In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, many businesses turned to video conferencing as an alternative to in-person meetings as a way of dealing with travel restrictions and the economic slowdown that followed. But many soon went back to more traditional meeting styles, in part because the economy improved and in part because many found the technology still had its limitations.

While terrorism has, fortunately, yet to return to the U.S. mainland, the economy has fallen even harder than it did eight years ago and there are new pressures to avoid travel when possible for the sake of the environment. So what has this done to the video conference versus face-to-face meeting equation...?