doctor or medical specialist at a convenient time for assessment offline. It does not require the presence of both parties at the same time. Dermatology (cf: teledermatology), radiology, and pathology are common specialties that are conducive to asynchronous telemedicine. A properly structured Medical Record preferably in electronic form should be a component of this transfer.

Home Health Telemedicine When a patient is in the hospital and he is placed under general observation after a surgery or other medical procedure, the hospital is usually losing a valuable bed and the patient would rather not be there as well. Home health allows the remote observation and care of a patient. Home health equipment consists of vital signs capture, video conferencing capabilities, and patient stats can be reviewed and alarms can be set from the hospital nurse’s station, depending on the specific home health device. Usually low bandwidth analog Plain Old Telephone System (POTS). Some newer systems do support higher bandwidth capabilities. Disease management, post-hospital care, assisted living, etc.

Telemedicine is most beneficial for populations living in isolated communities and remote regions and is currently being applied in virtually all medical domains. Specialties that use telemedicine often use a “tele-” prefix; for example, telemedicine as applied by radiologists is called Teleradiology. Similarly telemedicine as applied by cardiologists is termed as telecardiology, etc.

Telemedicine is also useful as a communication tool between a general practitioner and a specialist available at a remote location.

The first interactive Telemedicine system, operating over standard telephone lines, for remotely diagnosing and treating patients requiring cardiac resuscitation (defibrillation) was developed and marketed by MedPhone Corporation in 1989. A year latter the company introduced a mobile cellular version, the MDphone. Twelve hospitals in the U.S. served as receiving and treatment centers. (See: Telecommunications, Concepts, Development, and Management, Second Edition, pages 280-282, W. John Blyth, Glencoe/McCgraw-Hill Company,1990)

Monitoring a patient at home using known devices like blood pressure monitors and transferring the information to a caregiver is a fast growing emerging service. These remote monitoring solutions have a focus on current high morbidity chronic diseases and are mainly deployed for the First World. In developing countries a new way of practicing telemedicine is emerging better known as Primary Remote Diagnostic Visits whereby a doctor uses devices to remotely examine and treat a patient. Consultations monitors an already diagnosed chronic disease, AND has the promise to diagnosing and managing the diseases a patient will typically visit a general practitioner for.

TANDBERG Becomes Only Video Teleconferencing Provider With Total Solution Certification Including Endpoints, Infrastructure and Management Platform:

TANDBERG, a leading global provider of telepresence, high-definition video conferencing and mobile video solutions, announced today that it has received Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification from the Federal government. JITC provides test, evaluation, and certification services for acquiring and deploying global “net-centric” military capabilities. The complete TANDBERG MPS infrastructure and MXP endpoint portfolios have been recertified. In addition, the TANDBERG Management Suite (TMS) has now been certified, making it the only management platform for video to receive JITC certification. With endpoints, infrastructure and now a management platform certified, the Department of Defense (DoD) can purchase a total JITC-certified solution only from TANDBERG.

The Department of Defense is directed to purchase video products from an Approved Product List (APL), and JITC certification provides product access to the APL. There are two APLs guiding purchases of video teleconferencing, the DSN APL and the IPv6 APL. TANDBERG certification encompasses both of these APLs.

“At TANDBERG, we take pride in our long-standing support of the United States Government,” said Joel Brunson, president, TANDBERG Public Sector. “We will continue to comply with standards and testing requirements to ensure that we are always providing the DoD with the highest-quality and most secure video solutions available. And now with the JITC certification of our management platform along with endpoints and infrastructure, we will be well-equipped to support the great demand in the defense community for scalable, manageable and secure video teleconferencing.”

Telemedicine can be implemented within stroke-care systems to help fill the gaps in coverage, according to two articles published online on May 7 in Stroke. A third article published in the same online edition revisits the definition and evaluation of transient ischemic attack.

J. Donald Easton, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Stroke Council, and colleagues write that the definitions of transient ischemic attack, early stroke, and other vascular outcomes risks, as well as how to evaluate transient ischemic stroke have all undergone revision in the light of recent scientific research. Among their recommendations are for patients to undergo a brain scan within 24 hours of symptom onset, as well as routine noninvasive imaging of the cervicocephalic vessels.

Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., and Heinrich J. Audebert, M.D., co-chairs of the American Heart Association, and colleagues reviewed the existing evidence on the use of telemedicine by stroke-care systems in order to establish consensus recommendations on the use of telemedicine in primary prevention of stroke and general neurological assessment; emergency medical services notification and response; acute and subacute treatment of stroke; and secondary prevention and rehabilitation.

