Today we have a guest post from Charlie Gilkey. Charlie helps people take meaningful action on the stuff that matters. His website, ProductiveFlourishing.com, is one of the top websites for planning and productivity for professional creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. He’s a sought-after speaker and advisor on small business growth and business strategy. His work is grounded in theory at the same time that’s practical and actionable. Charlie recently published an Amazon.com best-selling book The Small Business Lifecycle: Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time to Grow Your Small Business. When many organizations consider the adoption and implementation of a technology, they start by looking at the different features and capabilities rather than at what they want the technology to do. This is never more apparent than when we’re considering a new communication and collaboration technology, like web and video conferencing or social workspaces. The result is that users are confused and slow to adopt the new tool. Instead of starting with the technology function, visualize the physical spaces, processes or objects the technology is meant to mimic. For example, is the technology meant to represent a water-cooler area, a formal meeting room or a collaborative workroom? That’s the first step in figuring out how to properly use the tool. Deciding on the right type of physical area to imitate is critical because it bridges the gap between common, tangible environments and foreign virtual spaces. It allows us to use analogy and metaphor in addition to explicit instruction, so users are more likely "get it" faster within the context of something familiar. Take, for example, the practice of broadcasting information - the dreaded "cc everyone" practice that runs amok in many organizations. It’s highly unlikely that someone would stand up and yell a message over the cubicles to everyone in the room unless it was extremely urgent and important. Instead, he or she would just walk over and tell the relevant people or, perhaps, suggest a quick meeting to discuss the information. The problem here is that most of us haven’t defined an analogous space, process or object that email is meant to correlate to. Therein lies the challenge and opportunity for the modern leader who’s looking to leverage technology to enhance communication. If you can adequately define what space, process or object the technology is supposed to be like, you can also quickly bootstrap the adoption and effective use of the technology. What kind of conversations is email used for at your company? Which of your communication technologies equates to the collaborative workroom? What tool should teammates use if they need to have a real-time meeting from different places? To get started, pick either the area of activity that is in most need of improvement or the one that would provide the biggest impact. Fortunately, they’re usually one and the same. Then, ask yourself the following questions: What physical space or object best represents this area of activity? For instance, an online workspace might best represent a physical workroom dedicated to that project. Who needs to be invited to this space, be a part of the process or have access to the tool? Using our example above, only people who work on the project or need to support the project might be invited to the space. If the person wouldn’t be in the room, they’re not in the virtual space. If needed, translate the capabilities of the software to what people would do with physical things. The best tools are straightforward in their use, but sometimes we need to bridge concepts. Assuming that people have a general idea of what different types of tasks they do, the rest will fall into place. The collaborators will know what needs to be done, with whom and with which tools, because they’ll have an inferential grasp of the new process based on the way we naturally understand physical spaces and objects. To learn more about improving team communication and ensuring smooth adoption of collaboration technologies, you can download my new white paper on communication management. Photo Credit: x-ray delta one via Compfight cc

Anthony Montagner can’t wait to see his wife and daughter. A sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, he finishes his 8-year contract in September - and he’s eager to get  a civilian job to support his family. With help from our customer National Training and multiple Citrix solutions, Anthony can soon be home every night with his family. National Training is a Florida-based company that relies on Citrix collaboration and IT support tools to drive success in vocational education. The company provides programs for students - including veterans like Anthony - looking to find work as professional tractor-trailer drivers and heavy equipment operators. Watch the National Training customer video below or click here to watch it directly. With staff, instructors and students spread across the country, National Training needed a cost-effective way to connect everybody. Initially, they implemented WebEx to conduct educational webinars but found the tool expensive and complex. After evaluating other options, National Training switched from WebEx to GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar, citing ease of use and wider industry acceptance. Since then, they’ve expanded their portfolio to include GoToAssist Remote Support, GoToTraining, GoToMyPC and Podio. Embracing these Citrix solutions has helped National Training stand out in the vocational training industry. "I’ve checked out our competitors and I believe we’re the only organization offering this type of tech innovation. I’m sold on Citrix," said Sales Manager Andy McLoughlin. Read the full case study (PDF) or learn more.

Today, we are excited to share some new features that we have added to GoToMyPC that will make it an even better service for you. Say, you finished working on a spreadsheet on your PC / Mac. You travel to meet a customer over lunch and realize that you need to access the spreadsheet. Worry not! With the new GoToMyPC storage and sync features, your spreadsheet will be automatically available for you to access, using your iOS device or the web. You will be able to access it without starting a remote access session. In fact, you can access it even if your PC / Mac is offline. Check out this quick 90-second video with CTO Bernd Christiansen to learn how the new GoToMyPC has been designed to create an even better mobile access experience for you. The features are available this week in a new limited beta release (GoToMyPC 9.0 beta) and we’d like to invite you, our customer, to be among the first to try it. You will have 100 GB of online storage and file sync in addition to the same remote access you have always relied on. Here’s how you can get started. We look forward to your feedback to help us improve the product. Thanks for being a loyal GoToMyPC customer! Getting started To enroll in the beta program, visit the beta participation page after you log in to your account on the GoToMyPC website. (See the beta FAQs for more details.) After you opt into the beta, either GoToMyPC will be upgraded automatically or you will receive an upgrade notification. This may take up to 24 hours. You can upgrade manually right away by clicking on the GoToMyPC icon in the system tray or menu bar and choosing "Check for Updates." Download the updated GoToMyPC app for iPhone and iPad from the Apple App Store. Log in to your account on the GoToMyPC website and follow the prompts. If you do not see prompts for the new features, please be patient with us. We’re adding more beta users gradually to the file sync service to ensure it stays strong and provides the best possible experience for everyone.

