Communication entails movement of information from the sender to a recipient across distances and time. The process of communicating is said to be complete once the receiver gets the information and understands it. Today the process of communication has been simplified by the modern forms of communicating such as video teleconferencing and net meeting among others.
This has greatly been ameliorated by the growth of internet connectivity such as the fiber optic cables and wireless connectivity. This has greatly enabled organizations to enhance their communication efficiency with video teleconferencing and instant messaging being among the most commonly used forms of communicating
Video teleconferencing
Video teleconferencing also referred to as video conferencing is arrange of interactional telecommunication expertise that enables individuals in two different geographical locations to communicate simultaneously by audio and video transmission. Unlike videophone calls that only serve one individual at a time videoconferencing can serve many people at a time.
This technology was pioneered by television broadcast systems through the use of coax cables. It was later advanced to compression of video and audio streams digitally in real time. Video teleconferencing requires a video output such as video camera or webcam to capture images and an audio input like a microphone to capture audio sounds.
Audio output mostly loudspeakers are used while projectors, televisions and computer monitors are used as the video output. The communication is transmitted through a network such as LAN or Internet. There can also be simultaneous communication between three or more remote points through the use of multipoint control unit. In an organization the video teleconferencing can be used to hold meetings with people who are far away but have the video conferencing systems.
Advantages
Video teleconferencing has made the world even a smaller global village. With the help of this technology organizations have been able to drastically reduce their transport expenses to reach out new markets or hold meetings. For instance a multinational company would save a huge chunk of money by having their meetings video conference rather than paying for the transport and allowances of their representatives in the different countries and regions.
Workers productivity is also enhanced as the workforce can be monitored by frequent reporting and making decisions and consultations easier and faster. Videoconferencing being a “green” technology assists in environmental conservation. It reduces energy consumption that could have been used in travelling thus making it environmental friendly.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage is the technical difficulties encountered in the installation and maintenance of the system. Without a highly skilled expertise it would be difficult to communicate smoothly and efficiently. The interruptions may cause miscommunication which may lead to misunderstandings that may cost the organization.
It may be affected by time zones in different parts of the world where as it is night it is day in the other country. The technology would require adequate training for personnel in charge of IT which is a cost to the organization. The equipment is also expensive and require vast amount of capital to be invested in the technology.
Net meeting
Net meeting is an application developed by Microsoft Corporation to help in conferencing allowing users to interact in real time through the use of internet. It supports communication through VoIP, chat sessions, and application sharing which are in built in the internet explorer web browser.
Net meeting allows users to communicate and even share files and applications with their counterparts in the conference in a different location. It entails supports both audio and video conferencing client through the use of installed application. This communication client uses real time text based communication like the instant messaging (IM) between more than two people using personal computers. IM allows live voice or video calling and online chat.
Advantages
It is instant; you get the response immediately implying that no time is wasted since both parties are connected. Unlike other means of communicating it is free in that you do not have to pay any other fees apart from the internet connectivity charges.
This gives it an ultimate advantage over the other means of communication due to its least costs incurred. Net meeting also limits and controls the people you interact with. This feature that allows one to monitor and limit the people he or she interacts with. It acts as a security feature and keeps away stalkers and fraudsters.
Disadvantages
It can be a distracter to the people using it for example an accountant doing some calculations and chatting with a friend at the same time. This will occupy time that could be used in the office work and even lead to errors due to lack of concentration.
It is also addictive and makes one forget other important things to deal with and concentrates on the messaging. A great danger lies on the young generation who easily trust anyone they come around hence they face being taken advantage off. Viruses could open up a link that can guide an ill intended person to hack into your computer
Conclusion
In a nutshell other than the technology providing chance to converse with multiple people simultaneously and reducing an organizations transport expenses they also expose the organization to threats like hacking therefore the organization should be vigilant when using the technology. Using of firewalls and antivirus would be beneficial to the organizations’ security.