The number of ways in which videoconferencing can be used is truly staggering, as evidenced by one western Pennsylvania county’s recent deployment. Allegheny County, PA, which is known more for its steel mills and love of the Pittsburgh Steelers than most anything else, now has one of the nation’s first videoconferencing programs specifically designated for its children’s court system.

The county’s videoconferencing technology, which was just secured through a unique public-private partnership, is aimed at reducing the trauma children experience when testifying in abuse and custody cases. By allowing children to testify from unique kid-friendly locations–such as a mobile child-friendly testimony unit–children no longer have to appear in front of those who have allegedly abused or neglected them or their siblings.

Clearly, the use of videoconferencing in child protection and custody matters is a best practice that’s worth noting. By improving court experiences for children, videoconferencing enables the expansion of the scope of participation outside of the justice and corrections systems to include all cases where children are impacted.

Kudos to Child Watch of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Children’s Court, and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services for having the insight to use videoconferencing in such a unique and profound way, as well for having our children’s best interests at heart.

Popularity: 46% [?]

In Part I of this post, we brought to your attention a cottage industry worth noting: Drop-in Videoconferencing Services, like those offered by FedEx Kinko’s and VIT Worldwide Videoconferencing. In that post we started to explore whether these services are truly cost-effective and efficient for handing your face-to-face meeting and videoconferencing needs.

At FedEx Kinko’s, the price you pay for videoconferencing services depends on the type of videoconferencing service you need. For example (from FedEx Kinko’s website):

• Point-to-Point. Two videoconference locations, either FedEx Kinko’s to FedEx Kinko’s or FedEx Kinko’s to an outside location. Cost is $225.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Point-to-Point with Conversion. Two videoconference locations, FedEx Kinko’s to outside location with conversion required. A conversion is the method used to connect incompatible equipment or networks with a FedEx Kinko’s location. Cost is $295.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Multi-Point. Three or more videoconference locations. $265.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Multi-Point with Conversion. Three or more videoconference locations, with conversion to a non-FedEx Kinko’s site required. A conversion is the method used to connect incompatible equipment or networks with a FedEx Kinko’s location. Cost is $335.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.

No matter how you slice it, FedEx Kinko’s drop-in videoconferencing services are very expensive. Throw on top of their standard fees the additional costs associated with bridging and recording, and you’re looking at a fairly substantial per hour fee.

At VIT Worldwide Videoconferencing–an innovative organization with 15 locations throughout the state of Vermont–businesses can expect to pay between $150.00 and $370.00 per hour, which is still a hefty price to pay for videoconferencing.

Here at Face to Face Live, Inc.™, we believe every business–regardless of size or industry–can have its own in-house high definition videoconferencing system at an affordable price. For around the same price FedEx Kinkos’ charges for just three hours of their videoconferencing services, we provide an entire month’s worth of in-house videoconferencing; and, our systems come with managed services that provide 24/7/365 customer support, user training, software upgrades, and more.

When you stop to think about, there’s a reason why you don’t run out to FedEx Kinko’s every time you need to make a photocopy. Why then would you choose to do the same for videoconferencing? You wouldn’t! Run the numbers and you quickly see that owning or renting a videoconferencing system of your own just makes more sense.

The bottom line on drop-in videoconferencing services (as we see them) is this: Using them takes more time, money, and effort then renting or owning a managed videoconferencing solution like the ones available from us–Face to Face Live, Inc.™.

Popularity: 45% [?]

There’s an interesting little cottage industry popping up around the United States that’s worth noting. With the cost of gasoline and airline tickets soaring out of control, more businesses are turning to videoconferencing to hold meetings that once involved somewhat affordable travel. Now, community-based cable television-like services are getting in on the act by opening their studios to videoconferencing customers, but when you stop and do the math, do these services really make a lot of sense (i.e., cents and dollars)?

Take VIT for example. Billed as “Vermont’s largest public videoconferencing network,” VIT allows you to use one of their 15 statewide locations for holding videoconference meetings with people in different parts of the state or anywhere in the world where there’s a conforming connection available for your meeting. Sounds easy enough, right? And if money and time weren’t an object, services like those offered by VIT would be perfect.

