Web Conferencing ? the Virtual Global Office Enabler

Online collaboration has begun to evolve from just being the Wow factor to something core that every business has to invest and have a plan for. Internet has changed the way we work and live, it has made virtual offices and work from homes possible. Web conferencing is one big tool that increases the productivity of the employees and the company as such. There are multiple products in this web collaboration segment out there from companies starting with Cisco, Microsoft to PresentPlus.com. These online conferencing products enable live meetings to happen in a virtual conference room. This is a Sci-Fi dream just a few decades ago, now it is a reality in high resolution video beamed across continents. The advent of high speed Internet and fantastic QoS (Quality of Service) implementations in the backbone networks has enabled these highly productive multimedia conferences. Typical conferences has always included a dull one way non-interactive lecture style over the phone meetings, remember Charlie's Angels. Now it has evolved into something highly feature rich and highly productive.

Web conferences "NOW" enable online sharing of your presentation material and additional documentation that is needed for the meeting. Additionally it provides the collaboration aspects like shared white boards and live synchronized presentations. The other main core components are the audio, video and text collaboration. The traditional PBX audio has been replaced with the reach VOIP audio features and video has evolved from dull one ways to active speaker- grid solutions. Video has evolved so well that now you can have custom views for each person in the conference, each person can choose the endpoints or cameras they want to watch in addition to the capabilities like automatically getting the video from the active speaker in the conference. One of the much used features is the integrated text chats with emoticons. What a fantastic feature this is, along with the public chat modules the users get to have their own private chats. While you are in the online meeting you can chat with your co-worker on specific questions and get something cleared without interrupting the overall meeting. This is one thing that is uniquely possible in online conferences which is really an annoyance in real face to face meetings. How many times have you really wanted the mute button for the private conversation between 2 guys in a group meeting in parallel to the main speaker? This text capability has found really some interesting and useful twists like real time polling and online question submissions. Think about it, you can keep sending the questions you want to be answered in the final Q/A as and when it strikes you. These are typically added to a queue which can feed as the source for the Q/A session that typically follows the preso or meeting. This is very useful in lecture style meetings. Enough said about the features and let's take a quick look at the business side of things.

Web conferencing products allow the businesses to setup virtual global office ready to meet with business prospects and clients at any time anywhere. When I say anywhere I mean contact any one through these online collaboration products having a rich experience like the face to face meeting without the costly Flight and Hotel expenses. These also present a great opportunity to telecommute without distancing yourself from your colleagues. More so often it happens that folks who telecommute are forgotten by most colleagues, these video and other real time capabilities gets these telecommuters closer to the rest of the team. One of the killer uses is webcasting which is organizing live events and broadcasting these events to employees and customers who are not able to attend the event. This is added with the capability to record these meetings with unlimited playbacks. Without much investment in terms of capital equipment you can get them as online services on a need basis from some of the good companies. One such company with many web conferencing offerings is presented to you below.

Author suggests PresentPlus.com as one of the key enablers for your company to get web conferencing products and web conferencing services. This web conferencing superstore sports many great offerings like the ultimate visual teleconference which you need to take a look to see how these would make your company more productive. Author does freelancing for many great companies and can be reached at "indyan @ gmail .com" for all your content needs.

Jesus Birthday: Sacred Children Series - 2 of 3

I had visions of my daughter for about five years before she finally showed up. She turned out exactly like the little girl in my dreams who had haunted me all that time. I was so very glad to see that she was alive and real. I always thought she must somehow be more magical and special then other normal kids.

Her older brother had told her about reincarnation when she was only two years old. She would later yell at me during her tantrums, "Next time I'm born, I'm not gonna be your daughter!!!" I'd always laugh at her and say, "Oh yes you will! You have to be my daughter forever and ever!" She'd storm off to her room until she was done being angry about whatever it is that little girls get angry about.

She always acted like an old woman who was wiser than my son and I were. We had just sort of gotten used to the baby in the family behaving as the old one. When she was three she asked me one day, "Do you know why I was late?"

As I continued messing with my makeup and fixing my hair in the bathroom mirror I asked her, "Late for what?"

"For being born."

She had been due on Christmas Eve and instead had decided to show up on New Year's Eve. "Why were you late?"

