A Teleconferencing Primer
By Jay Stockman, Sat Dec 10th

Communication began with simple, one-on-one, in person-basedinteractions, primitive yet effective. Today there is anexplosion of technology that allows groups of individuals tocommunicate worldwide without leaving their offices. This is thetechnology of teleconferencing, which literally means,"conference at a distance". Initially teleconferencing wasconducted via a telephone network, and was limited to voiceonly. Computers have given a new meaning to the term, they allowmore than just talk. Once a teleconference is established, thesegroups can share video, applications, presentations, and a hostof other multimedia experiences.

Teleconferencing permits participants to meet in a virtualconference room, and communicate as if they were sitting rightnext to each other. Until the mid 90s, the hardware costs madeteleconferencing exceedingly expensive for most businesses, andindividuals, nevertheless this situation is changing rapidly.Most experts believe that teleconferencing will be one of thefastest growing segments of the computer industry.

In its basic form, teleconferencing uses communication meansthat range from simple telephone lines to sophisticatedsatellite links. The only requirement is that the conditions beinteractive, allowing participants at each location theopportunity to actively participate in the meeting. As equipmentand high-bandwidth cabling become more commonplace, it'spossible that sophisticated, multimedia teleconferences can beheld from your own computer or even in a mobile setting. Recentdevelopments include improved equipment, more transmissionoptions, the introduction of digital devices, and theintegration of teleconferencing technologies with the desktopthrough personal computers. Additionally, there is a trendtoward using teleconferencing for more internationalapplications. As more international services have becomeavailable, this segment has seen significant growth forteleconferencing.

The advantages of teleconferencing are obvious, and numerous.However, there are some disadvantages that should be bought tolight. Technical failures may occur when trying to establish aconference or during a conference, which would terminate themeeting prematurely. Socializing is less than a face-to-facemeeting, and it would be difficult to build close relationshipbetween group members.

An individual's capability to progress culturally is unified intheir ability to expand potential through innovative technology.Teleconferencing appears to address this progress, by enhancingproductivity, communications, information management, continuingeducation, and travel and lower energy costs.

About the author:Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for TeleconferenceServices Visit http://theteleconference-service.com/ formore information.