Sadly, we do not work in a perfect world. The time, money and resources that are likely wasted using a drop-in service like VIT’s—when compared to renting or owning a new, technologically advanced and affordable high definition videoconferencing system of your own—can be astronomical. Tomorrow, in Part II of this post, we’ll explore the drop-in service phenomenon further, compare fixed costs, and take a deeper look at the convenience factor associated with drop-in videoconferencing centers versus having a videoconferencing system right in your own office or conference room.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Following up on last week’s post about telemental healthcare, if you’re looking for an elected official to champion videoconferencing, look no further than the Badger State. Earlier today, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced nearly $1 million in grants from his state’s Universal Service Fund (USF) Telemedicine program for several non-profit health organizations around the state.

“These organizations deliver vital services to their communities – meeting real medical needs and making real impacts,” Governor Doyle said. “I am pleased that we are able to award these grants that advance and improve health care in our state. The USF program continues to provide extraordinary value and assistance to all of the state’s telecommunications customers.”

Wisconsin’s Telemedicine Program is part of the Universal Service Fund, which awards grants annually to non-profit medical clinics and public health agencies. The grants help clinics purchase telecommunications equipment to promote advanced medical services and enhance access to medical care in underserved areas.

The telecommunications technology the grants help fund improves communication between patients and healthcare staff and communication between medical experts throughout the state. The Telemedicine Grant Program has awarded more than $3.1 million to Wisconsin non-profit healthcare providers since the program began in 2006.

The following non-profit organizations are some of the ones awarded Wisconsin USF grants:

• Aspirus Wausau Hospital, in Wausau, received $46,420 to purchase four telehealth units to enable patients to have access to specialty care, to provide telehealth training and education and to enable distance education for professionals.

• Barron Memorial Medical Center, in Barron, received $39,432 to purchase two telehealth units to enable the emergency room in Barron to connect to Luther Hospital in Eau Claire.

• Bellin Home Health, in Green Bay, received $75,000 to purchase telemedicine monitors and peripherals to upgrade the services to wireless web-based monitors to provide home-based health monitoring.

• Burnett Co. Dept. of Health and Human Services, in Siren, received $28,702 to purchase four videoconferencing units to provide expanded psychiatric services to four local county health agencies (Burnett, Trempealeau, Jackson and Pepin Counties)

• Community Memorial Hospital, in Oconto Falls, received $25,000 to purchase videoconferencing systems to enable remote pharmaceutical dispensing at primary care clinic locations in Oconto County.

• Human Service Center, in Rhinelander, received $10,000 to purchase videoconferencing equipment to provide expanded psychiatric services in Forest, Oneida and Vilas Counties.

• North Central Health Care, in Wausau, received $36,512 to purchase five videoconferencing units to provide expanded psychiatric services available in Wausau and Madison to rural clinics (Merrill, Tomahawk and Antigo).

• Rock Co. Human Service Dept., in Janesville, received $10,298 to purchase two videoconferencing units to provide expanded psychiatric services to the Beloit clinic.

• Shawano Co. Dept. of Community Programs, in Shawano, received $10,102 to purchase a videoconferencing unit to provide expanded psychiatric services to the Shawano Mental Health Clinic by having access to psychiatrists in other locations.

• Winnebago Co. Human Services, in Oshkosh, received $30,000 to purchase four video conferencing equipment systems for the main clinic, outpatient clinics and the Neenah branch office to increase access to child psychiatrists and additional services for adult clients.

Go Badgers!

Popularity: 65% [?]

Most people have a  general idea of what videoconferencing is — it’s sort of like a telephone conversation with live video thrown in.

In the old days, videoconferencing was clunky, complicated, and unreliable, primarily because phone lines were designed to carry voices, not huge amounts of audio and video data. With the introduction of broadband and improvements in video technology and data compression, videoconferencing improved by leaps and bounds and now offers a high-quality venue for true-to-life, face-to-face conferencing in real time.

Here, we introduce you to the various components required in a videoconferencing system, describes the three main forms of videoconferencing, and deliver a brief primer on how a videoconferencing session takes place.

