Four-Dollar Gas and Video Conferencing

Four-Dollar Gas and Video Conferencing There was a time when traveling was fun and affordable. With four-dollar-plus per gallon gas that's no longer the case. Add to that the appallingly weak dollar, and it's no surprise that prices are up across the board in the travel and hotel industries, no matter what the official inflation figures say. Business must go on, of course, and fortunately there are numerous new technologies that allow us to conduct business without the cost of travel. Video conferencing is one of them, and it makes ever more sense.

I remember times earlier on in my career when the company I worked for pretty much expected employees to drive to regional offices and clients if they were less than 300 miles or so away. Even with a gas guzzler, the 600-mile roundtrip cost less than $50 in gas, and if you decided to stay over, it was another $30 or so for a decent motel. That same roundtrip would now run over $150 in gas even with better gas mileage, and lower tier chain motels now routinely charge $60 to 80 per night. Go upscale a bit and it's $150 per night, $10 for a glass of wine, and $50 for dinner. If you pick up the tab for dinner with clients, it can really add up. No wonder most companies are far more conservative in approving business travel.

Now I am definitely not saying personal contact isn't important. Shaking hands, sharing a meal, or doing a round of Golf remain great ways to build trust, establish relationships, and close deals. But it is no longer the only way to do business, and in this day and age it's become an increasingly costly way of doing business. Today, there are so many other ways to connect and stay in touch without losing time away from the office and spending a king's ransom in the process.

All in all, it's a matter of picking the right productivity tools and staying clear of traps. Cell phones are wonderful ways of staying in touch at all times, but if we become slaves to them, productivity goes down the drain (and let's not even talk of Blackberry addiction!). Email remains a terrific means of communication, but unless you manage your address(es) carefully you either spend hours sifting through junk mail or risk losing important messages in all the various spam filters that sit between you and whoever you communicate with. Instant messaging is a great way to quickly get answers or resolve issues, but not if you let conversations drag on or let yourself get interrupted by buddies with too much time on their hands.

Then there is video conferencing, a tool that combines the warmth and immediacy of personal contact with the efficiency of electronic communication. You see the person on the other end, interaction is in real time, and yet you can do it all on your own computer or in a meeting room. A well-run video conference provides virtually all the benefits of personal meetings at a small fraction of the cost. What's more, video conferencing technology is now such that you can make presentations, sales pitches, conduct seminars, or have one-on-ones with spreadsheets and multimedia while seeing and interacting with your business partners or clients in real time.

With today's transportation and lodging costs it makes less and less sense to travel needlessly. Simply schedule a video conference, save, and get on with business.


Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies.
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What You Need When Looking for the Best Energy Drink

What You Need When Looking for the Best Energy Drink Today’s hectic world, require people to be more active. With this, people tend to go for health supplements that promise to provide the vitamins that a restless body needs. But the question is, do these supplements really provide them the daily requirements of our body? Some maybe but you’ll never really know until you’ve tried one. So, what can you do to achieve a more active daily life regardless of how hectic your schedules are? Among the best options is to drink energy drinks? So, how will you know if you are drinking the best energy drink? Well, the answer really depends on you. One person might prefer only a specific type of energy drink while others go for expensive drinks, thinking that these are the best in the market. As long as the drink satisfies your needs and suits your budget, then, you’ve got just the right drink right in your hands.

The selection of energy drinks available today are countless but only of those are effective when it comes to providing the oomph you need daily. So, how would you know which energy drink is best for you? Firstly, look into its contents. What nutrients will you get from it? The more nutrients you can get the better. But wait, before you get carried away choose the one with lesser sugar content. This way you won’t get too worked up because of low stamina. Caffeine in the content is also a big no-no for this might cause nervousness or worst sleeping difficulty. And lastly, check if it fits your budget because if it doesn’t, well, you better start looking for some other option.

So, what is the ideal choice as the best energy drink? Some might actually prefer water than the rest. But you see, drinking water all day long can get very dull. What you need is a little bit of change. How about vitamin water? This healthy drink contains vitamins that are most essential to the body. It’s not as expensive compared to other energy drinks, but it is as effective when it comes to providing the energy you need every day. So, if you’re after the best energy drink, choose what’s really good and not just base your choices on the price.


Amber is a very busy woman.Even if she is so very busy she find time to teach and instruct people on how to have a good well-being because it is a part of her interest during leisure time.