This book introduces interactive videoconferencing: it's history, it's technologies and standards, and more importantly, how to compare, purchase and deploy systems that are appropriate for various applications. It was written for people who enjoy things technical (o.k. "gear heads") but who are unfamiliar with videoconferencing and perhaps with telecommunications in general. The only prerequisite is curiosity about the possibilities of "virtual travel" using video communications tools.
This new medium can bring us closer to those we need to work with, but who, like us, are impaired by the physical distances between us. People with whom we would otherwise spend great effort to communicate with.