Essential Components

To videoconference, you need special audio/video equipment installed in each location that will be involved in the conference along with a data pipeline that connects all locations:

• One or more cameras at each location to capture the video
• One or more microphones at each location to capture the audio
• Codec (compressor/decompressor) at each location to compress outgoing data and decompress incoming data — a codec is typically a specialized device or software that runs on a computer
• One or more…

… continued here.

Popularity: 53% [?]

If you’re interested in working in the videoconferencing industry, look no further… Face to Face Live, Inc.™ is now hiring! From the Careers page on our corporate site:

POSITION TITLE: Sales Partner
RESPONSIBLE TO: CEO, Face to Face Live, Inc.
STATUS: Full-time
COMPENSATION / RATE: Salary + Commission

Overview

Face to Face Live, Inc.™, an emergent videoconferencing solution provider (VSP) dedicated to delivering superior high-definition telepresence solutions to businesses and organizations in any industry or endeavor, is seeking highly motivated and dedicated Sales Partners.

Face to Face Live’s Sales Partners operate from self-sustaining business locations around the United States and beyond, and are supported by a world class team of technology and administrative professionals in the company’s corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Face to Face Live (F2FL) Sales Partners are responsible for all sales-related activities in assigned channels or regions. If you are serious about sales and videoconference-related technologies and are ready to get paid, then we want to hear from you.

Note: Gray hair foxes are welcomed to apply!

For more information, including how to apply for this job, please visit the Face to Face Live Careers page.

Popularity: 63% [?]

Nearly 500 Chicago-area veterans are visiting their mental-health professionals using telemental health services at their local VA clinics. About 24,000 U.S. veterans sought telemental health care in 2007, and the trend is on the rise.

Here’s more from Chicago Tribune reporter Jo Napolitano:

Veterans use real-time video to access doctors
One-on-one videoconferencing is becoming a tool for mental health care

By Jo Napolitano | Tribune reporter
10:18 PM CDT, June 9, 2008

Managing her bipolar disorder is difficult enough for Navy veteran Elizabeth Trznadel without the added burden of an hourlong drive every time she needs to see her doctor.

So instead of traveling from her Oak Forest home to Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital in Maywood, Trznadel visits a site in Manteno where she can consult with her doctor one-on-one through special video technology. She said she enjoys the quieter drive through less congested roads.

“You can express yourself just as freely as if he was sitting right in the room with you,” she said. “It’s super helpful. There is not the long wait to see the doctor, so that keeps you from getting stressed out.”

Some 495 Chicago-area veterans use “telemental health services” at six VA community-based outpatient clinics in Elgin, Joliet, LaSalle, Manteno, Aurora and Oak Lawn.

It allows patients access to help for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts without a prolonged car trip, which for some can trigger painful memories of hazardous roadsides in Iraq and Afghanistan. And as the technology becomes cheaper and more user-friendly, more veterans are taking advantage of it, officials say.

Last year, 24,000 veterans sought telemental health care throughout the U.S. Projections for 2008 show that 36,000 to 40,000 people will seek such treatment by year’s end.

“Many researchers have done studies on telemental health, and it stands up reliably to face-to-face service,” said Adam Darkins, chief consultant for care coordination for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more, read “Veterans use real-time video to access doctors.”

Mental health administrators often cite scarce resources and location as major contributors to why more people aren’t treated more often. Now, with affordable and reliable high definition solutions like those offered by Face to Face Live, videoconferencing offers more than just the possibility of improved services to patients with limited access to care.

Popularity: 74% [?]

One of the great joys of working in videoconferencing is showing people the product and watching their reaction. Today and tomorrow (Tuesday and Wednesday), we’re doing just that–showing off LifeSize® Communication’s award-winning high definition videoconferencing equipment, and talking with people about the Face to Face Live™ managed service–at the 35th Annual Arizona Emergency Services Association (AESA) Conference, here in Scottsdale, Arizona.

AESA membership is open to representatives of private and public organizations (i.e., government and for-profit business entities) that are involved in emergency planning, emergency response, and other emergency management activities. The conference–which is being held at the ultra hip and modern Hotel Valley Ho–provides a unique opportunity for emergency planning and response professionals to meet, network, and learn from one another, as well as connect with innovative industry vendors like Face to Face Live.

