Didn’t go to Stanford for your MBA? Well, now you can. Top notch universities in the US and abroad, business schools, museums, public broadcasting stations and state education organizations are all part of YouTube EDU, Academic Earth, MIT Open Course Ware and iTunes U which offer free downloads of educational podcasts or videos. These presentations cover a range of topics from VoIP security forums to language courses. iTunes U is the most popular platform for these free downloads. iTunes U’s popularity is most likely attributed to its promotion of free and mobile learning. Although released in 2007, not many users are maximizing its true potential. iTunes U has the prospective of creating a more empowered business person.

How it works:

iTunes U is accessed through iTunes and is found at the top of the menu bar. The podcasts can be downloaded individually or you can subscribe for automatic downloads as they become available. This second feature is used primarily for an on-going series podcast which operates like an on-going course.

How to Use it:

iTunes U’s direct relationship with iTunes means podcasts can be watched or listened to through a computer or can be taken anywhere with an iPod or an iPhone. iTunes U can be accessed from mobile devices through their cellular networks and via Wi-Fi. When accessing iTunes U from a computer, you can even send the podcast to your employees to ensure they are also up-to-date with current technologies or business concepts.

Whether your company is trying to break into a new industry, revamp your company logo or stay current with trends, there is probably a lecture for it.

Here is an exaggerated hypothetical situation illustrating how to utilize iTunes U to improve your business:

A small business owner is deciding between a social media focused online marketing campaign or a direct mail campaign. From listening to some iTunes U lectures, he decides that an online marketing campaign would be best and could be part of a larger search engine optimization effort. This savvy businessman decides to learn more about online marketing strategies before hiring anyone. After several lectures, he hires an experienced graphic design firm familiar with techniques referenced in the podcasts. He managed to do all of this free research on his iPod while on his daily subway commute to work each day.

As with the hypothetical example above, listening to these lectures may not illicit the necessary skills to do the project yourself, but will create a more knowledgeable entrepreneur. This knowledge creates a more confident negotiator and may eliminate the need to outsource more basic projects. Whether trying to learn Spanish to attract new clients or learn about social networking sites, with over 200,000 free educational files available through iTunes U alone, not taking advantage of this educational opportunity is too expensive of a mistake to make.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a universal term for the technologies involved in the transfer of voice communication over an IP network.  For the most part, VoIP system users can make and receive calls just as they would from a traditional telephone network with only a home or business broadband internet connection.  Here are eight features that make VoIP attractive to the average user:

1. Price: With a basic service package for a VoIP phone system, you are provided with unlimited local and long distance calling within the United States (some offer unlimited calls to Canada and selected countries within Europe and Asia) for a low flat rate.
2. One Network:  Because VoIP systems use broadband connections you can run both your voice and data communications via one network which means you may be able to cut costs by getting rid of your traditional telephone connection.
3. Easy and Efficient:  VoIP systems are very simple to use.  For the most part, using a VoIP system is the same as using a traditional phone system—just pick up and dial.  The main difference between a VoIP and a traditional phone connection is the way the data is sent.  Since with a VoIP the data is sent via the internet, calls can be managed like data files on your computer as well as from a traditional hand phone set.
4. Features:  Many of the same paid features that the traditional phone companies offer are free with many VoIP services, such as voicemail, speed dialing, call forwarding, automatic redial, caller ID, caller ID block, and conference calling, as well as many other convenient features that are not available with a traditional phone network connection, such as the ability to forward voicemail to email; the ability to send data versions of voicemail messages, and the ability to manage address books and contacts from your computer.
5. Adding Lines:  By using a VoIP system, you are able to send out more than one telephone call over the same broadband internet connection which means that adding additional lines is simple and does not require an additional fee.
6. Fewer Location Restrictions:  With a VoIP system, only a broadband internet connection is needed; therefore, you are able to work from anywhere there is a fast enough internet connection allowing you fewer restrictions on your choice of calling environments.  Not only can you make calls from just about anywhere, you are also able to manage your VoIP system account from just about anywhere as well.  This means, those attractive features I listed earlier are able to be used on the go and not only in your home or office.
7. Compatibility and Integration:  Since VoIP uses one network, other internet services are compatible and integrate with your VoIP system, such as video conversation, message or data file exchange, internet gaming communication, and audio conferencing to name a few.  Also as mentioned in the features, you can also manage your address books and client information through your VoIP account from any computer with broadband internet.
8. Maintenance:  Overall, maintenance and troubleshooting are less complicated because of the simple fact that there are fewer devices to manage.

We have adapted our “on the go” lifestyle with our need for more efficient technology and the VoIP system is just one of the ways to make our lives simpler.  With the many attractive features of a VoIP system, it makes one wonder whether the traditional telephone service will soon become obsolete and instead we will all be conducting our communications on VoIP systems.

To learn more about VoIP systems, read Resource Nation’s buyer’s guide.