“Whenever local or on-site acute stroke expertise or resources are insufficient to provide around-the-clock coverage for a health care facility, telestroke systems should be deployed to supplement resources at participating sites,” Schwamm and Audebert write. “This should be done within the context of stroke systems of care model framework wherever possible.”

Halfway through Atom Egoyan’s new film Adoration, its unhappy young protagonist caresses his late mother’s violin and, as he attempts to justify terrorism, suggests it is sometimes easier to relate to things than to people. His best friend is outraged, and takes this as further proof that the boy she knows is slipping away from her. However, while she’s at it, she also angrily points out the irony: In this context, she herself is a thing to which he is relating, an image on a screen, since their conversation is taking place by video link.

This is the apogee of Adoration, the point at which Egoyan’s career-long examination of how communication technology promotes alienation makes its strongest statement as the director returns to themes so startlingly featured in early films such as Family Viewing and The Adjuster. It’s a cerebral exercise, however, and as the film moves from there into a more conventional - if not entirely plausible - family drama, it becomes less artificial yet, paradoxically, less interesting.

The protagonist is Simon (Devon Bostick), a Toronto high-school student who reacts viscerally to a French-class dictation of a news article about a foiled act of terrorism, in which a man used his pregnant wife to carry explosives onto an Israeli plane, because it reflects his own family history. Living with his angry and potentially racist uncle (Scott Speedman), Simon is an orphan whose dying grandfather (Kenneth Welsh) has told him that his Middle Eastern father was a murderer who destroyed the family, killing himself and Simon’s gentle, musical mother. Encouraged by his Lebanese teacher Sabine (Arsinée Khanjian) to explore the terrorism article as a dramatic monologue, Simon identifies himself as the child with whom the terrorist’s fiancée was pregnant and, as his confession goes viral, becomes embroiled in a massive Internet controversy in which he attempts to understand and justify his father’s actions.

Adoration becomes gripping as Egoyan toys brilliantly with his audience’s understanding of Simon’s history and his father’s role, slowly but surely revealing how closely the terrorism story mimics his past while cleverly satirizing the sentimentality, self-satisfaction and pure hatred that can pass as debate on the Internet. At this point, it is easy to forgive the director his outlandish flourishes: To test the uncle’s tolerance, Sabine appears to him on a winter evening as a Muslim woman, not merely veiled but wearing a decorative mask of interlocking metal plates. Dressed like some medieval Bedouin and standing beside a suburban Christmas tree, she creates a show-stopping image of cultural division, but it’s hardly the way to infuse plausibility into the character’s already bizarre behaviour.

Khanjian, whose habitual air of exotic remove can make her screen acting seem merely wooden, does a lovely job here of suggesting Sabine’s emotional distance from Canadian experience, creating an isolation that makes her odd scheming - she is effectively stalking Simon - more believable. Similarly, Bostick is wonderfully sympathetic as the confused and grieving Simon, playing out supposed ethical dilemmas with the false rationalism of the adolescent because that’s easier than facing his real emotional pain.

The warmth of the performances is key because it is often difficult to care about these people, even as the director departs from his intellectual construct into Simon’s actual history. It’s a rather clichéd story of the wealthy grandfather’s predictable prejudices played out in flashbacks performed by Rachel Blanchard as the lovely violinist, Noam Jenkins as her exotic Middle Eastern love and an underused Welsh as the rigid patriarch.

Once again, Egoyan has created a film that descends from ideas rather than experience, driven by theme rather than character, and he does both very well. His ability to render his themes as cinematic images can be breathtaking: Simon’s WASP family cherishes a series of beautifully painted Christmas figures depicting the Adoration of the Magi (hence the film’s title), which the boy eventually burns.

But can we swallow the symbol? It matters because, if we do not always feel for these characters, despite the strength of the performances, it is because we cannot always believe their motivations. And if we do not believe their motivations - if we do not think people in the world actually act this way - then all our puzzling over their dilemmas becomes as pointless as the hypothetical arguments in Simon’s appalling chat room.

By Kate Taylor - Check out her Latest Columns

In an era when the world’s economy is in freefall and companies are struggling for ways to save money, eliminating unnecessary business travel is a very attractive proposition. Indeed, being able to frequently yet instantly share files, discuss and collaborate with customers, colleagues and business suppliers/partners online in real-time without leaving one’s desk has become commonplace. It can be done with any of the “hit parade” of conferencing and collaboration services and products now on the market. Customizable meeting environments now allow for everything from a spontaneous meeting between two people working on a document, to large-scale training and scheduled events with hundreds or even thousands of participants, supported by a mélange of live and recorded video, chat, slide and application sharing, VoIP or PSTN audio, and interactive audience feedback tools.

