I love it when technology works. When my mum, in her 60’s, can share her epic drive through Africa with over 200 people; and just chat to her grandkids every day as if she’s in the room.
From a young age I’ve been entranced by technology that works. Technology that enables. Technology that brings people together across time and space. In fact of all of the technologies I’ve studied, supported, designed, and implemented, it’s those that connect people that have enthralled me.
I’m old enough to remember our first TV, our first colour TV, and remember being gobsmacked by our first (top-loader) VCR. Imagine being able to pause Magnum P.I.
Touch-tone, then mobile telephones. Hand-held scanners. Modems. Ethernet. ISDN. Video Conferencing. Digital cameras. Messaging systems. PDA’s. The Internet. ICQ. Instant Messaging. Wi-Fi. ADSL. Smartphones. Webcams. VOIP. Social Media. I feel like I was born into exactly the right age, as I’ve worked with all of these (and their underlying) technologies. And loved every problem-solving, solution designing, people enabling second!
When sales people can submit an order whilst having coffee with their client. When a family can share a birthday dinner in real-time across oceans. That’s when I appreciate the true power of technology.
It’s also why I get frustrated when it doesn’t work.
I’ve been using Office Communicator, and Live Meeting for about 4 years now. Much of that, whilst working for Microsoft.
Office Communicator? Rock solid. I use this tool daily to have full-screen, Hi-Def video conferences with my work colleagues. Need to collaborate on a document, no problem, just share my second monitor. It really does enable us to work without the need for corporate offices. It just works. In working, it changes the way we can work!
Office Live Meeting on the other hand. Where do I start? Suffice to say, std operating procedure in organisations is to get to a meeting 15 mins early to set up Live Meeting. Even so, I have yet to see a Live Meeting start on time, with everyone connected. More often than not, half the participants are struggling to connect, or to get the video working, or the audio, or their presentation. Nightmare. Frustrating.
When it does work, invariably on a high-speed network, it’s great. Multi-party video, audio, screen sharing. But not once have I had a seamless experience, no matter the technical experience of the attendees. I mean, I can get it to work, but that’s pointless if people on the other end of the line cannot!! Even if it’s just one person. Especially if they’re not technical.
Skype on the other hand? Well, my mum uses that. And my daughters. No setup time, just click the green button. Need to add my brother from NYC into the conversation? No problem.
Oh – and it’s free. And it allows you to call people overseas on their phones for next to nothing. For people to call you, when you’re travelling, for the cost of a local call. In fact to give yourself a foreign phone number allowing people to call your mobile from the other end of the world, without even the need for a computer. It just works.
I love it when technology works. It’s why all of the collaborating I do for usergroups, and with my family, uses Skype. I have pushed the Live Meeting barrow for too long. But it just. Doesn’t. Work.
What technology do you have to use that frustrates you?