As heavy LinkedIn users, we know how important it is to find a group of professionals who share similar interests and experiences. Hours/days can easily go into seeking out groups within the collaboration industry, hoping to find industry professionals who share and consume the best unified communications and collaboration content on the web.
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We decided to make it simple and bring you the best groups dealing with unified communications, video conferencing, telemedicine, and more to bring you the best value and make sure you stay in the loop for all the biggest industry news.
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Unified Communications
Members | 48,409
Description
www.ucinsight.com
This is the largest group of its kind on LinkedIn with over 47,000+ members. The members are interested in Unified Communications
The group has an active discussion and news forum with regular contributions from across the globe.
Topics
(UC), Instant Messaging, Presence, OCS, Web & Video Conferencing, Web Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, Telepresence, SIP & VOIP technologies and covering offerings from the likes of Aspect, Alcatel Lucent, Avaya, BT, Cisco, Digium (Asterisk) Google Apps , Microsoft OCS Lync Office 365, Mitel, NEC Philips, Nortel, Polycom, Shoretel, Skype, Siemens, tandberg and many more
Why We Love It
This is the biggest fish in the unified communications pond. Get a nice mix of content from troubleshooting to industry trends that is updated frequently and even check the jobs section for new opportunities. The group owner is also very responsive so you won’t have to wait ages for approval to start getting great news and links.
Video Conferencing Professionals
Members | 18,378
Description
Welcome to the Videoconferencing Professionals Group – the largest group in LinkedIn dedicated to Videoconferencing and Telepresence.
We are a global community of more than 18,000 members including people who buy, sell, use, build, design, integrate, consult, or wrap services around videoconferencing and telepresence solutions.
Topics
Polycom, Tandberg, Vidyo, Lync, Cisco, Teliris, Sony, Acano, Pexip, Videxio, StarLeaf, Avizia, LifeSize, VTEL, Aethra, Radvision, Glowpoint, Vidyo, Avaya, Masergy, MPLS, Creative Labs inPerson, teleconferencing, serial control, Crestron, AMX, Desk-top video, e-learning, classroom capture, Distance Learning, webcasting, rich media, gateways, gatekeepers, infrastructure, multipoint, MCU, ISDN, IP, firewalls, traversal, SIP, 3G, integration, H.323, H.264, MPEG, H.239, RTV, WebRTC, SVC, Lync, Jabber, Streaming, HD, Codian, RadVision, PictureTel, InfoComm, NAB, Skype,
Why We Love It
This group is very discussion driven with a wide variety of articles and industry topics. With a very large and active member base, you can expect to receive only the latest and greatest news and happenings in the video communications industry from vtc, collaboration and unified communications professionals alike.
This group works hard to maintain high quality. The founder, Chris Otten, wrote a post declaring that the group is “spam” intolerant. This means less clutter for group members and shows that the moderator is active in taking good care of what many consider to be a valuable source of information and networking opportunities in the industry. This group is private, so members are filtered by the moderator. If you do get in, be sure to read the rules and take extra care to follow them when sharing content in the discussion feed.
Telecare And Telehealth
Members | 9,704
Description
This group is for people engaged in the telecare and telehealth industry. The group has an active discussion and news forum with regular contributions from across the globe. The groups objectives are to encourage the Telecare and telehealth Community to network & interact regularly.
Topics
telemedicine, telehealth
Why We Love It
This LinkedIn group is more globally-oriented than the American Telemedicine Association. Learn more about international regulations and market growth that may influence the way your telehealth solutions need to be implemented to stay compliant. Following this group will make sure you stay in the loop whenever something happens like the EU adding regulations so that you can plan ahead.
Unified Communications Professionals Forum
Members | 12,131
Description
This group is for UC Vendors, Integrators and customers to share there thoughts, opportunities and help others in the community to resolve issues, find new careers, and share in the collective knowledge of industry peers.
Topics
Polycom, Cisco, Tandberg, Lifesize, Aethra, Telepresence, Video Conferencing, OCS, Unified Messaging, Voip, Presence, Unified Communications, Contact Centers, Web Collaboration, Virtualization, Cloud computing
Why We Love It
This group is a great networking spot for unified communications pros. If you want to get more infomation on day-to-day challenges or even bounce ideas off your peers, this is a great place to build your community.
Microsoft Skype For Business Professionals Group
Members | 21,823
Description
This a a group dedicated to the Microsoft Skype for Business or Lync platform. The groups focus is on architecture, features, comparisons and the occasional friendly debate.
Topics
Microsoft Lync, Skype For Business
Why We Love It
Lync has the potential to rule the enterprise unified communications industry with its “anytime, anywhere, any kind of collaboration” philosophy. Chat, voice call, video call and share content securely from just about any device you can imagine. The collaboration powerhouse is not going anywhere anytime soon, and this group is a great place to brush up on best practices and get the latest updates before anyone else.
Members of this group are great about sharing white papers, ebooks and blogs articles all about skype for business features and unique ways to drive adoption in your organization. The uc platform is primed to set the new standard for optimal user friendly experience, but there are always good hacks out there from skype for business users that can help you reach your goals.