Over the summer I’ve enjoyed watching the Ashes cricket series, the biennial tussle between England and Australia for what may be the world’s smallest sporting trophy: a small urn reputedly containing the remains of a burnt cricket bail. I know cricket can seem arcane to those who, sadly, have yet to gain an appreciation for its nuances of strategy and skill. However, there is still a great deal we can learn from the way the world’s best teams approach this hallowed sporting challenge. Embrace randomness In any field, discipline and craft are prerequisites for success. But of equal importance is an ability to prepare for the unexpected. In cricket, this randomness can take many forms, such as an abrupt change in weather, an injury, a batting collapse - or even the sudden appearance of a streaker. Each circumstance can necessitate a new strategy. Where does randomness originate in your business? How can you prepare for it? Dig deep Cricket generates huge amounts of data about teams and players - and, as in business, truly successful game plans take into account of as much of this information as possible. The lesson? Identify your key metrics. Know your team. Know your opposition. Modify your plans and forecasts accordingly. Be adaptable However astute our planning process may be, we also need to adapt as scenarios unfold before us. Successful leaders understand that excessive rigidity can be damaging, no matter how good a plan seems on paper. Specialise Cricketers share core skills, such as throwing and catching, but they also have individual strengths, such as a signature batting style or bowling attack. In the same way, most of us share core abilities with colleagues and co-workers. But what sets us apart? An understanding of your team’s special abilities - and when they can be deployed to have the most impact - can make the difference between victory and defeat. How’s that? Are there any lessons I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Add your comment below or get in touch on Twitter. Photo Credit: David Holt London via Compfight cc

Today we have a guest post from Alan Fine. Alan is a New York Times bestselling author, performance expert and executive and professional athlete coach. Reserve your complimentary seat now to Alan’s exciting webinar, "Unlocked Potential: You Already Know How to Be Great." The presentation, sponsored by GoToTraining, will be part of ASTD’s Career Week. Sign up today for the interactive presentation. Golfers say the game of golf is at least 80% mental and less than 20% physical or technical. Yet to improve, what do most golfers spend their time practicing - the physical or the mental game? You guessed it. They spend far more than 80% of their practice on what they know is only 20% of the game. Why? What compels golfers ‒ and human beings in general ‒ to behave in ways that are opposite to what they know leads to success? It’d be more logical to focus on the 80%, on the behaviors that will actually make a difference. But more often than not, we fail to do it.  This principle of 80% was recently driven home by an experience I had with a CEO. I was coaching the executive, we’ll call him Bob, and he was wrestling with his organization’s inability to "walk the talk" around customer service. He had diagnosed that a significant part of the problem was that his senior managers were spending more time at their computers than leading and coaching their salespeople. I asked him what made it so difficult for him to change that behavior, and he described being buried at his desk with everything he had to do ‒ the exact same behavior he was describing in his senior managers. As we continued our conversation, he eventually volunteered, "I know if I lean right the whole organization will lean right." At this point, he sat back in his chair and said, "So I’m the problem?" to which I replied, "And therefore, you’re part of the solution." Humans are funny. At our core, we are creatures of habit. Once we get comfortable, we lose awareness of our patterns and behaviors. But not only is it possible, it’s simple to free ourselves from the patterns that continually trap us. An easy starting point is to ask ourselves: "What’s the one thing that, if I did more ‒ or less ‒ of it, would make me more effective?" In other words, what is the simple, obvious thing you can do to free up your best self, what is that thing you already know but have been ignoring?

I’m excited to introduce the Citrix Guide to Productivity, the first in our new series of bite-sized eBooks. Each guide in this series will be jam-packed with practical tips, tricks and useful case studies. If you follow me on Twitter or have read my blogs here, you know productivity is exceedingly important to me. Not only is it absolutely vital for business success, but it also supports a balanced and fulfilling life. Right now, technology is transforming our lives. And it’s reconfiguring business too, with cloud-based services and fast, increasingly accessible connections bringing a new dimension to working from anywhere. There is immense opportunity for organizations and individuals to become more competitive - but only if they are prepared to embrace this opportunity.  Read, download - and please share - the Citrix Guide to Productivity below.    

