Apple embracing video chat – it’s about (face) time

The announcement of the iPhone 4 with front facing camera has been long awaited by those in the video chat and video conferencing space, even before the leak a couple of months ago.  For us at TokBox, its something we have been hoping to see launched for some time. Here at TokBox, we’re huge believers in the power of face-to-face communication to create more engaged and engaging conversation between people in different places.  Our mission is to make it so easy for groups to video chat that those kinds of conversations and interactions happen everyday at home, in the office, or wherever you are. Mobile is a key part of that mission.

Until now every time a user has asked me if they can use TokBox on their cell phone, I have had to say no.  In the North American market, there just aren’t a lot of smart phones with front-facing cameras.  On top of that, carriers haven’t exactly been competing to be first in line to carry two-way video traffic.

Today’s announcement from Apple is clearly a step in the right direction.  Person-to-person video chat on the new iPhone will introduce more people to the power of face-to-face video communication and hopefully it will encourage other manufacturer to add front-facing high-resolution video cameras to their list of smartphone capabilities.

As front-facing cameras become commonplace and carriers step up to carrying two-way video traffic, we are looking forward to the possibilities of taking TokBox’s group video communication truly mobile – moving it out of the office and off the desktop.  We’re working hard on making that happen, but for the moment our engineers are under strict instructions not to leave anything lying around in a bar…

In short, we’re excited to see that Apple has finally realized what we knew all along – that face time is the future of communications. It’s personal, it’s engaging and it has huge potential.

Micky

National Small Business Week: Social Media and Small Businesses

National Small Business Week kicked off in Washington, DC this week and it looks like the next few days will be jam-packed for those attending.  Discussions range from the impact of Small Businesses on America’s economy to Innovation and Social Media, and of course they will be announcing the winner of National Small Business Person of the Year.

I for one am particularly interested to hear what they have to say about Social Media and Small Businesses.  Recently I have been talking to businesses of all sizes about how they are leveraging Social Media in more and more innovative ways.  One trend I see emerging is the use of new Social Media tools to build deeper relationships with customers, one that goes beyond 140 characters and one that drives true engagement with the brand.

I thought that in the spirit of National Small Business Week I would share some of the innovative ways in which TokBox is being used to do that with you.

Real Life Plus is a virtual world that is actively engaging with their community to build their product.  They haven’t launched yet, but they regularly get their community together on TokBox, using Broadcast Video Chat, to get feedback on features, to generate new ideas and keep their ears (and eyes) to the ground on what is happening in the gaming world.  They simply circulate the chat URL and everyone hops on!

Long-time TokBox user, Scott Jordan from Scottevest, uses TokBox video messaging a lot to send video messages to his users rather than just emails. Whether he is trying to introduce a new product or answer a customer question, it helps to put a face to the brand and makes him stand out from the crowd.   We were also interested to see self-confessed Marketing “geek” Lorraine Ball talk about using TokBox in the same way on the Marketing Tech Blog only last week.

The Marketing “geek” in me thinks that one of the most powerful ways to use TokBox to engage with customers is for customer service.  My own personal belief is that customer service is one of the most powerful tools that any marketer has.  If you receive high-quality service you not only form a positive opinion of that brand, but you’re also more likely to tell your friends about it.  Couple high-quality service with being able to offer that service face-to-face, rather than via ‘phone or email, and I think you’re on to a winner.

We have been experimenting with doing this ourselves, hosting Broadcast Video Chats on TokBox for anyone to join with their questions, comments or ideas.  We’ll be doing another one of those this Friday at 11am PST, so feel free to join us to talk about innovative ways in which you use Social Media tools, including TokBox, or simply to share your ideas with us! Just click on this link to join the call  http://www.tokbox.com/Micky/TokBox-Community-Call

I look forward to talking to you then.

Micky

A Conservation Conversation: Black Footed Ferrets on TokBox

Last Friday was Endangered Species Day and to mark the occasion, the US Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a live TokBox Broadcast Video chat between Black Footed Ferret experts and 4th graders from a dozen schools across the US.

