Oscar season has come and gone.  I’m a TCM addict and simply love their 31 days of Oscars.  Used in conjunction with a TiVo or DVR, 31 Days of Oscars is a simple, fast, foolproof way to revisit films I haven’t seen for years, or see award winners that I have never seen.  It’s a 21^st century joy - to be sure.

So I like both “Grand Prix” and “Winning” – neither of which could be made today, “Grand Prix” especially.  What a mind set to drive a finely tuned machine at outrageous speeds on a dangerous course, in any weather.  Liability issues alone would almost surely sink the possibility of re-doing one of these films.  If you want an inside look at Grand Prix racing, check out that film.  You will also see lots of top race car drivers from the 60's.  And if you do a little research on the back story, interesting.  The DVD has great insights into the making of the film.

So what does that have to do with WebEx?  Getting the most out of what you have in the fastest way possible.  Finding ways to trim time, to get more done, essentially to move faster and be more productive.  Not in race car terms, but nevertheless, aren’t we all looking for ways to ‘get it done faster’ so we can move on to the next task or phone call or meeting.  Minutes and seconds count in very real ways in our digital world. 

I’ve been using WebEx Productivity Aids since I first joined the company in 2005 but I must say, the new aids really rock.  True, you may be saving only a little time, maybe 5 minutes if you use outlook integration, 1 minute if you use One Click, 30 seconds if you launch your meeting from IM, etc.   But the time mounts up.  It’s about getting more done and trying to eliminate wait time.  Making things happen in the fewest clicks or steps possible. It seems humorous to me that WebEx already saves you lots of time but we keep working at saving more, making it simpler, faster, etc.. 

Being able to launch meetings from your favorite IM tool is quite cool.  I use it in my work all the time when we are discussing some, it's just easier to view the piece of work and make a decision, real time, collaboratively.  But I also use these tools in my personal life also.  I also love concerts and go to lots every year.  (A little mini obsession.)  I can be in an IM session with a friend trying to decide about tickets, click right into the meeting and share the seating charts and all the other details so we can make a decision right there on the spot.  Much faster than multiple phone calls or emails.  May sound silly, but I love it. 

Another new feature is the ability to schedule and start an audio only conference call during your normal WebEx scheduling. Best of all, you can schedule a con call, be in the call, and decide it needs to be a data call.  Solution, initiate the data piece on the spot.  No set up required, a single click and you are all in data mode. 

Simplicity, flexibility, and speed à improving your productivity and your overall user experience.   So start your engines, the race just got faster.