A balanced working life shouldn’t just be a nice thing to have -  it should be a necessity. Yet in a survey carried out at the start of last year, nearly half of all UK employees were dissatisfied with their current work-life balance. Now, nearing the end of 2013, I ask: has the situation changed in the interim? This seems a particularly apt question to ask given that it’s National Work-Life Week. I suspect the needle hasn’t shifted much (but please let me know if you think otherwise!). After all, we’re still working too long and travelling too much. By the time we’ve logged 9 hours at the office, commuted for 2 and slotted in time to eat, there can’t be much left to the day. I believe truly successful business is dependent on happy, fulfilled employees. And one way we can support this is by recognising and supporting people’s hobbies and passions. For example, if there are gamers in your office, why not run a weekly or monthly games night? The recent release of two eagerly awaited game sequels, Grand Theft Auto V and Rome II, has unleashed legions of gamers keen to mastermind bank heists or take on the armies of Carthage. Of course, not everyone wants to spend yet more time in front of a screen. For runners and cyclists, why not set up an office club? Social fitness apps such as Strava take the leg-work out of club administration, encouraging camaraderie and friendly competition. And let’s not forget the early adopters - the people trying new technology and platforms before they become mainstream. Six years ago Twitter was a niche interest. Today it is viewed by many as an essential communications tool, with even the likes of Ryanair opting to join the platform. So my final tip is to support and encourage the early adopters within your business. You never know when these niche interests will become must-haves, giving you an edge over competitors. Taken together, these small changes can help re-establish a healthy work-life balance. And that’s a good thing for all concerned.   Photo Credit: Yug_and_her via Compfight cc

Once, not long ago, office space was considered an essential component for nearly every business. You’d fill it with desks, chairs, telephones, a fax machine and photocopier and then people, who’d arrive each day at 9 and leave by 6. Most of us still utilise office space to some degree, but increasingly its role is shifting from essential to optional extra. For the first time, powerful mobile devices, the cloud and social collaboration tools are enabling staff to step outside the traditional confines of office and desk. If colleagues need us, we can chat, share information and collaborate seamlessly, wherever we happen to be. This freedom gives businesses greater agility and offers staff a work-life balance that is no longer a nice perk but instead a given. But some are going further, faster than others - like Andy Bargery , CEO of Klaxon Marketing. Andy and Klaxon operate an entirely remote workforce, allowing every single member of the team to work from the location that suits them best. Andy was interviewed for Radio 4′s You and Yours, along with Sarah Jackson from the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation, Working Families. Listen to the interview to learn about their radical approach to the workplace and what they’ve learned about establishing an equilibrium between work and life. (The section on work-life balance starts at 40:13.) So, where does your business fit in? Are you embracing new ways of working or yet to take the plunge? If you’d like to dip your toe in first, you can try GoToMeeting using our new 30-day free trial.   Photo Credit: Phil Gyford via Compfight cc

When was the last time you worked in the park or a café? It’s easier than you might think. Check out this bite-sized video of our team putting GoToMeeting through its paces - complete with giant foam fingers. (If you can’t see the video below, click here to open it directly.) So where’s your favorite place to work? Send a tweet to let us know. PLUS Don’t forget to check out the Citrix Guide to Productivity, the first installment in our new mini eBook series. Photo Credit: Giorgio Montersino via Compfight cc

Today we have a guest post from Gihan Perera. Gihan is a consultant, speaker and author, who helps professional speakers, trainers, thought leaders and other business professionals to leverage their products, services and business practices - particularly with their online strategy. He is also the author of the books Secrets of Internet Business Success and Webinar Smarts, among many others. Find out more at www.WebinarSmarts.com. - See more at: http://videoconferencing.com/the-7-things-you-must-never-do-in-an-online-meeting/#sthash.ayihQKIP.dpuf The technology for online meetings has advanced to the stage where many organizations see them as a viable alternative to in-person meetings, conferences and other events. However, there are still concerns that online meetings don’t provide the same benefits as their in-person equivalents. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition. Organizations, meeting planners and conference organizers can get the best of both worlds by combining virtual and in-person meetings. Despite concerns about travel costs, security, and an economic downturn, the U.S. meetings industry is thriving. It already supports 1.7 million jobs and contributes $263 billion to the economy, and will continue to grow, with employment in this industry expected to grow by 44% this decade (3 times the overall average). At the same time, online meetings technology is also growing - due to better (faster and more widespread) Internet access, better software and hardware infrastructure, and the need for this technology in a more connected but more dispersed world. Some leaders believe online meetings are a poor substitute for in-person meetings, and that might have been more the case in the past. However, recent research suggests this is no longer the case. For example, participants at an in-person meeting are as likely to be distracted (for example, checking e-mail) as their online meeting counterparts (about 80% in both cases), and are as likely to leave the meeting for some reason (about 65%). The real debate shouldn’t be about choosing one format over the other, though. The best organizations run "hybrid meetings," which add online components to an in-person event to get the best of both worlds. A simple and well-known example is the use of a "Twitter backchannel", where in-person participants are encouraged to tweet their comments live during the event. That’s just one way for an in-person event to leverage online technology. Here are some others: Live streaming of presentations for remote participants Live webcasts of presenters from remote locations Online chat rooms and discussion groups, for both in-person and online participants Live blogging of the event Use of social media before the event (for example, encouraging participants to use LinkedIn for background information on speakers, sponsors, and other attendees) Webinars by presenters leading up to the event, to increase registrations, help preparation, and boost engagement Online mastermind groups and special interest groups after the event, to reinforce the learning, follow through on actions, and facilitate collaboration Online archives of presentations, handouts, notes, photographs and other reference material, to form part of the organization’s knowledge base Even if you can’t use all of these ideas directly for your event, consider how you could adapt them to suit your needs. For example, for an internal sales conference where attendance is compulsory, you might not need your guest speaker to present a webinar beforehand to increase attendance. However, you might use this opportunity for the National Sales Manager to present a webinar instead. Hybrid meetings, no matter if they are webinars, trainings, or conferences, reduce travel expenses for remote members and dispersed organizations, extend the reach of the meeting, capture knowledge and insights for future reference, increase workplace flexibility, and allow participants to interact in different ways. If you’re already conducting online meetings and events, look for opportunities to turn them into hybrid events. It’s not just the way of the future - it’s right here and now. Photo Credit: linh.ngan via Compfight cc