"Well," She replied quite matter of factly. "It was Jesus' birthday and I didn't want to leave early."

I was a bit taken aback, "Who told you about Jesus?" I'm not a traditional Christian and hadn't told my children anything about the traditional organized religions yet. We didn't have any family or friends around who would have told her of such things. How in the world did she know about Jesus?

"Jesus is my friend. He lives in heaven with Michael and Cracker."

"Who's Michael and Cracker?"

She looked at me like I was silly for not knowing as she said, "Michael's my friend. He's going to help me find my new dad. Cracker is a clown and goes like this." With that she started rolling around and doing somersaults and trying to do cartwheels. Then she stopped and looked up at me and said, "They're still up in heaven playing with Jesus. When I get done with this life, I'm going back up there to play and I'm not coming down again."

"Why? Don't you like it here?"

With a rather bored look on her face she said, "Yeah, but I've already learned all my lessons and I only came because you wanted me to."

"Are you upset that I pulled you away from your friends?"

"No, I love you, so I came back. But I'm just not coming back again after I'm all done helping you this time." With that, we pretty much established that she was indeed the old soul caretaker of the family. We kind of already knew that.

Over the next couple of years, she would prove over and over that Michael was helping her to find her new dad. I was a single parent longing for my soulmate to come find me. In reference to my love life, she knew things she had no business knowing. She was told about things before they happened. Michael was always telling her secrets about the men I was dating. Michael was always right. She seemed a bit bored by the whole thing.

She made me believe that Jesus must have been real. I had never really been quite sure until my three year old talked of him without ever having been taught of him. She seemed so self-assured and at peace with the concept. She never spoke of God, just of her buddies and how they all loved to play together. She missed them dearly and yet she was never really alone. I would find her playing with Cracker and Michael in her room all of the time. It was all very different from her brother who had an imaginary playmate for a short time. She didn't have to sit and think about it. She didn't giggle as she "played" at having conversations with them. She was at peace with the fact that they were as real as her brother and me. Michael was her favorite and he was the one who told her precognitive things on a frequent basis.

I wasn't surprised that a child of mine would have a "friend" named Michael who told her things about the future. He was a member of our family until the ladies at the preschool told her that Michael wasn't real and she believed them. Once they convinced her that he wasn't real, she quit "seeing" him. At this point in time, she's not yet convinced herself that he's real and therefore still doesn't "see" or "hear" him anymore. A side effect they probably didn't consider when telling her that Michael was only make believe, is that she no longer "hears" or "sees" or "remembers" Jesus anymore either. By taking her best friend in the spiritual world away from her, they also took Jesus away from her. It broke my heart to see her turn away from Michael.

Now that she's older, she's a little bitter about it all. She wants to reconnect with Michael, Cracker, and Jesus, but she just doesn't believe in it all anymore. I tell her that someday, when she's ready, they'll come back to her. They're still here. She hopes I'm right. She's always seemed a bit unsure of herself since losing that deep and amazing spiritual connection with them. She is still a caretaker by nature, but her soul doesn't seem quite so old and wise anymore. She may not remember, but I hold the memories for her. The one thing I've learned about guardian angels is that they always look over us whether we believe in them or not.

Copyright 2003, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas began writing books and articles with an everyday practical approach to life in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, and parenting. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. Go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net to read more of her articles and to get a free preview of one of her books.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

Who Takes Your Money

Your business is making profits, but where is the cash? It seems that someone has taken away your money. Your bank account is still the same, and your personal wealth is still the same. There must be someone that took your money. Based on my over 18 years of professional experience and study, there are 8 persons that take away your money without your knowing...

The First Person is YOU

Yes, if you do not have accountability, you have taken away your own money! According to NLP experts, 95% of the people in this world live their live below the line. They blame others for their own problems, come up with excuses and worst of all, deny what they are doing is their fault. Sounds too common? Many people blame the government, blame the economy, and blame the VAT or GST (tax) increase etc for their business woes. The remaining 5% of the people (successful people) live their live above the line. They take ownership of their situation, take responsibility for their actions, and be accountable to themselves.

The Second Person is Your Lack of Planning

Yes, if you have no planning, or you are simply reacting to everyday challenges, you're simply taking away your own money! To take back your money, respond, don't react. You can choose to over-respond if you like. Like faced with a new competitor, you can simply react by cutting your price, or you can over-respond by always maintaining a USP so that there is no real competitor.

