Virtual Office Hours

Excuse the video craziness, but I’ve been in a video kind of mood lately. One the one hand, I’m playing with my PVR, cutting old bits of video I use for class into a digital format, recording all my lectures in video for the last class, and at the same time I’m making a bit more use of my web cam. I have an old surplused touch-screen monitor that I have been hoping to use as an information system for my door at work.

So, I was thrilled to find this a story in the Post about a company that is offshoring its front office, with a receptionist that works from Pakistan. She has a buzzer to open the door, answers calls, and schedules meetings.

Sure, it’s a one-off, but I like the idea and want to replicate it for my office here. We have a glass case in the hall. I’ll see if the chair will allow me to place a screen and camera in it. Unlikely that it will be stolen (it will, naturally, be protected by video) and I think I have enough bits and pieces hanging around to make it work, though I may need to scavenge a laptop somewhere.

As an alternative, if I hooked a buzzer up to my office door, I could just have them sit in front of my monitor to talk. Hmmm. I wonder who is already doing this.

Related posts:

1. Cancelled Office Hours
2. Office hours
3. Help? Dead Computer
4. 8 hours of TV?
5. Cleaning up my office