WebRTC
Members | 3,538
Description
The largest LinkedIn group dedicated to WebRTC!
What is WebRTC? Why are so many leading technology companies and web gurus getting excited about WebRTC? Should you be paying attention? Chime in with your insight & observations!
Topics
Microsoft Lync, Skype For Business, Polycom, Pexip, Cisco, Tandberg, Acano, Blue Jeans, Vidyo, Logitech, and more!
Why We Love It
If you like to talk about WebRTC, this is the LinkedIn group for you. This group is a hub for great discussions, particularly as browsers begin enabling the plugin-free extension allowing WebRTC to take off. This group also has a great sense of humor and is home to many lively debates. You can also find great WebRTC training and demo resources.
Cisco/WebEx
Members | 2,638
Description
Email and follow @davidchao on Twitter for immediate member approval.
Topics
Cisco, Telepresence, Webex
Why We Love It
This group is dedicated to supporting professionals managing the collaboration industry giant Cisco Webex. Webex is a tough one to say no to when support and sales teams across the country are using the platform to make their jobs a whole lot easier. This group has over 2,000 members and as one member said it’s a little too “quiet” at times.
There are some great pieces of content and discussions, but they come very infrequently. If you are more of a casual LinkedIn participant, join this group and you won’t be bothered.
Video Collaboration Professionals
Members | 91
Description
This group is for collaboration professionals within the unified communications, video communications and collaboration industries who want to network with peers, gain valuable insights and contribute to the discussion on enterprise video collaboration.
Topics
All things video conferencing
Why We Love It
This is a relatively small group compared to the others but it offers an intimate place to talk about the place of video in the unified communication and collaboration space. There are a ton of great resources to help people new to managing video conferencing systems from the IT or AV world to help troubleshoot and plan intelligently. Additionally, there are a lot of great ways to delight users for more experienced pros. If you are looking for a relaxed group full of great resources where you can really make a splash, then this may be the perfect fit.
Solutions Architects For Unified Communications
Members | 2,172
Description
The Solution Architects for Unified Communications Group was developed to allow Solution Architects/Pre-Sales Consultants to network, discuss emerging technologies and be kept up to date on the most exciting opportunities that come to fruition within the EMEA Cisco Gold Partner market.
Topics
cisco conferences, industry trends, mergers & acquisitions
Why We Love It
This group is an excellent place to get a high-level view of the unified communications industry. Find out how UC is growing, what companies are merging, new applications of technology, and more big market trends. This is the perfect spot if you are a solutions architect, consultant or work in pre-sales.
Cisco Unified Communications & Collaboration
Members | 15,083
Description
Discussion, interaction and collaboration regarding Cisco technologies
Topics
Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unity/Unity Connection, Cisco Unified Contact Center, Cisco Unified Presence, Cisco Meeting Place, Cisco WebEx, Acano, and related technologies
Why We Love It
Cisco is a huge leader in the unified communications space so their technologies are likely to be a part of any environment you work on. This group gets into the nitty gritty and shares a lot of how-tos, guides, and troubleshooting tips. If you are looking to resolve a certain problem or just want to stay in the loop of all the best Cisco hacks, this group is essential to help you step up your UC game.
Video Conferencing As A Service
Members | 4,885
Description
We share ideas and information about video conferencing and Telepresence issues. This includes the various consumption models for VC e.g. VaaS. As well as everything related to managed video services.
Topics
telepresence, video conferencing, video conferencing services for end users
Why We Love It
This group covers big unified communications issues but really digs into the video component. There are some really big and futuristic ideas floating around like the future of drones, video banking, video-enabled surgery and more. This si a great place to stay on the cutting edge and get new ideas for applying video in your organization.
American Telemedicine Association
Members | 9,704
Description
The American Telemedicine Association is the leading resource and advocate promoting access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology. ATA seeks to bring together diverse groups from traditional medicine, academic medical centers, technology and telecommunications companies, e-health, medical societies, government and others to overcome barriers to the advancement of telemedicine through the professional, ethical and equitable improvement in health care delivery.
Topics
telemedicine, telehealth
Why We Love It
The ATA is the biggest influencer on all things telemedicine. Whether you are trying to find out about the big conference they hold every year, or just get more information on technological advancements, this is the place to be. A lot of the posts focus on bigger industry trends and interesting applications of telemedicine as this industry continues to grow. This LinkedIn group is also a great place for networking and finding the most cutting-edge hospitals or companies helping patients.
All You Want To Know About UC&C
Members | 3,198
Description
This group is a unified communications and conferencing specialists group, combining the power of professionals in the industry of audio and video communication and unified communications. Focus on (market)development of high definition video conferencing, audio conferencing and web conferencing.
Topics
Microsoft Unified Communications, OCS, Livemeeting, Microsoft Lync, Cisco, Plantronics, Polycom, Lifesize, Google Apps and Tandberg
Why We Love It
This group is really focused on the IT professional dealing with a unified communications environment. If you find yourself juggling phone, chat video, and more technologies to connect your users, this is a great place to join. It is one of the smaller UC groups out there but remains pretty active and intimate.
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