Black Footed Ferrets were classified as endangered in 1967 and in 1985 the remaining 18 ferrets were captured in an effort to preserve the population, breed and later reintroduce them in to the wild.

Today, there are about 290 ferrets in captivity and 800-1000 in the wild.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to take this success story to children across the US and teach them the importance of conservation projects like this and chose to do it using TokBox.

With one expert “in the field”, another at the breeding facility and one in the classroom, the children were able to learn all about Black Footed Ferrets, see both the full grown ferrets and their kits as well as interact with the experts.

It was great to see Broadcast Video Chat being used for the purpose which it was designed – getting a large group of people together to interact face-to-face.  We look forward to seeing more of these in the future and being able to share stories, like that of the Black Footed Ferret with you all.

Micky
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Now you can video chat with your Facebook friends on TokBox!

I am very happy to announce that as of this afternoon you can video chat on TokBox with all of your Facebook friends. We just rolled out Facebook connect which allows all new and returning users to fill up their contact list with their buddies from Facebook.

For a returning user, the steps are really quite simple.

1. Click the big “ADD” button at the bottom of the contact list and choose “Add account.”

From their you can add “Facebook chat.”

All you need to do is login and go through a simple pop-up flow and within seconds all of your Facebook friends will populate your contact list. You can then click the video icon near their name, and before you know it you’re in a call. It’s as simple as that!

Let us know how you like the feature and if you’ve got any questions be sure to shoot us an email at help@tokbox.com

Have a great weekend,
Andrew

Go Green with TokBox

Grab your canvas shopping bag, eco-friendly coffee cup, and carpool to work because today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. It’s a day to show our appreciation for the environment and to think about how our daily activities make an impact.

In the past week we’ve all been reminded of the power of Mother Nature with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. With one fail swoop, Europe was at a standstill: no flights, canceled meetings, empty conferences, and thousands of stranded passengers. One fact that I find particularly relevant to Earth Day: the CO2 emissions from the eruption itself are significant, but dwarfed by the savings from mass groundings of flights (see daily emissions comparison below).

A bit frightening, right? The environmental impact of a volcano pales in comparison to our daily travel habits. There are times when traveling is a must, whether for business or pleasure, but there are other times it can be avoided. This Earth Day, we’d like you to think about how you can use technology to reduce your carbon footprint. We’ve got a few ideas to help inspire you:

1) Instead of spending hours driving to a meeting, plan a video conference.
2) Reduce the need to copy and print by sharing your presentation virtually
3) Consider telecommuting once a week

If you’ve got any other suggestions, we’d love for you to post them here. If you’re interested in learning more about Earth Day, visit http://www.earthday.org/.

Best,
Lauren

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

* Chart by David McCandless & Ben Bartels @ Information is Beautiful

Ash cloud disrupted your meeting? Here’s the TokBox Meeting Emergency Kit

Over the last week we have been watching the news as the volcano eruption in Iceland has caused major chaos across Europe, leading to cancelled flights, missed meetings and low turn-out at conferences.  While many may be rejoicing in extended vacations and boring meetings they no longer have to attend, we realize that many of you are going to miss crucial meetings.  That’s where our Emergency Meeting Kit comes in to play.  Basically it tells you everything you need to know to organize a video meeting or conference at the last minute.  We thought it would be helpful to publish the contents below.

TokBox Meeting Emergency Kit – A Simple Quick Start Guide to TokBox Video Meetings & Conferences

If something has got in the way of your meeting or conference, don’t worry.  You don’t need to go and find an expensive video conferencing suite, or even invest in any new equipment.  All you and your meeting or conference participants need is an internet connection, a webcam and this handy guide.

There are three different parts to the guide depending on the type of meeting you need to hold. Click on the link to be directed to the right part of the guide for your meeting:

1. Informal group meeting

2. Group meeting with an agenda

3. Larger group meeting with presenters and an audience

We hope this helps keep your meeting or conference on track and remember, if you need any help getting your meeting started, we’re here to help.  Send us an email to help@tokbox.com

Micky

TokBox Meeting Emergency Kit : For larger meetings with presenters and an audience

Below are the 6 simple steps to get your video conference started.  Remember that you can have up to 12 presenters/speakers on screen at once and an audience of up to 200 who can submit video questions or be brought on screen at any time.

1. Go to tokbox.com and sign up for a FREE account. No download is required.

2. Click on “Broadcast video chat”. Broadcast Video Chat is normally $18.99/meeting but is free while the ash cloud lingers

3. Give your meeting a name (which will then become its unique URL) and set the start date and time

4. Invite people using their email address (they don’t need to sign up to TokBox).  Choose if you want them to be an on-screen presenter or a member of the audience. Remember that audience members can be brought on-screen or submit video questions when they want to participate.  Everyone will be sent an email with all the meeting details, including the URL

5. If you have presentations or videos to share, click on the TV icon and add the URLs of the media (that you have previously uploaded to SlideShare or YouTube) and click queue.  They will be queued ready for you to share in your meeting.

6. At the appointed time, sign in to TokBox and click on your meeting and “Start chat now”

That’s it!  Your meeting has started.

If you need more information, you can watch this video or as always, send an email to help@tokbox.com.

Micky

TokBox Meeting Emergency Kit : For Group Meetings with an Agenda

Below are the 5 simple steps to get you and your team (of up to 20 people) up, running and ready to go with your first video meeting.

1. Go to tokbox.com and sign up for a FREE account. No download is required.

2. Click on “Schedule a video chat”.  Your first scheduled chat is free, then it is $9.99/month for unlimited meetings.  Give your meeting a name (which will then become its unique URL) and set the start date and time.

3. If you have presentations or videos to share, click on the TV icon and add the URLs of the media (that you have previously uploaded to SlideShare or YouTube) and click queue.  They will be queued ready for you to share in your meeting.

4. Invite people using their email address (they don’t need to sign up to TokBox) and they will be sent an email with all the meeting details

5. At the appointed time, sign in to TokBox and click on your meeting and “Start chat now”

That’s it!  Your meeting has started.

If you need more information, you can watch this video or as always, send an email to help@tokbox.com.

Micky

TokBox Meeting Emergency Kit: For Informal Group Meetings

Below are the 5 simple steps to get you and your team (of up to 20 people) up, running and ready to go with your first video chat.

1. Go to tokbox.com and sign up for a FREE account. No download is required.

2. Click on “Start Video Chat”

3. Click on “Invite” and “Share URL”. Copy the URL

4. Send a video message, email or IM with the URL to all participants

5. Participants need simply to click on the URL you have sent to join the chat.  They don’t even need to sign up

That’s it!  Your meeting has started.

If you need more information, you can watch this video or as always, send an email to help@tokbox.com.

Micky

The TokBox Ash Cloud Offer: Free broadcast video chat

What is the TokBox Ash Cloud Offer ™?

While the Ash cloud lasts and until flights resume in Europe*, you can enjoy Broadcast video chat for FREE (normally $18.99).  Broadcast video chat enables you to have a meeting or conference with over 200 people at once, even allowing you to share presentations, videos and other media.

How do I get started?

It’s simple to get started. Follow these steps or watch our demo

1. Sign up for TokBox (it’s free)

2. Click on “Broadcast a Video Chat”

3. Give your meeting a name (that then becomes the URL for the meeting) and set the time

4. Invite people to join either by sharing the URL via your email, IM, or even Facebook/Twitter

5. Agree to terms and conditions.  We will NOT be sending you an invoice or charging your card on file, but given the short notice, we didn’t have time to change all the text on the website 🙂

What happens if I schedule a meeting for next week and flights resume?

We won’t charge anyone who schedules a meeting that takes place between now and the end of next week (4/25)

This seems to good to be true, how do I find out more?

If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at help@tokbox.com

* Check back in for offer extensions if the ash cloud lingers

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::