The Third Person is Your Customers

We all know that customers that don't pay are simply taking money from your pocket and putting it into their own bank account. The best is to have no credit policy, and even collect cash in advance.

The Fourth Person is Your Suppliers Suppliers often take away your money by giving you lousy service, noncompetitive products and worst of all, sell you extra stocks! So have a JIT (just-in-time) system for purchasing and inventory, and you'll take the money back from your suppliers.

The Fifth Person is your Staff

If you only have staff and not team, you're working for your staff for free! Staffs are simply reactive people on your payroll that you need to continuously ensure that they do their work, especially when you're not around. Team are those that work as though they're working for their own company. You need to build winning teams or you'd end up with losing money.

The Sixth Person is your Marketing

If you are like most people who believe that marketing will generate you name recognition, and once you have name recognition, customers will come to you, you're throwing away money for good. Marketing must be Profitable Marketing, i.e. it generates you profit every time you do it.

The Seventh Person is your Accounts (or your lack of understanding of accounts).

Many people don't know how to read Balance Sheet, and can't figure out what is a cash flow Statement. Lack of understanding of accounting can pull you down as you could be doing things that wrong and not know it.

The Eight Person is your Selling

If you are like most people still relying on providing answers in your selling, you're missing a lot. The only way to sell is to ask questions.

Gordon Goh is author of the free, informative website Simply Motivation offering quality useful tips for Motivation

So Whats Wrong With Strategic?

Some folks see the word "strategic" as a needlessly tiresome and complicated notion. But anything that shows you how to get from here to there IS strategic, and something we all need.

Even the dictionary calls a strategy "of great importance to a planned effort."

For example, look at public relations where just about everything is based on getting from here to there. That is, from a dangerous lack of concern with external audiences to a sensible plan for doing something about what those key audiences think about you.

To make the point, here's a quick two-sentence thumbnail that promises just such an outcome.

"People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired- action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished."

While it's obvious that survival is the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, you don't get those external audiences on your side without a little work

Better prioritize those outside interest groups of yours into some kind of importance ranking. Then, let's take the external audience you rank clearly as #1 and do a little work on it right now.

How much do you know about this group of people? Are you aware of what the prevailing view of you and your enterprize is among group members? Do you know of any negative perceptions?

No? That's why you must get busy and interact with members of that key target audience of yours. Ask questions: "What do you think about our business, products or services? Why?" And stay alert to any signs of negativity, any inaccurate perceptions, misconceptions or rumors.

The reactions to such probing questions help you to set down a public relations goal designed to correct misperceptions and inaccuracies.

So, while this gives you your public relations goal, HOW will you reach it? That's right, you need a strategy to help you get from here to there. You're in luck because there are just three strategic options for dealing with opinion available to you. Create opinion (perceptions) where none may exist; change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

Select the one that logically flows from the goal you established.

Now, you're ready to write the persuasive and compelling message you'll be counting on to change perceptions and move your target audience behaviors in your direction.

It's not an easy writing job. The message must be not only persuasive and compelling but very clear, direct and brief in its presentation. The facts and figures supporting WHY target audience members should alter their perception of your organization must be accurate and believable. It's best to try out the message on a few audience members first, then adjust if needed and commence public distribution.

Now, to mix metaphors, who will be your "beasts of burden," or "foot soldiers?" In other words, which communications tactics will you use to carry that carefully constructed message to the eyes and ears of key target audience members?

There are a lot of tactics available to you. Everything from letters and emails, personal contacts, face-to-face meetings and special events to brochures, press releases, speeches, broadcast interviews and a ton of others.

At this point, you will still not know if you're making progress towards your public relations goal.

Which is why you must return to the field and once again talk to those members of your key target audience. Ask questions very similar to those you used during your earlier information gathering.

The big difference the second time around will be that you are watching closely for signs of changed perceptions, hopefully in your direction. Have misconceptions cleared up? Does it appear that inaccuracies have been corrected? Do you see signs that the dangerous rumor has been defeated?

Not enough progress? Review the mix and frequency of your communications tactics. And take a hard look at that all- important message. Measure it as to how well your facts and figures equip it to change minds and perceptions. Make adjustments and recommence firing!

