Jill Sciulli (@jillsciulli)

Reasons to Work from Anywhere: Got to Get the Kids to Summer Camp!

EDITORIAL NOTE: Coming to an office is important, but sometimes telecommuting gives you that extra ‘quietness’ to be productive or the flexibility to meet deadlines without wasting time sitting in traffic. Here are some reasons why the PGi Blog Team thinks the ability to work from anywhere is crucial in today’s world!

Summer….it’s a time to relax, enjoy the pleasant weather, sit on the deck with a cold one and listen to nature. Well, maybe on TV or in the movies. For me, summer is a time of constant motion as I shuttle my children from one location to another. As it turns out, summer is more stressful for working parents with young school-aged children than the rest of year. Trying to find suitable activities and child care for the summer break can be a job unto itself. My husband and I usually opt for a combination of camp and grandparents to get us through the summer months.

With the kids at summer camp, not only are there ubiquitous forms to complete, large checks to sign and endless supplies to buy, but there are the hours spent in the car as I drive each person to the place they need to be that day. Luckily, I can rely on my laptop, phone and tools like audio and web conferencing to stay connected to the office, even while I’m in traffic or the carpool line at camp. The ability to work from anywhere eases the stress of summertime because I can do my job and still be a good mom. And perhaps as summer winds down and school resumes again, I’ll have an opportunity to work from home, and finally get the chance to enjoy that deck, even if it’s with my laptop and phone, instead of a cold one.

 

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down: Video Play Dates

According to a recent CNN article, play dates for young children via webcam is a new trend.

THUMBS DOWN!! Kids need to play with other kids in person to develop critical social skills, and to just have fun. Aren’t are kids already spending too much in front of TVs and computers?

Just say no to video playdates.

This is so much better than a video playdate! 

 

Reasons to Work from Anywhere: Because the World Cup is on and it is only once every 4 years

EDITORIAL NOTE: Coming to an office is important, but sometimes telecommuting gives you that extra ‘quietness’ to be productive or the flexibility to meet deadlines without wasting time sitting in traffic. Here are some reasons why the PGi Blog Team thinks the ability to work from anywhere is crucial in today’s world!

Last time I checked, I was a card carrying member of the world. So maybe my 6 year old stepson made me my WMC (world membership card), I think I can validly say I am a part of this world. Therefore, I take it as my civic duty to be fully versed on the biggest sporting event our world participates in: The World Cup. It doesn’t hurt that I played soccer my whole life, am a pretty avid soccer fan and have a true passion for the sport. But yeah, I get pretty excited about the WC tournament. I mean it is only every 4 years!!

World Cup season is the only time I can actually have water cooler conversations with my American coworkers about soccer. I can go on and on about my favorite players and not just get blank stares or disinterested looks. I admit, the US and its sports fans still have a long way to go before it fully understands or participates in the World Cup, but every World Cup that passes my optimism grows along with my network of soccer fans. I can only dream that one day, the American masses will “get” what the rest of the world does when it comes to this sport. But today, my office stays open during the games so I will have to watch anyway I can. I know I can’t each day watch all three of the daily games, but since my place of employee is progressive enough to promote green working and support a positive work life balance, I have the flexibility to work from home when the big games are on. At least for the next two weeks, I will cling to my mute button so as not to disrupt my virtual meetings with any unexpected expletives: “Goooooooaaaaaalllll”!

 

Reasons to Work from Anywhere: Waiting for the FedEx Guy

EDITORIAL NOTE: Coming to an office is important, but sometimes telecommuting gives you that extra ‘quietness’ to be productive or the flexibility to meet deadlines without wasting time sitting in traffic. Here are some reasons why the PGi Blog Team thinks the ability to work from anywhere is crucial in today’s world!

“Signature Required.” Sure, it gives the sender confidence their precious package will be delivered. But also means the recipient must stay at home waiting on the FedEx, UPS, or DHL guy to hand-deliver it.



For most of us who report every day to the office, this is a huge inconvenience. Many even have to take a vacation or personal day just to sit at home and wait with only Family Feud re-runs and household chores to pass the time. And don’t even try to run that errand – delivery guys have an annoying habit to show up at the precise moment you leave the house. It’s their nature.
This frustration is compounded when the delivery guy never shows, dooming the recipient to another day or more at home with Judge Judy.
Thanks to web conferencing and virtual meetings, idle waiting for the FedEx guy can be a thing of the past. Easy to use, affordable meeting technology lets anyone stay productive when they’re stuck at home.


Time is money, and web meetings simply give you back your time. It’s all part of the new work-life balance. Try it next time your stuck at home waiting on the FedEx guy.

 

Upcoming PGi and BNet WebCast on June 23rd at 12pm EST

Join us for an upcoming web seminar, Making the Return on Collaboration Real: Hassle Free Online Conferencing, PGi is hosting in conjunction with BNet.com on June 23rd at 12pm EST. Attend this webcast, hosted by Peter Stewart, PGi’s VP of Product Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, to learn more about the ‘Return on Collaboration’ and the benefits companies realize from efficiently and effectively using conferencing technology to collaborate.Click here for more information and to register for the web seminar.

 
Jill Sciulli (@jillsciulli)

Favorite Things: Meeting Agenda Templates

We all know that one of the best ways to manage a meeting is to provide an agenda. (For more information on the importance of meeting planning, see Alicia Facklam’s Anatomy of a Successful Meeting – Part 1: Planning post.)

Did you know there are templates available to help you create an agenda for your meeting? I didn’t. Well, at least not until today, when I stumbled across these templates on the Microsoft Office web site. There are templates for different types of meetings and in various formats (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word). They are easy to use…just download a template, fill it in and send it to your meeting guests. So no more excuses! Get your template and make your meetings more efficient today.

 

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down: Dating Via Webcam

Online dating is nothing new. In fact, many online dating sites have not changed significantly in quite some time, adding only a few minor feature upgrades in the past few years. They haven’t needed to; the online dating industry is now worth $4B worldwide. According to Match.com, 1 in 5 singles have dated someone they met via an online dating site.

A new dating site, videofirstdate.com, is looking to change things up. While it’s likely that many daters connect via Skype or iChat after meeting via a site like Match or eHarmony, this site integrates webcams into the online dating experience.

I give this a thumbs down. As a single person with many friends going through the online dating experience, I think it’s best to meet in person as soon as possible. While it’s prudent to get to know someone a little bit via emails and a phone conversation first, the longer you wait to meet in person, the bigger the expectations can get and the potential for disappointment grows exponentially. I have more friends than I can count – men and women- who were convinced their online dating match was “the one” until they met in person. Video conferencing is simply not a good substitute for getting to know someone in person in the dating world.