Keeping in touch

My first introduction to Voice over IP was in the summer of 2000 when my husband went to Peru for 4 months to do field work. Calling internationally was expensive so he decided to try this technology in the internet cafes that allowed him to make phone calls over the computer. You can imagine my surprise back in the states when I answered the phone and heard his voice. (Frankly, I freaked out a little because the only reason I expected him to call was if something was wrong.) The quality wasn’t fabulous but really not much worse than a bad cell call, and we could have a conversation without breaking the bank. (which was important considering my tiny librarian salary and his non-existent grad stipend). VoIP has come a long way since then. I use Skype on a regular basis to talk to colleagues who also have Skype accounts. This week being in Bratislava, I got to try out Skype’s capabilities of calling traditional phones. It worked like a charm and it was so nice to be able to keep in touch. If it wasn’t for the 7 hour time difference I’d consider calling and checking in every day.

Its amazing how technology can bring people closer together so that they can communicate and collaborate. I’d never have imagined myself collaborating on writing a book with someone in a different city much less state or time zone. Yet, I’ve written one book this way and am midway through writing a second using the same technologies: GoogleDocs, Box.net, chat and phone calls. Ironically, I could have used some of the same tech to do my ELAG presentation remotely. The version of iChat in Leopard has this nice feature that allows you to share your screen with other users. So I could have “chatted” my presentation if the conference folks had the right tech on their end (iChat, projector as well as audio hook-up). It isn’t the same as being here, but in a pinch…

My success in this area is one reason why I get angry when people say virtual participation won’t work. The truth is that it DOES work, but the nature of the conversation and how it takes place changes. As do the technical constraints, good internet is a MUST. This isn’t to say that we are at a place where virtual participation is perfect. Far from it. But we are at a place where we should be actively exploring it from all angles. Whether that’s live video streaming, chat, video chat, IRC, VoIP, etc.

It takes some playing as Michael Sauers, Cindi Trainor, and Michael Porter found out at CIL this spring when Michael Porter couldn’t get from Seattle to Washington in time to teach their preconference.

Was it perfect? No. Was it easy? No. Was it better than having Michael Porter not participate at all? Based on what I gleaned from talking to the presenters and attendees, I’d say yes.

Any of these things take time, practice, and patience. I hope that ALA and its membership will keep this in mind as they try to move forward in this area.