What music do you listen to at work? Sure, for some people, this question still borders on crazy. Music? At work? No. Not ever. But for a growing number, the office playlist is an actual thing - an important, often intensely debated piece of workplace infrastructure. The arrival of applications like Spotify has made it easier than ever to access and share music. The shift in listening habits engendered by Spotify is representative of the wider changes, driven by technology, that are taking place in our lives and businesses. The world of work is increasingly shaped by web tools, mobile devices and concepts like the cloud. We store so much of ourselves digitally, from photographs to calendars and essential work documents. We take care to choose the right tools, testing and discarding, in search of solutions that are easy to use, yet secure. Apple’s fingerprint system is evidence of this desire. But as the soundtrack to our lives and work evolves, why are so many of us still devoted to journeying to the office and meetings, to managing life via our inbox? Why do we still feel guilty about working from home? We can seem oddly reluctant to utilize the technology at our fingertips to truly make life easier. Are you making the most of the opportunities presented by technology - and I don’t just mean forcing the office to listen to "Get Lucky" for the 12th time (although that would be awesome) — or are you yet to make the leap? I’d love to hear what you think. Workplace Anthems Tweet us your favorite #workplaceanthem! If it’s added to our Spotify playlist, you’ll win a year’s free subscription to GoToMeeting. If your song doesn’t make the cut or is already taken - "Never Gonna Give You Up" is pretty popular, after all - you can also try GoToMeeting free for 30 days right here. Join the conversation Reading in the UK? We’ve joined forces with London’s Biggest Conversation to help you discover the benefits of online meetings. Each week we’ll be giving away an awesome prize - like an Apple Macbook, with headset and webcam, and a year’s subscription to GoToMeeting. Find out more here. Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc

Marketplaces were perhaps the first social networks. These were places where people shared technology and exchanged goods and services, building connections and reputation. Ancient highways such as the Silk Road, which extended some 4,000 miles across Europe and China, linked local trade networks, which branched off it like tributaries. Today, in much the same way, we are connected by the Internet. Charged by the connectivity of the Internet, digital social networks continue to flourish, abuzz with energy and interactions, just like the first marketplaces. These networks link disparate people around the world; but at the other end of the spectrum, they can also link people within the same organization in a way that unlocks creativity, collaboration and productivity. Internal social networks act as a place for us to let colleagues know what we’re working on and thinking about, and to identify where skills and expertise lie across an organization. They are the antithesis of the office cubicle and the business silo. Consider yourself dared If you don’t yet utilize an internal social network, I dare you to give one a try. Our very own Podio is free for you to use and explore. Share the link with a like-minded colleague and see what you can achieve by working together in a new, easier way. Join the conversation Reading in the UK? We’ve joined forces with London’s Biggest Conversation to help you discover the benefits of online meetings. Each week we’ll be giving away an awesome prize - like an Apple Macbook, with headset and webcam, and a year’s subscription to GoToMeeting. Find out more here. Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs via Compfight cc

