To not be keen on meetings via video conferencing?

[HyperThread]

I am probably being unreasonable but I was wondering if anyone else feels the same way?

We have a crucial meeting in a few weeks time at work and one person can't make it in person but has requested to join remotely via Skype. Am I being unreasonable to not be too keen on it?

I just find meetings that have someone connecting remotely just aren't the same as meetings in person, and end up being too formal. Or am I just being too old school?

[Aridane]

Find it better than the person just phoning in...

[redskybynight]

Face to face meetings are much easier than video conferences/teleconferences. People tend to focus more and you don't miss things.

But video conferencing is more practical for lots of reasons. And the technology is improving all the time. Definitely the way of the future.

[jumbo79]

This happens all the time in the place where I work - working remotely with others, which can be spread across multiple timezones/locations is par for the course. I envy anyone who works in an office where meetings all face-to-face are an option!

YANBU being unkeen on it (I understand it's your preference), but YABU in the sense that it's only a preference you have and there may be a perfectly logistical/personal issue/budget/diary clash problem that means their request is reasonable.

Without knowing why that person can't make it in person, no one here can really say whether you're truly being unreasonable or not.

I do know that video conferencing meetings are a daily occurrence in any place i've ever worked though; no other option otherwise.

[TedAndLola]

It's not unreasonable to not be thrilled, but it would be unreasonable to try and stop it. Give it a go - it might be better than you thought. I wasn't looking forward to my first video conference meeting but apart from talking over each other a couple of times, it was fine.

[HyperThread]

Thanks, I'll give it a go and hopefully it will go well.

[Lucyccfc]

My first experience of this was at an interview last week.

The recruitment team sent out the wrong letter for my interview and sent me to London when I should have been in Manchester (10 miles from home).

It was quite an odd experience, as there was a slight delay between people speaking and their body language. It really broke the ice though and we had a laugh about it all.

Can't have been that bad, as I have my 2nd interview next week.

[Karoleann]

I hate it! I use it twice a year for interviewing au pairs, but its really odd, the delay, the small picture of you at the bottom......awful

If its someone joining you, its fairly easy to ignore.

DH did a conference recently for 20,000 people via a version of SKYpe....that would be my nightmare scenario.

[LaurieFairyCake]

What would be unreasonable would be phone conferencing while masturbating

Like some arsehole I know did

[AlorsMeh]

I have just come to the end of a three year contract which involved working with people from 8 other EU member states. Most of our meetings took place over Skype. It isn't ideal but I think it made us all much more focussed and efficient. We had to define exactly what we wanted to get out of the meetings and ensure that we stayed on point and avoided any ambiguity. Very little time was spent on chit chat etc. I found it quite useful.

[Tulipblank]

I work for a large multi national. Nearly all my meetings are conference calls, live meetings etc. quite rare to have face to faces. Beats having to travel for 10 hours to meet someone for an hour, then 10 hours back again!

Agree that it keeps things focused. It is good to put a face to a name every so often, but generally remote meetings work well.

[mausmaus]

we have those regularly, as flying in people from all over costs a lot more than having a good broadband connection and a decent videolink programme.
not a problem.