One of the most famous and accessible of these is Microsoft (News - Alert)’s Office Live Meeting, the hosted version of which allows is a web conferencing service operated by Microsoft that enables organizers to schedule meetings using Outlook (even when offline), send separate meeting invitations to presenters and attendees, and automatically include audio conference information in every meeting invitation.

Live Meeting is based on free, downloadable client PC software that works in conjunction with a central server at Microsoft. There’s also a Java-based console version that runs in a Mac and Solaris environment. Of course, in addition to the hosted model for Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007, there’s also a CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) solution, namely the Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS 2007) enterprise conferencing server product. Fortunately, the Live Meeting Web Access (MWA) provides a nearly identical user experience to that of the Windows-based Live Meeting client. (Live Meeting Web Access is the Java applet that will run on non-Windows operating systems such as Linux, Macs, etc.)

Using both the web and Live Meeting, you’re able to control PSTN lines (muting all parties except your own, eject parties, etc.). User accounts are grouped together in Conference Centers (a unique URL) which starts with: www.livemeeting.com/cc/. . . Users pay nothing to join a Live Meeting session. Charging for Live Meeting is done on an account basis. The last time Yours Truly checked, “Professional Users” can schedule up to 1,250 participant connections per meeting and can store unlimited shared meeting recordings for 360 days. For five users, it’s $15.42 per user per month with no one-time fees. On the other hand, “Standard Users” are able to schedule and manage meetings with up to 15 participant connections per meeting. For five users it’s $4.58 per user per month with no one-time fees. Although Microsoft directly hosts Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007, hosting partners also offer Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 as a fee-based service. Whether attendees use the Live Meeting service or OCS 2007 to operate their web conference, they use the same software client.

You can schedule a meeting online or you can call a Live Meeting Sales Specialist for more information at 866-463-3866.

More at http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/0409/conferencing-and-collaboration-strategies.htm

Also found at this great blog:  http://webinarnews.blogspot.com/

By: Richard “Zippy” Grigonis.  The man, the myth, the legend. 

The complete range of HD video conferencing and telepresence solutions from LifeSize Communications is now available from BT Conferencing, a leading global provider of video communications products and services. BT Conferencing specializes in the delivery of innovative video conferencing solutions to some of the largest companies in the world, expanding LifeSize’s reach to customers in North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.

“Together, BT Conferencing and LifeSize can deliver solutions that make remote meetings useful, productive, lifelike, cost-effective and simple,” said Ben Hobby, General Manager, BT Conferencing Video Business Unit, EMEA. “BT Conferencing builds solutions around industry-leading hardware and software which are backed by our proven services organization. We are pleased to offer LifeSize as a key part of the BT Conferencing global video portfolio.”

Video conferencing has become a critical technology investment for companies seeking to increase productivity, reduce both the cost and environmental impact of travel, and improve collaboration among employees. From self-service through to complete managed solutions, BT Conferencing provides a range of services that help commercial, government, and educational organizations realize the full potential of video conferencing technology.

As the first company to develop and deliver HD video communications products, LifeSize extends BT Conferencing’s ability to offer customers a full range of solutions that offer superior quality of experience, unique flexibility and unmatched price performance, LifeSize gives BT Conferencing customers powerful solutions that deliver the world’s most realistic, effective and effortless video communication experience. Alongside BT Conferencing’s industry-leading support, the availability of a single source for all video, audio and web conferencing needs, and one of the world’s largest MPLS networks with a global presence in over 170 countries, businesses around the world can take advantage of a realistic, effective and effortless video communication experience.

“Combining the power of LifeSize’s products with the global reach and capabilities of BT Conferencing delivers an incredible opportunity to customers,” said Adam Taylor, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Service, LifeSize. “LifeSize’s industry-leading HD video conferencing solutions deliver a natural, face-to-face meeting experience that enables users to focus on the conversation instead of their disparate location. Likewise, BT Conferencing’s services lets users rest assured that they won’t have to worry about the technology behind the experience. Together, we’re delivering the power of high quality communications at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.”