Every modern firefighting crew has list of essentials: Polyester industrial fire Hose with nozzle Thermoplastic helmet Tower ladder truck GoToMeeting with HDFaces Hey back up there a minute. GoToMeeting? That’s right. Just ask the station chiefs in Addison Fire Protection District, Illinois, where video conferencing is considered a must. The Addison Fire Protection crew includes 65 staff members and 3 stations. They’re stretched pretty thin in delivering fire protection and paramedic services to the 35,000 residents spread across 13.5 square miles in the Village of Addison, Illinois, and surrounding areas. The fire district chiefs needed to ensure that small groups of remote employees were trained on disaster preparedness and other essential topics. They reviewed the available solutions — WebEx, Vidtel and Skype - but decided on GoToMeeting with HDFaces for its cost-effectiveness, high-quality video, ease of use and versatility. The station chiefs now also use GoToMeeting to collaborate on strategy, while people in the field or away from the district connect back with colleagues from their mobile devices. "Other services force you to use a particular type of device," said Joe Grandolfo, assistant IT manager for Addison Fire. "GoToMeeting with HDFaces works with any computer plus iPads and iPhones. We are ecstatic about the way GoToMeeting is working for us." Altogether, the district saves $5,000 annually in fuel and maintenance costs with GoToMeeting. Read the full case study (PDF).   Photo credit: Global Pierce

I’m a 32-year-old IT man who works in a basement. - Moss, The IT Crowd Once, long ago, it was quite normal to think of the IT team as somehow separate from the rest of the business. Like the characters in UK Channel 4′s The IT Crowd, they inhabited an isolated basement-like room. If your computer broke down, you’d be forced to call them. After a long delay, the phone would be answered, and a bored-sounding person would audibly scratch their head as you tried to explain what had gone wrong. I may exaggerate a little. In fact, today I want to argue that, far from consigning them to the basement, we need to put the people in IT at the heart of business. Technology is rapidly changing the nature of work, and work structures are changing along with it. If we silo IT - or any team - we reduce business agility. By making it easy to collaborate through, for example, internal social networks and remote meeting, by questioning established businesses practice such as the daily commute, by working to mitigate cubicle culture, we make it easier to grasp emergent opportunities across the business. And in today’s highly competitive marketplace, that can make all the difference. You can come out of the basement now, Moss. Take the first step GoToMeeting is simple yet powerful, allowing you to collaborate face-to-face with anyone, anywhere in the world using your PC, Mac or mobile device. It’s easy to use and round-the-clock support is only ever a click away. Try it free here. Join the conversation Reading in the UK? We’ve joined forces with London’s Biggest Conversation to help you discover the benefits of online meetings. Each week we’ll be giving away an awesome prize - like an Apple Macbook, with headset and webcam, and a year’s subscription to GoToMeeting. Find out more here.   Photo credit: 2.bp.blogspot.com  

This morning, a team of Citrix Time Vampires set out to San Francisco’s Temporary Transbay Terminal with one goal in mind: to help commuters avoid the time-suck by encouraging them to work from home with our solutions. Offering free donuts and big smiles, the team talked to nearly 500 commuters on a busy Monday morning about the opportunity to stay home and be productive tomorrow - which we hear made the morning "much better." If you are an inconvenienced Bart rider, take a look at some of the solutions we have to make the rest of your week a bit easier: GoToMeeting GoToMyPC ShareFile Podio Talkboard Want to know more about Citrix amid the Bart strike? Take a look at KGO-TV’s piece on workers using our solutions to avoid the commute hassle. In the meantime, tweet @Citrix and let us know how Citrix is helping you stay productive through the Bart strike!  

On the list of effective ways to bring people together, holidays and celebrations are right up there with food. But, as more and more people adopt flexible workstyles, office celebrations need an online presence too in order to include all team members. If you’re a leader of a dispersed crew looking to have fun this Halloween, read on for tips to spice up your workday, Halloween style. If you’ve got a week to plan… Host a costume contest via video conference. Send out your invite at least a week in advance, and choose a small prize for the winner as an incentive for everyone to participate. On October 31, gather your in-office team members in a conference room and setup GoToMeeting on the viewing screen for those attending online. Then watch the fun unfold as everyone votes for their favorite costumes. If you’ve got a few days to plan… Order festive treats for everyone on your team and deliver them to their desks, either in-person at the office or by mail for remote employees. Nothing says "celebrate" like a pumpkin-spiced cupcake. If you’ve got an hour or so to plan… Put together a collection of Youtube videos of people performing magic tricks or talents, and distribute them out to your team in an email titled "Tricks. My Treat." Or, collect the best Halloween jokes or photos from around the Internet and distribute with a happy Halloween message. How do you keep your dispersed team connected? We’d love to hear your tips. Have you ever hosted an online party? Photo Credit: Kalexanderson via Compfight cc

