WSJ. Video conferences surged last week.
Companies that provide conferencing services say usage swelled 10% to 50% last week, as companies stepped up efforts to communicate with their employees — including those temporarily stranded following the attacks in New York and Washington. Companies that deliver audio, video or computer data to users' personal computers also saw brisk business. PlaceWare Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., company offering Web-based conferencing, said its business is up 49% since the disaster. RealNetworks Inc., the biggest provider of Internet broadcasting video, says 11.4 million people tapped into audio and video content delivered through its network on Wednesday by news organizations and companies — compared with about two million people on a normal day. This attack may be the catalyst for decentralized work environments. If that is so, decentralized publishing tools are a must. [John Robb's Radio Weblog]