Meeting the future.

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QA have three employees who work remotely from a couple of locations. I would like to meet with them, maybe do training sessions. I know I can do virtual meetings, but doesn't that cost a lot? I've tried an online chat session, but that was not successful.

--Anonymous

Via the Internet

Well, you've probably read about standard VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions such as WebEx and Skype in Techwatch. WebEx (www.webex.com), for example, offers a variety of meeting and collaboration options beginning with a pay-per-use plan of $0.33 cents per minute per participant. Skype for Business (www.skype.com/business) lets you make voice and video calls and share and transfer files. Microsoft's Windows Meeting Space and Live Meeting www.microsoft.com/windows/ products/windowsvista) are also good meeting options.

But if you're looking toward the future, I recommend doing some exploring.

Based in Montpellier, France, Tixeo (www.tixeo.com), offers meeting3D, which lets users meet and share desktops and whiteboard space, and Workspace3D, which accommodates an unlimited number of users and meeting organizers. There's also Palo Alto, California-based Qwaq (www.qwaq.com), which lets you and your collaborators set up a virtual meeting space in which you can share files and work within applications together.

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