Bob Leader of SAP Software is convinced that effective collaboration requires face to face interaction. “He states that being able to see facial expressions, body language makes a real difference”. (Leader, 1997). In an Op-ed column in the January 15, 1996 New York Times, writer Rose Moss made a point that physical settings are important to productivity and happiness as with face to face on video.
In an Andersen Worldwide Study at the Anderson Worldwide Professional Development Center in St. Charles, Illinois. Half of the participants used Intel Pro Share with video,and the other half used Pro Share without video. The participants were unaware that there were groups. The study revealed that 75% of those in the video group and 65% of those in the non video group said they would prefer video. Only 33% of the video group reported that the ability to see the other person enhanced communication.
Conclusion
Many big time companies believe that conferencing and application sharing with audio conferencing were the number one features in Desktop Videoconferencing. Intel still decided to spring out with a Videoconferencing product when it prevailed in making the Pro Share video system. Not only that, Intel wanted to keep its users who can’t part from the traditional way of document conferencing, whiteboarding and application sharing capabilities so they produced a non-video version of Pro Share. Nevertheless, Desktop Videoconferencing with or without video allows collaborators to hold meetings desk to desk, building to building, city to city and even country to country. To top it off if you really want to get technical, Desktop Videoconferencing will even allow its users to communicate Earth to Space through its unique satellite technology. If that s not growth then what is.(Piedmo, 1995)
Until recently, most videoconferencing was done with room videoconferencing systems, which use very sophisticated and expensive equipment to provide high-quality sound and video. Now days Desktop Videoconferencing is less expensive and can be put to use on your personal computer. Desktop Videoconferencing can never take the place of face to face communications but it does come close.