Polycom, Inc. continues to hold market dominance in video conferencing endpoints across the Asia Pacific region, according to Frost & Sullivan’s recently released research report entitled Asia Pacific Video Conferencing Endpoints Market, 2008. Frost & Sullivan also recognises Polycom as the dominant video conferencing solutions provider in the India market and named Polycom as the Best Vendor (Video Conferencing Infrastructure & Endpoint) in the 2008 Frost & Sullivan India Market Leadership Awards.

Polycom commands over half of the market share of the Indian video conferencing market, which the Frost & Sullivan report shows grew at 23.1 per cent in 2008. This fast-growing market is forecast to maintain a CAGR of 23.9 per cent through to 2015. The report also states that the BFSI and IT/ITeS sectors are continuing to invest in video communications, along with education and healthcare organisations. The government sector is the largest adopter of video conferencing endpoints solutions in India.

The Frost & Sullivan study indicates that the main market drivers for video communications through to 2015 will be growing awareness of next-generation video technologies, the proliferation of IP infrastructure and compression technologies, and increasing pressures to tame escalating travel costs. The current economic crisis is also likely to drive increased adoption, according to Frost & Sullivan.

“Our research suggests there is a strong business case for investments in video communications solutions by Indian organisations, especially in this challenging economic climate; driven by the intent to save travel costs and facilitating collaboration. In addition, we expect enterprise demand to integrate video conferencing into unified communications eco-systems. Hosted conferencing services and public room video conferencing sites provide vast opportunities for the growth of video conferencing systems,” said Mohammad Saif, deputy director, consulting, Frost & Sullivan.

“However, as video conferencing solutions are fast becoming an integral part of the corporate strategy of the enterprises, it becomes all the more important to derive maximum ROI – which is possible by making video communications easily accessible to employees at all levels of an organisation, not just in the boardroom,” added Saif.

Commented Paul Newell, director, technical and strategic sales, Polycom Asia Pacific and country manager, Polycom India and SAARC, “We are delighted that Frost & Sullivan’s research reinforces Polycom’s position as the dominant market leader in video conferencing endpoints for India, as well as the Asia Pacific region, and we look forward to continuing in 2009 to provide customers with an outstanding collaboration experience, the best value and the greatest flexibility through standards-based solutions so they can achieve the greatest returns on their investments.”

Carl Weinschenk has some great insight into the growth of telepresence:

The movement of a service from scenarios in which they are owned by the business using them to managed offerings, in which an outside service provider is involved, is a familiar migration in IT and telecommunications. It has happened to greater or lesser degrees in security, VoIP and other sectors. It now is happening in telepresence, which is teleconferencing done in such a way as to make it seem that the separated parties actually are in the same room.

The reasons are obvious: The client gains great advantages in cost and the outsiders, solely dedicated to one or a narrow group of applications, do a better job of staying up to date. Telepresence, which ABI Research says will generate $360 million in revenue in 2011, seems particularly well positioned for managed packaging. It is a complex field and the gear is very expensive. Indeed, in this era in which politicians routinely throw around dollar figures in the trillions, a mere $360 million sounds like it could be an underestimate. In any case, big companies will have services maintained by the outsiders within their offices, while small- and medium-size businesses will be able to take advantages of facilities at hotels, conference centers and similar venues.

Whether the infrastructure is owned by the end user or a service provider, innovation continues. This week, Polycom expanded its offerings. The Polycom RealPresence Experience and Polycom Telepresence Experience now offer Single Touch Multipoint, which the company’s release says enables easy call initiation between multiple locations. Polycom, in an effort to accommodate companies that want to partially outsource, now offers Assisted Operation Service. The idea is that the end users team will manage many functions, but a Polycom service provider partner will provide monitoring, and streamline fault management.

Organizations with a widely dispersed employee base, naturally, are the best candidates for telepresence. An outsourcing arrangement was announced this week by Cisco, Orange Business Services and one such company, Single Buoy Moorings. The company is a multinational provider of systems and services to the oil and gas industry. It will use Cisco TelePresence system, which will be managed by Orange. Single Buoy has deployed the Cisco TelePresence System 3000 in Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monaco and Schiedam, Netherlands. Orange is providing project management, consultancy services, deployment, network services and operational management, according to the release.

The beauty of videoconferencing and telepresence was evident well before the swine flu pandemic. The beauty of not being there — which is healthier, cheaper and more efficient — clearly has a future as a managed service.   For users not wanting a full VTC system and the related hardware issues, they should use the software version of teleworking, which is Web Conferencing.  To view the Top Ten Report on Web Conferencing solutions, click HERE.