If you’re in the area or attending the conference and want to stop by for a live demonstration or just to say hello, you can find us in booth #12 in the exhibit area, where in addition to answering all your videoconferencing-related questions, we’ll feed you chocolate!

Popularity: 80% [?]

Here’s something that should make you think twice about your company or organization’s business travel budget and strategy. According to a press release issued just this morning, Continental Airlines says it is eliminating about 3,000 jobs, or 6.7% of its staff, and grounding 67 aircraft in an attempt to cut costs amid rocketing oil and fuel prices. As a result, Continental says it will need fewer employees worldwide to support the reduced flight schedule.

Specifically, Continental says it will reduce the size of its fleet by removing the least efficient aircraft from its network. To accomplish this, Continental is accelerating the retirement of its Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 fleets. In the first six months of 2008, the airline removed six older aircraft from service. It says it will retire an additional 67 Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 aircraft, with 37 of these additional retirements occurring in 2008 and 30 in 2009.

From Continental Airlines:

Dear Co-worker:

We’ve always said that you deserve open, honest and direct communication. This letter and the attached employee bulletin and Q&A are part of that commitment.

The airline industry is in a crisis. Its business model doesn’t work with the current price of fuel and the existing level of capacity in the marketplace. We need to make changes in response.

While there have been several successful fare increases, those increases haven’t been sufficient to cover the rising cost of fuel. As fares increase, fewer customers will fly. As fewer customers fly, we will need to reduce our capacity to match the reduced demand. As we reduce our capacity, we will need fewer employees to operate the airline. Although these changes will be painful, we must adapt to the reality of today’s market to successfully navigate these difficult times.

The attached employee bulletin and Q&A outline some of the steps we are taking to address this industry crisis. The situation for all airlines is serious, and the actions we are announcing today are necessary to secure our future. We regret the loss of jobs caused by this crisis, and we will do our best to minimize furloughs and involuntary terminations.

These actions will help Continental survive this crisis. You have our ongoing commitment to keep you informed as the industry evolves and adapts to these unprecedented challenges. It is important that we all keep our focus on working together during these difficult times.

Larry Kellner
Chairman & CEO, Continental Airlines, Inc.

Jeffery Smisek
President, Continental Airlines, Inc.

When you’re in business or running an organization, you know that expenditures are necessary to achieve your goals. You probably have purchased computer equipment, a phone system, Web hosting services, and perhaps even vehicles for your business or organization. All of these expenses are the cost of doing business. They allow you to generate revenue or run your organization.

With today’s announcement from Continental Airlines, the same is true about videoconferencing. Some people look at the price tag and all they see is the expense. However, when evaluating the cost of a videoconferencing system, you also need to consider the potential benefits to your bottom line, including the following:

• Savings in travel costs: If personnel often have to travel long distances to meet with colleagues, clients, and associates, the savings on travel alone is usually sufficient to more than cover the cost of a high-quality videoconferencing system.

• Savings in travel time: With videoconferencing, the most travel you’ll ever be required to do is to walk to the videoconferencing room. And if the system is installed in your office, you don’t even have to travel that far. No more driving to and from airports, dealing with flight delays and long flights, and spending nights in hotel rooms.

• Improved efficiency and productivity: By being able to consult with key personnel and outside experts at a moment’s notice, you can perform your daily tasks much more productively and even collaborate remotely with colleagues.

The bottom line is this: Today’s announcement from Continental Airlines should give all of us reason to pause and think twice about business travel budgets and strategy. Other airlines are sure to follow in Continental’s footsteps, and when they do, rest assured that those of here at Face to Face Live, Inc. will be here to make sure you arrive at your videoconferencing destination on time, anytime!

Popularity: 100% [?]

We interrupt this blog to share the following special announcement:

We issued a press release earlier today officially unveiling Face to Face Live, Inc.™, www.f2fl.com, and the services and support that makes us different from other videoconferencing service providers. If you’re interested in knowing more about our news, read A New Era in Videoconferencing Arrives.

We now return you to regularly scheduled programming. Tune in tomorrow for another new blog entry.

Popularity: 82% [?]