What you've just completed is a first-class, "strategic" plan for managing the perceptions and behaviors of your key external audiences. A plan that will have a large say in your personal success and, possibly, the survival of your organization.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2003

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Co-sleeping, a personal story

When I was pregnant, we knew that we had some fairly fixed ideas about how we wanted to raise our child, including allowing her to share our bed for as long as she wanted to.

We have been shocked and sometimes upset at other people's reaction to what seemed to be a very instinctive decision, to sleep with our daughter. I am often made to justify this decision and made to feel as if we are "bad" parents just because we hadn't trained her to sleep in a cot in her own room by 8 weeks old.

As it happens, we didn't even really talk about it, it just seemed the right and natural thing to do and offered some major advantages. Our daughter loved the constant contact and it made it so much easier to breastfeed during the night. By simply rolling over and letting her feed before either of us were fully awake, we were both able to drift back to sleep much quicker than if I had had to get up to feed, so everyone got extra sleep.

Many studies have shown that co-sleeping helps to establish breastfeeding and leads to a more settled and happy baby. Others claim that these benefits can last for years and that children who slept with their parents do better at school, have higher self-esteem, fewer health issues and is more likely to be well adjusted than their peers.

We know this goes against many bestselling books on parenting, such as Gina Ford and Richard Ferber but we are convinced that this was the right decision for us and for our daughter. Personally, I believe that night time should be about nurturing and closeness, not about training for the realities of later life.

Yes, there can be some downsides to co-sleeping, but most can be overcome with a few adjustments, such as buying a bigger bed. There have been many reported studies into the dangers of co-sleeping, the most recent published early this year in the Lancet. La Leche League, amongst others, claim that they are flawed as they do not distinguish between safe (following current guidelines re temperature, soft bedding etc) and unsafe (eg on a sofa or with parents who smoke or drink alcohol) co-sleeping.

Our daughter is very independent already (at 13 months) and I am convinced that this is due to all the extra nurturing and contact that she receives during the nights. At some stage, she will decide that she wants her own bed and she will be welcome to it. But in the meantime all three of us love the extra time we get together and there is nothing more wonderful than being woken by a kiss from your baby and seeing just how happy they are to be so close to you. I know that in this way we have created many special moments that we all treasure.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What ever you personally decide, do make sure you follow the latest advice re safe sleeping for your baby. Much of it is commonsense, but the following guidelines should help:

? Always put your baby to sleep on their back.

? Use a firm mattress and never co-sleep on a waterbed or on a sofa.

? Do not use a pillow for your baby and always make sure that your baby's head is clear of your pillows and bedding. This will reduce the risk of smothering and overheating.

? Do not sleep with your baby if you smoke, have drunk alcohol or have taken any drugs which make you drowsy.

? Do not give your baby a pillow, and ensure that his head is not covered by the duvet or the sheets. Either of these could smother him.

? Use bedding that tightly fits the mattress and make sure there are no gaps between the bed and the headboard where they could become trapped.

If you are unsure or need further advice, always speak to your GP or Health Visitor.

Arabella Greatorex is the owner of http://www.naturalnursery.co.uk, an online store selling organic and fairly traded products of families.

Cell Phone Reviews ? Why Do Them?

Well let's be honest some people just don't bother doing cell phone reviews, and why should they? Well let's keep things simple, would you just walk into a car showroom and drive away within 5 minutes, not many would unless you have done your homework first. Cell phones can be complex, you need to know what you what before you jump and buy, and then there are the cell phone carriers, who to choose from. A little research goes along way. The cell phones today are far different than when first introduced onto the market. We now have GPS phones, camera phone, PDA phones and phones with Bluetooth technologies. Bluetooth, when it first came out I thought it was a fashion icon to dye your teeth. You have to be aware of what you are buying in order to maximise the usage.

What are you using the phone for?

Simple question like what is the phone for, need to be answered. Do you need the cell phone for business, general call or fun (camera phones). What cell phone manufacturer do you prefer, or do you even know of any? Well here are a few to keep your mind open: Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, Motorola, NEC, Oki, Sony Ericsson, Philips, JRC and Mitsubishi to name but a few. Well let's put things into perfective, all the major cell phone manufacturers claim to better than the other, word off month from friends and family will give you an honest opinion or maybe you have used a previous cell phone from one of these manufacturers. Everybody has a key use for the cellular phone, do you need to take photos? If so the camera phone is really the only option, if you need quality photos you need to check if the camera phone has a zoom in and out option and what the pixel rate is. Do you want a flip screen cell phone or standard display?

