We really want to believe that executives are heavy users of video-conferencing technologies, but we're having a tough time accepting some survey data from Global IP Solutions that crossed our desk on Tuesday. The company, which develops software for video and voice delivery over IP networks, sent the Standard the results of a simple survey that it had posed to 350 participants in one of its online seminars. Of the nearly 70 who responded, a whopping 38% claimed they used video conferencing or chat at least once per week. Another 21% said they used these technologies at least once per month.

Do these numbers reflect typical videoconferencing usage patterns at most companies? We doubt it. The technology is certainly available (for instance, new Mac laptops have video cameras and chat software built in) but there are cultural and practical reasons that limit its use, such as cubicle volume concerns and interoperability issues. In this case, we think the survey results exaggerated the number of heavy users. After all, the people who participated in GIPS' online seminar are naturally are more inclined to use video conferencing than the general population of corporate users.

GIPS says it is now conducting a larger survey in the U.S. and East Asia to determine patterns of business and personal use of video conferencing technologies. We're looking forward to seeing the results.

Sources and research: GIPS press release and website, TheStandard.com