Look, but don't touch

Is Face-to-Face Dying?

And am I part of the cult of murderers?  I've recently become a fan of Skype, Google Docs, and Google Chat.  Last week, a colleague got a little pissed-off at me because I suggested we Skype than meet for coffee.  "I don't even know how to Skype," she exclaimed.  At theONswitch, we just became the proud recipients of a small cool device that enables hi-def video conferences between multple people and locations and lets us zoom, pan, and meet and greet to our hearts' content. 

And yeah, I am living on Facebook and Twitter planet, and spent a good part of the Oscars on Sunday talking with my fingers with a bunch of random strangers who were cracking jokes about the fashions and the ceremony. 

On the one hand, we could argue that all of this "stuff" is diluting the power of connection.  But, in reality, it may just extend that connection to a wider community.  The whole Skype/video thing is a great alternative to the old fashioned telephone because you can actually SEE the people you're dealing with -- and include more people in the conversation.  Perhaps I'm rationalizing.  But as a woman who grew up seeing a "picture phone" at the Worlds Fair and thinking it was a space-age invention, I can honestly say that all of these "connecting machines" have made my life better, saved me time and money, and given me more flexibility.

But there's still nothing quite as wonderful as a handshake and an eye-to-eye connection in the business world (or the rest of the world for that matter), so no matter how much I love Skype, I will always love real people more.  So, I must remember to turn off the TV or monitor every now and then and (as we used to say in the old days), press the flesh.

If you get the message, "Nancy is offline," it may just mean that I've disconnected the plug and am off being a real girl again...

 

 

Comments

[Stacy]

I am a big video chatter myself. Big problem, Now I a have to have my hair done to talk on the phone.

[Kris Ruby]

I agree- I recently became a fan of video chat & now I love it! I can't believe I lived without it. Great post- lot to think about!