Traveling to and from meetings in other cities can take up a lot of time. I would like to take advantage of videoconferencing but scheduling a videoconference session is still somewhat difficult. One-to-one Skype video is an option but what if I want to have more than one other person in on the call?

Technology marches on and new services are now available that make it possible to have a multiway video conference from your desktop. Although little known, a service called Oovoo makes it possible to have three-way (free) and a six-way ($10/month, and these calls are in high definition) video calls.

Oovoo integrates VoIP, text chat and the ability to send files during the call. You can also leave video messages if the recipient does not answer. This would be particularly effective for working sessions where you need to collaborate with several people. For about the cost of a taxi to and from the airport for a single trip, you can have good quality video conferencing capability on your desktop all year long.

Tip: There are sure to be additional services that provide multiparty video (Ivisit and SightSpeed have similar, more expensive versions), but give this a try and save yourself some time and aggravation by traveling only when you really have to.

© 2008 Institute of Management Consultants USA