The Virtual Meeting Coach

I don’t know about you, but when I tuned in to watch the ball drop at Times Square and I saw “2010″ show up and start flashing, I had a feeling I’ve never had before.

It was really something to see “2010″ because it’s a whole new kind of number than 1980 or 1999 or even 2000 or 2009. I don’t know how to describe the difference for me except to say that I hadn’t imagined living in a time when the date looked like that. Maybe you know what I mean…

So, we’re really not in Kansas anymore. We’ve actually entered the SECOND decade of the 21st Century. And, by the looks of things right now, it’s going to be a challenging time for all of us. We’re going to need new ideas, new strategies, new blood, and new tools to move ahead with grace in this undeniably “globalized” information economy.

As you contemplate the road ahead, it’s OK not to be a maestro of virtual meetings. It’s totally OK not to even feel very comfortable participating in them! It’s even OK not to put some attention on uncovering ways you could use virtual meetings to help your clients’, your customers’, and your suppliers’ lives easier using virtual meeting technologies.

Oh, what’s that? You’d like to? Well, go right ahead, that’s OK, too.

And, while you’re at it, if you’re local (meaning within a 50 mile radius of Ashland, Oregon), you might want to take advantage of a live, hands-on workshop I’m offering that will take you from zero to 100 using your netbook or laptop to work from anywhere with ease, confidence, and competence – even if you’ve never used a mobile computer. Yes, you, too, can be working from coffee shops (and using WIFI to meet with your clients around the globe in virtual meeting rooms) in just 4 weeks. Yes, you read that right – in 4 weeks.

In just 4 weeks, you can change your experience of computing from feeling isolated, frustrated, confused – and much more expen$ive than you would like – to using a cheap netbook or laptop to work quickly and easily, and have a lot more fun working MOBILY than you ever imagined. What’s more, making that 4 week investment, you will be equipping yourself to work independently and cheaply for many years to come.

I’ve got just 5 seats left in “Up, Up and Away,” and I would love to have you in one of them. You can read more about the workshop in the brochure below. The next session begins January 18th, here in Ashland, and runs 4 consecutive weeks from 3-5pm upstairs at the Rogue Metaphysical Library.

It’s OK not to enjoy computing and it’s also OK to take time this month to pick up the essential skills and attitudes you need to use an inexpensive netbook or laptop and FREE online software to make your way forward in this brave new world of 2010…and beyond.

If you want more information than the brochure provides – or you want to discuss a “partial cash” offer with me – feel free to phone me at 541-488-7942 this week. I mean it: there are only 5 seats left. Want me to put your name on one of them today?

Up Up and Away Trifold Brochure

It was disappointing on this netbook shopping trip not to be able to try out either of the Asus Eee PC Touchscreen tablet-style netbooks I’ve been reading about since January, 2009 (the 8.9″ Asus Eee PC T91 and the 10″ Asus Eee PC T100H).

I’m such a fan of tablets and touchscreens, particularly for seniors and aging baby boomers. But these Asus models were simply not available for me to test. You can watch a detailed video about the features available on the model T91 here.

For the last three years, I’ve used an IBM ThinkPad Tablet for mobile computing. Not that it performs well, because it doesn’t. It’s the slowest and most frustrating laptop I’ve ever used! But, I’ve gotten really spoiled using a stylus to navigate on screen. And I like being able to make handwritten notes and draw on my photos and slides using the stylus instead of a clunky mouse.

So , from the first moment I saw the interface Asus offers on the new touchscreen netbooks, I wanted one. Even if it meant having to pay a little more and even if I have to wait a bit. Here’s a vid that shows how Asus imagines users might work with the currently available T91 and the upcoming T100H Touchscreen netbooks:

What’s not to love about that interface? Especially if you’ve gotten to a stage of life when you’d rather point than type or mouse?  If you enjoy new things that shake up your thinking – and then make things easier – this interface is downright exciting!

It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But being able to use my fingers instead of a stylus or a mouse really appeals to my increasingly cramped mousing hand and tender typing fingers. I know I’ll never be able to escape typing altogether – and I’ll probably want some kind of cordless mouse sometimes – but the idea of being able to point and press – instead of point and click with a mouse – makes my mouth water…

And it’s not because I’m beginning to drool… quite yet

It could be another 6-9 months before the bigger 10″ Asus Eee PC T100H is available in the US. So if you’re ready to launch into the cloud now, and you want a touchscreen interface, you’ll be ordering the smaller Asus T91 model with the 8.9″ screen now. It’s going to run you about $499.