Advances in technology and the royal pain in the butt that is air travel today are conspiring to make changes to the traditional face-to-face business meeting. You've probably already used Skype or GoToMeeting to view a demo, get training, or have a small meeting. Videoconferencing has hugely improved in the past couple of years and in many companies the video suite is constantly booked. And many companies are investing in collaboration software so that project teams disbursed in space and time can contribute at their convenience. Technology-enabled collaboration will certainly be the way people work in the future.
The technology is not seamless, though. There is still a difference between being physically present and conversing over the internet. Everyone says these online collaboration technologies work better when the team members already know each other, but that's not always possible. Humor, and especially irony and sarcasm, can get lost over the wire, so use them sparingly. Ask a lot of questions, particularly if you have any confusion about the discussion because some important points may get lost in the ether. For sure the younger generations are more comfortable with online relationships, so have some sympathy for the old folks on the videoconference and make sure they are following along.
I'd say it's particularly important to have a review of the agreed-upon items and action items for online meetings, just to make sure there are no misunderstandings.
