I had lunch with a friend the other day that is really observant. He loves people watching – it’s actually quite hilarious. People have the oddest tendencies; a flick of the hair, a drawn out chin scratch, the raising of eyebrows, awkward smiles.

My guess is most people have natural facial expressions that they themselves have never seen. But with the increasing access to Video Conferencing, I’ve seen two responses:

1) People are now extremely self-conscious and constantly checking themselves out during our video conversations,

or, the more common

2) People still have no clue, but now expose their idiosyncrasies on our 52’’ display.

Recently, I saw an article highlighting an event  with a unique twist. It was an evening of wine tasting that was hosted by the owners of the winery themselves –and simultaneously attended by more than 800 people in more than 30 locations across the US.

Using video conferencing to broadcast and interact in a one-of-a-kind experience, Winestyles, a national wine retailer was the organizer of the event. Michael Mondavi, founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners, led participants through an engaging wine-tasting experience, sampling and learning about six different wines grown at his vineyards.

Sometimes the most illustrative stories happen in your own back yard.

One of our sales team members, Susan,  recently endured a crazy ordeal getting to a meeting in Philadelphia. The face-to-face meetings I often have with Susan take place with a simple touch of a button using our Sony video conferencing system. But the irony and reality of it all is that our sales team, while in the VC industry, spends a lot of time in the field and on the road explaining the benefits of video conferencing to those that don’t yet have the video conferencing technology in use at their organizations.  If nothing else, the following events that unfolded proved to the clients she met with why video conferencing is a much-needed investment.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics claims “Americans make more than 405 million long-distance business trips per year.”  I’m sure you have a travel “horror story” that could have been avoided by holding the meeting from the convenience of your office video conferencing system.  Leave a note and share your story below!

Apple’s iPhone has been a game-changer in portable devices since its original smart phone shippedin 2007. The extremely loyal fanbase swears that the new iPhone 4 is so much more than” just another phone,” and they’re right. The communication and productivity tools have come quite a long way in such a short span of time.  It’s probably why thousands camp out annually at each new release. What is yet to be determined, however, is the integration of one of the iPhone’s newest features, video conferencing, and its ability to push video conferencing into prominence as the foremost communication tool in today’s marketplace.

In the June 7^th keynote that introduced the product, Apple chief Steve Jobs provided a quick demo and went into some depth about the capabilities of what he calls “Facetime” (watch after the jump)

Everything changes, life evolves, and technology plays a huge role in our advancements. Of course, new generations will never know the difference about what life was like before x, y and z. They will just roll their eyes when you tell them stories about rotary phones and 8-tracks.

CNN recently chronicled the communication skills of 2-year-old Ella, and how her visits with the grandparents, as well as play dates with peers, have gone digital. Ella comprehends that grandma and grandpa aren’t IN the computer, but loves the regular banter and smiles that would otherwise require a 5-hour trip.

It’s enough to give you whiplash – those start-and-stop, freeze-then-unfreeze, jerky, broken, garbled, and awkward moments of video and audio that can happen during a conference.

This can be caused by many different things, but most commonly it’s due to one of three things you can easily address: disruptions in the network connection, network congestion (someone is downloading a big file or streaming a TV show on Hulu at the same time as your video call), or packet  loss (meaning the video/audio data did not make it from end to end).

World Cup fever is EVERYWHERE -- the world’s most popular sport, on the world’s biggest stage. What has been so impressive in 2010, are the vast amounts of tools available to keep the World Cup community connected both on and off the field, and particularly the use of video conferencing systems.

Games aren’t just broadcast on TV and radio anymore – I can stream live HD footage on my computer at work or even on my cell phone. And the interactions between coaches, players and fans at the Cup matches in South Africa and on location in the home countries, has greatly improved the overall experience. According to ESPN, many of these moments and highlights have been broadcast using video conferencing equipment.

A few years back, there was a TV trivia game show called “The Weakest Link” hosted by a snappy redhead from the UK. She became well-known for the signature elimination catchphrase: “You are the weakest link – Goodbye!” It was harsh, but she was something.

The object of "The Weakest Link” was for players to work co-operatively, helping earn more prize money. At the end of each round however, players would vote off the weakest link – the individual who was hurting the team’s chances of achieving its potential. Your video conferencing system should work the same way, each piece enhancing the next, but I repeatedly see the same weak link in configurations: the camera.

I have a love-hate relationship with buffets – I love the multitude of options but I hate having to choose between them.  There's the main courses, the desserts, the fresh bread choices, a seemingly never-ending salad bar with dressing names don’t even recognize. Still, by the time I get back to the table, I notice others enjoying delicious foods that I didn't even see in the buffet.

It’s the same way with video conferencing systems. It's great that the configurations out there are flexible enough to meet individual goals, budgets, physical location specs, etc. – but it always seems there are more good options.

So which features are must-have main courses and which are empty calories? Main course decisions by most buyers start with HD vs. Standard Def systems, and Multi-point vs. Point-to-Point units.  The side dishes are numerous, but a couple I like the most are:

Recording: Some systems allow you to record a video call locally right onto a memory stick, which can playback later on a computer, allowing users to dissect  that "aha moment" from the meeting, archive the training for future attendees, or just to replay your bosses nervous tic over and over again

If you’re like me, you enjoy people-watching at the airport, especially in line for the security check point. Taking sweaters off, putting sweaters on -- digging for loose change or forfeiting a toothpaste tube that's dangerously large buried at the bottoms of their carry-ons. I never know the travelers in line, but it's amazing how much you can absorb just by the looks on their faces.

That guy who has gone back and forth through the metal detector four times but is still smiling. Or the lady to his left who seems to have a fear of flying. She's anxious, sweating, and probably hoping the TSA agent finds some excuse to keep her on the ground.