Even Dagwood Bumstead has tried video conferencing!

"App Sharing" is the most commonly used function in web conferencing. But what is it exactly?

Short for "application sharing", it's a feature where your web conference participants can see whatever is on your screen. The most common "app" that is shared is the venerable PowerPoint presentation, but don't feel limited to sharing only PPT slides. If it's on your screen, you can share it!

That's what desktop sharing is all about. By selecting the option to share your desktop, your meeting attendees can see whatever you have on your screen- a spreadsheet, a web site, or any job specific program you use. And there's no need for your participants to have the application installed on their own computers. So don't worry if you want to show a Visio diagram and no one in your web conference has Visio- no problem! Just "app share" your deskop and go. It's so powerful and useful, no wonder it's the most popular web conferencing feature today.

To learn how to app share using any web conferencing provided by PGi, click the links below:

On the minds of PGi Customers: Online meeting tips and tricks
As meeting experts, we want your meeting experiences to be better and more efficient. Recently, we asked our customers what meeting best practices they would want to share with other PGi meeting hosts. We collected a lot of great tips and wanted to share just a few of the best.

Tips for presenters:
• Connect 10 to 15 minutes early to make sure everything is working correctly.
• Turn off your cell phone and office ringer.
• Call in from a landline when you can.
• Use *96 to mute all participants to help control background noise.
• Start on time - otherwise you set a precedent for always waiting for people to join. Don't wait for late or missing attendees.
• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Stay focused; avoid distractions during the meeting.
• Start by reviewing meeting objectives and desired outcome of the meeting - and enforce it during the call.
• If you are soliciting feedback, it's better to get it and reserve criticism for later so as not to discourage others from making suggestions.
• Respecting a firm end time that can't be moved goes a long way with attendees.
• Conclude by thanking people for their time and participation.
• Ensure that after the meeting, you send a follow up email clearly stating action items, decisions made, etc.

An earlier post on flexible workplace policies reported that arrangements such as job sharing, phased retirement of older workers, and telecommuting can increase the productivity of a company’s workforce and its overall bottom line. I believe this is true when both the employer and employee are careful to set up guidelines. In my most recent post, I talked about having structure with your workspace and hours. Here are a few other things to consider:

Got Kids? They need to go … somewhere. Whether it’s daycare, school or summer camps, kids need to be away during work hours just as if you worked in an on-site office.

Turn a Blind Eye to Personal Messes: Life brings clutter, and like when I used to work in the office, I sometimes end my work day to find the breakfast dishes are still sitting out. They eventually get picked up, so I’ve learned to turn a blind eye during a busy work day.

Have the Communications Essentials: With GlobalMeet and web conferencing, I have everything I need to stay connected to my office peers.

What has helped you work most productively from home? Share your telecommuting tips with me here.

A couple days ago I was waiting in line at my bank when several masked men burst in brandishing automatic rifles and yelling to get down on the floor. That's when my instincts took over. I immediately disarmed the assailants with a flurry of karate kicks and judo chops, but not before they snuck in a punch and gave me a black eye.

Luckily we were able to stay productive by working from home using email, IM, and web conferencing tools integrated with audio.

Do you work with super savvy social networkers that love to share their lives with the world?

10. The Social Networker: The days of meeting notes are changing. Many professionals are Tweeting or Facebooking live from a meeting. Note to self: bad form to tell your social network that a meeting sucks, especially if you have befriended the meeting host!
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When you rely on common sense, you’re relying on subjectivity.

As the meeting organizer, you should assume that any content you share during your meeting will make it out into our wonderfully grand World Wide Web. If you want to place boundaries around what can and cannot be shared via social networking, you’d better be clear about it upfront. Otherwise, 
everything is game.

Take five minutes in your agenda to set Ground Rules. If there are certain things that can be broadcast but other material should be considered confidential, then create a simple legend to let your audience know what you are comfortable with them sharing.

In a recent article published on Forbes.com, Nick Morgan talks about "how to win an argument without words" by "overpowering" your subject with body language.

• "A Body Language Secret: Look Below the Belt"
  
• "Let Your Body Do the Talking"