It was two years ago as I sat at a SUNY Oswego School of Business Advisory Board meeting when I experienced Skype for the first time. We were connected via Skype to a study abroad student in Spain. Skype was just becoming familiar in the United States even though it was founded in 2003 by two Swedish entrepreneurs. Appearing on the screen was a young man telling the board about his international business experience. It was fascinating to be communicating live with a student so far away. Although impressed with the technology, it wasn’t something I thought of integrating into my business or life.

As soon as our son went to college this September, the appeal of Skype became real. Knowing we could “see” our son at Boston College was an exciting thought and being able to communicate with him in this medium made the distance disappear. Then when my…