Activity - Working with a software development company at the other end of the country to enable contact for quick answers and to start phone conversations

 

Participants - 3 software development company team members and 1 Consultant

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=105665440414419839881.000469d2908fa958e8109

 

Technologies - Skype www.skype.com

is being used to show presence of members of the team and to allow chats to be inititated using the instant messaging/chat features of Skype

In Practice

This has most often been useful to send a check when someone is available for a phone conversation (Skype to Skype chat at no cost). It is better than ringing and the phone ringing out, I know the person is there and often even if the developer are in  a meeting they will send me a message back within  a minute to let me know they will be available later on.

It doesn't personally give me that sense of working in the same office with them and sometimes it is still pretty easy to ignore they are then when there is other pressing work to do.

I did on a couple of occassions have an ongoing chat/messaging with a few members of the team as one group which was quite effective in allowing us to clear up some issues. I also used the feature to transfer files over to them as well.