Business users may benefit more from the PDA phones. PDA are ideal as they are compared to as a mini PC. The specifications can be looked as that to a computer and it is the ideal phone for working from home or hotel rooms if you travel. The GPS phones are great for the more sporty among us such as climbers or adventurers. Global positioning satellite will allow you be traced if lost or in difficulty, great for those travelling to remote regions.

By researching a little you get a whole new perspective on cell phones and manufacturers. The market leaders in cell phone manufacturing are the ones who bring out the newest technology, keep your eyes on the web to see bulletins and news flashes in the communication business world. Cell phones have come down in price with the increased competition and the ever growing demand by the general public but they still need careful consideration.

Cost Saving:

If you are reluctant to get another monthly bill into the household you can opt for the prepaid cell phones. Prepaid cellular phones are very popular and a great way to manage your finances. There is no monthly bill, it's simply pay as you go. You get credit for your phone from your local store or simply call a number given to you by the cell phone carrier and top up with a credit card. Remember prepaid cell phones are more expensive per minute to operate than a bill phone.

Trade in your old phone

Most people are aware but some are not, if you already have a bill phone and are looking to get a new one ask in your store about a trade in or upgrade, most cell phones carriers offer upgrades as an incentive to stay connected to their network. Do not simply go and pick one of the shelf and pay for it without mentioning the possibility of an upgrade.

Cell phone accessories to go with the phone:

Many of us like to spice things up a little with our phones by changing the cell phone face plate and so on. Not all cell phones allow this to happen so check before you buy or you could be in for a disappointment.

Phones that work internationally:

Do not take it for granted that the phone you buy works internationally if you want to travel. Most cell phone manufacturers have models available to do so but you need to ask about their range of tri band or quad band cell phones.

About the Author
Declan Tobin is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of Prepaid Phone Plans which includes Cell prepaid plans, Carriers, and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information for all of your phone interests and needs.

UK Student Loans Explained

Student loans seem to be the only feasible way out to pursue higher studies for the average student in UK. Things become all the more difficult for those without university funding. The government, in its efforts to make further education affordable, had undertaken quite a few steps to buffer educational finance. A significant step towards this end was the formalising of the Student Loans scheme.

The Student Loans scheme was meant to help students with their costs of living during their period of study. With the credit market in UK specialising and booming with respect to the various economic spheres, student loans from private players are gradually becoming easier to get. Numerous lending agencies are eager to offer you a student loan after taking care of every odd problem a borrower may have.

The student loan or support schemes available in UK for various types of education & training within Britain are numerous. The specifications for student loans differ on the basis of the type of the course for which funding is needed, that is, full, part-time, or distance courses at UK universities and also the nationality, region, merit, and financial capacity of the student.

The student loan specifications and categorisation also change according to the study level

Students planning to go to further education

Currently in further education

Left further education

Gap Year

Students with children

Disabled students

Postgraduate and mature students

NHS funded students

Students in Scotland, N. Ireland & EU students.

You can get a student loan even if you are aged between 50 to 54 years. However, in this case you will have to confirm that you plan to work after the completion of your course. Usually the student loans are designed to take care of the costs of living, which includes costs made on accommodation, food, clothes, and travel. Just 25% of the loan is evaluated on the basis of your income.

For detailed information about the amount of the student loan and the legal procedure, get in touch with the local student loan award authority. This authority will manage the initial part of your student loan application. You will be tested with respect to your means and eligibility to justify your qualification for the student loan. You can also submit your application online with a reliable lending firm.

Against the loan, you are to pay a monthly interest that is based on the rate of inflation calculated daily from the start date of your student loan. You start repaying after finishing the course and after you reach the income level of over ?10,000 a year.

However easy the procedure of getting a loan is, remember that you have to repay them. It is better to plan for the repayments while you are applying for the student loans. This increases your credit rating as well as relieves you of severe financial tension in future.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the loan information sites Select Loans and also UK Personal Loan Store.