Update: Wow, what a contest! We were seriously impressed with all the amazing costumes - you guys clearly know how Halloween is done. But they’re can only be winning team, and they are… *drumroll please* Team CampMinder! (photo above) Huge thanks to everyone who participated and helped #MakeMeetingsFun. We hope you had as much fun as we did! Check out all the great photos on the GoToMeeting Facebook page and start planning your costumes to get ready for next year!   **********************************************************************************   Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I was on the job about two weeks before my first Halloween at Citrix, and I showed up dressed as the Flying Purple People Eater. Talk about a conversation starter! It was a great way to get to know my coworkers. Something about walking down a hallway with a giant purple horn on your head is all the opening most people need to talk to a stranger. Fast forward seven years and I still get excited about dressing up for Halloween and heading to the office. The big difference now is that my office is 10 steps down the hall from my bedroom. You see, for the past six years I’ve worked from my home office in Santa Rosa, CA (the #5 city in the U.S. for teleworkers!). But doesn’t stop me from taking part in the Halloween fun! I’ve shared my experiences about being part of a virtual team before and how GoToMeeting with HDFaces was game changing for me. I’ve always had great teammates, but having a webcam during Halloween meetings makes things extra interesting and fun! There’s something amazing about working alongside ghouls, t-rexes, smurfs, garden gnomes and robots - you learn something about the person and their personality that doesn’t always come across when you’re dealing with the task at hand. You can probably guess what’s coming next. In the name of fun and team building, GoToMeeting is hosting our second-annual HDFaces Halloween costume contest. How to participate: Here’s how it works. On Halloween, schedule a GoToMeeting session with your team. Get costumed up and turn your webcams on. Then: Take a screenshot or photo of your HDFaces session. Post it to our Facebook page here or on Google+, Twitter or Instagram and tag GoToMeeting with the hashtag #MakeMeetingsFun. Fill out the form below. Easy as that! The winner will be the team with the most creative costumes. (Yes, it’s subjective.) Need a little inspiration? Here are some of the photos from last year’s contest including the winner Team ThunderSEO! The winning team will have their photo published on all the GoToMeeting social channels, and each team member (up to 6 people) will receive a $100 Visa gift card. Not a GoToMeeting customer? Don’t worry - you can still participate. Sign up for a free trial (no credit card required). Happy Halloween - now let’s see those costumes! Fill out the simple form below to enter and win!  

They light up the webcam screens when they pop up on the video conference. They know how to get everyone on the same page. They make things happen. They’re Collab Champs. But what exactly makes them the caped crusaders of the meeting world? We needed answers. We thought about commissioning a scientific study overseen by a prestigious group of ivy league professors, but instead chose to pose the question on Facebook and offer an iPad mini for the best response. We chose wisely: Over 70 GoToMeeting fans on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ offered their Collab Champ definitions. We also created a word cloud from the responses, and it includes lots of great words like "ideas," "listens" and "together." The two biggest words are "great" and "collaborator" - obviously our fans were paying attention in school when teachers said to begin responses by echoing the question. In addition, we compiled our 10 favorite responses in an ebook, which you can view below or download free.  

Is your meeting necessary? This simple question was recently posed by Daisy McAndrew of LBC Radio 97.3, but it got me thinking: just how much time do we spend on meetings? Research carried out earlier this year revealed the average person spends a staggering 16 hours a week in meetings, and 25% of that time, they say, is just wasted. If I was throwing away that much time, you bet I’d be wanting it back and I know I wouldn’t be alone. So what then constitutes a necessary meeting? The answer is deceptively simple: a meeting is necessary if, and only if, it offers a tangible benefit to your business. If you can’t identify a benefit, don’t have the meeting. These benefits can take several different forms - whether it’s coming up with creative new ideas for the next quarter’s campaign, identifying target customers or assessing what’s gone right and what hasn’t in the quarter. Whatever the purpose, it’s essential we all agree on it and outline that purpose in a simple objective before the meeting begins. A focused agenda can then be built, with a realistic start and end time. A secondary consideration is to ask whether the meeting is necessary for each invited individual. If you can do the meeting with only half of the required attendees, give the other half their time back. They’ll be grateful and this will help create a culture that questions the prevalent tendency to hold meetings. Lastly, consider remote meeting options: it’s not always essential for everyone to be in the same room. If you need a colleague from another office to attend or an external supplier, it’s often more convenient for them and for you to incorporate remote meeting software into your face-to-face meeting, allowing them to dial or link in from their preferred location. Something really needs to be done about meetings. I challenge all of you to ask one question of every meeting you are invited to - is this meeting necessary? Take the first step New technology makes it easy to join online meetings, eliminating travel while giving remote workers the ability to join your meetings. GoToMeeting is simple yet powerful, allowing you to collaborate face-to-face with anyone, anywhere in the world using your PC, Mac or mobile device. It’s easy to use and its round-the-clock support is only a click away. Try it free here. Join the conversation Reading in the UK? We’ve joined forces with LBC Radio 97.3, London’s Biggest Conversation, to help you discover the benefits of online meetings. Each week we’ll be giving away an awesome prize - like an Apple Macbook, with headset and webcam, and a year’s subscription to GoToMeeting. Find out more here. Photo Credit: Roby Ferrari via Compfight cc

