[LINK] travel slashed at Cisco

[Roger Clarke]

At 9:34 +1100 6/2/09, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>Cisco ... sells video conferencing
>systems and is saving money by using that technology rather than
>planes, trains and automobiles. "Smart companies will follow the
>Cisco model" was the obvious message.
>http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/travel-goes-the-way-of-the-dodo-at-cisco/

Ah, 'video-conferencing to change the world', take 227 ...

At the risk of repetition, I first took part in a video-conference in 
1972 (for the Board of the Australian Institute of Systems Analysts, 
using Australia Post's facilities in the GPOs in Sydney and 
Melbourne).  It worked fine.  'Video-conferencing will change the 
world', take 1.

I was scheduled to do one in a Uni context in the late 1980s, using 
Telstra facilities.  But the two ends (in Canberra and Perth) were 
running different versions of the software, and they missed the 
window.

I used it a couple of times in corporate settings in the 90's and 
00's.  It was pretty awful.  A great deal of time and attention-span 
was wasted on technology.  And to the extent that it 'worked', it 
delivered zero value.  A set of images of the participants projected 
from a PowerPoint slide would have been of more value.  Flickering 
video distracts the mind, yet provides almost zero 
information-content.  (The 'you'll be able to read body-signals 
better' promise has never delivered).

In the early 2000s, I used AARNet facilities (during a working group 
meeting on ENUM).  Much better quality of course.  And 30 seconds of 
live video for personal intros at the beginning of the meeting would 
have been a (marginal) improvement on still-image slides.  But the 
remainder of the video-feed was superfluous.  (Several score meetings 
of Boards and management committees have taught me that the critical 
success factors are the agenda and skilled and strong chairmanship, 
supported by quality audio-feeds).

I don't dispute for a moment the value of shared whiteboards and 
multi-point visualisation apps.  It's claims that there's business 
value in video of talking heads that makes me laugh.

But corporates and government agencies are locked into a belief that 
meetings are important.  And they have never yet grasped the point 
that standing committees are better than sitting ones - because 
participants have a built-in motive to get on with the business.


-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW