Alex Pell in TimesOnline describes how the new version of Skype has improved video and can be used to hold video conferences and helps companies and people go green.

Pell notes in "Say hello to the virtual boardroom": "THE biggest step many businesses can take to slash their carbon footprint is to ditch unnecessary plane journeys.

"The good news is that it's never been less essential to belch out tonnes of aviation fuel en route to pressing the flesh of a business contact thanks to giant leaps in video-conferencing technology.

"Even better news is that the process has become far more cost-effective - and often free. Skype has just released version 4.0 (for Windows) of its popular internet-communications software and this promises greatly enhanced video quality for conference calls."

The article goes on to describe how Karen Hollands runs a global language school from her house in Weybridge, Surrey, UK, using Skype's free video-conferencing service.

"Our business is entirely virtual. We have over 30 native-speaking language teachers in 14 countries teaching hundreds of people globally," Hollands said.

Pupils can brush up on Mandarin Chinese from a teacher who is nearly 6,000 miles from the UK in Guangdong province in China. Lessons are recorded so students can practice pronunciation later.

Richard Moross, chief executive of Moo (www.moo.com), a contract-printing business that offers customizable stationery, is another Skype fan:

"Skype video is extraordinarily helpful to our business because we have 40 employees who spend a lot of time on the road visiting clients. We put a laptop with built-in webcam on the table and include people in our weekly meetings."

He shares designs over video links.