Rather than filling desk drawers with confiscated smartphones and tablets, many modern-day teachers are embracing the new tech devices for the potential they bring. Called mobile learning, this new way of engaging students extends education beyond the traditional classroom walls and school bells. It’s a technology trend that’s only getting bigger and bigger, so of course there are growing pains for those in the field. Headquartered in Bakersfield, California, Lightspeed Systems is a software company that specializes in mobile learning for schools around the world. With 150 employees and offices on 3 continents, Lightspeed Systems went looking for a simple way to connect and support more students and staff from anywhere. Lightspeed Systems first implemented GoToMeeting to reduce employee travel and to provide remote trainings for school staff. They soon followed up with GoToWebinar for larger product demos and GoToAssist Corporate for 24/7 support to customers. And just recently, they chose ShareFile over Dropbox and Google Docs for secure data sharing to complement the rest of their Citrix portfolio. Together, the Citrix solutions are helping Lightspeed Systems expand its business and mission globally. "Lightspeed Systems is passionate about education," said John Genter, vice president of global operations for Lightspeed Systems. "Citrix has helped us evangelize change in education by enabling us to carry our message to more people online than we ever could in person." Read the full case study (PDF) or learn more. Interested in sharing your own Citrix story? Get the recognition you deserve and share your experience with others by participating in the Citrix customer reference program.

"Screw up, say no and forget trying to be on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn." This is the kind of business advice we heard at the SOHO|SME Business Expo in Canada this month. Now in its sixteenth year, #sohoSME is a business-to-business marketing event in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary designed to motivate, inspire and drive the success of small businesses. GoToMeeting Canada is a proud sponsor of #sohoSME. It’s part conference and part demo ally, offering practical advice on how to attract customers and drive sales. This year’s event attracted thousands of people from across the country. Expo speakers offered real-world, practical advice for businesses, and a lot of the conversation included tips you don’t always hear at a business conference. The following five unconventional ideas were discussed at the expos. I think they are refreshing, inspiring and something you might want to try: 1. Make a Lot of Mistakes The only way to learn is to make a lot of mistakes, said billionaire and former CBC "Dragon" Brett Wilson. So don’t be afraid of not doing everything right and, yes, see mistakes as a path to improving your business. .@GoToMeetingCA There are MANY. I have tried to learn from all. #sohoSME — - W. Brett Wilson - (@WBrettWilson) October 31, 2013 2. Say No Business owners must manage commitment, says @ColinSprake. Tips ★ Say no more, set office hours, ask for agendas #sohoSME — GoToMeeting Canada (@GoToMeetingCA) October 31, 2013   To truly be successful, entrepreneurial success trainer Colin Sprake says business owners need to have a healthy balance between work and family life. It starts with learning not to overburden yourself and setting boundaries. 3. Stop Going in to Work Many of us can be more productive if we forego long hours commuting into the office and find balance between work and home by being mobile and #workshifting. This is a theme I talked about in both Calgary and Vancouver. Mobile work benefits: 30% increase in productivity, $20K cost reduction per person, 30% reduction in downtime, says @dlpotter #sohoSME — GoToMeeting Canada (@GoToMeetingCA) October 31, 2013 Businesses embracing mobile workstyles not only reap those benefits, but are on the leading edge of a new world of work. @GoToMeetingCA #Future-proofing! The world is more global than ever. Teams need a chance to collaborate virtually to learn critical skills! — WORKshift (@WORKshift) October 31, 2013   The world is getting smaller. Your business can be global. #Workshifting is the way forward. 4. Don’t Join Every Social Platform Social media is a powerful tool for connecting and collaborating, but business owners do not need to be active on every single platform, says cofounder of Webnames.ca Cybele Negris. Instead, for a greater impact, be more targeted. .@GoToMeetingCA Master 1 social media platform before spreading yourself too thin. Choose 1 where most of your audience is on #sohosme — Cybele Negris (@cybelenegris) October 31, 2013   5. Be Nice From the department of the obvious: When working with other businesses, remember the law of reciprocity. SMBs should consider endorsing others on @LinkedIn, says @MelonieDodaro #sohoSME #MeetingIsBelieving pic.twitter.com/3NMvRzU9HT — GoToMeeting Canada (@GoToMeetingCA) October 31, 2013   Spreading the word about great small businesses comes naturally to many owners. Now take that behavior online. You’ll be amazed at what comes back to you when you engage in social media. At #sohoSME, we also had the opportunity to interview business leaders, including: Billionaire and philanthropist Brett Wilson Dell’s entrepreneur-in-residence, Ingrid Vanderveldt Cofounder of Webnames.ca Cybele Negris In each city, I discussed with SMBs the benefits of workshifting and how technology can be embraced inside small businesses. I give my perspective here and would love to hear yours. To follow all the #sohoSME action, check out the newsroom powered by GoToMeeting. Photo Credit: Leo Reynolds via Compfight cc

