My Badge of Honor
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I have added a "Time Since Last Flight" count up timer under my picture in the right sidebar. I wear this timer as a badge of honor. Just take a glance to the right if you on my site or click here if your in a reader.
Being able to accomplish your goals by leveraging collaboration software, video conferencing, skype, etc. is an amazing new business reality. Fuel prices and economic upheaval have caused companies to dig in and find ways to reduce travel expenses. They're not just "reducing travel"...they're actually investing in ways to ensure the travel doesn't have to happen again.
Think about the "road show" seminars or sessions you do with potential clients, business partners, or employees. What if you had a means to video some of those sessions and have them produced into a multimedia message that can be distributed around the world in no time flat? If each seminar costs you $50k to put on...the thought of spending a few bucks to produce one that can be uploaded to an Interactive Learning Environment and seen globally seems well worth it.
We used to see travel cost fluctuations that affected business very cyclically. However, it's now more likely that we're living a new reality that won't be "going away in a few quarters." Airlines are headed for implosion, fuel prices are way up, business is down, and people are nervous.
The counter punch however is that bandwidth has never been cheaper. There have never been more free tools available to help business get things done across borders. There have never been more inexpensive software applications available that enable business people to achieve without breaking the bank.
Although all of my frequent flier status's are expiring since my constant travel days are over, I don't lament. Rather I celebrate the power of multimedia, video, and affordable software that have virtually eliminated travel expenses, time waste, and hassle from my business life.
With honor I say:
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