Playstation recently launched a video showing the evolution of its games console, from 1995 to the present. As we pan around a teenager’s messy bedroom, we see hairstyles and clothing - as modeled by the teenager and friends - transform, along with the room’s decor and, of course, game console. Through a window, London’s skyline climbs ever upwards as new buildings, such as the Gherkin and Shard, arrive on the scene. It’s a brilliant piece of viral marketing that also serves to show the staggering pace of change. The console is the unassuming hero of the piece, but I’m more interested in the role of the teenagers. They fall into the demographic known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y, that is, those born in the 1980s to the early 2000s. This generation has left - or is in the process of leaving - its teenage bedroom far behind as it enters the upper echelons of organizations, not just in London but around the world. And just as the bedroom depicted in the video reflects shifting interests and the arrival of potent new technology, workplaces populated by Millennials are undergoing changes just as radical and transformative. For a start, many are no longer prepared to accept working conditions that were tolerated by previous generations. As you’d expect, there’s a funny side to this (check out the truly excellent An Interpretive Dance For My Boss Set to Kanye West’s Gone), alongside the sobering realization that the landscape of work is undergoing a tectonic shift. A recent report published by Deloitte suggests the first CEO from Generation Y to lead a FTSE 350 company will be appointed by 2016. With young innovators like Nick D’Aloisoi making their presence felt, I think that’s a conservative estimate. The report, which is based on a study of more than 1,000 UK employees, also found that many are frustrated by the "absence of a mobility culture" in British businesses. A further survey revealed that a significant proportion of workers would give up some or their pay and delay a promotion in exchange for more workplace flexibility. The message is clear: Gen Y and its leaders demand business mobility. The authors of the Deloitte report join a growing chorus of voices urging businesses to adapt. Those that do are set to survive and prosper in a new era of work which embraces flexible working. And those that don’t? There’s a definite risk they will be left behind or forgotten, much like an obsolete gaming console. Making it Work The first step to freeing up your work force is to give them the right tools, and there’s no better starting point than a free trial of GoToMeeting. Help your team stay in touch, wherever they’re working from. Photo Credit: greekadman via Compfight cc

In recent years we’ve seen the rise in popularity of the "Paleo Diet" - a food regime based on the idea that we should eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors thousands of years ago. In genetic terms, humans have hardly changed since cavemen discovered fire. Therefore, (the theory goes) an ideal diet for human health and wellbeing is one that conforms to their ancient liking for grains, wild plants and free-range animals. While perhaps more likely to be eaten or squashed by prehistoric megafauna, hunter-gatherers were apparently free of the chronic ailments that affect a high proportion of the population today, like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Diet, without a doubt, has something to do with this. Well, that’s fine. But I’m surprised there hasn’t been a corresponding surge of interest in… Paleo Working. Hunter-gatherers, as you might guess, lived anything but sedentary lives. They - and we, if we follow the logic - were never designed to sit at a desk all day. We were meant to roam free. Nevertheless, the idea that we should structure our lives around a central, unchanging location - i.e. the office - has become deeply embedded in society, despite certain faint hereditary misgivings. Lately I’ve even seen one or two people using treadmill desks - a kind of 21st-century version of the rolling Palaeolithic grasslands at the dawn of time - as if impelled onward by the memory of their ancestors, even as they remain in the same place, typing emails. The vast majority of the rest of us remain seated, eating nuts and dried fruit. All I’m saying is that maybe we should ease up on the Paleo Diet (after all, it has its critics as well as advocates) and start Paleo Working. As I’ve argued elsewhere, we certainly have the technology to escape from our desks. The only thing holding us back is our relatively new, desk-centric working habits. What we need to do is embrace our inner caveman. Take the first step GoToMeeting is simple yet powerful, allowing you to collaborate face-to-face with anyone, anywhere in the world using your PC, Mac or mobile device. It’s easy to use and round-the-clock support is only ever a click away. Try it free here.   Photo credit: yaketyyakyak

We’re offering you and a friend or colleague the chance to win back the annual cost of your commute, up to the value of £5,000! Find out how to enter below. With rail fare hikes outpacing wage increases, getting to work can take a big bite out of your monthly income. And with an expected average rise of over four per cent looming this year, it’s not getting any easier. So, we thought we’d lend a helping hand, to the tune of £5000! Here’s how to enter the competition: If you’re not already a user, sign up for our free trial of GoToMeeting - no credit card needed. Tweet a screenshot of you holding an online meeting to @GoToMeetingUK (If you’re unsure how to take a screenshot, check out this simple guide). That’s it! The winner will be announced via Twitter on Monday 2 December. Have fun with your pic The beauty of online meetings is not just that you can attend meetings everywhere without going anywhere (although that’s pretty cool), you also get to see the other people in the meeting in high definition. So we’d love to see some eye-catching entries! Here are a few ideas: Wear an awesome hat Hold up a sign with your favourite inspiring quote OR the cost of your annual commute Hold a meeting somewhere interesting We can’t wait to see your entries. Ready? Go! #winyourcommute Terms and conditions   Photo Credit: icopythat via Compfight cc